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

Just the ones I use. 

NotMoneyGuy,

The Poulan Pro doesn't even show up in their current lineup, but it does look similar to the McCulloch MC621. Is it pretty new?

aa335 wrote:

Based on reviews at Amazon, I think that versions of the 208 cm3 Poulan PRO PR621ES have been around since Oct 2010.  The manual for my 961880002-00 model says Rev. 5 11.29.10, so fairly new I suppose.  I just got mine Wednesday night and put it together and used it for the first time yesterday (Jan 15/11).  I understand that it is pretty much identical to the McCulloch and Sears Craftsman versions, under the control of Husqvarna. I first heard of it in Walmart's Boxing Day Dec 26 sale flyer, in which its little brother the PR521 with a smaller 136 cm3 engine and no electric start was advertised for CA$288. Problem was they were in PR621 boxes showing 208 cm3 in 12 spots on the box. Only a small sticker indicated PR521 but no mention of the small 136 cm3 engine. That size was only mentioned in the sales flyer.  To make a long story short, I complained and was given a WM CA$25 gift card, came back two weeks later when contacted by phone and got a full refund on my still-never-opened-box and purchased a PR621ES that the manager had ordered in for me with the assistance of the WM purchaser and distributor.  I asked for and got 10% off the CA$288 for the inconvenience and loss of use etc.  So I paid CA$259 + tax, but once you factor in the gift card, it is like I bought it store tagged for CA$236.88.  In other words, price was a huge and primary factor for me.  This good price caused me to return my still-in-the box Toro 221QE, as either of these machines would be a mere back up to my Ariens Deluxe 28.  I assumed that the Toro would have been superior, but for the price, I did what I did.

Box and packaging:  Impressive, lots of folded cardboard and some wood to keep things in place. Lots of plastic cling wrap on body, and bits of cardboard inserted at handle folding/friction points. One sturdy nylon tie sealed bag with manual, chute, deflector, sealed hardware bag and 532 ml bottle of 30 weight oil. Nylon ties held the handles, control bar, recoil handle and two keys securely in place.

Un-boxing:  As unit is fairly light, I lifted it right out of the box rather than cutting the box side as per the directions. Cosmetically a fine specimen, no flaws that I could see.  The oil fill cap dipstick was not threaded on, just held in place by virtue of the stick being in the hole.  The big parts bag was underneath the unit.

Assembly:  Did not lower scraper bar as some other reviewers have suggested.  Used the provided 532 ml SAE 30 oil (added 470 ml per the manual, just did the subtraction of the side of bottle markings.)  Will switch to perhaps more suitable 5W30 once engine is broken in and everything seated.  Unit is stored in a garage, so starting shouldn't be too bad - manual prefers SAE 30 unless starting is "excessively difficult".  The oil filler tube is grossly off centre and the flanged cap with attached metal dipstick cannot be put on.  Design flaw and poor quality control to allow this to happen.  Trying to forcibly screw on the cap caused the flanges to gouge the yellow hood cover.  Rather than using snips to trim the cap's flanges, I used a nylon belt or strap around the filler tube to hold it (with force) in a more central position until I got the cap threaded on sufficiently.  I then un-looped the strap and let the cap rest against the yellow body.  Very disappointing.  Prior to doing so, I had to tighten the Philips screw holding the dipstick to the underside of the plastic cap.  I found the electric start cord in contact with the engine's pull cord cover so I pulled it away and secured it with a nylon tie.  The folding handles were easy to tighten, make sure the aligment of the bolts is proper contour-wise. The deflector, chute and control handle are well designed, good hardware and easy assembly.  Added regular 87 fresh gas.

Starting:  Pushed in the red plastic key, primed bulb twice, set choke on, and got her going on the second pull.  Not as loud as I expected.  Engaged auger and noise rose and unit wanted to move.  Manual states that things are a bit oversized and will beat/wear itself to optimal zero clearances with some use.  They want this break in of the auger vs. the scraper bar to happen with the cooling effects of snow or water to avoid heat damage.

Use:  Ripped through fresh snow and erased compacted tire tracks, leaving stutter marks on black asphalt in the minor snow left behind.  Would occasionally shoot some fine snow backwards at your feet, nowhere near to the degree that I had been led to believe. Cleaned the four or five inches of snow no problem, good throwing distance, perfect for small fairly tight quarters.  The lever to aim the chute left or right is very easy to use, just a slight reach to literally slap it back and forth.  The ease of use of the chute aim combined with the eagerness or pulling force of the unit means you can actually jog behing the unit doing fast 180's.  Impressed with the cleaning job, the sun will get rid of minor residue, the blow back snow did not worry me. The fresh, yet too heavy EOD was too much for it, I wasn't in the mood to struggle with it, taking slow, small bites etc. so I left it for the Ariens 28.  Cleaned up after the Ariens with the Poulan though.  I wish I could mow the lawn as fast as the Poulan whips along.  A shoveling neighbour across the street (who had been to HD to look at the 221QE and rejected it) was given the use of the PR621ES for a few runs up and down his driveway.  He was impressed and asked me to get him one if I could get a similar deal on it for him.  Then went a saw a joystick Toro PowerMax 826 using neighbour just finishing up his driveway.  I cleaned off the Toro's leftovers and let him do the second half and porch area.  Again, he was as impressed as I and the other neighbour was.  Just took a few minutes, it is fun.  You get so in tune with perfectly timed turns, chute aims and speed.  Kind of mesmerizing and exercise to boot.  Must leave the shovellers wondering what the h*ll they're doing if they catch sight of the "performance" / "skills showcase".  Keep in mind that I have like 20 minutes single stage lifetime experience and already feel like an ace.  Extremely easy to use and more practice will make perfect.  I cannot overstate the speed and nimbleness.  Good cleaning and decent power for what it is.  One problem, the auger would sometimes not disengage unless the unit was gently rocked or banged.  Maybe cable or action point frozen.  Probably dangerous, but I have no problem with it since I use a 1979 LawnBoy mower with no safety bar, if it is on, it is on.  Unlike the LawnBoy, I can't walk away from it running, since the Poulan will run away.  Will check it out today, in machine's second full outing.  Otherwise just pull out the red key to kill it.

Summary:  For top dollar, I would have a severe problem with the oil filler neck / cap issue, and probably with the intemittent auger non-disengagement, but for what I paid (CA$237) for a secondary machine to the Ariens, and its speed, cleaning job, and relative power, nothing but smiles from here!  Cheers and good luck and buyer beware.  I now expect some of the neighbours to be looking for a single stage.

Great bang for the buck.

 

I'll add something to your oil filler thing.  I recently inherited a Troy Built blower with a Tecumseh LH318 from my grandparents.  It is still pretty new, probably one of the last LH engines.  When changing the oil I noticed that that screw holding the dipstick to the cap was loose.  I too tightened it and then realized I could no longer screw the cap on!  I loosened it up slightly and it is good again.  It seems like the new design doesn't allow the dip stick to spin inside the tube so now the dipstick stays in 1 direction while the cap screws around it.

Thanks Shryp.  I will look for that the next time I get the cap off.  I plan to use the second dipstick (yes, it has two) low on the motor itself to check the oil.  The oil fill tube is also fairly straight and vertical and the dipstick is probably (I hope) able to rotate.  As your can see in the pics, it is certainly not what stopped me from getting the cap on.  Definitely something to keep in mind though.  Maybe I'll just remove the upper stick and screw altogether, wouldn't be fun if both dropped down into the oil.  I plan to contact Poulan about the issue and maybe get a plain cap from them and maybe another hood.

Notmoneyguy,

Looks like the drive bail cable has too much slack.  Check your idler pulley to make sure it moves through its entire range.  I think it's hanging up which is what's causing it not to disengage the auger.  Either that or you have a kink or pinch in the cable jacket.

Thanks for the write up.  You got an awesome deal on that machine, even though it may have some quality issues.  For the use expected, the price is perfectly acceptable.  Sounds like that 208cc engine has plenty of oomph.

NotMoneyGuy wrote:
Looks like the designer missed a few essential details.  :)

aa335 wrote:

Thanks aa335, I'll pull the cover at some point and see what is going on with the pulleys, arms and cable.  The cable seems fine and kink-less.

As for the engine, "cram a beast in there and they will overlook other flaws" seems to have been the (successful in my case) strategy.  AFAIK it is the same 208 cm3 LCT Storm Force engine that Ariens uses on its Sno-Tek two-stage machines, right from the 20, the 24 and up to the 28, unless Ariens specs tweaks for it to improve it to their perhaps higher standards.