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

FWIW, I bought my 1st 2 stager - Honda unit - without ever demoing a unit that had Hydrostatic Transmission.
Just short of the fact that it's variable infinite speed, can anyone just give me a laymens primer on the benefits of a Hydrostatic Transmission ?


BTW, how often if any do you do a OCI on the hydro transmission.

I was just surprised how much ~harder~ is is to move when not engadged as opposed to ~regular~ geared transmission.
I was at the local orange borg last night and wheeled the Organge buckets around and they wheel so much with ease...

   Interesting comment on taking a few years to get used to snowblowers.  It has with me.  I'm getting better and looking for jamborees. Buy a 350 and flat bed and do the snowblower circuit.

   I tried stairs yesterday.  Down was fine but I could not get back up.  Going down did not clear all the snow as I did not want to bang the bucket so the treads were not exposed going up.  I figured it could dig it's way down to them but it did not.  They probalby had to be "clean" to go up.  ??

I am begining to like FD as there is nothing to see or check.  Perhaps that is the hidden beauty of FD.  Hydrostatic transmission was one of the reason why I did not buy HRX217 with that fluid reservior on it.  It would just drive me crazy.

MN_Runner wrote:
I never got warmed up to the design of the HRX217 mower.  The hydro fluid reservoir didn't bother me.  What bother me about it was the long handles which makes it hard to maneuver around tight areas and turning around, the complicated blade clutch and drive bail arragement, Xenoy plastic deck, and the GC engine.  I don't find the mulch/bag lever useful for me.  It's either bag, or mulch.  Nothing in between. 

Just give me the updated version of the Honda Master HM series, cast aluminum deck, GX engine, chrome handles, and cone clutch drive.  That's all I ask.  Hydros are fine for heavier pieces of equipment, but too complicated and heavy for a walk behind 21" mower.

Turning is no issue for me when I had Toro or Honda as my yard is a fairly simple 190' by 120' rectangle.  I just wanted a little more HP since when the grass gets long and wet, the lawnmower makes that terrible sound.

MN_Runner wrote:

Friction drive is fine, but when used for a couple of hours (probably from water more than heat), my old MTD simply would not drive and I would have to let it sit overnight. But I have no problem inherently with them and I think the design is brilliant. It would not be my deciding factor to choose/not-choose a snowblower. My number 1 thing to choose is reliability in tough conditions, number 2 is availability of parts. Snowblowers take a beating, and I'm of the opinion that you've got to learn to fix it yourself, because they only break when conditions are bad (that is, when your local dealer can't get to you, or vice-versa). So factor in the purchase of the shop manual to the price.

Off topic but I have 2 Masters series mowers.  1 Hydrostatic and 1 3 speed.  I have owned Toro, Ariens, Craftsman, Lawnboy, Snapper  and I must say that I would not trade my masters for any other mower.  I use the Hydo all the time  and the 3 spd once in a while. I have used some of the newer Honda models but they are not the same.  aa335 wrote:

MN_Runner wrote:
NO self righteous OCD person mow wet and long grass.  Just not in cards.  The cut is terrible!

Homeowner mower doesn't have the oomph to do it.  You need a commercial 32" walkbehind or larger for that.

it is not an ideal condition but some weeks in summer you have no choice.  Happened to me a few times this summer.

   I have a CRAFTSMAN Model 52993 ,1450 series B&S engine, 27 inch snow blower . This model is built by Husqvarna and is identical to (except it is red instead of orange)  to the Husqvarna Model.    It has hydrostatic drive, power steering, heated grips,and the  remote chute controls  . This is the best snow blower out there,   The hydrostatic drive is a one lever operation,move it  forward to go forward an backward to go back. It can be operated at  a very low speed, barely moving forward with the engine set at its highest speed so the impeller and augers are turning at their max speed. It is much easier to go through very deep snow  with no reduction in RPM .The power steering enables it to turn in its own tracks  or make gradual steering adjustments. The heated grips are nice when the outside temperature drops.  The remote chute controls are easy to operate , are fast and logically designed. I would highly recommend these models.

royster wrote:
Interesting.  I knew that Husqvarna made chain and gear driven blowers but didn't know that they made hydrostatic models.  What is it's throwing distance like?