I ordered the Oillite bronze bushings, should get them tomorrow. I think this maybe the best set up also. I had a feeling the needle bearings may damage the shaft. I will double seaI, felt, and O ring. The felt and O ring does keep most dirt/grass out but not perfect. I am frustrated and almost gave up and bought a new mower until I got sticker shock, but most important I love this mower and I want to fix this annoying issue. Will update.
Can't Pull Mower Backwards - HRR216VLA to bearing conversion
- Thread starter Briantii
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Heh I'll start with "You were right".
With that said at this point I don't care. I'm going to see how long I can run it without pumping money into it. If I feel especially generous I'll just buy a new trans and bushings and go oilite... but really this mower is 10 years old now and it's tempting to just get a Toro Commercial and be done with it. I do think I can keep it going for a quite a while still with minimal parts - the deck is for sure showing it's age from some pretty serious rock chewing and at some point that will be the real limiting factor.
Like you, don’t want to keep throwing money at this problem. My thought is to give it a good cleaning and lube each year and hope for the best.
I have gotten the steps down to about an hour to clean both sides as long as the circlips cooperate. I was using my lift table and small car jacks to lift the backend. I think the next time I will try standing the mower on its nose.
I installed the Oillite bronze bushings. Now it is very hard to pull back. The wheels don't lock just hard to pull back. I am wondering if this will get better in time. The bronze may wear. When I installed them everything was free and movement was good. Going back to the roller bearing I found a new one and took it apart the roller bearing are very small. In the picture is a pocket screwdriver. I hate to throw this mower away the engine and deck are good it is 10+ .years old.
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Another thing with the needle bearing it was much easier to pull back. The roller bearings were the best. Too bad the rollers are for RC toys. I did use 3 on each side could have done 5 but don't think it will make a difference.
Westman
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Last year I bought a digital luggage scale (for weighing luggage). I used it to measure the pull weight on the mower when pulling it backwards (flat concrete floor). I just measured it again, it varied, between 4 and 5.5 lbs. Here is a pic showing pullback (backward) at 4.6 lbs. Last year if I recall correctly it was higher, around 5.5 - 6.5 lbs. I also measured the rolling resistance weight going forward. It varied between 2 and 3 lbs, so there is a difference...
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I just measured mine it was 8-9 lbs with the brass bushings, with the roller bears I got 4-5 lbs, and needle was 5-6 lbs. I am going to mow a few times to see if this loosens ups, if not I am thinking of battery mower. I hate to ditch ICE over electric but seems like a lot less maintenance, not to say electric has its problems. Funny that the engine and deck is good on this Honda but this rear wheel issue sucks. I love the way this mower mulches and cuts, best mulching mower I have owned. I had a Toro before this Honda and it sucked at mulching on St. Augustine. I might just redo with needle bearings until the shaft gets destroyed then junk this thing. By them battery mowers will improve more and hopefully come down in price.
olgeezershonda
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And hopefully battery mowers have longevity with good decks and drive systems too. There's more to a self propelled mower than just the type of engine.
Westman
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I have an EGO battery/push mower I purchased in 2018. I'd still be using it if I hadn't ruptured my left achilles tendon in late 2019. I picked up the Honda on Craigslist for cheap and have been using it ever since. If I went to another mower, it would be an EGO self propelled. Great mowers, batteries last with more than enough power to get the job done. If my 20" EGO was self propelled, I would have never switched. My guess is that the bronze bushings will loosen up on your Honda and it will get better with time. Seems like that is what happened with me. I have an extra pair of bronze bushings, 2 sets of dust seals and o-rings (felt mod) when this needs a refurb. I plan on keeping it as long as I can. It is a great mower when not "acting up" (topic of this thread).
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Westman,
I mowed today we are still in mowing season now every 5-6 days. It did loosen up after the mow my gauge read 5-6 lbs after mowing. It is still tight but I hope for better days. Ego's are nice and expensive. The main issue I have with battery mowers are the batteries. Ego says a 1000 charge cycles. Maybe 10 years if you get lucky. HD has the Honda for 419 and Greenworks has a 60v with 2 4amp batteries for 431 no tax free shipping. I have a 60v Greenworks blower and had an EGO blower until it flooded. I loved the EGO much better than Greenworks but I bought the Greenworks at Lowes on sale for $75 with a 2.5 amp battery. Couldn't pass up that deal.