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I am going to trade-in my new HRR216PKA push mower for a self-propelled mower with the Nexite deck. The HRX217VKA has the Smart Drive which uses a belt drive and the HRX217HYA uses a hydrostatic drive. Which is better, meaning less maintenance and chance for failure and what about the RotoBlade Stop? Is the blade stop something that can be a source of problems in the future or what? I realize that these higher end mowers have a five year warranty and with my meticulous maintenance practices, I feel one of these mowers should be a good choice. I need a little info on helping me to decide which mower would be
best in the long run.

Please advise.

Thanks.

I was in your shoes over a year ago (July 2012) and I decided to go with the HYA and never looked back. When I was looking at the VKA vs. the HYA at the dealer, I was almost leaning towards the VKA due to the fact it seemed like there was less to go wrong, not really with the drives but more with the controls and cables. But I am so glad that I went with the HYA. The BBC comes in handy so much, and I have not had a single problem with it. I don't know about the reliability of it versus the VKA, but just from experience on the forum I have seen more issues with the Smart Drive than with the hydrostatic on the HYA. But then again a lot of people only "come out of the woodwork" when they have a problem, and not as much to say how great it is. I know which one I would pick, but I have never actually used the VKA. Robert@Honda should be able to contribute more to the reliability. I don't have an hour meter, but I am pretty sure my machine has around 700 hours on it just in the +/- 1 year.

Lawn Mower Fanatic, thanks for the reply. A good friend I talked to has had 3 hydrostatic Honda mowers over the years and highly recommends them. I read somewhere that a person had problems backing up the self propelled mower, that there was some type of ratcheting or the like. I'm not sure what this meant, but if I buy the HRX217HYA, I have areas where I would have to back up the mower to change directions, such as in some tight spots in my yard, and I don't want to have any problems. I tried out my daughters HRX217VLA, with the Smart Drive, and that one backed up, of course by pulling it by hand, and there wasn't any ratcheting or the like. My daughter sometimes just pushes the mower in tight spots without using the self propel and doesn't seem to have any issues. Sometimes there is too much information to digest in these forums and reviews, some good and some bad. Its hard to sift out the legitimate facts and not just somebody's emotions at the time.

Have you ever heard about this "ratcheting" situation while moving these mower backwards?

Please advise.

Thanks again.

mucksiegooma said:

Lawn Mower Fanatic, thanks for the reply. A good friend I talked to has had 3 hydrostatic Honda mowers over the years and highly recommends them. I read somewhere that a person had problems backing up the self propelled mower, that there was some type of ratcheting or the like. I'm not sure what this meant, but if I buy the HRX217HYA, I have areas where I would have to back up the mower to change directions, such as in some tight spots in my yard, and I don't want to have any problems. I tried out my daughters HRX217VLA, with the Smart Drive, and that one backed up, of course by pulling it by hand, and there wasn't any ratcheting or the like. My daughter sometimes just pushes the mower in tight spots without using the self propel and doesn't seem to have any issues. Sometimes there is too much information to digest in these forums and reviews, some good and some bad. Its hard to sift out the legitimate facts and not just somebody's emotions at the time.

Have you ever heard about this "ratcheting" situation while moving these mower backwards?

Please advise.

Thanks again.

Click to expand...

It's true there have been some issues with SmartDrive mowers having some difficultly rolling backwards. Sometimes its is a cable adjustment, other times (worse possible case) the entire transmission must be replaced. It's not widespread, but does effect more models than the hydrostatic drive ("Cruise Control") models.

The ratcheting is a normal noise in ALL Honda self-propelled models, both SmartDrive and Cruise Control (hydrostatic):
---engine OFF
---Drive clutch RELEASED
---Pushing mower FORWARD

Under the above conditions, all self-propelled Honda mowers will have a ratchet/clicking sound from each rear wheel. 100% normal.

Now, you WON'T hear the ratchet noise when pulling the mower BACKWARDS, and only do this when the drive clutch is released. This will minimize the drag/effort required to roll the mower backwards (engine can be ON or OFF).

FYI, Honda has had the hydrostatic drive in production for nearly 25 years. It's changed a bit, but the basic function of a belt or shaft-driven hydraulic pump that uses a swash plate to control hydraulic pressure to a hydraulic motor (that turns the rear axle) is the same.

Now the SmartDRIVE has been around for about six years. The first versions had an input pulled that was under constant rotation/tension from a drive belt off the crankshaft. Operating the control engaged an internal clutch inside the transmission to adjust the speed. Last year, the design was revised, and the internal clutch eliminated. Now, operating the control progressively tightens/loosens the tension on the belt driving the input pulley, adjusting the speed faster the tighter the belt is engaged.

All versions of SmartDRIVE and Cruise Control offer variable speed operation, but take a different (cost+/-) approach to the problem.

Finally, HRX models have a five year warranty, and HRR models get a three year warranty, regardless of the transmission installed.

mucksiegooma said:

Have you ever heard about this "ratcheting" situation while moving these mower backwards?

Click to expand...

Robert knows his stuff. And I can push my mower backwards just fine...without a noise.

Go with the HYA with the direct drive tranny and don't look back...