Snapper RER Series 11 vs. 23

About a year ago I picked up a Series 11 8HP 25" mower that was missing some parts and had a 8HP motor that starts but needs new rings. It cost me $1, so essentially free. Recently the opportunity got dropped at my feet to pick up a Series 23 Honda 11HP 28" mower w/ bag for $120. It didn't run when I picked it up, but after thoroughly cleaning the carb, it ran.

So now I have two Snapper RER's but will be down-sizing to just the Series 23. But as I compared the two, in some ways the Series 11 seems "better". The brake pedal operation and controls console seem nicer. I'm assuming that the Series 23 came later, is that true? Just trying to sort out if I should rob stuff from the 11 for the 23.

As for the rear tires, the 23 tires are wider. I'm thinking that's better since they won't dig in as much on soft ground, and so I should leave those alone.

Any input appreciated. Pics of the 23 attached...

DPDISXR4Ti said:

About a year ago I picked up a Series 11 8HP 25" mower that was missing some parts and had a 8HP motor that starts but needs new rings. It cost me $1, so essentially free. Recently the opportunity got dropped at my feet to pick up a Series 23 Honda 11HP 28" mower w/ bag for $120. It didn't run when I picked it up, but after thoroughly cleaning the carb, it ran.

So now I have two Snapper RER's but will be down-sizing to just the Series 23. But as I compared the two, in some ways the Series 11 seems "better". The brake pedal operation and controls console seem nicer. I'm assuming that the Series 23 came later, is that true? Just trying to sort out if I should rob stuff from the 11 for the 23.

As for the rear tires, the 23 tires are wider. I'm thinking that's better since they won't dig in as much on soft ground, and so I should leave those alone.

Any input appreciated. Pics of the 23 attached...

View attachment 37065View attachment 37066View attachment 37067

Click to expand...

Do a a little leg-work on your puter, see which one has the MOST parts availability..... THAT'S the one I'd go with ...... FUNCTION and DEPENDABILITY ... forget looks, it's just a lawn-mower !! ..:thumbsup:

Boobala said:

Do a a little leg-work on your puter, see which one has the MOST parts availability..... THAT'S the one I'd go with ...... FUNCTION and DEPENDABILITY ... forget looks, it's just a lawn-mower !! ..:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

They're largely the same machine, so parts availability is a non-issue. The bottom line is that I'll stick with the Series 23, just wondering if I should be nabbing some stuff off the Series 11. And out of curiosity, trying to understand why some of the changes were made.

Did a little digging and it appears that the Series 23 w/ the Honda engine was available in the 2004-5 time period.

Did a little work to the steering system on the Series 23 tonight, stealing the bushings from the Series 11 which were in good shape. I had planned on swapping the steering shaft over as well, but it's actually a slightly larger diameter, 11/16" I'd guess rather than the 5/8" used on the Series 23. Anyone else notice this? FWIW, the Snapper part# for the Series 11 shaft is 7040593 and NLA.

Overall, what's interesting is that the later mower seems to have stepped back in time and adopted several approaches of the "Comet era" mowers which were more simple and service-able. Gone is the cowling and dashboard used on the series 7 - 11 era, but as a result things are more accessible and service-able. I assume that was a conscious decision for that reason.

Back to the steering shaft, oddly enough the pass-through hole in the "dashboard" is larger in the series 23 than the 11 even though the steering shaft is smaller. This allowed for a much thicker bushing, which makes sense given the forces applied here. What I don't think is available however is a bushing to use the thicker shaft in the Series 23. I could make one on the lathe easily enough.