HerHusband wrote:
After owning junk mowers for the last 20 years, I am going to now
pick
up a top of the line mowers. Looking for opinions.
My wife wants something she can start easilly, and use when I am
being
lazy.
Self Propelled is a must, as on the mounds it is tough to get
around
with human powered.

I struggled with junk mowers myself for years. The self propelled
mechanisms rarely worked right or constantly clogged up with grass.
And by
the time I would get them started, I was too tired to mow the yard...


So, I bought a Honda mower about 16 years ago (HR214 I think?). It
has
worked beautifully ever since and looks as good as the day I bought
it.
Starts with just a pull or two, even if it has sat over the winter.
It has
a compression release which makes it easier to pull start.

The only problems I have had are a rusted control cable and the
electric
start on my model quit working a couple of years ago.

I hose off my mower after each use and water would get in the cable
housing
and rust it. I found if I turn the control off so the cable is all
the way
in the housing, the cable doesn't get wet and doesn't rust. Haven't
had a
problem since.

The electric start on my model quit working a couple of years ago. I
replaced the battery, but I think the starter is frozen and needs
replacing. The starter is fairly expensive and it starts so easily by
hand
that I haven't bothered fixing this yet.

My main reason for choosing the Honda was the self-propelled feature.
Of
all the models I looked at, it was the only one that had a shaft
drive. No
belts to stretch, and no chains to clog up with grass. I've had
absolutely
no problems with the self-propelled feature since I bought the mower.
My
low end model only has two speeds, one is a bit slower than normal
walking
speed, two is a bit faster than normal walking speed. I use one for
detail
work around trees and whatnot, then switch to two to take care of the
bulk
of the yard.

I also like that the blade shuts off when I stop without having to
turn off
the mower. Nice for traveling over gravel driveways and stuff. I
think this
is a standard feature on today's mowers though.

"Quiet" would be nice, as I like to listen to radio while mowing.

I don't know if any mower is "quiet", but my Honda seems quieter than
my
older mowers. In any case, the spinning blade seems to make a lot
more
noise than the engine does. It gets much quieter when the blade
disengages.

would use bagging for fall leaves (I have lots of those)

My Honda mower is a rear bagger and works great. Like I said, I hose
off
the mower and the bag after each use. Still looking and working great
after
all these years.

Anthony

Much the same as my experience with Honda HRA 214. Bought early 80s,
still using it. Total parts so far: 1 plug, 1 fuel filter, 1 clutch
cable (broke and snarled at about 16 yoa, rubber on drive wheels
(replaced twice). If you go Honda, go with the Hydrostatic. The 2 and
3 speed (I have both) have very poor choices of speeds. 1 is just a
bit low, 2 is too fast on both and 3 would be for racing only. The 3
speed one I bought 5 years ago in case the old one broke. Used it part
of one season and parked it. Still using the old one.

Harry K