Lawn Mower - B&S or Honda

[SARGE..g-47]

TORO.. TORO.. TORO

At one time I would have told you to buy a Snapper, but that has changed. I have not had problems with a Briggs & Statton, but then again I do pull scrutinous maintenance on every machine I have, especially lawn mowers that have to hump hills in my yard weekly about 9 months of the year.

I have a Honda engine on a pressure washer which sees duty on the drive-way every year and the house every four. It just pulled 3 days of continous duty there before I painted the house. Excellent engine, but in a personal purchase of a lawn mower last year, I could not justify the extra $$ for the Honda mower over-all.

I would have told you anyone that can't push a mower for exercise is wimping it, but a leg stint to un-block an Illiac artery in my leg has changed that opinion to self propelled on my acre of sloped ground. So.. after doing some extensive research, the self-propelled has preformed admirably so far.

I see that Toro mounted it with a Tecumseh and it has preformed with admiration to this point. I also noticed their new up-grades has the Briggs & Statton, which I have used extensively in the past with no problems as long as motor maintenance was carried out. I personally wouldn't be scared away by either from 35 years of using both engines.

My conclussion is if you want a reasonably priced mower that can "get er done" in realitively tough terrain regardless of Briggs & Statton...Tecumseh... Honda engine (anyone that thinks any engine will work year after year without pulling routine maintenance is lving a dream IMO)...........................

TORO.. TORO.. TORO

Regards...

[LinuxRandal]

I have found with proper maintenance even a cheap mower will normally do fine. It's the deck, self-propel mechanisms, and running over large solid objects that seem to be trouble areas. At least for me.

Sometimes I think you pay a premium just for a name. I know Honda makes a good mower, but personally I would have a tough time justifying the cost when my cheapo MTD with B&S does just fine.

As for being made in the USA, last time I was at the BORG, I didn't see a single push mower built in the US. The "American" brands were all imported. I also like to buy American but it's getting pretty tough to do. Is B&S still made here?

Read this:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/...n_snapper.html

[Woodboy]

Honda - easy choice

My 20+ year old Honda mower engine starts like a dream and I am not diligent about fresh fuel, timely oil changes, etc.

I own two snow blowers - one B&S and one Honda. At sub-zero temps., Honda always starts without the electric starter. The B&S struggles with the electro-start. There is a reason they cost more - perceived value matches real value.

Guess I am a Honda junky - own a Honda Pilot too.

[siliconbauhaus]

I too have the elec start Toro and it's excellent. It even has a hose adaptor on the deck to wash the underside out after mowing. Starts on the first turn and has a blade disengage mechanism.

The only gripe that I can think of with it is because it relies on you pushing the handle to engage the drive rather than a handle which you pull up it's a bit of an arse if you try to one hand it around obstacles. I'm wondering if I can modify it somehow.

Overall well worth the $460 imho

[cgallery]

Well, I have a Lawn Boy w/ 2-stroke engine (mix oil w/ gas). It is only a few years old and has been a PITA. Approx. two months past warranty the carb developed problems. Gas dripping from exhaust as it sat. I talked to dealer and they said it was the needle. I swapped. Problem persisted. I thought about it and decided the float was bad. Swapped that and the problem cleared-up.

Now the problem is the primer. It doesn't prime. Probably a bad bulb or line. Now I gotta fix that.

I bought it because it was made in the USA. And all the commercial lawn mowing services around here use them.

Oh well. Next one w/ have a B&S engine.

[prlundberg]

Read this:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/...n_snapper.html

Thanks, that was an interesting read.

Looks like at the big boxes you really do pay a premium for the name, that's what I assumed has been happening over the past few years. Many names that used to be held in high esteem are not what they used to be.

You used to be able to get cheap US-built mowers, like my 6 year old MTD. As much as I like Snapper and their corporate values, that's a lot of dough, and it won't improve the look of my yard.

cgallery, I can sympathize, my dad had a 2-stroke Toro for a while, and it wasn't cheap. Lightweight but smelly and unreliable, I think it lasted about 5 years before it gave up for good. Don't remember the motor on it, but I wouldn't recommend a 2-stroke of any brand. Didn't even know you could still buy them.

[FL Buckeye]

I used to like Snapper mowers, still have no reason not to. I also had a John Deere mower with a Kawasaki OHV engine that was a great mower, quiet, plenty of power and a good cut. When we moved to FL five years ago I looked at the JD but with the Kawaski engine it was $900. So I went with the Honda mower. It has OHV engine and a blade brake so I can stop the blade without stopping the engine. Also Hydro drive. I have not been overly happy with the Honda mower as it seems to be under powered. Yes, it starts on the first or second pull. Then it stops when the blade clutch is engaged. I have found the way to get around this is to put the choke on when the blade is engaged, but that shouldn't be necessary. The next year the HP was increased a little but I don't know if the problem was fixed. If you just want the Honda engine sometimes you can buy a mower at Sam's Club with a Honda engine on the cheap. More important is to get a mower that matches how you need/want to mow, like a good bagger, a good mulcher, what type of grass, etc. The Snapper used to be known for their great bagging, they would pick up acorns in the grass, etc. The John Deere wouldn't touch an acorn but they did bag the grass good, were quiet, didn't use much gas, had a pressure oil system for lubing the engine, etc. Both JD and Honda filters, etc, are more money than B&S. I guess thats why there are so many choices, just like in most tools.

[JimD]

I bought a new Craftsman self propelled push mower last year with a 6.5 hp B&S engine. It takes 2 or 3 pulls this year to start cold and one to restart after dumping the clippings. First year it was one pull hot or cold. It's only the second year but I did nothing other than change the oil. Same gas I put it away with, nothing to the air cleaner, no pulling of any plug or anything. The mower this one replaced was also a BS motor and got no better maintenance. It lasted at least 15 years. I change or and least tap the mess off the air cleaner when the motor doesn't run right and I change the plug if that doesn't work but I do not exactly maintain my mowers. I change oil and sharpen the blade once a year and expect them to work. The old one had to be primed to start. The new one is just yank and go.

I also do not see where a Honda mower is a good use of money but that's my money, not yours. I also do not buy Honda cars partly because they cost too much for what you get IMHO and partly because they insist on putting the oil filter on top of the exhaust pipe. The average Honda owner clearly does not change their own oil or does it with the engine cold. Stupid engineering to me. I don't know anything that annoys me about the honda mower, Craftsmans are just cheaper and do the job fine.

Jim