Mower shopping

[Irrivirsible]

Need a new mower. I could buy a Honda but my cellar is a difficult place to get a mower out of because of how the door is located along with the short steep steps a short cement platform and having to duck under the door. I have had some back issues in the past so that adds to the equation. My current cheapie, I just drag the body across the edge of the cement platform until I can get everything in position and at the top, I drag it across another part. I can't have a shed right now.

So, I have set my sights on a cheaper mower. I have a small flat yard so I will go with a regular push mower with a bag option. The mowers I have been researching are the Cub Cadet SC 100H ($269), SC 100HW ($299), just missed a sale from what I hear. Toro 21320 ($269) 21328 ($329.79) Husqvarna 7021P ($310). I don't like the plastic mount for the handle bars to the mower on the Cub Cadets, I wish the wheels were a little more solid on all of them.

The Husqvarna only comes with the Honda engine choice while the Toro comes with a Briggs & Stratton or Honda, the Cub Cadet with I would guess a chinese engine or a Honda. I could really do with any of these but I like the metal where the handlebars connect on the Toro and Husqvarna better than what is on the Cub Cadet so I will probably choose between those two. From my research, I would suspect that the Toro might have a little better all around cut performance over the Husqvarna but I am not sure that would be accurate.

I would appreciate your opinions as to whether or not there is enough of a difference for me to buy the mower equipped with the Honda engine based solely on that alone.

 

[cruzenmike]

most of the mowers that you are going to be looking at are all going to weigh between 60 and 80 lb give or take. Some of them could even be up to a hundred pounds such as the Toro super recycler or the Honda hrx. you mentioned that you are looking for a cheap mower and if you are shopping only to price the best you'll probably do is the Troy-Bilt push mower with the Honda engine that you can buy at Home Depot and if memory serves me correct that mower is about $280. The only mower that you're going to find that has a completely metal deck and shell with a Honda engine it's going to be some of the Toro models. Yes Honda makes one with a metal shell but it does not bag only discharges and mulches. you mentioned that you can't have a shed but one suggestion would be to buy one of those deck boxes or plastic storage cabinets that are just big enough to fit something like the lawn mower and you could set it right up against your dwelling. any situation where somebody has to pick up and carry or drag a mower up a flight of stairs is never going to be ideal and that task in itself has the potential for damaging the mower or putting excessive wear on some of the components. if you can understand what I'm saying it sounds as if you should invest the time and money into having an easier and better way of storing the mower before deciding to find one that fits into your current situation and end up having to either replace that mower within a matter of 2 to 3 years or risk injury to your back.

 

[tom3]

Does your home have a crawl space or basement? The crawl space deal usually has a fairly good sized access door, perfect for a push mower. And, wow, these push mowers are getting real expensive these days.

 

[Irrivirsible]

I do not have a crawl space. Unfortunately due to different circumstances, the way I am doing it is my only option for now. I have seen the Troybilt and also saw a Murray at WalMart, those 2 along with the Cub Cadet all have the plastic parts where the handle connects to the mower and I don't feel good about that especially in my situation. I am leaning towards the Toro although I am also taking a look at some corded options which would be lighter, more manageable and sufficient for my small yard but I wonder about durability. I bought a cheap gas mower before and took care of it and it lasted for years and I was doing a lot of mowing at the time.

Thing about those is that I see complaints about Greenworks not answering calls or emails. I understand that businesses are slammed and having a hard time responding right now but when you see a complaints in previous years too, that is a reason for concern. Customer service is very important to me.