I'm in the market for a new mower. I currently have a 21' Craftsman with a B&S 6.25 Torque engine. I mulch 95% of the time. Here in Texas the grass grows like wildfire and if I don't mow at least once a week it's a real bear to do. My mower chokes out at least a dozen times and what should be a 1 hour job turns into a 2 hour job and I'm beat.
I've always been a fan of Hondas and I see just about every commercial company using them. However, because of their higher price tag i began looking for other mowers with honda engines. I found the Husqvarna 700 and fell in love. Then I found this forum and read about some other motors and am now open to possibilities other than the Honda.
My thought process is that first and foremost I want power. Because of this I'm leaning away from the GCV 160 and moving towards the B&S 190cc models, or possibly the Kohlers. I also checked on consumer reports and found that Husqvarna is only second to JD in the "needs the most repairs" category. I also read a review on Husq's webpage for their B&S 190cc model 775, that the drive system couldn't get out of it's own way, so I'm thinking about nixing Husqvarna off the list all together.
So what do you guys think? My budget is around $500, so I can't go all out on a commercial grade machine, but I do want something that will last a while and will make mowing enjoyable again.
M
I've always been a fan of Hondas and I see just about every commercial company using them. However, because of their higher price tag i began looking for other mowers with honda engines. I found the Husqvarna 700 and fell in love. Then I found this forum and read about some other motors and am now open to possibilities other than the Honda.
My thought process is that first and foremost I want power. Because of this I'm leaning away from the GCV 160 and moving towards the B&S 190cc models, or possibly the Kohlers. I also checked on consumer reports and found that Husqvarna is only second to JD in the "needs the most repairs" category. I also read a review on Husq's webpage for their B&S 190cc model 775, that the drive system couldn't get out of it's own way, so I'm thinking about nixing Husqvarna off the list all together.
So what do you guys think? My budget is around $500, so I can't go all out on a commercial grade machine, but I do want something that will last a while and will make mowing enjoyable again.
M
