Buying a lawn mower with $400 budget
 

Not long ago there was a thread about buying lawn mower. I stated that I have a self-propelled Toro for 18 years. Well, it still cuts grass but no longer self-propels. Because it is a steel cast so it is very heavy to push. I purchased that 19 years ago for $399. I try to spend the same amount more or less for a new one.

Upon doing a bit of research, I come up with two brands:

Toro 20333 - 22 in. Personal Pace with Blade Stop System Self-Propelled Mower

Honda HRR216VKA - 21 in. Steel Deck Smart Drive Variable Speed Self-Propelled Gas Mower

Both are priced about $400.

The Honda HRR216VXA has a blade stop system but costs $100 more. I wonder that is it worth it for the extra cost.

Need suggestions from you guys.

Craigslist.

if you have a lawn with hills or grades;

I like FWD mowers because they pull up hill and cut better going up hill and are easier to use on grades than RWD.

I bought a Yard Man and really like it. It isn't self-propelled, and only cost $200 or so. It's so light that it doesn't need to be self-propelled.

I had one that was four years ago before I bought this one, and it really didn't seem to have much benefit.

Honda makes the motor on the Yard Man, and I've never had an issue. (My lot is about half an acre and has a moderate grade.)

Honda makes a damn good mower.

If things really get out of hand, I would move up to a swather. :)

http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/file...FT_SWATHER.jpg

To SG: I like to buy from the local dealers (not Home Depot or Lowe's) so I can get good service from them down the road.

To Dave: That actually crosses my mind. But how do you sharpen it?

This.

I was amazed in by looking the other day to think I could find a used riding lawn mower and not have to drop a G plus in the process. :thumb:

Save some money and look on here. People sell lawn mowers all the time on the site. plus no taxes.

I have a personal pace Toro and it's a great mower. It has 5 year sure start and I've had it at least 5 years and it always starts on 1 or 2 pulls.

I buy as cheap as I can because I have so many rocks in my yard. I can only get 2-3 years out of a mower, so I buy a lot at garage sales. Also if you can wait until the end of the cutting season, they usually go on sale.

Service? It's a lawnmower, not a Jaguar. You pour gas in the round hole and sharpen the blade every so often.

I don't care for self propelled, but my next push mower I actually buy will have a Honda engine. That being said, I mostly use hand-me-downs or freebies that I fix because I don't use one that much.

Duly noted. I am in the market:thumb:

Fix it and pocket the extra 300.

I've had the Toro (not the blade stop one) and now have that very Honda. Cuttingwise, they are pretty equivalent in my book. My wife seems to think the Honda does a better job, however. I've never had to pull more than once to start the Honda-because of that, I don't think the blade stop is that important. Besides you should pick up stuff before you start to mow.

I think the personal pace of the Toro is a little more comfortable, but I am getting used to the "paddles" of the Honda. The Honda is a bit faster, but the Toro has a 1" larger cutting deck so the cutting time is pretty equivalent.

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with either mower.

I've had the same Craftsman for 8 years and it still works awesome.
I've only maintenance it one time (last season) with a carb clean, new filter, and new blade.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051

This is what we bought last summer...starts right up still to this day...best mower I have had yet

http://www.rexwallpapers.com/images/...ep/sheep_1.jpg

Oh, go full trailer park, slather some of this stuff on, and don't ever have to mow!

http://www.ecosmart.com/wp-content/t...4-oz-large.jpg
http://daisyfae.files.wordpress.com/...-christmas.jpg

Honda, no doubt about it. My mom had one of those personal pace mowers and I could never get used to it. It was fine in open areas, but whenever I tried to maneuver around tight areas the thing was hard to control. With that said, I only used it occasionally at her place, maybe if I used it on a constant basis I would adjust to it.

That's what I'm probably getting next. I have a Troy Bilt 22in with a Honda engine. I bought the thing because I thought "hey a honda engine...it must be good"...dumbass me. Engine's great...the rest is junk.

I had to put a new $165 trans-axle in it the very first season I had it, and it's already starting to do the same thing again after less than a season of having the thing fixed.

I got one that won't start that I'll sell to you for 400 bucks. Damn good mower it just won't start and we don't need it anymore, so I never got it fixed. John Deere L-130