Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Here's my situation - I hope someone can offer some suggestions that will help me select a good mower. I have a new 1500 sq ft lawn, dead flat with LOTS of curved edges but no trees or shrubs. It certainly doesn't need much of a machine, but my kids are getting to the age that they might want to start cutting neighbor's lawns which are a little bigger (up to 1/4 acre) and have some slopes and obstacles, so I would like to get a mower with enough capabilities to handle more difficult cutting. Good mulching performance is a priority because I don't have anywhere to dump the clippings except the trash can. It needs to be safe for a (sane) young teenager to handle.

I was considering a Neuton electric but have trash-canned that idea because of battery concerns. So I am thinking a good quality small gas powered rear bagger/ mulcher would be best. Self propelled would be good, but not absolutely essential. I like the idea of castor front wheels for the maneuverability.

One machine that has caught my eye is the Ariens SLM21 SW ($639 MSRP), but I think it may be overkill. Also, I don't know anything about the Kawasaki engine and it seems pretty darn heavy at 125 pounds. Comments?

http://www.ariens.com/lawn_products/walk_behind_mowers/slm_21_sw/

One other choice is a Honda Harmony  HRZ16TDA ($539 MSRP). It has a steel deck (tho lighter gauge) like the Ariens but weighs only 92 pounds. It has 3 speeds rather than the infinitely variable system of the Ariens.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/ModelDetail.asp?ModelName=HRZ216TDA

And finally, the John Deere JS63C (MSRP $550) seems like a good choice. It reportedly is an excellent mulcher. But I don't see a power ratin for the Briggs engine...

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/servlet/com.deere.u90785.cce.productcatalog.view.servlets.ProdCatProduct?

Are there other highly-maneuverable (castoring) small push mowers I should consider? I kind of like Honda engines, but otherwise don't have any real preferences there. I really don't like MTD stuff, so that rules out a whole mess of brands.

Please help. Cost isn't a major factor, but I would like to stay at less than $600 from a discount store.

Thanks very much

JohnEDavies, I am glad you asked, hopefully I can help you regarding you new mower purchase.

Ariens make great mowers from what I have seen and they have strong decks and cut and mulch well. If your son is going to do 1/4th of a acre or more, you really want it to be self propelled because thats alot of mowing!

I do not like Honda's. My landlord has two 550 dollar Honda's that have broken down many times. One got a crack in the tranny, while the other one had a broken choke and a broken drive cable. I would not reccomend Honda's if you do alot of mowing with them.

John Deere makes great mowers that have strong decks just like the Ariens and cut well. However, not sure how well the 2005 series of mowers mulch. You might want to ask a dealer how well the 2005 series mowers mulch? John Deere mowers use B&S overhead valve Intech engines and I have had a bad experiance with one of those engines made in 1999.

In my opinion, MTD does not make mowers good enough for lots of mowing. You would be better off with Toro mowers as another option. For example, I am going to be getting the Toro 20055 Super Recycler because I am going to be doing alot of mowing and need power, durability, long life, and ease of use. These super recycler Toro's use B&S side valve engines and are GTS on the first pull. They also have a mower with a B&S overhead valve engine too.

I hope that I have helped you and goodluck with your purchase!

If you're dead set on caster fronts, Snapper is another one to consider. They make a good mulcher with various engine options, Briggs L head and OHV and a Kaw OHV. MSRP from $350-700. The caster front end is a $100 option on all mowers. The mulchers come with the Ninja blade for mulching (essentially 4 blade edges) similar to Hondas Quadra cut. Snappers drive system is similar to the Ariens, infinite speeds, friction disc similar to a 2 stage snow blower's drive. Very simple, reliable and cheap to maintain(Friction disc ($5-10!)

I have a Hi Vac model with Briggs OHV and casters, like it a lot. Bought it 2 years ago for $500, plus another 100 for the casters. They bolt on easily, are well built and I get to keep my original front end so if I want to change back or would somehow destroy the casters, I have another front end to put back on it.  The JD and Honda casters are welded directly to the deck, making replacement much more difficult should they break or bend.  The Ariens and Snapper both bolt on. I like the looks of the Ariens, unfortunately there are no dealers close to me that sold their mowers.

I originally bought this mower for my old house, that was heavily wooded and had a lot of obstacles to mow around.  The casters were an improvement over a traditional front end. We have since moved to a traditional suburban area, and I don't find having the casters to be much of an advantage here. Although it is nice not having to lift the front of the mower to turn around.

If you go for the caster, make sure the casters are lockable from the handle bar. (Allows you to lock and unlock on the fly) Even the slightest slope will cause the mower to want to drift downhill and your arms will get tired trying to keep the mower on a straight path.  Cub cadet (MTD)is the only caster mower I know of that does not  allow you to lock from the handle. (With theirs, you have to go to the caster and lock it by hand with a pin, PITA!!)

Good luck, HTH.

I purchased an ariens brand new a couple of years ago.  after the first few times i used it the drive started to slip so i had to push it and it was heavy. i had the dealer adjust it and it worked for the rest of the summer. the next season it started again. i kept saying to myself " i should have purchased a direct drive mower "  just before this season started i found an ad for a honda sxa mower on craigslist. it was only used 3 times and the guy got moved out of the country for his job so he listed it. i got it at a steal so i purchased it. i then listed my ariens and sold it. i was praying that i did not make a mistake because i never tried the honda on my lawn. the weather broke  and i used the honda for the first time. i must say that it starts,cuts,moves much much better than the ariens. i have mowed 10 times with it so far and cant imagine using any other mower. the honda's are a little pricey but "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR" i am a 100% honda mower man now. but as for snowblowers i love my ariens.

I'm with Emmo, the Snapper would be my chocie. I like this model, the P217018BV Hi-Vac with the 7HP Briggs Intek OHV for $669.00. Add the front castors if you think you need them and the Ninja Mulch Kit. I like the Kawasaki version too but the price is more and we're getting higher than you wanted. Dealers will deal on these things some too. You could always add the castor wheels later if once you tried the mower you still thought you need them.

The Hi-Vac gives you much more suction and lifts the grass up to be cut better. You also get the hi-lift bagging blade which combined with that deck will even suck up pine needles. It makes bagging damp grass much easier! Oh yea, great for leaves. It's not a rear bagger but I like the three in one decks anyway.

Snapper Hi-Vac

OH yea, Husqvarna makes a castor wheel model for under $500.00

I also agree with Emmo aswell. Snapper makes great mowers and have for years. We owned a highvac Snapper that was made in 1990 and that thing really sucked the grass up better than most mowers you see today except for the mower I am going to buy lol.

I forgot about the Husqvarna Marshall............

It has the Honda engine but doesn't have the lock on the fly feature for the castors.  A must have for me........maybe not if your yard is as flat as a table.

Ahhhh, I didn't even check for that. Screw that one then.

http://www.snapper.com/mulchers.html

http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/superrecycler/20053.specs.html

http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/superrecycler/20054_specs.html

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/ModelDetail.asp?ModelName=HRX217TDA

I think I would think lightweight before front caster wheels.

If you get a good mulcher you won't be dragging a bag of grass around half of the time. Everyone likes something different.

Propelled or push? Hard to help you there. Propelled, rear drive, better tracton, especially with bagger. Front drive, real easy to turn when you lift the front off the ground. Push, most a lot lighter.

I'm not a good judge, but I like the Super Recyclers. We don't have many Snapper/Simplicity dealers.

I like my Super Recycler too.......The reason I went to a Snapper was the lack of caster wheels from Toro.