Advise on a new lawn mower ( under $300)

[jben04]

My current mower, which is a 7 year old poulan pro decided to die on me, so its time for a new one.

Ive narrowed it down to 3,, but cant decide ,so i'm hoping i can get some feedback.
Basically i want a push mower with bag , mulch and side discharge, that's low maintenance.
Yard is pretty small, normally take me 45-60 min.
We live in South Carolina, so id be using it nearly 10 months of the year.

Here is my final list :
Cub Cadet SC100 ($249)
Troy-Bilt TB130 ($255)
Troy-Bilt TB110 ($199)


The Troy's , i like the idea of just being able to go back to the store IF there's a problem with it.


Also considering Craftsman's... been told a few good things about them too.
Also been reading some good things about the Cadet, actually all 3 lol

Thanks in advance

 

[Mike Hawk]

Self propelled all day every day. I'm a fit guy but even finishing out my acreage (frontage ditch and pond) I'm still worn out even with my Husq Honda powered RWD mulcher/side shooter. I'm a big fan of Honda mowers, no break downs or issues since I've owned them since 2000. Personal use only, so I dunno what the commercial guys are gonna recommend.

Yeah, I know, I'm of no help. lol

 

[rbstern]

I'm going to differ from Mike and say, if the yard is flat, skip self-propelled.

My neighbor has the Troy TB110, and I've used it a couple of times recently. I really liked it. It's very lightweight, which makes it very easy to push and maneuver. They've gone to a plastic section in the front, between the front wheels, and the weight savings up front makes the mower very easy to turn. The no-choke start seems to work very well, and it's got upgraded, pleated paper air filtration. It's a pretty refined push mower for an entry level product. Surprised at how quiet it is. Only real weak spot is the lack of a cast-iron sleeve for the cylinder.

I have the MTD 22" with the smaller 450 series engine that Walmart sells. It's not quite as light as the Troy, has a foam air filter, and a primer bulb. I bought it as a stop gap solution to mow near my house while I figure out which zero turn to get for the entire property, and I happened to have a Walmart gift card. Would rather have had the Troy, but the MTD works well enough.

I have no doubt the Honda motor on the TB130 is a more refined product. Every Honda motor I've ever owned has been a gem. But, it's still an entry level motor, and the OHV motors on the other machines are basically copies of the Honda.

Don't have any experience with the Cub Cadet, but it looks nice.

Given that the difference is only $50 from top to bottom, and over the lifespan of the mower, it works out to about $7/year, you should buy the best one...whichever that is.