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Help Me Buy A Push Mower

Discussion in 'Chainsaws and Power Equipment' started by WMW0505, Jun 4, 2015.

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  1. WMW0505

    WMW0505

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    Current lawn is pancake flat. My Murray is a front wheel drive unit and I actually like it because I can push the bar down and turn it very easily.
     
    WMW0505, Jun 4, 2015
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  2. Oldman47

    Oldman47

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    My son-in-law worked with his dad doing a lawn service. Their experience was that the Honda engines they bought outlasted all of the other mowers with Briggs engines.
     
    Oldman47, Jun 4, 2015
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  3. Beetle-Kill

    Beetle-Kill

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    For what it's worth-
    Wife has a Toro Recycler, 22" front drive. 190cc B/S motor. 5 years and going strong, and she is not gentle on tools. Due for blade replacement because of rocks, but still a cutting fool. Her and it both.
    She uses it on level and very uneven terrain, no issues. It wasn't cheap but it's proved it's worth.
     
    Beetle-Kill, Jun 4, 2015
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  4. bushpilot

    bushpilot

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    The Honda engines are great. I would buy the more powerful Briggs for less though, it will last you a good long time, and you will get the extra power.

    Greg
     
    bushpilot, Jun 5, 2015
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  5. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    Obviously I don't know, but I will guess your pressure washer has a GCV (residential) motor, I know mine does. I have plenty of B&S motors around the house, and they work fine for me, but I believe the Honda Commercial motors are very good. :p
     
    eatonpcat, Jun 5, 2015
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  6. ironpony

    ironpony

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    silver, amazing mower better than anything I have ever used. soaked the carb and it fired right up. now fires first pull everytime. blade disengages and motor stays running, nice feature.
     
    ironpony, Jun 5, 2015
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  7. abnemsdad

    abnemsdad

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    I have a Honda push mower and been using it about 5 years now,gives a very nice cut and not a problem with it.
     
    abnemsdad, Jun 5, 2015
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  8. gbreda

    gbreda

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    As others have also mentioned, on small engines, I have found Honda to be superior and just keep on running
     
    gbreda, Jun 5, 2015
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  9. PullinMyPoulan

    PullinMyPoulan

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    I have a craftsman 21" deck bought new in 2006 never had a problem with it best push ever owned.
     
    PullinMyPoulan, Jun 5, 2015
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  10. Horkn

    Horkn

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    That's probably it. It's a motor, and it starts and runs.

    Compare that to the old Briggs on my dad's old craftsman push mower that is about as old as I am, and still runs great. That motor has only ever seen used motor oil after the new stuff sent in it got drained. It's thrown rocks through the steel deck.

    The old didier splitter my buddy bought has a Briggs 5hp that is around 40 yrs old as well. It started on the first pull just the other week.

    I'm not saying Honda motors are bad, because they are very good.

    The big question is, are they better than a Briggs? And the bigger question is, is the honda worth more for less power?

    Me personally, I'd take more power at less money any day, especially since I know the Briggs will probably out last the rest of the machine.
    But then again I'm a Buyer for manufacturing as my career. I'm not as emotionally charged when it comes to mowing my lawn. Now, if it was a motorcycle, I'd be more emotionally driven by what brand it is.
     
    Horkn, Jun 5, 2015
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  11. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    Chit Horkn...Truthfully if I was buying a commercial mower, it would be sporting a Kawasaki!! Now let's talk, Stihl or Husky?? :D
     
    eatonpcat, Jun 5, 2015
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  12. ironpony

    ironpony

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    same thing they are both orange. Stihl is made by Husky...........
     
    ironpony, Jun 5, 2015
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  13. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    Shhhhhhh!!
     
    eatonpcat, Jun 5, 2015
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  14. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Stihl. I'm half German, half Norwegian. Stihls have done very well for my Grandpa who came over from Germany when he was 16.

    I guess that means I should look at Jotul inserts then, since I'd be burning wood I cut with a german stihl, and burnt in a Norwegian jotul stove/ insert. :)
     
    Horkn, Jun 5, 2015
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  15. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Blasphemy!
     
    Horkn, Jun 5, 2015
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  16. Pallet Pete

    Pallet Pete Moderator

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    Hit the biggest scrap yard around you…. I find them all the time for .25 cents a pound as usable metals…. I got this one yesterday afternoon for $13 out of the big pile of steel and it runs great after cleaning the carb bowl out. After a bath and a few bolts it looks like new again too. Ill buy 5 or 6 a year and flip them that way. I havnt had one yet in 4 years that hasn't started after an oil change and a spark plug!

    Padnos.jpg Mower.jpg
     
    Pallet Pete, Jun 6, 2015
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  17. Fishnuts2

    Fishnuts2

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    I would prefer the Honda engines over B & S having had a variety of each over the years.

    But, with that said, I am still following a 1969 Lawnboy 19" around the yard. 1.5 hrs. per week. It always starts on the first or second pull, and to stop it I just shut the gas off and let it run out on it's own. It only weighs around 35 lbs. and compared to my neighbor's latest 150 lb. gizzmo it is a pleasure to use.

    It's a 2 cycle of course, and doesn't care about steep hillsides or level, and has a 2 finger grip starter handle.
    Best and most durable mower ever made IMO.
     
    Fishnuts2, Jun 6, 2015
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  18. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    Truth is, these days Briggs can be hit or miss. My 1994 John Deere 14PZ has a 5hp Briggs on it that has been very faithful. It's about ready to send the rod through the block any minute now but it fires 1st pull. The small flat-head engines that can still be found on push mowers are still pretty good engines and they have their bright points in other models and bigger engines as well. I've seen their Vanguard engines go 4-5K hours on turf equipment and I've seen Intek single-cylinder engines not make it to 10 hours before making major trouble. The experience and knowledge of the operator makes a huge difference as well, with any engine make but especially with something that's "entry-level" or engineered to be exactly what's needed, no more. no less.

    Honda schooled Briggs big time when they introduced the GC and GCV series engines. (not to be confused with GX series engines) They are lightweight, quiet, very easy starting engines that are cheap enough to be "disposable" if major repair is required. And beyond carburetion/ignition problems, who really repairs engines of this size these days? The cost to replace a piston/connecting rod/cylinder head etc. is easily much more than the engine is worth. Heck, even grinding/lapping valves is a lost art these days on small engines.

    Horsepower is a ridiculous spec these days as well. Especially on a Briggs motor. Craftsman advertised a 190cc Briggs L-Head at 7HP (o_O:picard:) not too long ago, and that IMO was the straw that broke the camel's back for the whole small engine HP rating fiasco. Remember when an engine rated at 4Hp would run the hell out of a 21/22" mower? Engine design pays a big roll in actual usable power output as well. I love Brigg's L-Heads because they are a design that's been perfected over decades of use. But an OHV or OHC engine (regardless of brand) of the same displacement is going to wipe the floor with a flat-head when it comes to power output. So are you REALLY getting less power out of a Honda OHV/OHC engine rated at 5 hp than a Briggs rated for 6.5lb of "gross torque"? And then the big question, on a 21" mower, does it really even matter? ;) These days we have engines that are plenty powerful for the job at hand (mowing a 21" swath of grass) and the challenge isn't for more power, but cleaner running (lower emissions) engines that still start 1st or 2nd tug.

    And you are absolutely right Horkn that it's pretty rare for a little walk-mower like these to outlast the engine anymore. :handshake:
     
    MasterMech, Jun 6, 2015
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  19. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Great points MasterMech !

    The other thing to remember, and this goes back to Briggs questionable business practices again, is that Briggs was in big legal trouble due to their engines not having the HP they said they did. That's why briggs doesn't go by HP anymore, rather they use tq rating.
     
    Horkn, Jun 6, 2015
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  20. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    Oh they got all kinds of creative. The Hp rating was what the engine made in total work done, including total heat output. Not anywhere close to what the actual work done by the crankshaft was.
     
    MasterMech, Jun 6, 2015
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