Ordered my new lawnmower

[mattwithcats]

http://mobile.walmart.com/#ip/Shell-Rotella-T5-10W-30-Synthetic-Blend-Motor-Oil-1-gal./20573564

Click the "Find In Store" or Pick Up In Store...

 

[mattwithcats]

VOA of Rotella T5...

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1791357

 

[Lawn_Care]

Delo 5w-40 or T6. I use either of them in all my OPE, and have for years. Both are excellent for air-cooled engines.

 

[TFB1]

Advance Auto parts has Rotella T5 10W-30, usually on sale for around $14-$15 gallon(not sure on actual price, I don't agonize over a $1 or 2 here or there)... Not sure if they have quarts, I bought three gallons awhile back as break in oil for a Ford 5.0 rebuild..

I went with 0W-40 in the mower because one it was on hand & two it's just slightly above a 30 grade... Often referred as a light 40 weight...

 

[Red91]

I would recommend Defy 10W-30.

 

[Shrubitup]

Originally Posted By: Benito
Originally Posted By: VetteElite
1) Nobody cares

"Nobody"? Not even one person? How do you know?


Originally Posted By: VetteElite
2) Some people have to mow more than .1 acre

And some don't. So this point is relevant how?


Originally Posted By: VetteElite
3) Bob is the Oil Guy, not the snobby electricity man

Well you must be referring to the OP considering he also got himself a cordless electric weed trimmer as well.


Nobody cares because the person who just scolded a new owner of a GAS powered Honda mower appears to be an gas-free elitist.

OP bought a electric weed trimmer because for the most part people spend less time with and have less vigorous requirements of their weed trimmers than their mowers. The utility for an electric motor on a weed trimmer is much more probable than one used on a mower. I'm an evil petroleum powered enthusiast BTW.

 

[Mystic]

To me the Honda gas powered lawnmower made sense and the B&D battery powered weed trimmer made sense. At this time.

Someday in the future batteries may be advanced enough so that a battery powered lawnmower would make a lot of sense. Actually, the B&D battery powered lawnmower of today is apparently pretty good, but I like the idea of mulching a lot, rather than a bag collecting cut grass or leaves, and I know how great the Honda technology is.

But I predict in a few more years there will be all kinds of battery powered lawnmowers.

I can remember when most electric powered tools, like drills, had cords. Now probably most are battery powered. It is just technology moving forward. The battery technology used to be pretty bad.

I still do have a Craftsman electric lawnmower that uses a cord (which is a hassle) that I use as a backup and also to help the weed trimmer cut the weeds. I am going to have to get the blade sharpened or get a new blade for that Craftsman lawnmower. It has never been sharpened or replaced.

Someday we will have battery powered cars and trucks. There are already some of course but it is still kind of impractical. But someday that will happy.

But bobistheoilguy.com will still probably be around. There will be fewer articles on motor oil and more articles on battery maintenance. And still lots of automotive maintenance articles.

 

[JustinH]

For the honda versus briggs argument, I think you are just buying a badge.

Either engine will suit the average user equally as well if you take care of it.

Stick with the briggs if it is cheaper.

I was reading reviews of the husqvarna AWD self propelled mowers, they have lots of drivetrain issues and are cheaply built.

My next mower will be a big box special with standard self propelled drivetrain.

Electric tools are actually pretty good, I have a cheapo 18v Black and Decker string trimmer, I am surprised how it has lasted 2 years so far on the same battery.

From a cost perspective, the battery powered mower may be double what a briggs powered mower is. Sure you save gas, but I only burn 2 gallons of gas every 6 weeks, so gas costs pretty much nothing.

Also reliability of the battery powered mower is unknown to me, versus briggs motors have been built since the beginning of time.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
For the honda versus briggs argument, I think you are just buying a badge.

Either engine will suit the average user equally as well if you take care of it.


I agree mostly and drop the suggestion all the time that it's not the engine, it's the overall machine that counts.

Honda does engineer the heck out of things as simple as a push mower. You typically don't have drive system issues with them, wheels/bushings/bearings and adjusters are top notch, and they have an actual throttle control.

Those are the things that matter. FWIW, I've got a 16yr/old Honda HRS216, 21" single speed self propelled that I've flogged the heck out of for 16yrs. This was the 1st or second model year of the OHC GC series engines. You wouldn't know it from the top, but the deck is rusting thin in spots and there is a small hole or three.

 

[Mystic]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: JustinH
For the honda versus briggs argument, I think you are just buying a badge.

Either engine will suit the average user equally as well if you take care of it.


I agree mostly and drop the suggestion all the time that it's not the engine, it's the overall machine that counts.

Honda does engineer the heck out of things as simple as a push mower. You typically don't have drive system issues with them, wheels/bushings/bearings and adjusters are top notch, and they have an actual throttle control.

Those are the things that matter. FWIW, I've got a 16yr/old Honda HRS216, 21" single speed self propelled that I've flogged the heck out of for 16yrs. This was the 1st or second model year of the OHC GC series engines. You wouldn't know it from the top, but the deck is rusting thin in spots and there is a small hole or three.

Yes, it is not just the engine, but the entire lawnmower quality. I just like Honda lawnmower quality. The total machine and not just the engine.

On my Toro, it was a pretty good lawnmower and it had the Honda engine. Gradually more and more stuff started to go bad with the rest of the lawnmower and not the engine.

The newer Briggs & Stratton engines may be quite good. But if you put that engine on a lawnmower that will be junk in a few years, the quality of the engine does not really matter. Also, as noted in another post, Briggs & Stratton may now be recommending just adding oil and not changing oil. I never believed in that kind of nonsense. And I don't respect any engine manufacturer who starts to recommend nonsense like that. True, most people keep a lawnmower only about five years or so and some people never change oil. But I like to keep a lawnmower running as long as I can. I know a woman who ruined a lawnmower when she ran it without oil.

So you have to look past just the engine used (B&S or Honda) and look at the rest of the lawnmower. Because if you want to get long use the entire lawnmower has to hold up-not just the engine.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
. I know a woman who ruined a lawnmower when she ran it without oil.

You know my neighbor?? About five years ago one of mine ran a Tecumseh out of oil... I was out in the yard and heard Screeeeee-whump... Nope never checked oil... Sad part is her 25 year old(then) son lives with her and is also clueless...

She borrowed one of my 30 year old Snappers to finish cutting the lawn(in fact the one that now has the Honda engine with 0W-40 oil)... No I wouldn't let her borrow it now...

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: VetteElite
Don't you think it's kinda asinine to post a snobby comment about how you'd have rather bought an electric lawnmower in a thread where a guy is posting about how happy he is to have ordered his gas powered mower? I've been reading this site for years and my goodness it seems like [censored] like this happens all the time. Someone posts something about a recent purchase and the Type-A Know-it-alls barge in about how they'd have done something different.

OP, congrats on your new mower. Hope you love it! I've never used a Honda mower but I've used equipment with Honda engines and they are solid.
+1 It's a pleasure to use a tool which is well made. Perhaps the new owner will move to a home with a larger lawn some day and his Honda will be even more useful. Of course I suspect the dog in the manger will whine about THAT as well.

 

[Brybo86]

Originally Posted By: Mystic

It is the Honda 21 inch push mower HRS216K5PKA. It is a nice, simple lawnmower with a quality Honda engine and a mulching mower.


I'm jealous....this is the exact mower I am looking for.. on craigslist for less than $100. Honda engine, simple, light, multcher and not self propelled.

Congrats!

 

[Mystic]

When I looked at this lawnmower years ago it was more than 400 dollars. Too rich for me. It is still more expensive than many but probably better than most.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Mystic
When I looked at this lawnmower years ago it was more than 400 dollars. Too rich for me. It is still more expensive than many but probably better than most.


Not sure which HRS216 this would be. As far as I know they only make two. One self propelled, the other not. Pretty sure I paid $360-380 for mine 16yrs ago and they're basically the same price today. The non self propelled one is only like $30-40 cheaper.

Like I say, it's a nice mower and a pleasure to use.

 

[Benito]

My electric mower has a mulching feature (which I'm using less and less though).

I've seen that there are also mulching blades so I presume these can be used on mowers that don't have a mulching feature.

I have a large rear yard lawn area to take care of, but the cord does not make much of a difference there thanks to the size and design of the lawn area. The front is more of a problem with a cord since there are 3 separate smaller lawn areas with various landscaping around them.

When I get busy, I let a gardener take care of it. When I have more time on my hands, I do it myself.

I don't know the current cordless prices vs gas, but even if they were a little more, not having to deal with the maintenance, storage, smell and noise, would be worth paying a little extra for for something with a life of several years. After the initial purchase price, I've only spent $10 in 7 years for my electric mower for a single spare part.

I think the one thing I would like to have is self propelled, and I see the cordless models now come with that as well.

 

[bubbatime]

A lot of people buy non self propel mowers because they have had bad experience with past self propelled mowers. Buy low quality self propel mowers and you can expect to have reliability problems.

Non-self propel is a pain in the neck. I personally would never own one. Of course, its 95 degrees for half the year here.

The self propel Honda is much higher quality than the Toro recycler you replaced (if I'm reading your post right). If you still can, I'd swap your non-self propel for the self propel version before its too late. 95% of people much prefer the self propel over the non.

 

[Lawn_Care]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
If you still can, I'd swap your non-self propel for the self propel version before its too late. 95% of people much prefer the self propel over the non.


+1

Yeah, what he said!

 

[Mystic]

I have a pretty small lawn and the Honda I am getting is only about 64 pounds with gas and oil. And it has ball bearing rear wheels.

 

[Benito]

Mystic, did you look at the Black & Decker SPCM1936?

Has mulching. Is suitable for 1/3 acre. Self propelled.

Going for $350.