SuperDave57
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- Joined
- Jun 27, 2022
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- 3
Hello all, I'm a new Honda lawn mower owner having just purchased an HRX217K6VLA model. I purchased the mower mainly because I have bad back issues and have had four surgeries over the last few years and pulling on a start rope always aggravates my back so I decided on this model for the electric start. I'm impressed with the mower in general, and the engine, starting, etc. but I'm totally surprised and disappointed in the Variable Speed Select Drive! I've only mowed with the mower a few times now but it's near impossible to keep a nice even speed when mowing! I seem to always be either going too fast or too slow! And I have a mostly level yard but even if I've managed to get the speed just as I want it, a very slight difference in the grade of my yard causes the speed to increase or decrease! I'm 64 years old and I've owned several mowers and used several more with self propel features, all which worked better for me than this one does. With a certain speed selected, both my snappers navigated this same yard with never varying their speed.
The manual even mentions the mower will move faster on concrete than in grass with same speed selected! Huh?? That's ridiculous, my other mowers never exhibited this problem! On top of this, whatever system that's used in this drive system makes the mower extremely hard to pull backwards! I still have my last Snapper and compared the two today side by side and this Honda seems to be about twice as hard to pull backwards. In my yard I have lots of places where I need to pull the mower backwards and it just makes mowing with my brand new mower a PIA instead of what I expected to be a much better experience with a brand new mower with electric start. Tugging this mower backwards is as bad or worse on my back than pulling the rope a few times to start the engine on my old mower!!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't come on here and write this just to bash Honda. I like Honda, which is why I chose this mower. I have a pressure washer with a Honda Engine that's great and have owned Honda cars and motorcycle in the past. I'm just looking for any info on any kind of modification to the drive system to make it easier to control and if there's ANY way to free up the way the mower rolls backward.
I also noticed the HRX217HZA for $200 more has a different drive system apparently that they call Hydrostatic Cruise Control. Does anyone know if the behavior of this drive system is more what I'm looking for? And if it might also be easier to roll? I've just spent the most money I've ever spent for a walk-behind mower but I'm so disappointed in this one that if that other one works more like I believe a self propelled mower should work, I'd go back and buy it and take whatever the dealer would give me back to return this one.
Dave
The manual even mentions the mower will move faster on concrete than in grass with same speed selected! Huh?? That's ridiculous, my other mowers never exhibited this problem! On top of this, whatever system that's used in this drive system makes the mower extremely hard to pull backwards! I still have my last Snapper and compared the two today side by side and this Honda seems to be about twice as hard to pull backwards. In my yard I have lots of places where I need to pull the mower backwards and it just makes mowing with my brand new mower a PIA instead of what I expected to be a much better experience with a brand new mower with electric start. Tugging this mower backwards is as bad or worse on my back than pulling the rope a few times to start the engine on my old mower!!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't come on here and write this just to bash Honda. I like Honda, which is why I chose this mower. I have a pressure washer with a Honda Engine that's great and have owned Honda cars and motorcycle in the past. I'm just looking for any info on any kind of modification to the drive system to make it easier to control and if there's ANY way to free up the way the mower rolls backward.
I also noticed the HRX217HZA for $200 more has a different drive system apparently that they call Hydrostatic Cruise Control. Does anyone know if the behavior of this drive system is more what I'm looking for? And if it might also be easier to roll? I've just spent the most money I've ever spent for a walk-behind mower but I'm so disappointed in this one that if that other one works more like I believe a self propelled mower should work, I'd go back and buy it and take whatever the dealer would give me back to return this one.
Dave
