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I can not find a quality pushmower. I bought a quality Snapper two seasons ago and it is junk now. I mow about a half acre and part of it is on a hillside and I have to use a push mower when mowing the hill. I do not like a self-propelled mower, too hard to maneuver when trimming under my trees and bushes. Here is my list of wants in order of importance:
Great looking cut and mulch capability. I do not bag my clippings.
Solid Construction, quality ball bearing wheels and a strong handle that will not break after a season or two. You would not believe how many times I have had to have handles welded and braced to make them last.
Power, good reliable engine with power to mulch and cut.

Thanks,
Rob

You don't like self propelled because you've never had a quality one probably. I say look at Honda mowers

charbuggie said:

I can not find a quality pushmower. I bought a quality Snapper two seasons ago and it is junk now. I mow about a half acre and part of it is on a hillside and I have to use a push mower when mowing the hill. I do not like a self-propelled mower, too hard to maneuver when trimming under my trees and bushes. Here is my list of wants in order of importance:
Great looking cut and mulch capability. I do not bag my clippings.
Solid Construction, quality ball bearing wheels and a strong handle that will not break after a season or two. You would not believe how many times I have had to have handles welded and braced to make them last.
Power, good reliable engine with power to mulch and cut.

Thanks,
Rob

Click to expand...

I really don't know why a self propelled mower would be better but to each his own. The problem with the push type mowers are that very often there on the cheap end of the mowers. Honda does have a push type mower that would be the quality you're looking for but they have a hefty price tag. The Honda HRC216PDA is a commercial push type and it runs $750.00 It runs the Honda GSV 160cc engine.

http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrc216pda

• 21" commercial rear bagger/mulcher
• Push type
• Easy to start commercial 160cc engine
• MicroCut® Twin Blades - better cutting performance
• Rugged, durable steel deck with front bumper and edge guards

You mentioned you mow on hills. That can be a problem with modern 4 cycle engines because the oil in the sump, moves to one side and the engine does not get sufficient lubrication. The best thing for you would be to find a good used Lawn-Boy mower with a 2 cycle engine. The oil is mixed with the gas so you don't have any of the lubrication problems of the modern 4 cycle. If you want to stick with a modern 4 cycle engine, you probably would need to go to a commercial machine and they are heavy and expensive.

Honda's HRC (commercial models) mowers feature a triangular-style handlebar brace. While this does not allow the handlebars to be folded, it is an extremely strong and robust design. Here are couple of images:

robert@honda said:

Honda's HRC (commercial models) mowers feature a triangular-style handlebar brace. While this does not allow the handlebars to be folded, it is an extremely strong and robust design. Here are couple of images:

Click to expand...

Hi Robert! I have a question which has nothing to do with the handlebars.
I just purchased the HRC216HXA. Love it!! However, I would like to replace the fixed front wheels with swivel wheels. I know the HRZ (guess the Z means Zero Turn) 216TDA has a kit installed on it to allow for swivel wheels. Could this kit be put on the HRC? It looks like the decks are similar. I checked with Honda Parts and I assume I would have to order the component parts. Also, the wheels on the HRC are 9 inches. I assume the HRZ front swivel yokes will handle the 9 inch wheels and the width of the HRC wheels? Please advise. If this could work it would make the HRC even sweeter to handle. Thanks.

At our gin we have a cheap weed eater 20 in push mower change the oil once a year still runs great new blade every 2 years it's 6 years old

fderob said:

Hi Robert! I have a question which has nothing to do with the handlebars.
I just purchased the HRC216HXA. Love it!! However, I would like to replace the fixed front wheels with swivel wheels. I know the HRZ (guess the Z means Zero Turn) 216TDA has a kit installed on it to allow for swivel wheels. Could this kit be put on the HRC? It looks like the decks are similar.

Click to expand...

The mower decks are similar, but not exact. The swivel wheels were specifically designed for the HRZ mower only, and never offered as a conversion kit for other models. The HRZ was its own full model, not just another model with swivel wheels installed. For example, I know the HRC's deck is made from a thicker heaver steel vs. the HRZ's deck. No way to know for sure if you could get the front and rear wheels to a similar height to mow correctly, either. The HRZ has a remote-control cable to lock / release the swivel wheels and I for sure this won't mount or work on the HRCs handlebars. Then, there's the cost; just the front wheels and special swivel parts alone retail for $267, not including the cables, controls, etc., and no guarantee it would actually work. Here's a shot of the parts catalog for the HRZ's front wheels:



Finally, and most importantly, is the safety factor. Many parts of the mower deck, including the wheel adjusters, axles, etc. are engineered to be structural/supporting parts for the engine and blades; configuring a mower to use non-approved parts could severely compromise the integrity of the original design, putting undue stress and strain on other components.

fderob said:

Hi Robert! I have a question which has nothing to do with the handlebars.
I just purchased the HRC216HXA. Love it!! However, I would like to replace the fixed front wheels with swivel wheels. I know the HRZ (guess the Z means Zero Turn) 216TDA has a kit installed on it to allow for swivel wheels. Could this kit be put on the HRC? It looks like the decks are similar. I checked with Honda Parts and I assume I would have to order the component parts. Also, the wheels on the HRC are 9 inches. I assume the HRZ front swivel yokes will handle the 9 inch wheels and the width of the HRC wheels? Please advise. If this could work it would make the HRC even sweeter to handle. Thanks.

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I have a couple of questions for you, I'm just curious. Why would you want the swivel wheels? What do you think you're going to gain?

Thanks Robert! Regarding Ric's question. I have an Ariens LMS21 with swivel wheels that I have been using for the past 10 years. Before that I had John Deere 21s with fixed wheels. The swivel wheel set up is easier to use. The HRC which is commercial grade replaces the Ariens which has seen better days (too much service time on this machine). The swivel wheel makes it much easier to navigate around beds without having to lift the front to make the curves and turns. The result is less stress on this old body.

robert@honda said:

The mower decks are similar, but not exact. The swivel wheels were specifically designed for the HRZ mower only, and never offered as a conversion kit for other models. The HRZ was its own full model, not just another model with swivel wheels installed. For example, I know the HRC's deck is made from a thicker heaver steel vs. the HRZ's deck. No way to know for sure if you could get the front and rear wheels to a similar height to mow correctly, either. The HRZ has a remote-control cable to lock / release the swivel wheels and I for sure this won't mount or work on the HRCs handlebars. Then, there's the cost; just the front wheels and special swivel parts alone retail for $267, not including the cables, controls, etc., and no guarantee it would actually work. Here's a shot of the parts catalog for the HRZ's front wheels:

Finally, and most importantly, is the safety factor. Many parts of the mower deck, including the wheel adjusters, axles, etc. are engineered to be structural/supporting parts for the engine and blades; configuring a mower to use non-approved parts could severely compromise the integrity of the original design, putting undue stress and strain on other components.

Click to expand...

fderob said:

Hi Robert! I have a question which has nothing to do with the handlebars.
I just purchased the HRC216HXA. Love it!! However, I would like to replace the fixed front wheels with swivel wheels. I know the HRZ (guess the Z means Zero Turn) 216TDA has a kit installed on it to allow for swivel wheels. Could this kit be put on the HRC? It looks like the decks are similar. I checked with Honda Parts and I assume I would have to order the component parts. Also, the wheels on the HRC are 9 inches. I assume the HRZ front swivel yokes will handle the 9 inch wheels and the width of the HRC wheels? Please advise. If this could work it would make the HRC even sweeter to handle. Thanks.

Click to expand...

Hi Robert! can you shed some light on my problem below?
I purchased the Easy mow front caster wheels which look like they line up perfectly with the factory front wheel holes (no drilling required).
It looked like an easy install but I am having trouble removing the following part in RED.
1. I removed the bolt from the wheel to allow the wheel to come off to expose the 2 other bolts for the rest of the mechanism, that was EASY.
2. I removed the 2 bolts holding the adjuster panel to the deck that was easy.
3. I removed the bolt with the washer that is holding the adjusting arm to the center shaft that was easy.
4. But when I tried to remove the adjuster panel, adjusting plate and the adjusting arm they come out to a certain point and I can not remove it from the shaft any longer. Is there something I am missing because the adjusting arm is not coming any further? The other parts seem to be OK they appear to be loose (adjusting panel and adjusting arm)? I tried gently working the adjusting arm with a screw driver to provide leverage to push it off the shaft but no luck. Now, there is what looks like a bushing that goes into the deck and the shaft (the front axle shaft) goes through the bushing. This holds the adjuster mechanism and the front scroll panel in place against the front guard and deck. And the one bolt of the adjusting arm that has the washer screws into the front axle shaft thereby tightening the adjusting plate to the adjuster panel. Is there a trick to removing the adjusting arm mechanism from the shaft?

fderob said:

Hi Robert! can you shed some light on my problem below?
I purchased the Easy mow front caster wheels which look like they line up perfectly with the factory front wheel holes (no drilling required).

Click to expand...

"Easy mow front caster wheels?" Is this some kind of aftermarket kit? Did you buy the swivel wheels from Honda that fit the HRZ model?

fderob said:

But when I tried to remove the adjuster panel, adjusting plate and the adjusting arm they come out to a certain point and I can not remove it from the shaft any longer. Is there something I am missing because the adjusting arm is not coming any further? The other parts seem to be OK they appear to be loose (adjusting panel and adjusting arm)? I tried gently working the adjusting arm with a screw driver to provide leverage to push it off the shaft but no luck. Now, there is what looks like a bushing that goes into the deck and the shaft (the front axle shaft) goes through the bushing. This holds the adjuster mechanism and the front scroll panel in place against the front guard and deck. And the one bolt of the adjusting arm that has the washer screws into the front axle shaft thereby tightening the adjusting plate to the adjuster panel. Is there a trick to removing the adjusting arm mechanism from the shaft?

Click to expand...

Unless seized, corroded, modified, or jammed-up, etc. somehow, all the parts of the HRC front wheels and adjuster parts should come right off. The bushings are probably the dust seals. All the parts are just fastened with regular hex bolts, nothing is "press fit" or should require any special tools to remove. Might try spraying / soaking the stubborn parts in a penetrating solution.

All that said, I don't recommend modifying your HRC to use any type of swivel wheel, period. There is a risk of compromising the structural integrity of the mower, and I'll doubt the swivel wheels will line up with the cutting heights of the rear wheels, which will likely result in an uneven cut or poor finish on the lawn. You'd be better (and safer) to find a used Honda HRZ with the swivel wheels, or another brand of mower with swivel wheels, and sell off the HRC. If you bought it new, your dealer would probably take it in on a trade for a swivel wheel model.