Buying a forever lawnmower. Lawnmower buying advice.

stevef22 said:
Hello all! I recently purchased my first home. The house is located on 1/3 acre lot. Im looking to buy a long lasting lawnmower. Here are my requirements, all of them don’t need to be satisfied but preferred.

☐20" cutting width ( yard has allot of landscaping and tight spots, I like smaller cutting path )

☐Powerful and strong torque engine that doesn’t stall in knee high grass on a damp Saturday morning when the wife is yelling at you to cut the dam grass.

☐Bright Red deck color

☐Self propelled optional

☐Larger rear wheel

☐Commonly found parts

☐I’m 6 feet tall so adjustable or higher push bar would be nice

☐Add on bag optional. I plan on using mulching blade 90% of time



I’m OK with buying slightly used from FB marketplace, craigslist etc.

I’m OK with buying online. Here in South Texas we have Home Depot, Lowes etc.



My budget is $750 or less.




Thank you very much, please advise,
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It's not red, nor does it have a big back wheel. It's also 21" wide. But I'm a big fan of the Stihl RM 655 V. It has a cast aluminum deck which won't rust out. I found mine on FB Marketplace for $430. It hadn't even had it's initial oil fill. But it was too heavy for the little 85 lb. woman who needed to be able to load it into her Jeep to take to different locations on her property. It has a 3-height bar adjustment. I'm 6'2" and it's comfortable to me. I use the mulching plug but it comes with a nice rigid bagger. If you buy new, you'll pay more than you are hoping. But you did say forever mower.

STIHL Vario Drive Gas 21 in. Self Propelled Mower | Rural King

STIHL Vario Drive Gas 21 in. Self Propelled Mower
www.ruralking.com www.ruralking.com

Edited to add it's made in Austria, and is hugely popular in the UK, where they tend to mow a lot of wet grass.
 
I would agree with other Senior opinions here--buy the Toro sr4 with the cast deck--much superior build quality than regular Recyclers---make certain that you get a rear drive unit with metal gearing not the nylon geared drive wheels. Nothing wrong with the personal pace and people seem to like it if it's cable tension is adjusted properly---having the familiar drive bale handle is quite acceptable. I personally would avoid the BBC feature and think the safety argument is overrated--the feature that stops the blade and allows the engine to continue running is a good concept --but the source of many problems with another belt--and a poor cable design that is prone to breaking. You are also stuck with this system and cannot just simply get rid of it to avoid repair. There is no provision to simply add a blade adaptor and go regular lawnmower. Do not be afraid of the TXP engine on Recyclers--yes they are Chinese and i love them. They're quiet and powerful with cast iron sleeves--very well built balanced engine. I was told the same factory made BMW motorcycle engines at one time. Almost all new overhead valve engines new mowers will not last long and you will have problems with cheaper plastic components failing---My 2 cents
 
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