Lawn Mower Recommendations

Ah, a subject near and dear...wait a minute. Not on your life! My dream in retirement is to pay some kid to mow my lawn so I never have to do it again. Then I can yell at him to get off of it after he's done.

In a former life I did landscape work for a living. Twelve years of it. We settled upon Toro for true 'hand mower' type products. The Scag and other models similar are more appropriately called 'walk behind' even though you certainly walk behind any of them you don't ride! Really it is more of a size difference. Under about 22" was referred to as a hand mower and larger was the walk behind. And the prices went up significantly for the latter. I can relate to you what/why for us but the information is over seventeen years old so things are likely different now.

Toro simply made the toughest, most durable mower we tried. The deck was cast aluminium for light weight yet bringing rigidity. The wheels were steel with solid rubber that actually held up. You could get them in 2 cycle or 4 cycle. We used both but had the 2 cycle models so the guys who were out using weed eaters and blowers could use the same gas mix for all three and did not have to carry two types. The 4 cycle models had a LOT more torque and did not bog as much. We settled on them for two reasons. The drive system was the only one we found that held up and they had an option not available on other brands; a blade brake clutch that allowed you to disengage the blade and drive but did NOT kill the engine. This was a huge time saver when you had to stop and move yard trash or whatever. It really was. They cost over $1000 then. I have no idea now.

Most of the old brands are names only now. Cub Cadet, Wheel Horse, Bolens, etc. are all owned by one or two companies who make them to different specs. I think Toro and Honda are still their own thing along with Deere. And yes, most stuff sold at big box is not the same lines as sold at the dedicated dealers of the latter three. We did try Deere's best hand mower at the time and it fell apart. No kidding. One of the worst ones we tried. Again, this is all old information now. I would still start at the Toro dealer but only after a LOT of research and only if I were ready to buy top of the line and for the long haul. Otherwise I have a Crapsman seven horse model that is over 8 years old and starts every time. It is not self propelled and if you go the propelled route pay close attention to the reviews for drivetrain reliability.

Here's a photo of the most similar model to what we had. Looks like you can get it with either Kawasaki or Honda engine. We had the Kawasaki I think. (look at the 'sell sheet' pdf) LINK

I bought a Honda last year after my 18 year old Lawn Boy died. Am very glad I did; it's an excellent mower.

I recommend a couple of sheep or a goat.

Possum Tail said:

Several years ago when researching a new self-propelled mower, I asked my town's thriving small engine repair shop. The owner immediately answered "Sears Craftsman." He said that they rarely saw Craftsmen mowers in their shop, despite their being priced very competitively and our having a big Sears Store <10 miles away. I took his advice, and bought the Craftsman. I follow the oil change guidelines, keep the blade sharp, and..knock on wood..have had zero issues with my mower.

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I also had a self propelled Craftsman for many years, until it started to disintegrate (wheels, grass catcher etc). So I ended up getting another craftsman as well. This time I decided to not get a self propelled as long as it was relatively light and easy to maneuver. The lightest one didn't have a bag option. Decided to get a model up with the catcher. Glad I did. Don't always use it but good to have sometimes. Looks like these:

TexFlood said:

I also had a self propelled Craftsman for many years, until it started to disintegrate (wheels, grass catcher etc). So I ended up getting another craftsman as well. This time I decided to not get a self propelled as long as it was relatively light and easy to maneuver. The lightest one didn't have a bag option. Decided to get a model up with the catcher. Glad I did. Don't always use it but good to have sometimes. Looks like these:

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I believe that Craftsman are just re-branded Husqvarna mowers. So thats another brand to check out. I own a Craftsman and have had no issues.

blary54 said:

I believe that Craftsman are just re-branded Husqvarna mowers. So thats another brand to check out. I own a Craftsman and have had no issues.

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Think you're right. If I recall correctly the main difference between those two I listed is one had a Kohler engine and the other Briggs & Stratton.

I have a toro super recycler 4. The engine itself is fine. It is the drive unit that keeps going out. It had a 5 year warranty when I bought it. I had to replace the belt at least once a year along with the drive gears rtc. I have been spending an average of 125 -$150 per year in repairs not including maintenance. I was like kid st Christmas when I brought it home 7 years ago. I thought for sure with Toro's reputation I would have it for 20 years. I had it tuned up in February. The second time I used it the drive went out. I have been hand pushing this every week fiancé then bNot that big a deal; then Friday evening the blade went out. I have no doubt that the commercial Toros are much better. I have 3 friends who went through the same thing. Just dissappointed. I probably should have gone to Toro directly. I had the dealer once time tell me to cut my grass higher. (I have Zoysia so I cut at 2"). I looked at the guy and asked him "if I cut the grass every week, what is the difference in drag and pressure being put on the machine?" He finally admitted that it is a design flaw.

UncleRJ said:

Me, I use a Scag....

http://www.scag.com/walkbehinds.html

Costly but well worth it. Built like a brick "You Know What"

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This guy knows what he's talking about.

When we lived in Ohio I bought a Scag walk behind mower with the velkee (wheels you stand on that get towed by the mower). I was able to the grass on about 10 minutes and we had a large yard that took a couple hours with a standard walk behind mower.

The thing about Ohio was that we got a couple days of rain then a nice day then a day or two more rain again. It seemed that a good part of the year every nice day we had to spend cutting the grass before it rained more and it quickly grew twice as tall. It was a constant battle. The penalty for not keeping up with it was stopping every 20 feet to unclog the mower and the task taking three times as long to do.

If the grass was wet or covered in snow it made no difference as it was impossible to clog the SCAG mower. The grass came out a fine powder with no piece larger than the width of a pencil eraser. It saved me close to two hours every time I cut the grass and the job it did was absolute perfection like you see done with the professional baseball fields.

I shopped around diligently and I bought the mower new for like $3500 It was the belt drive version with an added metal catcher and the walk behind wheels. I know that it's a lot of cash but it's a forever item with how often it would be used if you take care of it. These things are made to be run every day non stop for years and years in a commercial setting.

When we moved to Arizona a couple years later I sold it for $3400 to a guy who's kid was starting a landscaping company. So I got almost what I paid for it as these things keep their value quite well. The kid was very familiar with them and said mine wasn't even broken it yet.

I guess what I'm getting at with this is maybe consider a commercial mower if it's something you can swing. Even a used well taken care of one will server you well. Their is a absolutely huge difference between the homeowner mowers and the ones the professionals use.

dfoulk said:

This guy knows what he's talking about.

When we lived in Ohio I bought a Scag walk behind mower with the velkee (wheels you stand on that get towed by the mower). I was able to the grass on about 10 minutes and we had a large yard that took a couple hours with a standard walk behind mower.

The thing about Ohio was that we got a couple days of rain then a nice day then a day or two more rain again. It seemed that a good part of the year every nice day we had to spend cutting the grass before it rained more and it quickly grew twice as tall. It was a constant battle. The penalty for not keeping up with it was stopping every 20 feet to unclog the mower and the task taking three times as long to do.

If the grass was wet or covered in snow it made no difference as it was impossible to clog the SCAG mower. The grass came out a fine powder with no piece larger than the width of a pencil eraser. It saved me close to two hours every time I cut the grass and the job it did was absolute perfection like you see done with the professional baseball fields.

I shopped around diligently and I bought the mower new for like $3500 It was the belt drive version with an added metal catcher and the walk behind wheels. I know that it's a lot of cash but it's a forever item with how often it would be used if you take care of it. These things are made to be run every day non stop for years and years in a commercial setting.

When we moved to Arizona a couple years later I sold it for $3400 to a guy who's kid was starting a landscaping company. So I got almost what I paid for it as these things keep their value quite well. The kid was very familiar with them and said mine wasn't even broken it yet.

I guess what I'm getting at with this is maybe consider a commercial mower if it's something you can swing. Even a used well taken care of one will server you well. Their is a absolutely huge difference between the homeowner mowers and the ones the professionals use.

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Thank's for the vote of confidence!

To be honest, I upgraded to the attachment that you can sit on.

Can't in all fairness call it comfortable but it beats standing

My electric Ryobi cordless has just stopped. So looking for another that's not such a beast. That Ryobi while powerful and quiet it was a two step process to get it to my back yard as I have a gravel walkway. Lug the 25+ pound battery to the back yard then the lawn mower.
I have nothing but good things to say about their customer service though. The second year the battery went kaput I was no a happy camper. My wife spent a good coin on this for it to go blah so quick. I contacted customer service and they sent me a new one ASAP.
Since then I've bought all their brands. They have a customer for life. THAT'S how you take care of people.

But now it's dead, dead, dead. I'd get another but it's MUCH to heavy for my wife to use and it's self propelled feature will pull a tractor but is too fast and doesn't catch the grass or cut it sometimes.

Honda it is. Thanks for bringing this up OP.

Plant Zoysia grass in your lawn.

Hondas are nice. Ive owned a couple and they were great, although the quality on the newer Hondas isnt what it once was. Personally, if it were my money, Id pick my favorite color and go from there because they all use the same engines and are pretty comparable.
Being a Wisconsin homer, Id probably buy an Ariens or a Snapper because both are headquartered in Wisconsin but theyre all pretty good. Take your pick.

I bought this 35 years ago. Belts, gas, and a couple set of blades is all it has needed. I mow 3/4 of an acre of lawn



Have a commercial honda of the same age but rarely use it

Gents I use an old classic mower. I just bought a house and bought this pristine classic Cub Cadet 102 from my ex-stepfather. I only have just shy of a half acre but hey it's America and if I want to be lazy let me! Also its a 1962 model. So if its been running that long then I should manage to get some use out of it. The deck is cast and the motor is a Kohler 10 HP. They use these as pulling tractors. It may not be the fastest but it runs like a top.

I definitely have to buy a mower. Garbage man was picking up and I asked him if he could take the mower. I gave him a hand putting it into truck. Amazing the power of the hydraulics.

dpm802

I have Zoysia in the yard. From seed in the back yard and plugged it out front.

So here is what I ended up getting. Took advantage of the 6 year warranty. Also Honda House matched Home Depot price.

Can't see spending $300+ for a mower that isn't built as well as older fixed up mowers that run <$50. I prefer hand-me-downs. I've lost faith in certain segments of manufacturing to design and produce effective and durable products. That goes double for trimmers.

03cbrf4i said:

Gents I use an old classic mower. I just bought a house and bought this pristine classic Cub Cadet 102 from my ex-stepfather. I only have just shy of a half acre but hey it's America and if I want to be lazy let me! Also its a 1962 model. So if its been running that long then I should manage to get some use out of it. The deck is cast and the motor is a Kohler 10 HP. They use these as pulling tractors. It may not be the fastest but it runs like a top.

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Chris, great score. About the only thing I can say is don't let it go. I mean it. To get a modern lawn/garden tractor of that build quality and durability you will spend over ten thousand dollars without breaking a sweat. No kidding. It looks nearly new as it is but you could have it refurbished completely(allowing that parts needed would be available) for much less than that and still have a classic piece of Americana that just works.

My dad made this mistake years ago with a Wheel Horse garden tractor. It 'only' had a 6 horsepower engine but it had cast iron transaxle, 15" rear wheels(yes, the rims themselves) and a GEAR driven mower deck. By that I mean the drive from the main deck pulley(belt from engine I believe) to the outer blades were two steel drive shafts with u-joints. The blade shafts had gear boxes driven by those drive shafts and the whole thing was built like a tank. Even the WH dealer told him if he traded for a new model that; "I will be getting a better tractor than you will." Wow. Foolishly he sold it off when the engine expired and he kicked himself for years afterward. That thing had enough torque to pull a small house over I am convinced. Again, great score on the Cadet.