Best mower in $250-300 price range ???

[afoulk]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Is Snapper still around? I used to see those when I was growing up all the time (1970s).

I remember back then my grandparents had a mower,that had this crank on top of the engine. You`d wind it up until the tension felt tight,and it`d click in place. You`d then pull a lever on the handle that`d release the crank and it`d spin the starter. They would always let me start it up when they`d mow. I thought it was so much fun to do!


I've seen some old toros with with that hand crank before, maybe that's what your thinking of.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
The quality of the new stuff just doesn't impress me.


Me neither, although that Honda at Northern Tool should be fine.

The newest mower I have is a 2001 Honda Masters. Others include a 1999 Lawn-Boy 10330, a 1996 Lawn-Boy 10528, and a 1987 Lawn-Boy 8157. I use the '99 10330 most often.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Find you something like this:

http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/grd/4497495063.html

The mower and controls are bomb-proof. You'd have to really try to kill that little Tecumseh engine, and it'll still be running years from now after many new big-box mowers have fallen apart. That mower in the ad could use a bath and $40's worth of new tires, and it'd run better than anything else you could buy at that price.

 

[bubbatime]

I work on mowers, collect them, and generally know a whole heck of a lot about them. The BEST mower out there, currently, for the average homeowner, is the Toro Super Recycler. New, they fetch about $500-600. In the past 2 years I've bought about 10 of them (used), tuned them up and re-sold them on Craigslist.

Go to your local Craigslist classifieds and do a search for "Super Recycler". You might have several to choose from in the $75-300 range. That is how I would spend my money if I was you. NOTHING in the big box stores compares.

PS-Avoid ANY mower with a Techumseh engine. Low powered garbage that are hard to find parts for.

 

[mkosem]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
$50 mower from craigslist FTW, no way would I buy a new cheapo mower... get a decent used one, change the plug, oil and air filter and you will be set.

why new?


I second this. I purchased the little brother of that Husqvarna that was posted earlier, the 7021P, with a 21" deck and no self propel but the same GCV160 engine. It has been unreliable since day one. The very first time I used it, the carb clogged on the forth pass of my lawn. I've been through everything - new jerry can, cleaned gas tank, installed better aftermarket fuel filter, new warranty replacement carb - this thing just didn't want to stay running. Every other time I use it, if not every time, I end up having to pull, dissassemble, and clean the stupid carb. When it does run, it runs beautifully and never bogs down on anything (as I'd expect for a non-self-propelled mower with this much power). Unfortunately, its reliability track record is quite poor for me.

I ended up retrofitting a carb from an earlier model (non C.A.R.B. compliant) Honda general purpose engine. The choke took some work to associate with Husqvarna's auto choke thingie, but was limited to placing a rod in a spot where a lever would normally attach. It seems to be running more reliably now (ie. no stalls for several cuts). *knock on wood*

Fortunately, I've got a good old reliable 22 year old basic Murray side discharge mower with a 3.5hp Briggs engine to finish the job if this POC [censored] out again. Fuel filter cleaning, new spark plug from time to time, and one carb rebuild in the time I've owned it and it still starts on the first pull every time. I'll keep this Husqvarna around and keep trying to nurse it into health if those issues return, since it's new and wasn't cheap, but I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

--Matt