What do you think about this Lawn Mower?

[DesiPower]

Troy-Bilt 7.25 Ft-Lbs Torque 21" Self-Propelled Gas Push Mower @ Lowes

Need to replace my existing 6 year old non-self-propelled, very basic mower, bough from Lowes for iirc $150. Its blade has a lot of bumps and bruises and its started vibrating a lot after the last time I ignored a small stone and mover over it. I am reluctant to change its blade... new one I want!!

is there anything better I can get for the money? any better place to buy it??

 

[slightlyhuman]

check the craigslist. looks like a decent self-propelled to me.

although i will say when i'm at my parents i never hesitate to mow their yard if they need it. dixiechoppers are too much fun.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy a front wheel drive mower!

 

[DesiPower]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy a front wheel drive mower!

Oh wow, good word of caution... I though it was rear as they rear wheels were bigger, thanks...

check the craigslist. looks like a decent self-propelled to me.

although i will say when i'm at my parents i never hesitate to mow their yard if they need it. dixiechoppers are too much fun.

My yard is not big enough for riding ones....

 

[Fern]

Changing the blade is easy. Doesn't require much in the way of tools either. Should just be one nut/washer bolting the blade on.

If it was otherwise running fine I'd just get a new blade.

Fern

 

[lothar]

Is there anything better I can get for the money?

Goats.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I don't like self propelled period. My last one was an older one though and FWD which is nearly worthless. I can cut my yard quicker with a pusher and it is a lot lighter and easier to turn. Plus the engine isn't wasting power turning the wheels making it bog easier.

 

[Squisher]

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy a front wheel drive mower!

Why not? I've had both and prefer front drive. Backing up a rear drive can be a pain to keep disengaging. I have 90 feet of lawn that runs downs into a pond. Doing that with rear wheel drive would be a pain.

I would give one testicle if someone would make a single side, side sickle self propelled mower with like a 36" sickle. That would turn 20 minutes of work for me into 1 minute of work. They make them for tractors, but nothing push style and I'm not giving up my ZTR.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I never used a self propelled mower, but I can't see myself liking it. I rather have full control, especially in awkward places. I tend to just push/pull it in those situations, such as under trees.

 

[BoomerD]

I looked at the Troy-bilt mowers a couple of years ago when I was needing to replace my old Craftsman mower. I'm not impressed with the build quality of the newer MTD branded mowers.
As for self-propelled mowers...not a damned thing wrong with those, especially if you have a large lawn, or hilly/sloped ground, but even for a small, flat lawn, a self-propelled mower will make the chore faster and easier.

I bought a Honda-branded mower similar to this:
http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrr216vya

A bit more expensive...but it's the best damned mower I've ever used.

 

[Jaepheth]

You should go with a more classic design:

More exercise for you; less pollution for the rest of us. Everybody wins!

 

[MovingTarget]

Why not? I've had both and prefer front drive. Backing up a rear drive can be a pain to keep disengaging. I have 90 feet of lawn that runs downs into a pond. Doing that with rear wheel drive would be a pain.

I would give one testicle if someone would make a single side, side sickle self propelled mower with like a 36" sickle. That would turn 20 minutes of work for me into 1 minute of work. They make them for tractors, but nothing push style and I'm not giving up my ZTR.

This. If you are going to get a pushmower the question should be self-propelled or not. FWD actually makes sense. You don't have to keep disengaging the drive to turn the mower. The large rear wheels do help you maneuver the mower though.

 

[Rubycon]

Best rotaries have magnesium decks and USA made Briggs engines.
If two stroke is your thing a Jacobsen or Lawn Boy will work. These things last forever. Tecumseh engines were not so good.

Going back further you can find a Gravely with a Studebaker engine with pressure lubrication! They have over 20 attachments for those and safety is operator common sense. (no guards!)

They just don't make them like they did in those days.
The first time I learned about CVT was the Snapper friction disk transmission. Its "clutch" was a lever that moved the gearbox away from the pulley so the belt would not drive it. If you put the shifter all the way down (fastest pace) and jerked the lever back to engage the damn thing would do a wheelie and pull like an ox. Yeah rear wheel drive!

In the same time Toro made a nice one that was a reel mower like the one pictured above but used an engine to pull it. If they are sharp nothing cuts like a reel mower. Of course you should always keep your blades sharp! (and balanced in the case of rotaries)

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Honda, enough said.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Why not? I've had both and prefer front drive. Backing up a rear drive can be a pain to keep disengaging. I have 90 feet of lawn that runs downs into a pond. Doing that with rear wheel drive would be a pain.
If you find it a pain to simply disengage the drive, yours is a poorly designed
mower, OR you don't know what you're doing. Actually, I find it much easier to go downhill in low speed/gear for I'm not fighting the weight
of the mower, kinda like a jake brake.


I would give one testicle if someone would make a single side, side sickle self propelled mower with like a 36" sickle. That would turn 20 minutes of work for me into 1 minute of work. They make them for tractors, but nothing push style and I'm not giving up my ZTR.

http://www.digisys.net/users/pako/static/troy-sicklebar-details.html

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Why not? I've had both and prefer front drive. Backing up a rear drive can be a pain to keep disengaging. I have 90 feet of lawn that runs downs into a pond. Doing that with rear wheel drive would be a pain.
If you find it a pain to simply disengage the drive, yours is a poorly designed
mower, OR you don't know what you're doing. Actually, I find it much easier to go downhill in low speed/gear for I'm not fighting the weight
of the mower, kinda like a jake brake.


I would give one testicle if someone would make a single side, side sickle self propelled mower with like a 36" sickle. That would turn 20 minutes of work for me into 1 minute of work. They make them for tractors, but nothing push style and I'm not giving up my ZTR.

http://www.digisys.net/users/pako/static/troy-sicklebar-details.html

 

[paperfist]

I kinda went over board spending on my John Deere rear wheel drive mower last year, but it cut my mowing time nearly in half and the battery starter is a dream to use

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I once owned an older version of that very mower with 6.5HP and it was decent enough. Lasted about 6 years. Paid a bit over $275 for it new. Rebuilt the carb and had to replace a couple of cables over the years.

Next time around I bought an old riding lawn mower at a garage sale for $200 and put another $50 into it to replace some belts, oil, and filters. It was built in 1985 and still runs like a champ. Riding > pushing/self-propelled.

 

[Squisher]

http://www.digisys.net/users/pako/static/troy-sicklebar-details.html

I said backing up with rear drive is the problem and to do it on my 90 feet of pond would require me to disengage the rear drive 50 times. You face the pond and let the mower go half into the pond and pull it back and move over ~16 inches and repeat. Footing next to the pond is not the best.

Also, that is not a single side sickle bar. I want a push version of what every self-respecting landscaper uses to do next to ponds and drainage ditches. The bar extends out much further and to only one side.

This guy has it all going on.

Now, I just have to figure out how to put it in my garage

 

[BUTCH1]

Changing the blade is easy. Doesn't require much in the way of tools either. Should just be one nut/washer bolting the blade on.

If it was otherwise running fine I'd just get a new blade.

Fern

Agree, really it's just routine maintenance for any mower, if you don't plunk something with 'em they get dull. Go for it though OP, cant beat the upgrade to SP, nice to have on a blistering hot summer day,,

 

[BUTCH1]

check the craigslist. looks like a decent self-propelled to me.

although i will say when i'm at my parents i never hesitate to mow their yard if they need it. dixiechoppers are too much fun.

You bought a Dixie Chopper for home use or is it part of a lawn co.'s equipment??.

 

[allenk09]

Why not? I've had both and prefer front drive. Backing up a rear drive can be a pain to keep disengaging. I have 90 feet of lawn that runs downs into a pond. Doing that with rear wheel drive would be a pain.

Yep, I vote for front wheel drive. My grandma had front wheels I used all the time, and then she bought one of those exact Troy Bilt mowers with RWD and all it does when turning is rip up the lawn unless you disengage the drive. With front wheel all you have to do is push down on the bars and lift the front of the mower up a little and turn while the front wheels are off the ground.

It's so much more of a PITA with RWD on a lawnmower from my experience.

 

[DrPizza]

Goats.

I can make you a deal, since you're on ATOT, but I'm thinking that even with a good deal, the goats would cost more than your lawnmower.


Anyway to the "change the blade" people, there's a possibility that when he hit the rock, he bent the shaft. I don't think a few nicks in a blade are going to cause a lot of vibration, are they? (I'm not a pushmower kinda guy.)

 

[Wyndru]

Self-propelled?

Oh yeah!

 

[Thebobo]

I'm working on a no mow yard. My front yard is mostly tress and ivy and my back yard has a big patio and large curvy beds of wild bulbs and grasses with small grass strips that I am slowly covering with mulch.

The one grass area I have to leave is between the sidewalk and the street. County regulations say I can't plant there. Kinda sucks they are promoting grassless yards but I cant change that part.