Help! Craftsman or Toro

[SWEET JOHNs Lawn 69]

Toro is the definant choice its more reliable and makes a nicer cut

 

[Black Bart]

The self propelled mower that I have goes too fast I need to look into the Toro.
I do not want to bag or recycle can I just remove the bag and let it blow out on the lawn.
What I'm asking is does it have a side discharge.

 

[Grass ala Mowed]

At least the Toro I bought is a "3-way," I think most of them are. It has a chute you place on the side port that holds the door open and helps "spray" the clippings. I think I've lost my Toro, my hip was sore and the girlfriend mowed the yard. I should have suspected something last year at my Mother's; the girlfriend got on the John Deere 277 and I didn't see her again until it ran out of gas (4 acres). :laughing: I prefer to mulch, it looks neater and I paid for the fertilizer, etc., I'm leaving it on the lawn. However, once in a while it rains for many days, etc. and I need to discharge and in the fall I like to mulch/bag the leaves with the mower and dump them in the flower beds.

 

[Black Bart]

At least the Toro I bought is a "3-way," I think most of them are. It has a chute you place on the side port that holds the door open and helps "spray" the clippings. I think I've lost my Toro, my hip was sore and the girlfriend mowed the yard. I should have suspected something last year at my Mother's; the girlfriend got on the John Deere 277 and I didn't see her again until it ran out of gas (4 acres). :laughing: I prefer to mulch, it looks neater and I paid for the fertilizer, etc., I'm leaving it on the lawn. However, once in a while it rains for many days, etc. and I need to discharge and in the fall I like to mulch/bag the leaves with the mower and dump them in the flower beds.

All I would do with it is cut a few small areas that I can't get my rider into.
A mulcher is not good for me I don't mow every other day.

My neighbor bought a mulcher but rarely gets to use it because every time he try's it plugs up and he has to use his other mower.

Even the dealer told me not to buy a mulcher unless I was going to mow every time it grows an inch and that is not going to happen.

 

[Carl in CT]

I bought a Toro Personal Pace 6.5hp, 21" mower 10 years ago and love it. It can bag, mulch or side discharge. My wife likes it too. I have a rider but the little Toro still gets a lot of use. I don't even maintain it all that well and it just works all the time. Starts easy and cuts nice. The personal pace really does work well. Like someone else said, you just hold your hands on the bar as normal and walk. Whatever pace you walk at, the mower just goes that speed automatically. I did run with it the other day to get in out of a sudden downpour and it didn't want to keep up with my full sprint but that's not exactly normal mowing. I would buy another one if this one ever dies but it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. I've never had a Craftsman last that long without giving me all kinds of trouble after 5 ears or so. Honda commercial mowers are great but cost $800. Honda home owner models are probably no better than anything else in that price range.

 

[Grass ala Mowed]

I don't mow every other day either, usually less than once a week. I don't know what Toro did to the blade and deck and I'm sure not all Kohler engines are the same quality, but this mower has never clogged, clumped or even breathed hard. It is my primary mower and the surveyer listed my lot at .49 acres (less house, flower beds and driveway) so I appreciate the ease.

 

[71AMX]

I am looking at a new mower. I currently have a Craftsman 6.75 eager that is approximately 13 years old and still running. The only issue I have with this one is the side discharge closure kept coming open until I secured it shut as I never use it. It does mulch well and the one point wheel adjustment is fantastic.

Now because it is 13 years old I have been looking around for a new mower. Price wise feature for feature, the Craftsman and the Toro are somewhat close with the Toro being higher in every case. Like others, I also noticed the straight blade Toro compared to the traditional curved blade like the Craftsman so I am concerned about how well the Toro mower mulches. The option of one point adjustment for height is only available on the Craftsman. The Toro wheel adjustments has to be done at all four wheels and looks a little cheap to me. The both have variable drive control at the handle but the Toro looks a little more user friendly as it adjust to your walking speed compared to the Craftsman where the harder you squeeze the dirve lever, the fast it goes. The Toro also has what appears to be an easier switch from mulching to bagging. The both have a deck wash system, no prime battery powered electric start and hey both use Briggs engines so no diff there.

To me the main issues that are making it hard for me to choose are - 1 the height adjustment, the Craftsman model I am looking at has Toro beat with the easy one point adjustment. The 2nd is the ease of use as I am trying to get my 13 year old daughter to start helping with the lawn. The Toro appears to have the easier drive system. And finally the mulching performance. I almost always mulch my lawn. I don't like to bag unless the grass gets too long to mulch without leaving clumps behind. I was leaning towards the Toro but the 4 point wheel adjustment just bugs me on a lawn mower at this price. If it doesn't mulch as well as the Craftsman my mind is made up. Please post more views on the mulching performance.

Thanks

Nick

 

[Carl in CT]

I don't know much about the Craftsman but the 4 separate wheel adjusters on my Toro aren't cheap as far as holding up over the years. It is a minor pain to adjust them but I do that almost never so it's not an issue for me. Don't assume the engines are the same because they are both Briggs. They might be the same engine but Briggs makes several levels of engines so it may be worth while finding out exactly which model Briggs engines they have before you say no difference. That said, it may not matter a ton on a small walk behind mower as long as you maintain them well. I'd say get whichever one functions easier if you want your kids using it. You can always set the wheel height for them and let them go at it. I can say that he Toro Personal Pace is very easy to use for my 13 year old daughter.

Good luck!

 

[Grass ala Mowed]

I also rarely adjust my height, maybe twice a year; cut a little lower in the spring and fall and one notch higher in the heat. My adjusters seem real sturdy, my old mower had single point and would slip lower over bumps, etc. My Toro mulches well. I've noticed no clumping or dumping when I stop to move lawn furniture, etc. The personal pace is like driving a car. I've started to develop arthritis in my hands, so squeezing a lever harder to go faster was not a good choice for me. We'll see over the years, but the Toro may be the best thing I've bought in years as for doing what I want and need.