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Hello All,
I have been looking for a new lawn mower and came down to the Honda HRX vs the Toro Super Recycler. Was leaning towards the Honda HRX and went to a local small engine store to look at their inventory. The salesman told me the Honda mower came underclocked from the factory and they have to hook it up to a tachometer and adjust the engine in order for it to run at optimal RPM's for mulching, cutting, etc.
They sell the HRX with blade brake for $729.99, no discounts or sales. I can get the same model at home depot for $699.99 and also get a 10% military discount there, so about $100 difference between the small local store and big box home depot. The salesman said I could buy the mower from Home Depot but wouldn't like it as it wouldn't cut right.

My question is does this make sense or is the salesman just blowing smoke? Is it worth $100 price difference to get the engine tuned up right out of the box?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

If my dealer did it, I never heard about it. Some dealers will match the Home Depot price, if you want to get it cheaper but want the service of a dealer.

I moved your thread to the Honda Forum. :smile:

I asked if they would match price and they would not. The salesmen told me I could buy it for cheaper at Home Depot but would not be happy with it, so that is why I was wondering if it was just a sales tactic. I try and give the local small businesses my business more than the big box stores, but $100 is $100.

Kraymerica said:

I asked if they would match price and they would not. The salesmen told me I could buy it for cheaper at Home Depot but would not be happy with it, so that is why I was wondering if it was just a sales tactic. I try and give the local small businesses my business more than the big box stores, but $100 is $100.

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Someone on here works for Honda...his response will be helpful to you before you buy.

Just like a car a lawnmower needs to have a PDI.

When mowers are unpacked and started they usually run at low RPM due to emission test.

Dealers tweek the RPM and make sure everything is running as it should.

I still dont know why dealers discount to compete wiyh stores??

pugaltitude said:

Just like a car a lawnmower needs to have a PDI.

When mowers are unpacked and started they usually run at low RPM due to emission test.

Dealers tweek the RPM and make sure everything is running as it should.

I still dont know why dealers discount to compete wiyh stores??

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HOGWASH!! Run, don't walk from that "dealer" and use your discount at Home Depot.

I purchased my HRX217VKA at Home Depot. Per my tach/hour meter it runs at 3060 RPM. Per the Honda manual, which I purchased, the maximum governed speed is 2950-3100 RPM.

I'm sorry some of these guys can't compete with HD, but try to sell after sale service, or something other than Lie.

P.S. I LOVE my HRX

Not hogwash but all true.

9 out of 10 a mower out of a box will need adjusted. Tractors are the worst.

Why should I (dealers) compete with big box stores. If you compete with BBS its only the bank manager that is happy as they see turnover but the dealer is out as they are not making profit.

As soon as they compete with me as a dealer for service then I will compete with them for price.

PS HRX worst mower ever made :laughing:

pugaltitude said:

Not hogwash but all true.

9 out of 10 a mower out of a box will need adjusted. Tractors are the worst.

Why should I (dealers) compete with big box stores. If you compete with BBS its only the bank manager that is happy as they see turnover but the dealer is out as they are not making profit.

As soon as they compete with me as a dealer for service then I will compete with them for price.

PS HRX worst mower ever made :laughing:

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Too bad you are in Scotland. We could use some Master Technicians over here. In the mean time, I will use a factory shop manual and do my own "service"

"Worst mower ever made" just hurts your credibility. I said I love my HRX. Didn't say it was the "best mower ever made."

pugaltitude said:

PS HRX worst mower ever made :laughing:

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What do you recommend then for around $600 ? Toro super recycler?

GregGA said:

Too bad you are in Scotland. We could use some Master Technicians over here. In the mean time, I will use a factory shop manual and do my own "service"

"Worst mower ever made" just hurts your credibility. I said I love my HRX. Didn't say it was the "best mower ever made."

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If you can get a manual for it. Honda dont usually give manuals out to easy.

No credibility lost. My customer only buy what i think suits their needs and budget.
I have supplied HRX not because i sold it but because the customer wanted it in the past but i only seem to get reliability problems from chinese crap and honda.

Kraymerica said:

What do you recommend then for around $600 ? Toro super recycler?

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I would certainly look at Toro way before Honda.

We do different models and prices over here but 22" briggs 190 cc engine and rota stop is brilliant for the price.

I would also sell other product but not available over there.

Kraymerica said:

What do you recommend then for around $600 ? Toro super recycler?

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I still think you should get the Honda over the Toro. In my area more people have HRX's in our neighborhood than any other mower, and tons of lawn care businesses use the HRX as their push mower.

pugaltitude said:

I would certainly look at Toro way before Honda.

We do different models and prices over here but 22" briggs 190 cc engine and rota stop is brilliant for the price.

I would also sell other product but not available over there.

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Oh my. Pug. In one post you state the most unreliable engines you service are "china junk or Honda". Then you recommend a Briggs made in China. What gives? Can the Chinese actually make a decent low technology engine?
You bet they can. Can the USA Honda plant build a decent engine? You bet they can.

I'll wager 95% of noncommercial OPE problems are owner ignorance or abuse. Be it Briggs or Honda.

Ok, I have the Honda Dealer directory for the UK pulled up. Please tell us your shop name so I can verify you are an approved Honda Service Station. It would make your statements more credible if you at least know how to service the product.

Cheers

pugaltitude said:

As soon as they compete with me as a dealer for service then I will compete with them for price.

PS HRX worst mower ever made :laughing:

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(1) As I see it the big box stores don't keep it secret, they don't offer post-sale service. They'll either happily refund my purchase price (something that shops never do) or they'll advise me to take my warranty claims to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will tell me where to find local dealers (you) for service or warranty work. So you may not make the initial sale but you get the service revenue. So why don't you meet their price and get both?

(2) I have been using an HRX for about seven mows. Why is it the worst mower ever made? What should I be alerted to? What data do you have? What mower brands and models are you comparing it to when you say "HRX worst mower ever made." Ever made includes a lot of mowers.

pmillen said:

(1) As I see it the big box stores don't keep it secret, they don't offer post-sale service. They'll either happily refund my purchase price (something that shops never do) or they'll advise me to take my warranty claims to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will tell me where to find local dealers (you) for service or warranty work. So you may not make the initial sale but you get the service revenue. So why don't you meet their price and get both?

(2) I have been using an HRX for about seven mows. Why is it the worst mower ever made? What should I be alerted to? What data do you have? What mower brands and models are you comparing it to when you say "HRX worst mower ever made." Ever made includes a lot of mowers.

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Lol what about those 3hp briggs push mower mulcher only my sister has one of those this in my opinion is the worst mower ever made or maybe its most basic either way it sucks to use

pmillen said:

(1) As I see it the big box stores don't keep it secret, they don't offer post-sale service. They'll either happily refund my purchase price (something that shops never do) or they'll advise me to take my warranty claims to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will tell me where to find local dealers (you) for service or warranty work. So you may not make the initial sale but you get the service revenue. So why don't you meet their price and get both?

(2) I have been using an HRX for about seven mows. Why is it the worst mower ever made? What should I be alerted to? What data do you have? What mower brands and models are you comparing it to when you say "HRX worst mower ever made." Ever made includes a lot of mowers.

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IMO there is nothing you need to be alerted to. It is a great mower, just ask 99% of the people who bought it!

GregGA said:

Oh my. Pug. In one post you state the most unreliable engines you service are "china junk or Honda". Then you recommend a Briggs made in China. What gives? Can the Chinese actually make a decent low technology engine?
You bet they can. Can the USA Honda plant build a decent engine? You bet they can.

I'll wager 95% of noncommercial OPE problems are owner ignorance or abuse. Be it Briggs or Honda.

Ok, I have the Honda Dealer directory for the UK pulled up. Please tell us your shop name so I can verify you are an approved Honda Service Station. It would make your statements more credible if you at least know how to service the product.

Cheers

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If i remember right the 650 series engine is produced in poplar bluff, missouri and not china. Briggs are trying to get out of china due to the way they treat people.

If its a genuine American/Japanese Honda then yes it is quality but as the HRX uses the GCV range which is a European design I just find them unreliable.

The chinese can produce plastics to a good standard but for them to produce an engine by themselves
it is usually poor quality.

But if a main engine manufacturer controls production in china then the quality is always high.

Wont see my business name on any dealer list but go on all Honda update seminars due to being a sub dealer for a distributer.

Also had the biggest european honda dealer where we are not long ago which closed down after being taken over by a big box store which then went bust.
So i see my fair share of Honda and when it comes to replacement, customers are advised on other better quality product

Only my opinion!

pmillen said:

(1) As I see it the big box stores don't keep it secret, they don't offer post-sale service. They'll either happily refund my purchase price (something that shops never do) or they'll advise me to take my warranty claims to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will tell me where to find local dealers (you) for service or warranty work. So you may not make the initial sale but you get the service revenue. So why don't you meet their price and get both?

(2) I have been using an HRX for about seven mows. Why is it the worst mower ever made? What should I be alerted to? What data do you have? What mower brands and models are you comparing it to when you say "HRX worst mower ever made." Ever made inthen i docludes a lot of mowers.

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As a dealer and by law I dont have to let anybody in my front door if i dont want but as its business i do.

How much money do you think dealers make when selling product?
Considering we have to speak to the customer, maybe go out and look at their garden, give brochures, order the machine, PDI, sometimes deliver and show how to use the machine.
So the 20-30% that a dealer might get has gone on time and sometimes our pocket ie fuel.

So if a customer from a BBS comes in with a warranty or one of my own customer comes, I wonder which one would get priority???

Again I can only go by my own personel opinion and experience.
Gearboxes are poorly designed, wear out to quick. Autochoke is a problem. Why have it work on the inlet temp when it can fluctuate more the exhaust.
Wheels wear out, clutches get heavy and cables snap. Engines only designed for 250-300 hrs.
Like I say only my opinion

exotion said:

Lol what about those 3hp briggs push mower mulcher only my sister has one of those this in my opinion is the worst mower ever made or maybe its most basic either way it sucks to use

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Now is it the mower that is the problem or wrong engine on wrong application?

Briggs went through a bad period in the 80s where OEMs dictated what engine to use and not briggs due to price.

If its the little sprint engine then not bad engine considering it was 1st produced in 1955 and approx 160 million been made and just finally this year been put out of production.

lawn mower fanatic said:

IMO there is nothing you need to be alerted to. It is a great mower, just ask 99% of the people who bought it!

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Again its all down to personel preference.

I have a gillette razor which i thinks brilliant but should i try a wilkinson sword??
As long as the person that buys the product is happy it shouldnt matter what anybody else thinks!!!

pugaltitude said:

Again its all down to personel preference.

I have a gillette razor which i thinks brilliant but should i try a wilkinson sword??
As long as the person that buys the product is happy it shouldnt matter what anybody else thinks!!!

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Excellent point Pug. Look, I had a Toro 20056(BBC). After 5 years it had about 250 hours. It snapped two BBC clutch cables and the primer bulb was going out and the on off switch quit working. I babied it.

So, who knows. At this point, I am more impressed with the fit, finish, cut and power over the 20056 with flat head Briggs. Time will tell.

On a side note, I had to replace a Briggs motor on a 20 year old pressure washer..bad carb and no replacement around and not worth the repair cost. I bought a 212cc Chonda from Harbor Freight for $100 and I am impressed.
It purrs like a kitten at 3400 RPM.

I've been hard hit by the economy, so money matters. I hope the Honda lives up to my expectations.

pugaltitude said:

As a dealer and by law I dont have to let anybody in my front door if i dont want but as its business i do.

How much money do you think dealers make when selling product?
Considering we have to speak to the customer, maybe go out and look at their garden, give brochures, order the machine, PDI, sometimes deliver and show how to use the machine.
So the 20-30% that a dealer might get has gone on time and sometimes our pocket ie fuel.

So if a customer from a BBS comes in with a warranty or one of my own customer comes, I wonder which one would get priority???

Again I can only go by my own personel opinion and experience.
Gearboxes are poorly designed, wear out to quick. Autochoke is a problem. Why have it work on the inlet temp when it can fluctuate more the exhaust.
Wheels wear out, clutches get heavy and cables snap. Engines only designed for 250-300 hrs.
Like I say only my opinion

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The problem I see over here is that the commercial mower customers get the priority. It doesn't matter if you buy the small mower with them or not. When I bought my Toro from Ace Hardware, they did put gas and oil in it, and helped load it in my car. I couldn't get the 20056 at the bbs. For what they did, I would rather save $100 and buy at BBS. Money is tight, and I am mechanically inclined and take good care of my equipment. I am NOT the average buyer.

Ok, tell us what you, as a repair professional wouild do if you owned a Honda HRX to get the longest sevice out of it? Please be specific on oil change intervals, transmission oil change? Cable maintenance, anything that would help us get more than 250hrs out of our investment.\

Thank you for your time!

GregGA said:

The problem I see over here is that the commercial mower customers get the priority. It doesn't matter if you buy the small mower with them or not. When I bought my Toro from Ace Hardware, they did put gas and oil in it, and helped load it in my car. I couldn't get the 20056 at the bbs. For what they did, I would rather save $100 and buy at BBS. Money is tight, and I am mechanically inclined and take good care of my equipment. I am NOT the average buyer.

Ok, tell us what you, as a repair professional wouild do if you owned a Honda HRX to get the longest sevice out of it? Please be specific on oil change intervals, transmission oil change? Cable maintenance, anything that would help us get more than 250hrs out of our investment.\

Thank you for your time!

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Take care of it as you said before. And be prepared to fix what ever happens if you know how most repairs are not difficult and cheaper if you do them your self. Worst case scenario you hit something with the blade bend the crank. Then you might as well get a new mower.

GregGA said:

Excellent point Pug. Look, I had a Toro 20056(BBC). After 5 years it had about 250 hours. It snapped two BBC clutch cables and the primer bulb was going out and the on off switch quit working. I babied it.

So, who knows. At this point, I am more impressed with the fit, finish, cut and power over the 20056 with flat head Briggs. Time will tell.

On a side note, I had to replace a Briggs motor on a 20 year old pressure washer..bad carb and no replacement around and not worth the repair cost. I bought a 212cc Chonda from Harbor Freight for $100 and I am impressed.
It purrs like a kitten at 3400 RPM.

I've been hard hit by the economy, so money matters. I hope the Honda lives up to my expectations.

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What i find is the problem is well known manufacturers are using cheaper less quality materials and then putting the price up because they have the name.

Everybody that posts on here asking "what is the best ????" get an answer like stihl or husky or honda or briggs etc is the best but all make crap and all make quality.
As a dealer you have to find the best quality to match the price.
But that is because the mass market want to buy on price and not quality.

If you are mechanically inclined then yes you will save money but the problem is not everybody is.
Iv seen too many dealers or bbs rip people off with wrong product.

I am honest and say where I am we are not the cheapest to deal with but if you want the job done right then you come to us.

GregGA said:

The problem I see over here is that the commercial mower customers get the priority. It doesn't matter if you buy the small mower with them or not. When I bought my Toro from Ace Hardware, they did put gas and oil in it, and helped load it in my car. I couldn't get the 20056 at the bbs. For what they did, I would rather save $100 and buy at BBS. Money is tight, and I am mechanically inclined and take good care of my equipment. I am NOT the average buyer.

Ok, tell us what you, as a repair professional wouild do if you owned a Honda HRX to get the longest sevice out of it? Please be specific on oil change intervals, transmission oil change? Cable maintenance, anything that would help us get more than 250hrs out of our investment.\

Thank you for your time!

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Doesnt matter if the customer is commercial or domestic, if they buy a trimmer or expensive tractor then they all get the same attention.

But i will give priority to someone that makes a living from cutting grass etc.

Mowers are meant to last between 5 and 8 years regardless of domestic or commercial.
Domestic run maybe couple of hours a month.
Commercial run 8 hrs a day.
The quality is then built in depending on what its to be used for.

Oils are that good these days that changes only really need to be made on an annual basis.
Air filters are also better and are made so that newer engines will always be emission compliant for about 7 years without changing it.
If cars can last 50,000 miles without changing a plug then mowers should be ok.
Cables are always the problem. I use the rubber funnel that come with cough medicine bottle. I tape it to the cable and use wd40 to penetrate then engine oil to lubricate while i service the mower.

Iv tried everything on HRX mowers to keep boxes going.
But i have realised that we have rear roller models over here that fail often which isnt hydrostatic but sealed mechanical on off transmission
I assume over there its hydrostatic 4 wheeled which are usually quite robust but keep cables lubed.

Also keep your transmission shafts lubricated where the bushes and bearings are.
Some hondas can be a pain to pull back.

I recently bought my HRX over a Toro SR that was on sale. The Toro had a Chinese engine on it; hardware store guy pretended he didn't know so I got on my hands and knees and read the plate on the engine base. Not sure the Honda will be much better though. It puts out a cloud of blue smoke on start up, which at least is on first pull as advertised. My 17 year old HRB didn't smoke that bad when it was new, and barely smoked that bad at 17 years. So I'm not sure the HRX is going to last that long, but I'm sort of wondering if the engine dies, maybe I'll be able to replace the engine with a commercial one. Because this mower will get it done otherwise.

lambs said:

I recently bought my HRX over a Toro SR that was on sale. The Toro had a Chinese engine on it; hardware store guy pretended he didn't know so I got on my hands and knees and read the plate on the engine base. Not sure the Honda will be much better though. It puts out a cloud of blue smoke on start up, which at least is on first pull as advertised. My 17 year old HRB didn't smoke that bad when it was new, and barely smoked that bad at 17 years. So I'm not sure the HRX is going to last that long, but I'm sort of wondering if the engine dies, maybe I'll be able to replace the engine with a commercial one. Because this mower will get it done otherwise.

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All I know is mine doesn't smoke. :confused2: I have around 700 hours on it.

lambs said:

I recently bought my HRX over a Toro SR that was on sale. The Toro had a Chinese engine on it; hardware store guy pretended he didn't know so I got on my hands and knees and read the plate on the engine base. Not sure the Honda will be much better though. It puts out a cloud of blue smoke on start up, which at least is on first pull as advertised. My 17 year old HRB didn't smoke that bad when it was new, and barely smoked that bad at 17 years. So I'm not sure the HRX is going to last that long, but I'm sort of wondering if the engine dies, maybe I'll be able to replace the engine with a commercial one. Because this mower will get it done otherwise.

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Hmmm. My HRX purchased in July does not smoke on start up. Could you have overfilled the engine oil? Tilt the mower up with the carb down? That's all I can think of, but maybe someone else has an idea.

I never used to pay attention to the 21" mowers on the back of commercial trailers. Now I do:smile: I've seen 3 HRX, 2 on one trailer. One Honda HRC, and one ExMark. Lots of guys just have zero turns.

It didn't smoke this afternoon at all

I guess maybe the rings have seated. I started my HRX on first pull this afternoon as always, and did not see one puff of smoke. All is well.

GregGA, dealer serviced it when I bought it, but I cannot imagine they did anything other than pour in the 12 oz. bottle of Honda oil and put a little gas in it so we could start it . It's going to take a little getting used to with the Smart Drive, but overall I really like this mower. Definitely more refined than my HRB, and that one was no slouch.

Re: It didn't smoke this afternoon at all

lambs said:

I guess maybe the rings have seated. I started my HRX on first pull this afternoon as always, and did not see one puff of smoke. All is well.

It's going to take a little getting used to with the Smart Drive, but overall I really like it.

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Yeah:biggrin: That's good news. I always have buyers remorse when I first buy something that is relatively expense.
I did when I bought the HRX, but when I got it out of the box, looked it over and used it, I can say it is one of the best
purchases I have ever made. Makes mowing the yard fun

GregGA said:

...I never used to pay attention to the 21" mowers on the back of commercial trailers. Now I do:smile: I've seen 3 HRX, 2 on one trailer. One Honda HRC, and one ExMark. Lots of guys just have zero turns.

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I always notice! Most people have a Honda push mower (usually an HRX) and an Exmark ZTR. :thumbsup: