Hello, just joined this forum and wanted to give my feedback on the Husqvarna XT722FE that I have owned for four years. I'm in the San Antonio, Texas area, and the weather here can be warm year round, which is closely related to my experiences with this mower.
First and foremost, if you are in a warm climate and thinking of purchasing a Husqvarna XT722FE or any brand with the Kohler engine, make sure it DOES NOT have the automatic choke. They DON'T work properly in warm climates. I purchased one of these, and the bottom line is, my local factory-authorized repair shop had to work on it twice, finally replacing the carb assembly with a completly different unit with a manual primer bulb. The factory rep finally told my repair shop that those automatic chokes were causing them a lot of problems, and it shouldn't have been sold in the warm Texas climate. Problem is, once the engine starts, it never cools off enough to engage the automatic choke again. The mower will start fine first thing in the morning, but for the rest of the day you will have major problems getting it to restart. And, if the mower is sitting in the sun, even if the engine is stone cold, the automatic choke won't engage at all because the radiant heat of the sun will trick the automatic choke into remaining open all the time.
I purchased this mower in April 2009, after giving my working B&S mower to my son after he moved into his house. Another friend had loaned me his Honda mower, so I had the Briggs and the Honda experiences fresh in my mind before purchasing the Huskie. BTW, the Honda is VERY overrated! You must start the mower and let it warm up before you can use it. It is very cold-natured, and if you don't let it warm up before using it, the engine will stall almost immediately. VERY peculiar for such an expensive mower.
As for the Huskie with the Kohler engine, I won't buy another one, and wish I hadn't bought this one. In addition to the starting problem, it has been very sensitive to fuel with ethanol in it (now, 100% of the gas stations in Texas have E10 fuel) and I just had to flush and clean the entire fuel and carb this weekend due to bad gas. Also, parts are harder to find for the Kohler small engine than a comparable B&S model.
With all of these issues, you may ask why did I buy it? Well, I knew Kohler has an incredibly good reputation for their engines used in generators and other large applications. I wanted to buy one more mower that would last as long as possible, without having to spend $600-900 for something like a Honda. And, I already have a Cub Cadet tractor with a Kohler Courage 22 engine that is virtually trouble-free. But, the Kohler small lawn mower engines are a totally different matter. To add insult to injury, I found out AFTER buying the mower that the Kohler engine is made in China.
So, if you seriously want a Husqvarna, get one with a Briggs & Stratton engine, preferrably with a primer bulb or manual choke. The Briggs engine has been improved so much over the last few years that there really isn't any good reason to spring for the extra money for a high-priced push mower. BTW, the dealer where I bought it now has completely dropped the mowers with Kohler engines. Regardless of the brand, from $200-$600 with all the bells and whistles, underneath is a Briggs engine.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
