Hello!
I've had great luck with Honda mowers in the past, so I'm surprised by the poor mulching performance of my Commercial HRC2163HXP (Serial Number MAKA-2040151) that I'm using at home. Warranty has a year to go.
1. After a few yards of mowing 60/40 Bluegrass/Fescue at high speed setting, the mulch spews out the sides of the mower, and the enclosure around the mulch plug (part number 76266-VK6-000ZA shown as #21 in attachment) clogs and shifts outward about 1-inch away from frame. Same at all cutting heights. The mulch plug (handle end) does not completely fit within the housing. (photos below). I placed a flashlight underneath the mower, and the gaps around the plug are clearly visible. Replaced mulch plug with new one; no change. Honda dealers in our area are not familiar with the Commercial Line, and Honda Tech Support offered no advice except to find a 3rd dealer.
Could this be a design flaw? Or maybe the housing wasn't built to spec? I've ordered a new discharge scroll (Item #76135-VK6-000 shown as #16 in attachment) and new blades just in case. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'm just being unrealistic about this!
On another lawnmower forum, an owner of the same model discovered a work-around - using 2 garbage bags around the mulch plug to block the gaps. Clever, but not a long term solution.
2. When I engage the hydrostatic drive, the engine labors as if the choke is on. It recovers and doesn't stall, but close to it. Throttle Cable and Drive Clutch Cable have been adjusted. No change.
Now that Honda will stop selling walk-behind mowers in September 2023, and OEM spare parts for this model are already long lead items, I wonder if I should sell this mower to the dealer and walk away.
Thank you, in advance, for any assistance the forum can provide!
I've had great luck with Honda mowers in the past, so I'm surprised by the poor mulching performance of my Commercial HRC2163HXP (Serial Number MAKA-2040151) that I'm using at home. Warranty has a year to go.
1. After a few yards of mowing 60/40 Bluegrass/Fescue at high speed setting, the mulch spews out the sides of the mower, and the enclosure around the mulch plug (part number 76266-VK6-000ZA shown as #21 in attachment) clogs and shifts outward about 1-inch away from frame. Same at all cutting heights. The mulch plug (handle end) does not completely fit within the housing. (photos below). I placed a flashlight underneath the mower, and the gaps around the plug are clearly visible. Replaced mulch plug with new one; no change. Honda dealers in our area are not familiar with the Commercial Line, and Honda Tech Support offered no advice except to find a 3rd dealer.
Could this be a design flaw? Or maybe the housing wasn't built to spec? I've ordered a new discharge scroll (Item #76135-VK6-000 shown as #16 in attachment) and new blades just in case. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'm just being unrealistic about this!
On another lawnmower forum, an owner of the same model discovered a work-around - using 2 garbage bags around the mulch plug to block the gaps. Clever, but not a long term solution.
2. When I engage the hydrostatic drive, the engine labors as if the choke is on. It recovers and doesn't stall, but close to it. Throttle Cable and Drive Clutch Cable have been adjusted. No change.
Now that Honda will stop selling walk-behind mowers in September 2023, and OEM spare parts for this model are already long lead items, I wonder if I should sell this mower to the dealer and walk away.
Thank you, in advance, for any assistance the forum can provide!
