dp11

So while some of you are still buried in snow, around here its been warm and hardly any snow since I bought my snow thrower in late January.  Its melting fast and so I'm thinking lawn mowers.

I havn't needed a mower in 15+ years so a bit ignorant on this topic.  I got through last year with a push reel mower but the clippings sat on top, didn't decompose, turned brown and just raked up with leaves in the fall. 

My situation:

• Small area - maybe ~4,000 sqft of lawn.  Also part of that is a grassy berm that may be too awkward for a walking mower - I used line trimmer on it previously because reel mower was too much hassle on it.
• I definitely want to mulch
• I would like bag capability - thinking leaf cleanup in the fall.
• I think self propelled is probably overkill given small size of lawn but maybe nice to have if we move in the future
  
• I dont care about electric start - a decent machine should be easy to pull start anyway
  

I have read that some consider the toro super recyclers to be among the best mulching mowers around - if so are they worth considering despite price and presumably complete overkill for my size lawn area?
What else should I look at - Honda? Lawn Boy?

Anything from Sears or Lowes worth a look?  Craftsman and Troy Built etc.
What about engines?  What to look for what to avoid?
Deck - is cast aluminum worth premium?

I'm not looking for top of the line but I dont want junk either.  I want machine to be reliable and long lasting and make the job easier.  Budget is pretty flexible - I'd probably spend up to $500 if I think its worth it but obviously less is better.

Thanks a bunch for any advice.

So I got my Snapper 1428.

Its my first blower but on the whole pretty pleased with it so far - easy setup, is solid. 
Havn't had a big dump to really test it yet but a couple of small, heavy/wet snows have proved too easy and after loosening up the well established ice banks around my mailbox with a shovel it makes short work of moving the debris elsewhere.  Need a bit more runtime to get to first oil change.

Couple of concerns however and wondering if others with these Simplicity /Snappers could comment:

First, bucket and frame seems not to be square - i.e. when I weight handles and pick up bucket it rocks a fair bit with left side skid shoe lifting noticeably before right - not sure if this is contributing to tendency to not track straight or if that is uneven gravel or just that i have skid shoes set pretty high to deal with the gravel.

Second the chute rotator control got a bit banged up in transit - the plate with the notch under the dash panel that fits into slots to hold rotation setting was all bent - seemed to bend back into shape ok but the chute rotation goes way further right than left - going right it goes well past 90 degrees to machine while left it is shy of 90 degrees unless I reach over an give chute an extra tug.  Also rotation is fairly grabby not really very smooth at all.  I pulled apart the geared mechanism and the two cogs mesh in center so thats not it.  It is now a bit smoother and can be made to go further left with a seriously fierce tug on the handle but that doesn't seem right.  Any suggestions?

Oh - tires don't seem to be that great - not sure what I should expect - I did drop pressure per the manual - they look like Snow Hogs but are labeled Kenda Polar Trac.  Probably not an issue if I wasn't trying to rip into week old plowed snow banks.

aa335 wrote:
I would love to figure out a way to rig up something like that.  Currently have skids set plenty high to avoid flinging driveway gravel everywhere but I hate leaving 1 1/2 inches on my concrete paths. 

thx Borat - I know this is what you have (at least the Simplicity version). 
I know its better than 1226 but is it $340 better and if so why?

Ok, getting late in the season so throwers are hard to find around here.

I can still get my hands on a Snapper 1226 or a 1428

I was all keen on the 1428 - I like the slightly bigger and better MAX series engine, the slightly wider cut path and particularly the easy turn feature.
But then I looked harder at the numbers and the 1226 will work about about $340 less.
 
My situation:
Crushed gravel driveway about 40' x 25'; crushed gravel parking area about 20' x 10', clearing regular heavy plow debris form around mailbox and couple of paved pathways totaling about 70' length.  I can only throw one way off driveway and parking area.  Possibly paving driveway next summer so not really for premium for tracked machine.

What would you do??
Thx