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I been reading the forum here a lot lately .My lawn boy lawn mower after 15 yrs plus on it , the engine lock up . No complaints .

yesterday I went looking at self propel lawn mowers .
Started with my small town lawn shop . Snapper dealer . I like the Ninja way it mowed . The self propel lever was my problem . no buy .

I went to bigger town next to me here in Southern Indiana .
This lawn shop sold Honda , Snapper and commercial EQE . There was three guys at the counter . Not one sales man came to me ask about any thing .. I even pulled the honda off the shelf looked at . They did not bother to walk over . I set out side . No one came . Me and the wife was surprised . We left .
We drove 30 miles to the bigger lawn shop . another Lawn service .. They sell Toro , Honda and Snapper . Then commercial eqe .
The sales man came straight to us . greeted us and ask what we were looking for .
He help us out a lot and explained the self propel lawn mowers . I told him about the snapper . That was not the lawn mower for us . He was ok with that .
He said I have several hondas and Toro's in the back for customer to try . Then said set out back here . He call the boy helper to get those lawn mowers for us to try .
I like both Honda and Toro . The both mulch great and easy to control .
He said the Toro has a 50 dolllar instant rebate going on with 5 yr warranty .
We end up buying the Toro RS 20381 for $ 588.00 out the door . Also he gave me a free oil change after 5 hours of mowing ..
I used it today . all I can say is WOW nice ..
Thanks
Rick
O , I forgot . I changed out the pull string handle .Toro start handle just too small . Installed the lawn boy handle . .. Much better

You have chosen the top selling Toro model and I am sure that it will give you years of service. Sorry to hear about the poor service you received at the first dealership, but by doing so you found a dealer who will be there for you in the long haul. Two suggests I would make to keep your unit running with no problems. First, if possible try to use non ethanol fuel if possible and second when storing the unit for more than 2 month drain the fuel from the tank and carb. Your dealer will show you how to do this.

Nice mower! Is that the engine that Toro makes itself?

OutdoorEnvy said:

Nice mower! Is that the engine that Toro makes itself?

Click to expand...

I think so .. Runs great . Mulches great ..
Rick

The engine used on the model 20381 is built by the Loncin company in China.

I am trying to decide between a Honda HRX and a Toro 20381. I have had a Honda HRX217HYA in 2013 for the mowing season, but bought a cud cadet 1046kw riding mower for my 1.0 acre property that is all grass, small driveway and house and sold (stupidly) the Honda. I loved the HRX217HYA and the hydrostatic transmission, although it was a little heavy and not the easiest trim mower. Now, I want a mower that will be mostly used as a trim mower, but I will also mow the entire 1.0 acre when I am not pressed for time and I will also mow my grandma's hilly back yard (hauling it in a Honda Fit). I've done an embarrassing amount of research on mowers. I am either going to go with a Toro 20381 or another Honda HRX217HYA. Toro is $499 plus tax at a local dealer, and the honda is $665 plus tax at a different local dealer. I would like to save the money, but I am worried about the Toro being underpowered at 159cc's. When I mow the whole yard and my my grandma's yard, I will be going full go in some thick grass at time. I have no worries about the Honda handling anything I throw at it, but what about the Toro?

I mow a flat area . It takes me about 1 hour to mow . I can tell you this , The mower works great . Mulches super great .. I like the personal pace . Its very nice .. .
I can push this mower with one hand to control it . Its super easy to control .
So I don't think you can go wrong with Toro .I had to set the pace cable up little more for me ..

If you like the Honda , that can cause mental problem . You may never like a Toro .

I recommend trying a Toro out .
I had a Lawn boy before this . 2 cycle . I really like it ..
Best of luck to you .
Rick

Thanks for the insight. I have read through a lot of threads, and it's funny how people are so brand loyal. I am leaning toward the Toro now because of price and weight 98lb Honda vs 81lb toro), but I will be cutting some thick grass. At times, I'll be going near 4mph and I want a machine to keep up.

I understand . Im not loyal to one brand . Just loyal to good reviews . i don't think you can go wrong with Toro . You may go to a dealer and talk to them .. Then try one out .. I love the personal pace and price of the Toro .. The dealer also said the gas needs sea foam added. Then winter run the mower tell it runs out of gas . Do not store gas for long lengthy period .
Enjoy
Rick

Went and looked at a 20381 today, and was impressed enough to buy it. I'll try it out tonight and reply to the thread. I thought about what infofrog said about basically being open-minded to another brand.

Things I don't like about the specs, but were not deal breakers:

- 8" Rear-only ball bearing wheels. On the Honda, all wheels have bearings and are 9". Shouldn't be a problem as I plan on riding the cub cadet on the bumpy parts
- 159cc 7.0lb torque. Dealer said that I shouldn't have to worry...this will have plenty of power.
- No fuel shut off - I'll be using Stabil Protection during season and then the Stabil storage in the winter.
- No blade brake
- Don't know about the Personal Pace system.

I ending up buying mainly because of the price difference and the weight of the mower. I think that the engine should be as good or better than the Honda GCV 160cc since it is built more like the GXV 160. The 5 year guaranteed to start warranty gave me some peace of mind in regards to the chinese-made engine.

Hopefully I can get some work done now before I get fired!

If the personal pace is not fast enough or to fast . Left side of handle middle area . There is a knob that's where u adjust the speed .
I had to adjust mine a tad faster
Rick

Just got done mowing with the SR. At first I was worried about the personal pace system because I was using way too much effort. I adjusted the tension knob, which my dealer was quick to point out when showing it to me. It had to be pulled very tight to get the the pace that I wanted. After adjustments, it was amazing. It is better than the hydro drive on the Honda IMO. Although the hydro was always smooth and went very fast, I was always reaching down with my left hand to adjust the speed. With the personal pace, you just walk faster and it automatically responds. Not sure how it would handle hills, as the only incline I had was a lot harder to push up. The mower feels light (compared to the Honda), which makes it easy to use trimming around obstacles. I was able to not use the self propel feature around some tricky spots and still move it pretty well.

Questions about enough power was quickly dispelled. I would say that the Honda 190cc is slightly more powerful...enough to mow down a a foot tall grass at a slow walk. But, with the side discharge on, the Toro never came close to bogging down in the grass I was mowing, which is very thick (with weeds) and I was moving at 4mph at times. I do not expect it to perform at the same speed when mulching, but I remember the Honda 190cc couldn't go all out (4mph) when mulching as well. Engine is plenty powerful. I had mowed yesterday with the riding mower, and there were a lot of dead clippings on the lawn. At first, I was using the bag. It filled up the bag very quickly, and the first time I used it I packed the grass in so well that it was hard to empty. After a while, I decided to try the mulching capabilities (what it's known for). It was a better at mulching than the Honda I believe. I went over some of the left over clipping from yesterday, and they disappeared. I never needed to use the bag!

I had my wife try it out. She gave it such a weak pull, I didn't think anything was going to happen, but it started right up. She said it moves very easy. She wasn't nearly as impressed as me, but wasn't happy with the $530 (after taxes) price tag. I explained that a mower built like this should last 15-20 years, and a mower at $300 will last half that and would not be strong enough to handle our thick grass and bumpy yard. She probably still isn't too happy, but the price could have been worse.

Time will tell if this was a good purchase. For the most part, the components appear very well made and should last. I would definitely recommend this mower, and am glad that I chose it over the HRX. Everything considered, I believe the Honda HRX is slightly better when going on a long straight line, but the SR is better in a more confined space. For the price, I think the SR is better overall and for what I needed it.

I'm glad you like .. i like the Honda to . The price tag was to much for my lawn .. I really like the personal pace .. I think it was the best purchase for my yard .. I paid 588 out the door , with oil change after 5 hours ..
Don;t forget about the oil change ..
Enjoy
Rick