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Hello,

I'm new to the forum and new to the home owner world. I have a fairly small yard but pulled the trigger and bought a Honda lawn mower. I will take the mower out tonight and post some pictures. I would appreciate if anyone could weight in on a few things.

My main concern was longevity and buying a used mower in questionable condition for 200 bucks vs a new Honda with warranty for 400 was a no brainer. I also see myself trying to start my own landscaping business soon if everything with my current company doesn't work out. I need some insight on these machines.

Is the HRR216VYA a good choice for a home owner looking for a machine that will last a long time?

Is the HRR216VYA a good choice for a small landscaping business?

I am trying to decide if I should return the mower, because it may not fit my needs? I am looking into the HRX217HYA or the HRC216HXA.

Does everyone put hour meters on their machines?

First of all, :welcome: to LMF!
OK, so....I have a similar mower, that I started to use commercially around 2 years ago (I have the HRR216VKA). I bought it four years before that. It had held up great! Personally, I would recommend the HRX217HYA if you plan on starting a business, but I think your mower would be OK. The HRC216HXA will definitely last, but it is REALLY heavy.
So....to sum it up...Honda's are great mowers for commercial use, but I would probably choose the HRX217HYA. I love mine. I still think yours would be fine, though.
Please post pics of your new machine!
Lastly, I don't have an hour meter on my mower, but it would be a good investment!
I hope that helped you make a decision! :smile:

I will definitely post a picture of my machine tonight.

The HRX217HYA has the hydrostatic transmission, but it does not say whether it is belt driven or shaft. The commercial unit says (shaft drive). Obviously the commercial is made with parts that could withstand many hours, but the residential is also up to the challenge???

Also, is there an advantage to the 190 cc motor? Everything I read says the 160 is plenty powerful and the commercial units available are only 160cc?

Scumbag242 said:

I will definitely post a picture of my machine tonight.

The HRX217HYA has the hydrostatic transmission, but it does not say whether it is belt driven or shaft. The commercial unit says (shaft drive). Obviously the commercial is made with parts that could withstand many hours, but the residential is also up to the challenge???

Also, is there an advantage to the 190 cc motor? Everything I read says the 160 is plenty powerful and the commercial units available are only 160cc?

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I am using my HRX217HYA commercially, (I haven't had it that long), but it has held up great and seems durable. I don't think there is anything great with the 190 cc motor, both the 160 and the 190 are plenty powerful. And you are correct, the commercial mower only comes in the 160 cc.

Scumbag242 said:

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and new to the home owner world. I have a fairly small yard but pulled the trigger and bought a Honda lawn mower. I will take the mower out tonight and post some pictures. I would appreciate if anyone could weight in on a few things.

My main concern was longevity and buying a used mower in questionable condition for 200 bucks vs a new Honda with warranty for 400 was a no brainer. I also see myself trying to start my own landscaping business soon if everything with my current company doesn't work out. I need some insight on these machines.

Is the HRR216VYA a good choice for a home owner looking for a machine that will last a long time?

Is the HRR216VYA a good choice for a small landscaping business?

I am trying to decide if I should return the mower, because it may not fit my needs? I am looking into the HRX217HYA or the HRC216HXA.

Does everyone put hour meters on their machines?

Click to expand...

The Honda HRR216VKA is Honda's budget self-propelled gas mower, Imo not what it should be. The 160 GCV engine doesn't have the power it should, the one I had wouldn't cut well at all. Quite frankly it sucked. Not a good choice for a small landscaping business. The HRX217HYA would be the best choice with the 190cc engine.

Ric said:

The HRX217HYA would be the best choice with the 190cc engine.

Click to expand...

I agree! :biggrin:

Scumbag242 said:

I will definitely post a picture of my machine tonight.

The HRX217HYA has the hydrostatic transmission, but it does not say whether it is belt driven or shaft. The commercial unit says (shaft drive). Obviously the commercial is made with parts that could withstand many hours, but the residential is also up to the challenge???

Also, is there an advantage to the 190 cc motor? Everything I read says the 160 is plenty powerful and the commercial units available are only 160cc?

Click to expand...

The HRX217HYA has the hydrostatic transmission and it's a belt drive. The commercial units do use the 160cc motors but there the GXV and GSV motors with cast iron cylinder sleeves, a better air filter system and a ball bearing supported crankshaft, and the HRC216HXA is shaft drive.

As promised.

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Sorry for the delay, we just moved into our house and do not have internet or tv yet. On the weekends, we're off the grid. I guess more time for yard work.

Is this the right place to ask for advice on lawn care and landscaping?

Scumbag242 said:

Is this the right place to ask for advice on lawn care and landscaping?

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Ask for advice in the LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING section. :smile:

Will do, Thanks! The HRR216VYA is so nice I can't see myself returning it. My wife mowed the backyard yesterday and had the biggest grin on her face. She loved it! :thumbsup:

Just thought I'd share a picture of my clean mower. I've had this mower for around 4 months, mowing my yard once a week. I figured why not clean and wax the bottom side of the mower. I use Turtle Wax spray on the top side, why not the bottom. I used Meguiars wax after cleaning, then the Turtle wax for a second coat. I can't believe the the mower catch bag only took a wipe down to look brand new again. Man this mower is awesome! I also bought a Echo PB500T back pack leaf blower this weekend, amazing blower! A little weird getting use to, but worth it!

Hey! Welcome back to LawnMowerForum!
That looks nice! Very shiny! :thumbsup: Can you post a picture of the blower?

P.S. Don't forget to change your signature...since you now have a blower! :tongue:

Will do, I think I'm going to clear all the leaves that have built up in my yard. Sucks to have to play with these toys! :laughing:

Scumbag242 said:

Will do, I think I'm going to clear all the leaves that have built up in my yard. Sucks to have to play with these toys! :laughing:

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:laughing::laughing: Yeah! And along with a picture if you could say your first impressions on the blower....because I am thinking about getting a similar Echo blower.

Well I can write a quick review of the PB-500T, I used it on Sunday pretty extensively. I do not believe that the 500T that I have will be the same 500T you could get. The CA model is only to be sold in CA.

Getting the blower out of the box and assembling was very simple. Attach the flexible hose to the blower, attach 2 hose clamps and connect the rest of the tubing. The two sections of tubing twist lock into place and are pretty heavy duty.

My first impression was that this thing starts very easy, just like my edger. Put the throttle in the middle "idle" position. The instruction booklet wasn't clear enough on this. I started the blower on full throttle (aka Cruise Control). I haven't read the entire manual but I'm sure it will explain, in order to start you have to step on the engine platform in order to pull start.

The throttle on the tubing is pretty cool. The throttle is pretty tough to pull, but I got use to it. I do wish it felt more like my edger, smooth and easy. My only complaint on the throttle being on the tubing is that the tubing can twist and when you set the backpack tube down the wiring harness gets kind of twisted. Not a big problem, but something I'll have to be aware of. Even when storing the blower, I have to be conscience of the wiring harness that goes to the throttle.

The blower makes very little noise at idle and not much worse at full throttle. I did not wear hearing protection as I've been around dirt bikes and other loud machines my whole life. It never even occurred to me to wear protection, even though on my way home from the store I thought about wearing ear plugs.

The blower makes tons of power for my condition. It took care of all my leaves hiding in bushes, corners of the lot and even blew must of the leaves in my crab grass filled front yard. (association mows it). Even at idle speed the blower took care of sensitive areas, where full throttle would destroy. Very cool!

The gas tank on the blower is plenty large for consumer use, I ran the blower for over an hour and I assume I still have plenty of gas to run. I believe it has a near 60 ounce tank.

My overall impression is very high and am glad I bought this. This blower will save a ton of time. My negatives for this blower are not specific to this back pack blower, but back pack blowers in general. My yard is relatively small and I have a ton of bushes and tight spots. Being that the pack is on your back, you have to fit into small areas too. I also need to learn how to not blow all the leaves into a corner that I can't get to. A hand held blower might have been better for my personal house, but I wanted something a little more versatile if I start my own business once my current employment runs out.


I'll add more after my usage tonight.

Thanks for the review! :thumbsup: You said you had to put a little bit of it together, so did you buy it from Home Depot or something where it came in a box? Just wondering, because where I buy my things they are already put together.
Thanks again! :smile:

I bought the blower at Home Depot. It came in a box, with the tube in 3 sections, (2) hose clamps for attaching the flex tubing and a wiring harness clamp. I used the blower again last night for a quick drive way/walk way touch up. Man am I impressed!:smile:

No picture yet

Scumbag242 said:

I bought the blower at Home Depot. It came in a box, with the tube in 3 sections, (2) hose clamps for attaching the flex tubing and a wiring harness clamp. I used the blower again last night for a quick drive way/walk way touch up. Man am I impressed!:smile:

No picture yet

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Well hopefully you are impressed, because that is one of their best blowers! :tongue:
Have a happy holidays! :smile: