Looking to buy a walk behind, need advise!

[mkhitech]

This is not correct. The B&S Pro Series 875 on the JS48 mower IS NOT made in China. It is designed, engineered, and manufactured right here in the US. Toro and MTD have been the only ones to date using the low quality Chinese engines. You can verify what I'm saying by going to the B&S link below. They do have a plant in China but that is for products sold in that region.

Why Briggs & Stratton Engines | Push Mower | Engines | Briggs & Stratton

Let's take look at the JS48 you looked at. This is what I see. First, I don't know if you realize it but that is a Chinese engine built to JD spec. It has a steel deck. You really like single lever height adjusters. If something goes wrong your dealing with all four wheels. Two year warranty. I think the price is about $500.00. Now I would like you to take a look at the Toro model 20384. Yes, the same Chinese engine built to Toro spec. It has an aluminum deck. Individual height adjusters. Lower maintenance costs. Five year warranty. Promo price now is $619.00. If you are going to get the Chinese engine, would it be better to have a five year warranty even if it costs more. If you go online and do some comparisons, I think the best buy is Toro. The personal pace system is one you and your better half will really like. I must tell you I have been selling and servicing Toro for the last 25years, but even then if you really look at cost vs. Valve. Toro will come out ahead. Go out a test each of them, feel the difference in construction and ease of use, you'll get over the 4 adjusters. You better take better half with you and she'll tell you to spend a little more to get a longer lasting unit. Steel deck lasts 7-10 years. Aluminum deck 15 years +. Hope this helps and doesn't get you in trouble.

 

[mkhitech]

I will give you and objective answer. I used to be all about Toro because frankly, the Personal Pace self-propelled system is the easiest to use and works the best of any. Period. Honda's control systems are the worst ergonomically speaking and wreak havoc on your hands unless you wear stout gloves. I needed a new mower this year and was going to buy a Toro Super Recycler until I saw the Chinese engine. No $600 mower should have a Chinese engine and personally, I don't like sending any more of my money to a Communist country that we'll probably be fighting a war with in the next decade or so. But that痴 a personal view so back to the products.

If you want Personal pace, go with a Super version of the Toro with the Honda engine. Honda engines are great. Only downside is it's teh GCV160 which is a little under powered. It sells for a decent price and has Personal Pace. Honda mowers on the other hand are overpriced for what you get. If you want Toro the aforementioned Super Recycler with the Honda is the best combination.

I wound up buying the John Deere JS48. It has the B&S 875 Pro which is a sweetheart of an engine. It's OHV, is about as quiet as the Honda, yet has a ton more power and torque than the Honda GCV160 that comes on the Toro and most Honda mowers. It will mow through anything and starts on the first pull even with the automatic choke. You have to spend almost a grand to get the GVC190 on a Honda mower. The wheel height adjustment works well with one lever for all 4 wheels. The cons are that the mower is a bit heavy and the Mowmentun control for the self-propel is not nearly as easy to use as Personal Pace. This is especially so if you have a lot of obstacles to mow around. That's because the pivoting handle gets awkward when going around curves and such.

The perfect mower for me would be a Toro Super Recycler with the B&S 875 Pro. Unfortunately they don't make such a thing. You have to move up to the Toro Timemaster to get this combo and it costs over $1000. The summary is it's whatever is most important to you. If it's a good engine go with the Deere. If it's the controls go with a Toro and Honda engine.

 

[Rivets]

Sorry i may be wrong. Thank you for correcting me. Until your post I didn't know that JD was manufacturing their own engines. I do have one question. Why can I interchange a gasket set, and carb used on a JD with those on an engine built for Toro, MTD, and Kohler in China?

 

[mkhitech]

Not sure I understand the question. JD does not make their own engine for their walk behind mowers. It's a B&S made by B&S in the US. If you look at the Toro 20381 mower which has the Chinese engine and then go to the B&S website and look at their engines you can easily see that they are very different. The OHV and head is dimensionally different as is the air box and the carb. The briggs fuel line comes in to the front of the carb bowl and teh Toro engine feed comes in on the opposite side.

 

[Lawnpro1969]

I have done lawn card for 25 years. I have used almost every mower on the market. I would say get the John Deere they are by far the best lawn mower on the market. I have 2 of them that I have had almost 25 years. They still work great not many mowers will hold up to 25 years commercial mowing. I would be sure to get one with a kawasaki engine

 

[KennyV]

....
Why can I interchange a gasket set, and carb used on a JD with those on an engine built for Toro, MTD, and Kohler in China?

Ummmm ...
Because they are the Same engine... Made in the Same place.

There still is No reason to criticize Chinese manufactures ... They will build to WhatEver quality spec that any of their customers require...
There are some spectacular Chinese imports.... and some Not so spectacular... just depends on what was Ordered in the first place. :smile:KennyV

 

[lifesgood14]

For a home owner Toro makes awesome machines another good option are Husqvarna make extremely good quality machines especially for home owners.

I myself run all Ariens for my business, but they are a bit more pricey and designed for more commercial applications.

 

[Lostmtnoutdoor]

Being a large volume dealer for Husqvarna, Toro, Honda, and Exmark 21" mowers I see less repairs on Honda equipment. The drive systems hold up better and the engines last longer even when not serviced correctly. The main advice I have is to make sure you are using gas without ethanol or be sure to use mid-grade or higher gas and you will be happy with your investment.

 

[Willyvon]

I looked around today and found what must be last years model Toro Recycler and it did have a B&S engine. It didn`t have electric start however. While I was out I took another look at the John Deere (Model JS48) This mower seems to have everything I want, Single lever height adjustment, 22`deck, variable speed RWD and a big B&S engine 875 series OHV engine. They have another model JS38 which does not have electric start and a B&S 700 Quantum series engine but it does feel noticeably lighter. Are these good mowers? The JS48 has something I've never seen on a walkbehind mower, an oil filter! I sort of like the idea of it since it should make sure the oil remains as clean as possible.

But back to cordless, are these worth looking into or are they prone to issues? How long do the batteries last? If it is less than 5 yrs I won't bother looking in that direction any longer.

The batteries in cordless electrics last based on use. That depends on the size of your lawn. The lead acid batteries in most of them don't repond well to shallow discharge /charge cycles. Running to end of charge life is always best for longer life of the batteries. I have a 120' x 60' yard and get 1 1/2 to 2 mowings per charge. I have a yard that makes it easy to get either front or back lawns one day and the other the next per available time. That also fits the battery swapping. I use an 8 y/o Neuton EM 4.1 14" single blade 24v mower. The only maintenance I have ever had to do is simple cleaning and blade sharpening! That 5 year figure is about right. I would recommend buying one with a per use removable battery pack and have a spare charged up. I have 3 packs and just had to replace the batteries this year in the last 1 I bought, 5 y/o. The batteries were ~$63. Neuton was selling the packs with Duracell batteries for a special price of $80 rather than the regular price of $100 this spring. I have 3 packs primarily because I mulch the fall leaves into the lawn with the mower which takes multiple passes with the small deck mower to get good dispersal to the soil. Mulching leaves is also a heavier load on the machine. Their 19" CE 6 36v one probably does a better job of the mulching. Were I in the market I'd seriously consider the "Recharge Mower" 17" with 36v Lithium ion battery pack, again removable per use by design, that weighs a mere 35lbs battery included. Toro doesn't make a removable per use battery model, Black and Decker does. as do a growing plethora of other newer player in this niche. Once you've gone battery electric you'll never want to go back to stinky, messy, maintenance intensive internal combustion powered mowers!

 

[Willyvon]

The batteries in cordless electrics last based on use. That depends on the size of your lawn. The lead acid batteries in most of them don't repond well to shallow discharge /charge cycles. Running to end of charge life is always best for longer life of the batteries. I have a 120' x 60' yard and get 1 1/2 to 2 mowings per charge. I have a yard that makes it easy to get either front or back lawns one day and the other the next per available time. That also fits the battery swapping. I use an 8 y/o Neuton EM 4.1 14" single blade 24v mower. The only maintenance I have ever had to do is simple cleaning and blade sharpening! That 5 year figure is about right. I would recommend buying one with a per use removable battery pack and have a spare charged up. I have 3 packs and just had to replace the batteries this year in the last 1 I bought, 5 y/o. The batteries were ~$63. Neuton was selling the packs with Duracell batteries for a special price of $80 rather than the regular price of $100 this spring. I have 3 packs primarily because I mulch the fall leaves into the lawn with the mower which takes multiple passes with the small deck mower to get good dispersal to the soil. Mulching leaves is also a heavier load on the machine. Their 19" CE 6 36v one probably does a better job of the mulching. Were I in the market I'd seriously consider the "Recharge Mower" 17" with 36v Lithium ion battery pack, again removable per use by design, that weighs a mere 35lbs battery included. Toro doesn't make a removable per use battery model, Black and Decker does. as do a growing plethora of other newer player in this niche. Once you've gone battery electric you'll never want to go back to stinky, messy, maintenance intensive internal combustion powered mowers!

Oops, I forgot to mention the mower is quiet enough to carry on a conversation while using it! That of course depends on keeping the blade well balanced. Oh yeah and the Recharge Mower folks sell a 48v rider as well! Recharge Mower