Reducing mower noise

[plor]

Hi,
I just arrived in this forum.
I came here to see if there is any interest in reducing useless and awful mower noise. I dont like general noise and I specialy hate useful noise!
One cannot install a muffler on a motor without reducing motor efficiency. Honestly, I dont care to reduce of some percent my mower motor efficiency. I dont want noise from my mower and no more from my neibourg mowers.! I just also dont want to burn my mower with a too restrictive muffler.
When I was 13, Dad bought an electric mower that could be used at 5 am showing that zero noise arose from it! This prove that the main noise arise from the gazoline motor and not from the deck.
Is here any experience, interest or knolwedge in this matter?
Hope to read you all!
Plor

 

[oldyellr]

Many mowers are not too noisy when new, but get louder after years of use. Some have quite large and sophisticated mufflers, but when they've blown out all their insulation and rusted through, you'll be shocked at the price of a new OEM muffler, provided you can find one.

I have a Honda rear engine rider that was originally owned by my neighbour. I remember when he first bought it I saw him cutting his lawn but could hardly hear it, it was so quiet. It's not as quiet now, but I see a new muffler costs $210. I've put exhaust systems on CARS for less than that!

 

[robert@honda]

I work for Honda (mowers) and the factory we operate in North Carolina makes mowers for the US, Latin American, and European market. In most of Europe, there are VERY strict noise laws, and the mowers built for that market are noticeably different to stay within the rules. The two biggest differences I've seen between USA vs. European models are:

Engine speed: As the blade on all walk-behind mowers is bolted directly to the crankshaft, running the engine at a slightly lower speed means just a bit less noise. This does impact cut quality, as a faster turning blades cut better than slower ones. However, the difference isn't that big, and the customers in Europe a happy to trade quieter operation for slightly less reduced cut / finish quality.

Blade design: USA blades are mostly straight, with a curve built in to produce air flow / suction to move the clippings out or into a grass bag. This works great, but can be a bit noisy. European-spec blades have much larger/wider tips (we call 'em "elephant ears") and this design reduces noise significantly. All the mowers I've seen for European market have these wide-style blades. This means the blades are a bit heavier, and take more power to spin, but seem to work okay for the customers in Europe.

I don't think there's much difference in the mufflers or air intake, both of which do contribute to noise levels, but not nearly as much as the blades and the speeds they turn.

For what it's worth.

 

[oldyellr]

The single 30" blade on my Honda is louder than the two 17" blades on my Deere because it has bigger upturned trailing edges to create more suction and improve discharge so a bagger can be used. However, I don't have a bagger and don't use the discharge chute for clearance reasons, so I'm sure that's why it's louder. I also think bagging clippings is more the norm in Europe than here, hence the blades.