The new HRX series that came out this season. I love it. Xenoy deck, 6.5 HP OHC, 3 speed transmission, Twin blade, etc...

$600.00 but it's worth every penny.

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/hrx/

[ 04-29-2004: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

Anyway Hank Hill would only use a propane powered 'riding' mower.

I agree Xan.

My brother suggested for the price of my mower, weed whipper, leaf blower, etc, I could pay for 10 years of lawn service. I realize that but I actually enjoy working outside plus the exercise.

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Also to buy a similar quality riding mower to my Honda it would cost about 4 times as much money since a Honda or John Deere riding mower is at least $2,800.00 which I don't need anyway.

My existing mower which is about 6 years old is a cheaper Yard Man which I purposely bought cheap for my old lake house which had a small lot and semi-crappy lawn.

My new house has a large flat very nice (originally sod) lawn which I want to maintain.

My old mower was only 5 HP single blade, single speed self propelled and no bagger.

I wanted a more powerful 6.5 HP which you need to cut grass effectively. If you think a 5 HP model is good enough then I say you don't what you're talking about.

I also wanted a bagger and the ability to mulch. This Honda allows you to 100% bag, 100% mulch (using twin blades) or any combination in 10% increments by simply moving a lever. It also mulches leaves until they are fine enough to pass through a small opening and be bagged which allows much more of an amount of leaves to be bagged before emptying the bagger. It works the same with the grass clippings.

This Honda has 9" wheels with ball bearings all around.

It also has a non-steel deck (Xenoy) which won't rust, is dent resistant and grass clipping don't stick to as easily.

Of course it’s powered by a Honda OHC Engine which is flat out the best small engine made. It’s also very quiet.

Also this Honda is the only mower that I have seen that allows the handle to adjust so that a tall person such as me can mow without bending over a bit. My old mower caused me to bend slightly and after an hour my back would start to get sore.

This Honda will last for many years so it’s a great investment. My father’s 16 year old Honda riding mower still runs like a charm. Its liquid cooled with a full size air cleaner and oil filter similar to a auto. Of course he paid almost $3,000.00 way back then.

Burble – The old saying that you get what you pay for is still very much true.

Of course I could buy a cheap lawn mower but I would have an inferior piece of equipment. Now if I could not afford the best mower then that would be another story.

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I have a huge driveway (wide and long enough to part 12 cars) plus being on a corner lot (double size lot) I have a ton of sidewalk to shovel.

I have one of those vintage roller lawn mowers but I don't use it. It would take 6 hours or more to do my lawn in that manner.

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I've never been able to tell the diff between mowers. In Florida we had a riding and a push and used the riding. It's too damn hot there to push a mower around an acre of land. Crazy heat!

Now that we're back in the Great White North we just use the push. Great exercise!! I feel like a MAN when I'm done!

DO YOU HEAR ME ????

Don't. Just Don't Don't even think about it.

My Ex got the 'Deere in the divorce, I was tapped out, and the grass was getting long. So ... I ... bought ... a ... FUCKING CRAFT-SHIT mower from FUCKING SEARS .

gahdammit - why didn't I just go to freakin' K-Mart and buy a gahdam "Joe's Cheap Fucking North Korean Piece-O-Shit Kim-chee Burning Gerbil-powered Plastic and Tin Mower" ... why didn't I ??? Same thing ....

Arrrgghhhhhh !!!!

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Grass should be mowed frequently enough that you never are cutting more than 1/3 of the plant and that you are still leaving 2-2.5" of the plant above the crown.

Personally, I would not buy a Honda though. I would still have gone with a Deere.

BTW my Honda is hardly a 'push' mower. It has a 3 speed transmission and RWD. I decided not to get the hydrostatic version.

On occasion when you cannot cut your lawn due to rain or you may be on vacation and the grass is rather tall, you need every bit of 6 HP or more.

I know from experience since my 5 HP mower with sharp blades (I rotate 3 sets of blades) would bog down if the grass was taller than normal due to one of the reasons I stated above.

Plus everyone I talked to with experience in this area (people who own their own houses and have years and years of experience cutting their lawns) say get 6 HP or higher for the reason I stated above.

I know the 1/3 rule BTW.

John Deere are one step up from a Club Cadet, two steps up from Toro but they are not nearly as good as Honda. Nobody can dispute the fact that Honda engine's are most reliable, quietest engines out there. Hell many manufacturers have Honda engines in their higher end mowers.

My neighbor who is a retired city worker and happens to have the nicest lawn on the block has a John Deere mower now. He told me before I bought my Honda that he is going to buy Honda next. His brother in law has two of them and he was able to check them out first hand.

Snag - I'm guessing your first mower will be the best mower you can afford but it sure won't be a John Deere. Or do you have some huge stash of money?

Just wait until you purchase your first home and see where your priorities shift. You won't be throwing $600.00 at your very first lawn mower.

I remember at your age my first mower was not the best one out there, neither was my second one.

[ 05-04-2004: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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Young..., studs...? (Looks over shoulder) "oh that's my neighbor!"

Thanks for the warning.

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But one thing is for sure, my Sears Craftsman 42" 15.5 HP piece-of-shit tractor is the worst implement I've ever had the misfortune of throw never-ending quantities of money at. Including:

1- blade mandrel bearing freeze.
1- deck rusting out
2- deck support link rod breaking
2- ignition switch failures
- replace "Die Hard" (what a fucking joke) battery annually - switched to cheap-ass brand from Sam's Club. Lasts longer costs 1/3 as much.

Now the carb must be headed south on the Kohler motor - fouls plug every 10-15 minutes

The tires have always sucked - no traction

I think Sears has MTD Corp. or some other cheap-ass manufacturer make them. Bob Vila can kiss my ass.

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

Honda does make good stuff. I just grew up with a particular trademarked shade of green Thing is though, I stand by what I said about 5HP. If your grass is so long it bogs, raise your deck and go over it again in a day or two. You will stunt (traumatize) your grass. It may seem like double talk though but a 6HP is nice though for the torque...nice clean cuts caused by extra power. Nothing like having a lawn with "split ends".

I do think that the Honda residential self-propelled walk behind mowers are slightly better than John Deere and have some features that John Deere does not offer. That is all.

I think the 6.5 HP was worth the extra $50.00

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I could bsah things like Ford until I am blue in the face. Only when it breaks down time after time will you agree to go Chev

On that note, I would rather ride a Deere than push a Honda any day! The thing I like about the Deere are the castor wheels. Makes for very nice maneuverability. Just think, THIS could been yours for about the same price...mind you the bag is optional I don't like the JD aluminum deck mowers though. The fact that they take away the castor wheels (and the large all-around wheels for that matter) is a huge feature reduction IMO.

Keep in mind...I DO think yours is a sweet mower

However I don't have enough lawn for a rider and I want the exercise/enjoy the work. If I had a ton more lawn I would get a commercial walk behind anyway.

Plus you still need a walk behind or you have to weed whip a ton more grass where riders cannot get close enough to reach.

Honda has models with castors too. I considered one but I don't have that many trees or obstacles. The Honda model with castors has a remote control on the handle to unlock or lock the front castors in/out of position

[ 05-05-2004: Message edited by: Cacophonous ]

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this is my mower. http://www.cleanairgardening.com/scotclasreel.html

(I like the clippings going back to the soil.)

I keep my lawn at a 3" cut and I love it.
I will never go back to the crazyness of short putting greens again.
I don't have to water it very much, the roots are very strong, it naturally blocks out weeds and moss. In these parts moss is boss.

Push mowers are sweet. No ear muffs needed, and it takes real effort to hurt yourself when cutting. This is very important because grass cutting should be done stoned.

[ 05-05-2004: Message edited by: Fuze ]

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“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

quote:

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Originally posted by Fuze:
*boing*

this is my mower. http://www.cleanairgardening.com/scotclasreel.html

(I like the clippings going back to the soil.)

I keep my lawn at a 3" cut and I love it.
I will never go back to the crazyness of short putting greens again.
I don't have to water it very much, the roots are very strong, it naturally blocks out weeds and moss. In these parts moss is boss.

Push mowers are sweet. No ear muffs needed, and it takes real effort to hurt yourself when cutting. This is very important because grass cutting should be done stoned.

[ 05-05-2004: Message edited by: Fuze ]

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You would be surprised at how many push lawn mowers Lars at cleanairgardening.com sells!

Oh look, I am on that site!
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/rainbarrels.html

AND

I own that exact same push lawn mower, my neighbor is borrowing it while i crank around with the vintage one...stoned.

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=)

Cyborg, I am glad to see you have found the value of tall grass. I stumbled upon it during a web session. Some guy was telling about his way to healthy lush lawns and I figured it made sense. I made it through severe water restrictions (no watering at all) and I had a beautifull green lawn while all the neighbourhood had dry yellow bristles.

Actually Fuze and Cyborg are correct about most people cutting thier lawn too short. I leave mine 2.5 to 3 inches which does allow for the roots to grow deep.

The shorter the blades the shorter the roots.

With my old mower I had the wheel adjustment on the higest setting. I have not used the Honda enough to have the height setting worked out. So far I used the second or third highest but I think it goes up to 4" depth.

Of course that means you have to mow more frequent. I'm guessing that is why the people mow so short in the first place. They don't want to mow as frequently.

I use Scott's chemicals too. Weed and Feed II, etc. I used to use Grub X but now I pay $60.00 per season to have Chem-Lawn treat for Grubs using liquid chemicals which seems to work better than the Grub X which costed me almost as much money.

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