Lawn Mower Advice Needed

Longhorn91

Longhorn91

25+ Posts
I'm looking for recommendations on mowers. After years of living in a condo we finally bought a house and have a small yard to care for. Best places to shop for mowers would also be appreciated.
 
I went to Sams a couple of years ago at got a 6.5 horsepower 22" cut push mower for $200. I looked around at the time and it seemed to be a good deal. I think that they still sell those there.

The only other advice that I would recommend would be to get a mower that you dont have to add an oil addative to the gas. I just dont like that hassle.
 
I was in the same situatin 18 months ago & ended up buying a corded electric Black & Decker mulching mower. I love it. No pollution. Very light. Quiet. A breeze to use. No cord to pull to start. No oil to change.

I got mine from Home Depot. Once or twice a year Austin Energy sponsors a program where you can get a big discount on an electric mower if you trade in a gas mower (I had an old hand me down my dad had given me before that). I think with the discount I paid like $130 for the mower. One of the best decisions & purchases I've ever made.
 
Lawn mowers begin and end with Toro.

My Toro 6.5HP from Home Depot is awesome. Most landscaping companies use Toro.

Toro.
 
Whatever you do, don't buy a Murray. And don't let the fact that it has a B&S engine fool you. Everything else is crap.
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if it's a small yard, don't go overboard.

A Murray or GTB from Wal Mart will be fine.

Really.

You will have plenty of things to spend money on, overspending by $400 on a lawnmower is foolish.
 
Toro is obviously the best. But there several quality mowers for less than $400 that will last forever. The main difference you are going to see in the prices is due to the motor.

For instance: I have a Husqvarna (which I love btw). Tough mower. I paid $299 for the mower (7hp). Right next to mine was the exact same mower with a Honda engine (i have a briggs and stratton) for $399. Same with Toro and Craftsman. You will se a lot of the same mowers with different engines/prices.

Screw the push mower. Self propelled is the only way to go. You don't have to get the "best", but you get what you pay for in this case so get something decent.
 
I've got maybe another season left on my mower and have been scouting new mowers in advance. I have friends that swear by Honda mower engines, but I haven't owned one myself yet.

Sam's has a 5.5 hp Honda powered MTD large rear wheeled mower for $200 and a self propelled 6.5 hp Kawasaki powered mower with swiveled caster front wheels for $377. I also have looked a a Husqvarna Honda powered mower that looked good. Anyone have a better deal or suggestions? Anyone had experience with Kawasaki mower engines or swivel caster front wheels?

Sam's MTD Honda The Link

Sam's MTD Kawasaki The Link
 
My 20 yr old Honda self-propelled still runs great. My Snapper riding mower is also amazing considering the abuse it has gotten the last two years.
 
If you have a small yard, don't blow a bunch of money on a mower. Get a cheap Murray. Get a self-propelled if you want, but you're probably looking at a 20 minute mowing job with a push mower, so it's not really necessary. Get the big rear wheels, though.
 
I have a Lawn Boy that is bulletproof, and still runs great. My Dad gave it to me when I moved into my first rent house in College, it was manufactured in 1978.

I would also of course lean toward buyng American if I was buying new but that's just me.
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I'm still using the same Honda that I bought back in 1988 when I was in high school and mowing a ton of lawns every week. The thing still runs like a champ. Starts on the first pull every time.

In my days as a lawn professional, I used up a Toro, a Craftsman, and a Snapper; and then I finally bought the Honda. I'll never buy a different brand.
 
Just bought a 6.5 hp mulching Craftsman from Sears. I've only used it a couple of times, but seems to work great and it was only $190.
 
Get a non-polluting (relatively) electric mower. If your yard is really small, get one with a cord, otherwise get the rechargable type. They are quieter, you don't have to store a one gallon bomb in your garage, and mowers are a major urban source of air pollution.
 
Honda Honda Honda
When I was in HS (1988 or so) my dad bought a Honda (self propelled) and it still runs and cuts great. Probably costs a little more than other options, but you will get what you pay for.
 
Do not under ANY cirumstances buy an electric mower if you want to mow more that 3 sq ft. They are the biggest pain in the ***.

I have a Honda that I have had for 7 years and it still starts on one EASY pull. The ONLY way to go.
 
I used to have an electic from Black and Decker and I loved it. The handle could be flippedfrom one direction to the other, which made the extension cord no problem at all. You just worked away from the plug.It lasted for 12 - 15 years.

The only reason we have a gas one now is the wife lucked out and found a practically brand new Craftsman at a garage sale for something like $50 on literally the day I was going to go out and buy a new mower after the electric died. Oh, the electric only died 'cause I was stupid and left it out overnight and plugged in and it got rained on....

Too bad you're in the market now, you can get some pretty serious good deals at the end of summer when the stores start trying to close out their stocks..
 
I'm amazed at people who find using an electric mower to be difficult. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out how simple it is--mow away from the plug--and I've never had a problem. Maybe some people just aren't coordinated enough to handle power equipment.
 
Depending on how small the yard and the condition of the lawn, you might even want to consider a plain push reel mower.

A few years back I moved to San Antonio for a job about 2 months before my wife and kid. The house we rented had a small front yard, maybe 40'X40' and a back yard a little bigger. The lawn was St. Augustine. I bought a push reel mower to fill the gap until we moved my family (and the self propelled gas mower). I used the gas mower maybe twice. It was great not having to deal with gassing up, etc. I just picked up the mower and went to work. Another bonus waws that it was quiet. I could mow between 6 or & AM before it got hot and not bother the neighbors. I could also mow at night if I felt like it.

When we moved to Austin, the yard was infested with the weed (grass) that shoots up the long stalks; Not johnson grass, possibly crabgrass. The reel mower did not work to well on that. You also had to make sure that you kept twigs from the trees picked up.
 
bought a toro rear propelled last year, after the previous toro finally bit the dust after 12 years. It was running ragged, but i was a dumbass and hit an imovably bolt that screwed up the driveshaft (or whatever tuns the blade) pretty bad.

Unless you really want/need the exercise, cannot see getting non-self propelled model. Makes it so much easier when you have to go under branches and can hold on with one hand.
 
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