Buying a new mower tomorrow
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Buying a new mower tomorrow
My 15 year old 21" craftsman walk behind died this afternoon with half the lawn mowed. I could bring it somewhere and sink some money into trouble shooting the problem and then fixing it. In which case I will be without a mower for a week or two. Better I think to invest that money in a new one. I have a bead on a used Honda HRX 21 for $250. My other option will be whatever Lowes and Home Depot have in stock. On a new one my budget would be between $300 and $350 or so.
Any thoughts or advice? I have about 15K sqft to mow and I exclusively mulch. Never bag.
Any thoughts or advice? I have about 15K sqft to mow and I exclusively mulch. Never bag.
- micvog
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Re: Buying a new mower tomorrow
IMO, if the HRX is relatively recent and in good shape, you can't go wrong at that price. I would pick that up, clean the deck, change the oil and spark plug, either sharpen or replace the blades (depending on their condition), and verify the RPM is at ~3000 RPM.
Based on current personal experience with the Loncin-made Chinese knock-off of the Honda GCV engine, my next mower will have a genuine Honda engine (I had a mower with the Honda GCV160 previously). Not negotiable. Anything new in the price range, with a Honda engine, will have a cheap deck, and may not even be self-propelled.
Based on current personal experience with the Loncin-made Chinese knock-off of the Honda GCV engine, my next mower will have a genuine Honda engine (I had a mower with the Honda GCV160 previously). Not negotiable. Anything new in the price range, with a Honda engine, will have a cheap deck, and may not even be self-propelled.
- HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Buying a new mower tomorrow
15 years is a good life for a mower, so I wouldn't feel bad getting a new one. The HRX is raved about as a mulcher by many, so I think you're headed a good direction.
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Re: Buying a new mower tomorrow
Just brought the used Honda home. Hoping i dont have the "tires matt down the grass and it doesnt have enough suction to suck it back up" problem. I know tjat it doesnt have the "cant pull it backwards" problem. If it would stop raining i could give it a try.
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- Posts: 1123
- Joined: April 14th, 2010, 7:01 pm
- Location: Syracuse, NY
- Grass Type: Bewitched, Award and Rhapsody
- Lawn Size: 10000-20000
- Level: Experienced
Re: Buying a new mower tomorrow
Used it for abour 15 minutes before rain started again. Much nicer machine than my old craftsman. Grass was wet and high so i set deck at 4 inches. Not a usual mowing scenario for me so cant compare cut quality yet. I sharpened the blade but its trashed.
At first it was dying every 30 deconds then that stopped. Seller is a small engine repair guy so he will repair it if necessary.
At first it was dying every 30 deconds then that stopped. Seller is a small engine repair guy so he will repair it if necessary.
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