Lawn mowers

[Greenman]

Any thoughts on Honda mowers? I've always liked Honda small engines as they always work. So I just assumed that a Honda mower would be a hit. Bought a RWD mulching mower with a 170cc engine, and waiting for it to arrive. Now I'm wondering if I should have asked questions before I ordered it.

 

[herm0016]

should be a good choice.

anything under the size of my zero turn (42 in) I would be looking to go electric though.
6 foot on the tractor, 42 zero turn and a weed Wacker is all I need for this property.

 

[Dulanic]

I had/have a honda now. Works great, no issues.

 

[Greenman]

should be a good choice.

anything under the size of my zero turn (42 in) I would be looking to go electric though.
6 foot on the tractor, 42 zero turn and a weed Wacker is all I need for this property.

I never even considered an electric mower. For no reason what so ever, I just assumed they weren't ready for prime time. That's a little odd because if it was any other tool I'd look at electric first.
Just went and looked and the cost is within fifty bucks of what I paid. I'll have to see if the thing is in transit yet. If it isn't I may have to rethink my decision.

 

[herm0016]

electric push mowers are great. ego, greenworks, etc

I am an Echo fan, my 2 cycle stuff is echo and has been great. have considered picking up a battery power head for all my attachments.

i'm sure whatever your favorite color of tool has a mower to go with as well. Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, etc.

 

[BoomerD]

Any thoughts on Honda mowers? I've always liked Honda small engines as they always work. So I just assumed that a Honda mower would be a hit. Bought a RWD mulching mower with a 170cc engine, and waiting for it to arrive. Now I'm wondering if I should have asked questions before I ordered it.

I've owned a Honda mower for...13 years. HRR2166VXA Used it for 3 seasons, then we moved...had it in storage for 7 years...When I needed it, I checked the oil, added gasoline, set the choke, fired up on the 2nd pull. (I changed the oil, sharpened the blade, gas was drained, let it run itself out of gas, hit it with a good fogger when I first put it into storage, then once a year, I'd give the rope a pull or two and give it a bit more fogger to protect the cylinder.)
I need to replace the rear "apron." Mine tore last year. Otherwise, I replace the blades every other year and sharpen the blade at least once per year. (lots of sticks and crap in my yard.)

 

[Greenman]

Machine was already shipped, so I'll keep it. I did buy an electric trimmer, a Ryobi. That was because I've ended up with three cordless Ryobi tools over the years and I needed another battery.
It's odd in that I purchased the tools because they were the only thing readily available at that time, and all of them have performed acceptably.

 

[BoomerD]

If your mower has the "quadra-cut" blades and blade clutch, you'll appreciate it. RWD takes a bit of getting used to as it will often lift the front wheels, but I like the hell out of it. IMO, MUCH better than the FWD models I've used over the years.

 

[Greenman]

If your mower has the "quadra-cut" blades and blade clutch, you'll appreciate it. RWD takes a bit of getting used to as it will often lift the front wheels, but I like the hell out of it. IMO, MUCH better than the FWD models I've used over the years.

I'm not really sure what's in the box. It showed up the day after my table saw incident, and I've been otherwise occupied and haven't looked in the box.

 

[herm0016]

I'm not really sure what's in the box. It showed up the day after my table saw incident, and I've been otherwise occupied and haven't looked in the box.

do tell.

 

[Greenman]

do tell.

I posted the story with pics over at the kingdom of crap.
Short version is I stuck my finger in a table saw with undesirable results. Nothing tragic or life changing, just a very valuable lesson reinforced by substantial discomfort.
I've been using table saws for over 45 years and never had an accident, one very small mistake changed that.
If you go have a look it's in the "what a dumbshit" thread.

 

[LurchFrinky]

A little late to the party, but I switched to a corded electric mower and I have no regrets at all.
The big selling point is the low weight. It is hard to imagine how much lighter it is compared to a gas or battery mower and I frequently mow my yard with just one hand.
I had a battery mower for a few years and replaced the lead-acid batteries twice. I know the newer Li batteries are lighter, but they still weigh more than no batteries, can't match the power of 120V AC, and will degrade eventually.
There are certainly conditions where a gas mower is preferred, but I find them noisier, dirtier, smellier, and require more maintenance than electric, at least for my suburban lawns.

 

[Greenman]

I'd need 200' of cord to make a 120v mower work.

 

[Hans Gruber]

Honda is dropping their lawnmower production in 2023. With that said, you cannot go wrong with a Honda gas mower. EGO makes the best electric mowers. The batteries are very expensive.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm not really sure what's in the box. It showed up the day after my table saw incident, and I've been otherwise occupied and haven't looked in the box.

Post the exact model number.

 

[shortylickens]

A lawn mower with a cord sounds like the worst idea since a Brady Bunch movie.

 

[Greenman]

Post the exact model number.

It was this one.

Honda 21 in. 3-in-1 Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower with Auto Choke HRN216VKA - The Home Depot

The Honda Self-Propelled 3-in-1 Variable Speed Lawn Mower with New GCV 170 engine and auto choke offers a simple, adaptable and reliable design. It efficiently adapts the mowing speed to match your stride

www.homedepot.com

 

[BoomerD]

It was this one.

Honda 21 in. 3-in-1 Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower with Auto Choke HRN216VKA - The Home Depot

The Honda Self-Propelled 3-in-1 Variable Speed Lawn Mower with New GCV 170 engine and auto choke offers a simple, adaptable and reliable design. It efficiently adapts the mowing speed to match your stride

www.homedepot.com

OK. Good mower. No "blade stop" which I prefer to having to restart the mower every time I empty the bag, but still a good, solid mower.

 

[Sukhoi]

FWD suck because the drivetrain usually sets the blade farther back from the front edge which makes it hard to cut right up against trees and things.

But looking at the pics yours still sucks for that too. I wonder why.

 

[Greenman]

FWD suck because the drivetrain usually sets the blade farther back from the front edge which makes it hard to cut right up against trees and things.

But looking at the pics yours still sucks for that too. I wonder why.

It's not something I ever considered.

 

[Sukhoi]

It's not something I ever considered.

Looking around online it seems like they're all like that now regardless of FWD or RWD. Probably some safety law. The mower I'm used to is a rare Lawn Boy center side exhaust from the 1970s.

 

[Gardener]

@Greenman has picked a good homeowner-grade mower. The only complaint I've heard on that unit is the drive controls are a little fiddly for some users.

I have 7 lawns in my maintenance rotation, the only thing that kills a honda mower is a rusty deck, keep it clean, scrape and hose the underside, then run it a few minutes to dry it out.

 

[Greenman]

@Greenman has picked a good homeowner-grade mower. The only complaint I've heard on that unit is the drive controls are a little fiddly for some users.

I have 7 lawns in my maintenance rotation, the only thing that kills a honda mower is a rusty deck, keep it clean, scrape and hose the underside, then run it a few minutes to dry it out.

Will do. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Hans Gruber]

It was this one.

Honda 21 in. 3-in-1 Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self Propelled Lawn Mower with Auto Choke HRN216VKA - The Home Depot

The Honda Self-Propelled 3-in-1 Variable Speed Lawn Mower with New GCV 170 engine and auto choke offers a simple, adaptable and reliable design. It efficiently adapts the mowing speed to match your stride

www.homedepot.com

That's the same mower that I got my dad a few years ago. It's a good mower. Set the rear wheels a half a click lower than the front wheels. The mower has front wheel adjustment for both wheels and the rear has an adjustment for both wheels. Not independent single wheel adjustment. I know, who cares but people complain.

Make sure to pull the spark plug if you are going to be under the mower deck for any period of time. Change the oil after the first couple of mowing sessions. Then forget about ever changing the oil again for a few years. Keep the original Honda mower oil can. It measures about about 12-13oz for the next oil change.

My dad is elderly. But he thinks he's hot shit since I bought him a Honda mower. The neighbors seem to admire all the yard tools I buy him. Before he didn't care but the Dewalt 20v pole saw and Ego 56V String trimmer get a lot of attention from the neighbors.

 

[shortylickens]

OH and I dont have a Honda. But I did make the jump to battery powered mowers.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-KOB-40V-20IN-SP-LAWNMOWER-KIT/5002905561#preview-reviews

Works great, no issues in 4 or 5 years.