Export thread

I went out and got the Honda HRX217HYA mower this weekend. My lawn had been about 10 days since mowing and it was quite high and thick.
I wanted a good test for the mulching capability of this Honda and this was. The good news. The engine is an absolute beast.
Never sounded stressed at all and the self propelled power was plenty fast and had no problem getting up hills. However, I was expecting it to
shred the grass to bits and leave no clumps but unfortunately I did see some. It was about noon so could have been a little wet and it was longer
than I usually leave it.

- Should I expect to see any clumps?
- Are the Toro Super Recyclers better in terms of mulching (would they have been any better)?
- Are the Honda's more expensive to fix than the Toros?

I have a hilly .5 acre yard with some small bumps that has a lot of twists that requires me to engage and disengage the clutch.
I am concerned that this type of yard will eventually shake the mower apart and cause problems for the transmission. Not sure if this would be
covered by the 5 yr warranty but if it isn't or after 5 years will I start paying for expensive Honda repairs?

My old lawnmower was a 7 year old Craftsman that had no self propelled function anymore and did not mulch well either. I spent a lot on this
Honda and want to know if its really worth every penny.

I will try it again in about a week so that might be a more accurate test. But the grass is also not growing as fast now.
I want to make sure I am happy with it before the Home Depot 30 return policy is up.

Thanks,
Ed

No mower will do good if the grass is VERY long and thick! But the Honda is one of the best mulchers around. If yours is like mine, clumps fall off the left rear tire if cutting tall grass, so what I do is go in counter-clockwise rectangles and you won't see clumps. I have tried lots of mowers and the Honda HRX is the best at mulching. I don't think your yard's terrain would void the warranty.

lawn mower fanatic said:

No mower will do good if the grass is VERY long and thick! But the Honda is one of the best mulchers around. If yours is like mine, clumps fall off the left rear tire if cutting tall grass, so what I do is go in counter-clockwise rectangles and you won't see clumps. I have tried lots of mowers and the Honda HRX is the best at mulching. I don't think your yard's terrain would void the warranty.

Click to expand...

Just looking at the limited warranty. Looks like the clutch disc, tires and wheel bearings are not covered. Aren't those the the types of things that my yard's terrain would stress? I am sure no warranty covers these things and maybe I am looking for issues. It's just that my last mower failed this way (although it was a Craftsman) and I think it had to do with my yard's terrain. Concerned about Honda repair costs? Are they higher than average?

ejudgie said:

Just looking at the limited warranty. Looks like the clutch disc, tires and wheel bearings are not covered. Aren't those the the types of things that my yard's terrain would stress? I am sure no warranty covers these things and maybe I am looking for issues. It's just that my last mower failed this way (although it was a Craftsman) and I think it had to do with my yard's terrain. Concerned about Honda repair costs? Are they higher than average?

Click to expand...

Yeah those might be the things to wear down first, but you've got to remember I have had my Honda HRX217HYA for 1 year now and I started out doing around 10 lawns a week with it because I did not want to use it full-time after purchase, but then by a month or two in I was using it on around 14 lawns a week. At the beginning of this year I was using it on around 15 lawns a week and now I am up to 20+ lawns a week and the biggest problem I have had over these hundreds and hundreds of hours is a wheel squeaking (it just needed to be oiled) and a push nut fall off (like a $1 fix). Honda's repair costs might be a bit higher, but I still think they are competitive with others, and since my mower only goes into the shop for routine maintenance, I think I save money. The yards I do might not be exactly like yours, but they do have hills and flowerbeds.

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah those might be the things to wear down first, but you've got to remember I have had my Honda HRX217HYA for 1 year now and I started out doing around 10 lawns a week with it because I did not want to use it full-time after purchase, but then by a month or two in I was using it on around 14 lawns a week. At the beginning of this year I was using it on around 15 lawns a week and now I am up to 20+ lawns a week and the biggest problem I have had over these hundreds and hundreds of hours is a wheel squeaking (it just needed to be oiled) and a push nut fall off (like a $1 fix). Honda's repair costs might be a bit higher, but I still think they are competitive with others, and since my mower only goes into the shop for routine maintenance, I think I save money. The yards I do might not be exactly like yours, but they do have hills and flowerbeds.

Click to expand...

Good to hear about its durability. I generally do my lawn once a week and it only takes ~60 minutes so it's not even close to what you do. I can try to flatten out the bumps (from moles and roots). I have a lot of 20-30 foot strips and will be engaging and disengaging the clutch on each run. Is this normal and similar to yours? Any tips for how to maximize the clutch's life?

ejudgie said:

I went out and got the Honda HRX217HYA mower this weekend. My lawn had been about 10 days since mowing and it was quite high and thick.
I wanted a good test for the mulching capability of this Honda and this was. The good news. The engine is an absolute beast.
Never sounded stressed at all and the self propelled power was plenty fast and had no problem getting up hills. However, I was expecting it to
shred the grass to bits and leave no clumps but unfortunately I did see some. It was about noon so could have been a little wet and it was longer
than I usually leave it.

- Should I expect to see any clumps?
- Are the Toro Super Recyclers better in terms of mulching (would they have been any better)?
- Are the Honda's more expensive to fix than the Toros?

I have a hilly .5 acre yard with some small bumps that has a lot of twists that requires me to engage and disengage the clutch.
I am concerned that this type of yard will eventually shake the mower apart and cause problems for the transmission. Not sure if this would be
covered by the 5 yr warranty but if it isn't or after 5 years will I start paying for expensive Honda repairs?

My old lawnmower was a 7 year old Craftsman that had no self propelled function anymore and did not mulch well either. I spent a lot on this
Honda and want to know if its really worth every penny.

I will try it again in about a week so that might be a more accurate test. But the grass is also not growing as fast now.
I want to make sure I am happy with it before the Home Depot 30 return policy is up.

Thanks,
Ed

Click to expand...

1. IF you are cutting grass that tall and trying to mulch it, any more cutting something that high will not mulch it and look like yankee stadium. It just doesnt work that way. You are SUPPOSE to take 1/3 of the height and i would use about the middle of the hydro lever clicks somewhere like 4-6 clicks from the slowest and keep blades sharp and clean deck and there is NO mower even my commercial HRCs that mulch quite like the HRX.
2. NO the toros and weather its new old commercial or residential they DO NOT MULCH like a honda. Period! I have owned so many different or used different 21" mowers you can image and nothing mulches like a honda with hrx deck.
3. Parts wise well I know from my honda hrc parts to hrx parts costs, the hrc parts look expensive compared to a HRX. Toro commercial mower parts are expensive and I would say more then my hondas. As far as residential honda vs toro, honda might be a little more expensive but you wont replace them nearly as much as the newer toro residential stuff. Engines are made it china to toro specs and the stuff seriously is JUNK. The residential toros made in the mid 1980s till about 2000 are way way better then the crap now. I am not trying to be biased because I own a lot of hondas but I still have 2 toro prolines are are good mowers but they are NOT hondas. Nuff said.

CLutch and wheels and tires I understand why they dont cover it and its because it is a wear item. No different then say a car or motorcycle. It is simpily a wear item and you know what is nice is that in a few years when tires wear or you need spark plug, air filter and oil, home depot carrys all that stuff including wheels and blades.

Good luck with your new purchase and if you have any questions just ask.

ejudgie said:

...I have a lot of 20-30 foot strips and will be engaging and disengaging the clutch on each run. Is this normal and similar to yours?...

Click to expand...

The front yards of a lot of the houses I mow look similar to this (below). As you can see there are curves, and some yards aren't very wide, so there can be a lot of turning. Most of the yards I do are 0.25 of an acre.

lawn mower fanatic said:

The front yards of a lot of the houses I mow look similar to this (below). As you can see there are curves, and some yards aren't very wide, so there can be a lot of turning. Most of the yards I do are 0.25 of an acre.

View attachment 15519

Click to expand...

Great. Thanks for all of you replies. I'll let you know how my second cut goes.

All the previous comments about mulching are spot-on. Works best when you small clippings and do it a bit more frequently than you might if discharging or bagging.

For the warranty, here are a few facts:

--You nor Honda can "void a warranty." It's legal obligation from Honda, and can't be technically voided at all. When you buy a mower (new) from an authorized Honda dealer, you get X amount of warranty time, and that clock starts the day you get the mower. Length of warranty varies with model, and also promotion. During the spring, Honda adds +1 year to the standard warranty if the dealer/customer buys and registers the mower with Honda during a promotional period.

--If you don't register, you still have warranty. Registration is NOT required to get the base warranty, but IS required if you want the +1 year extended factory warranty.

--In simple terms, the warranty covers factory defects in parts or workmanship. It does not cover parts that simply wear out, like tires, blades, etc. Warranty does not cover problems caused by neglect, lack of maintenance, outdoor storage, etc.

robert@honda said:

All the previous comments about mulching are spot-on. Works best when you small clippings and do it a bit more frequently than you might if discharging or bagging.

For the warranty, here are a few facts:

--You nor Honda can "void a warranty." It's legal obligation from Honda, and can't be technically voided at all. When you buy a mower (new) from an authorized Honda dealer, you get X amount of warranty time, and that clock starts the day you get the mower. Length of warranty varies with model, and also promotion. During the spring, Honda adds +1 year to the standard warranty if the dealer/customer buys and registers the mower with Honda during a promotional period.

--If you don't register, you still have warranty. Registration is NOT required to get the base warranty, but IS required if you want the +1 year extended factory warranty.

--In simple terms, the warranty covers factory defects in parts or workmanship. It does not cover parts that simply wear out, like tires, blades, etc. Warranty does not cover problems caused by neglect, lack of maintenance, outdoor storage, etc.

Click to expand...

Is the Honda "promotional period" over (to get the additional year warranty coverage)? I did not see any special incentives to register.

ejudgie said:

Is the Honda "promotional period" over (to get the additional year warranty coverage)? I did not see any special incentives to register.

Click to expand...

It was over June 1. :frown:


(http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums...neyearextendedwarrantygraphic_zps8a6234e3.jpg)

ejudgie said:

Is the Honda "promotional period" over (to get the additional year warranty coverage)? I did not see any special incentives to register.

Click to expand...

The offer was valid for any HRR or HRX mower purchased and registered between Jan 1 and Jun 1 of this year. Honda has been running this promo for a few years now.

Hi Ed, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new mower.

I can't really add anything to what the Gents before me have said. You will love the mulching capabilities of your Honda, I think the test you threw it was just a bit much to expect a clean yard. Regular mowing and even if you are a few days late should result in the look you are after.
You can always direct a bit more of the grass into the bag when your grass is higher or a bit damp. I usually cut at 90% Mulch, 10% bag with no clumping. Just this weekend I did a patch on my neighbors side of the fence that was very high, probably 6 inches. I moved the clip director to about 90% bag. It did an awesome job that way but it filled the bag very quickly. I ended up going over it with no bag and then back over it with 50/50 and it looks better than it has all year.

As far as the Honda against the Toro, its no comparison. The Honda feels like a tank compared to a scooter.

JSB33 said:

...As far as the Honda against the Toro, its no comparison. The Honda feels like a tank compared to a scooter.

Click to expand...

I agree! :dance1:


(http://www.piloteers.org/forums/att...c/32750d1193856942-honda-vs-toro-ratings1.jpg)

So, I just did my second cut with the HRX217HYA. This was ~6 days later than the 1st cut. Much better than the first time. Still some clumping though not too bad.
I tried the suggestion of doing loops and that helped but not sure if I want to do that all of the time. I may try bagging some of it to see if that helps but I was trying
to avoid bagging at all to speed things up. Still very impressed with the power and speed though.

ejudgie said:

So, I just did my second cut with the HRX217HYA. This was ~6 days later than the 1st cut. Much better than the first time. Still some clumping though not too bad.
I tried the suggestion of doing loops and that helped but not sure if I want to do that all of the time. I may try bagging some of it to see if that helps but I was trying
to avoid bagging at all to speed things up. Still very impressed with the power and speed though.

Click to expand...

Yeah...I don't go counterclockwise around the whole yard at once, just in sections (when I can't just go up and back). As you can see from the pictures, it almost looks like stripes from a lawn tractor! :thumbsup:

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yeah...I don't go counterclockwise around the whole yard at once, just in sections (when I can't just go up and back). As you can see from the pictures, it almost looks like stripes from a lawn tractor! :thumbsup:

<img src="http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=15608"/>

Click to expand...

Do you do the same pattern every time?

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))

Carscw said:

Do you do the same pattern every time?

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))

Click to expand...

I only do that when the grass is super long. So no, most of the time I go "up and back", in different patterns like north-south stripes, east-west stripes, circles around a tree, etc.

lawn mower fanatic said:

I only do that when the grass is super long. So no, most of the time I go "up and back", in different patterns like north-south stripes, east-west stripes, circles around a tree, etc.

Click to expand...

Your Middle Photo, How long was that picture taken after you mowed?? Just curious.

Ric said:

Your Middle Photo, How long was that picture taken after you mowed?? Just curious.

Click to expand...

It was right after, but that customer is VERY critical about the height he wants his grass cut at....that's how he likes it.

I think it looks ok. But looks like the kids was out playing in the yard. Lots of foot prints

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))

Carscw said:

I think it looks ok. But looks like the kids was out playing in the yard. Lots of foot prints

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))

Click to expand...

They were. And they have water balloon fights a lot. It's interesting running over balloon pieces!

lawn mower fanatic said:

They were. And they have water balloon fights a lot. It's interesting running over balloon pieces!

Click to expand...

You bag them? I ran over a water baloon fight the other day multi colored neon pieces everywhere. Wished I had bagged and next time I will

exotion said:

You bag them? I ran over a water baloon fight the other day multi colored neon pieces everywhere. Wished I had bagged and next time I will

Click to expand...

No I didn't, so every time I mowed for the next month or so I would run them over again and again! :confused3:

Just did my 3rd cut. No mulching issues at all but the grass growth has slowed down dramatically with all of the heat we've had.
One thing I noticed is that when I disengaged the blade, I dropped the throttle down, move an item in the yard and then increase the throttle, it doesn't increase for a second or so and I have to make sure it is all of the way forward. Is that normal or does the cable need to be adjusted? Was expecting it to hear it increase gradually.
I'm still concerned about the bumpiness of my yard and the long term toll it will take on the wheels/bearings. I guess time will tell.

ejudgie said:

Just did my 3rd cut. No mulching issues at all but the grass growth has slowed down dramatically with all of the heat we've had.
One thing I noticed is that when I disengaged the blade, I dropped the throttle down, move an item in the yard and then increase the throttle, it doesn't increase for a second or so and I have to make sure it is all of the way forward. Is that normal or does the cable need to be adjusted? Was expecting it to hear it increase gradually.
I'm still concerned about the bumpiness of my yard and the long term toll it will take on the wheels/bearings. I guess time will tell.

Click to expand...

Glad it cut well! :thumbsup: When I drop the throttle down for only a moment and then put it back up, sometimes it does what you describe, but if I have it throttled down for a longer period of time when I throttle it back up it is better. Keep us updated! :smile: