Lawn mower / Mulcher suggestions

I'm not going to re hire my lawn service in the spring. With that said, I'm looking for a push mower. Self propelled w/ a mulcher is what I'd like. Looking for suggestions as I'm sure there's a bunch of lawn nuts on here like me.

 

Quality costs more upfront but pays in the long run. I have always bought Toro mowers from a Toro dealer, not a big box store. The big box stores have lower prices because they speck cheaper parts and materials. You will notice the model numbers are not the same. This true of all manufacturers not just Toro.

 

i think the motor is very important. there's a lot of chinese engines out there you want to avoid such as powermore and ohv. find ones with Briggs, Kohler, Honda, etc. can't go wrong with Toro, Honda, Husquavarna (sp), Lawnboy mowers
i prefer the rear bag, with options to side discharge, bag, or mulch.

 

Quality costs - but is worth it. If yard has slope to it, get a rear wheel drive or all wheel drive (climbs better than front wheel drive).

 

I ran a Lawnboy for 15 years in THICK ASS Zoysia and it was a great mower. 6 3/4 hp, and the blades needed to be sharp to get the task done. I gave it away and it was still running. I replaced it with a Honda and couldn't be happier. Variable speed walk behind with a blend door from full mulch (it leaves very little evidence behind) to full bag and anywhere in between. A bit spendy, but totally worth it. Easiest starting mower I've ever seen.

 

Good call. Yes my yard is very hilly. My last mower was 15 yrs old and oil used to spill out on the hills and fill the neighborhood with blue smoke. I've been eyeing up John Deere mowers..

 

I picked up a Honda from Home depot back in the spring, worked well for me all summer with the mulcher setting, switches to rear discharge(covers your feet lol) or bag with the flip of a lever. Variable speed, rear drive. This is the one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honda-21...d-Mower-with-Auto-Choke-HRR216K9VKA/203709643
I used to work for my moms landscape maintenance business growing up so I used a lot of professional quality equipment, I can tell this little honda is not professional but should last the average home owner for several years no problem.

 

That's not bad. Probably am better off getting the Honda over the JD. I'd be paying an extra $100 for green paint.

 

^^ This ^^

 

I could not decide myself and a few of my friends have some of the newer toro mowers and have been good to them. I was going to buy a nice Honda but then I realized 500 on a push mower is pointless unless you need something that nice for commercial use.

I was also going to get AWD but then I realized the FWD worked fine for years. If you have a small hill FWD is better the RWD because you tend to lift the rear wheels going up a hill.

I went with the toro from a local small store. They beat big store pricing by 20 dollars and the mower can be stored upright when being stored the handle will collapse it 2 seconds. Mine is the TORO SMART STOW. You can also add a striper to the toro as well if you wanna make your lawn look like a golf course.

 

Honda! Starts on the first pull always in the summer/spring. If I don't run it for a few weeks (winter/fall) 2 pulls is the max.

The drive system is really simple and adjusting the speed is easy. I've never had a problem.

 

I actually pull mine as slow as I can to see if I can make it not start!!

 

The posts about quality being worse when buying same brand from big box stores are absolutely true. I bought a JD rear bag mower from a JD dealer 15 years ago, thing runs just as good as day I bought it. The steel is thicker, the parts are better. Neighbor has went through 4 JDs he bought from home depot in that timeframe. After the first two, he exceeded the price I paid. At this point he could have bought two of mine.

 

Lawn Boy mower with aluminum-block Honda OHC engine. The deck cavity is completely round with no cavities to trap grass, so it's easy to clean. Runs same 5W30 engine oil as my truck.

 

Yep, I was told this by the fellow that owns the JD dealships around here. And I wasn't even looking for a mower at the time. You can't make some people believe this though. I ended up buying from him a few years later, but did go with a Honda.

 

Honda, JD both great brands. Yeah, my boss is one of those dudes who buys everything at either Costco or Home Depot. Replaces the same shit every year. Throw away mentality.

 

I've only used Lawnboys around here. Love them. I even came across this website some time ago that refurbishes Lawnboys! http://lawnboyrescue.ecrater.com/

 

As I posted above, I had great service out of a Lawnboy. It still ran when I gave it away. But when I got to looking there are no dealers in this area any longer.

 

What's your budget for the mower? How big is your yard?

 

BTW you can get these mowers in 4x4 now. http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/hu800awdh/961450021/