Self Propelled Walk Behind Recommendations

Hi guys!

New to this site. My wife finally killed our 10 year old Honda HRB217 by hitting a small stump and bending the crank. This mower has been bullet proof!!! I'm now ready to get another mower and interested in your real world experience. I'm spoiled by the Honda quality, especially the composite deck. We are now only using it to do trimming around/under trees, bushes and the ditch in front of the property. I am looking to get the "lightest" mower that still is self propelled. It has been suggested to get a mower with larger rear wheels. I realize I'm going to sacrifice some quality, since I owned the top of the line Honda, but our needs have changed and I'm now just looking to get something that performs well. I'm stuck on Honda engine quality, so I will be looking at mowers with the Honda engine. I'm intrigued by the front wheel drive models, but have no experience with them. Any advice on what is "good" in the market today is greatly appreciated.

I also own a 3120 John Deere with a 72" rear mounted finish mower and a John Deere X300 & 42" deck for cutting in the edges and larger trimming area. Total mowing time for us is around 5-6 hours.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Mike

Front wheel drive is a negative in my book . Usually they are cheap junky mowers . If you are a Honda man look at the Husqvarna HU800awd . That's all 4 wheels turning ! Great mower . I was once a honda fan then I bought a lawn boy DuraForce . 2 cycles are hard to beat ! Search your local Craigslist and try out a lawn boy , if you don't like it u can always sell a 2 cycle mower .

How about repowering your Honda? From your post you may not be happy with anything other than a Honda.

Honda hrr is a good mower and very light. Avoid front wheel drive

This is from popular mechanics magazine.



Cub Cadet SC500Z
Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★

Price: $450
Engine: 159-cc
Drive: Rear-wheel
Height Adjustment: One lever and both front wheels
Cut Width: 21 inches
Functions: mulches, bags, side-discharges
Weight: 95 pounds
Decibels (A Scale): 92

Likes: The Cub excels at sharp turns and corners, thanks to its front caster wheels. It also delivers excellent cut quality and received high marks for bagging. We were pleasantly surprised how spunky its 159-cc engine felt, even in tall grass.

Dislikes: Those front casters need larger wingnuts for easier removal and tightening.

Best Suited For: Medium-to-large yard with slopes no greater than 20 degrees. The casters must be locked for sidehill cutting. Like the Craftsman, the Cub struggles with push–pull mowing.


Honda HRX2174HY Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Tied for Best Overall) Price: $800 Engine: 190-cc Drive: Rear-wheel Height Adjustment: Four levers Cut Width: 21 inches Functions: mulches, bags Weight: 96 pounds Decibels (A Scale): 92 Likes: The Honda shines when you have a great lawn ready to look its best. It delivered our highest cut and mulching quality. It's a pleasure to use, thanks to its drive mechanism, a silky-smooth hydrostatic transmission. Also, you can drive the mower without the blade spinning, and stop the mower and the blade while leaving the engine running. Dislikes: It bags well but not exceptionally. Best Suited For: Large, immaculate yards with lots of long, straight runs that require minimum maneuvering and have side or uphill slopes to 20 degrees. It handles tall grass easily, thanks to its large engine.



Husqvarna HU 675AWD
Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Price: $300
Engine: 149-cc
Drive: All-wheel
Height Adjustment: Four levers
Cut Width: 21 inches
Functions: mulches, bags
Weight: 89 pounds
Decibels (A Scale): 95

Likes: The Husqvarna was the most versatile mower in this test. It's simple and maneuverable, and it leaves an excellent cut surface. It also outbagged everything else by a long shot. Its all-wheel drive will conquer just about any surface, even steep ones. If you can stand on it safely, you can mow it. We also liked that the drive system helps you cut an arrow-straight line.

Dislikes: If you need to pull the Husqvarna backward, then you must first roll the mower forward a foot or two without the drive system engaged.

Best Suited For: Medium-to-large yards with steep slopes that require a high cut quality and a need to bag.

Lawn Boy 10732
Ranking: ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (Best Buy)

Price: $290
Engine: 149-cc
Drive: Rear-wheel
Height Adjustment: Two levers
Cut Width: 21 inches
Functions: mulches, bags
Weight: 66 pounds
Decibels (A Scale): 92

Likes: A delightfully simple, light, basic mower. We were pleasantly surprised by how fast and effective it is despite its small Kohler engine.

Dislikes: Adding a side discharge would make this mower perfect, especially for when you have to mow tall, damp grass.

Best Suited For: Small-to-medium yards that require a high degree of maneuverability, push–pull mowing, and where bagging is not a priority. Capable of uphill and sidehill mowing to about a 20-degree slope.



Toro 20199
Ranking: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Price: $1049
Engine: 190-cc
Drive: Rear-wheel
Height Adjustment: Two levers
Cut Width: 30 inches
Functions: mulches, bags, side-discharges
Weight: 132 pounds
Decibels (A Scale): 96

Likes: The TimeMaster is made for yards that are a bit too large for a standard walk mower but aren't quite big enough for riding equipment. Once you get the hang of operating it, it's quite maneuverable. Plus, its fold-forward handle means it takes up hardly any space in the garage.

Dislikes: None

Best Suited For: Large yards with uphill and sidehill cutting on slopes of less than 20 degrees. Personal Pace drive system means that the mower goes faster the farther you push the drive bar forward, but this (and the mower's weight) reduces the mower's suitability for rapid push–pull maneuvering.