Push mower better than self propelled?

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
When I was in my 30s I only wanted a push-mower. When I was in my 50 & 60s, I only wanted a self-propeled mower. I am now 75 and want only a riding mower. I am not so stupid to think I am doing my body any good pushing a mower over a 1/3+ acre in the summer. Ed


I guess it depends on your yard. You could not even get a small zero-turn radius riding mower around my yards obstacles (now that's a propelled mower I believe in) and the self-propelled walk behind seems to give little net gain over a lighter more manuevarable push mower.

I think most of the residential, self propelled walk-behind mowers are [censored] anyway. Any place you can really use and need a self propelled, I think a zero turn mower is where it's at. And maybe a small push trim mower for the tight spots. Zero-turns are expensive though.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: punisher
30-35 years ago lawn mowers tended to be light 18-19" side discharge affairs. God knows I pushed one for more years than I want to remember. Best of the bunch was grandad's old Lawnboy in all of its 2 stroke magnesium deck glory.

New mowers are just larger with heavy bagging attachments etc. New mowers are heavier, I am heavier and older. I like my self propelled mower just fine. 5 years old, and not a thing replaced on it. Bought 2 new drive wheels for it last year but haven't thrown them on yet.


I though I liked my self propelled better. But since I held on to my push mowers, I'm able to continuously compare them. It's hard for me to not conclude that for my yard, my older but more compact and lighter Honda mower (and to a lesser extent and old Briggs larger heavier push mower) is actually as at least about as easier and quicker or more than my newer self-propelled. They're both 21". The Honda's kicked up handle makes the mower have a shorter handle and sharper turning radius I think.

I probably wouldn't say that about some of the heavy bulky 22" cheap mowers I've pushed as kid in the past. But if I had aluminum/magnesium deck push mower that was really light, it would be hard to imagine very many scenarios where the self propelled would work better.

A lawnboy 2-stroke with a magnesium deck? I can only imagine how sweet that is. Give me that anyday over today's heavy self propelled crud. I used a lawnboy 2-stroke with a steel deck as a kid.

 

[BISCUT]

Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Push mower because I don't like to be lazy.


Nothing to do with lazy at all. Mine is old JX75 and on speed 4 or 5 good luck keeping up with it. I have a tractor and I continue to use the self propelled. I'm up at 415am most mornings to hit the gym and get to work for 8am.

You threw out your opinion/insinuation that self propelled ='s lazy. For me anyway, I know I have some exercise issues if I'm relying on a push mower to keep me fit. Your contentions isn't far from saying if you use a weed wacker opposed to the old hand scissors you could be lazy.

IDK just thinking your way far off on this one.

 

[itguy08]

Interesting responses....

Cut my teeth pushing a mower in North Jersey. Of course with postage stamp sized yards it was no big deal.

When we got our house (less than 1/4 acre) the previous owners left their push mower. Was decent but lasted 2 seasons till the wheel snapped off. Got a self propelled and would not go back. Just made it a little easier.

At this house, we're on .4 acre. I do it with our 2008, cheap Craftsman self propelled. We have a few hills and I'd hate to push the mower up them. Also would hate to push it the whole 3.5 miles that the GPS App on my iPhone says is a complete yard mow.

I get ehough excercise - run 3 miles a week 3-5x a week, gym 2-3x and walk the dog about a mile 5x a week every other week (rotate that with the wife). IMHO the biggest part is the walking - the extra weight from the mower is probably negligible in most cases.

Not sure if, when the Craftsman dies I'll go tractor or get a 30"+ walk behind.

As far as maintenance, so far the only thing the self propelled has needed is new wheels last years as the plastic gears stripped out in a few spots. Other than that, I pressure wash it a couple times a season, change the oil, filter, and plug once a season.

 

[Trajan]

My grandparents had an old manual mower. The two wheeled kind with the blades between the wheels. Loved cutting their grass with that.

 

[Burt]

Yep push mowers are good til you hit 45 or you live north of the mason dixon line.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Tzu
I purposely buy the push mower instead of the self propelled model. My late father-in-law gave me his nice used self propelled Sears mower 5 years ago, but I normally walk faster than that and it feels like I am in slow motion using it. In manual mode like trimming under a tree, it feels like a dragging brake pulling it backwards. The deck rotted out and I sold it at a garage sale. My cheap ($120.00) new 21" push mower works great and much easier to use IMO.


Those front driver Craftsman are a POS, common for the wheels to remain engaged so they won't roll when pulling it backwards... I traded a '03 with a 7Hp OHV B&S for a '87 Snapper as a parts mower, turned out almost to good two junk(it would be if I didn't have to others already)...

Want some exercise??? Get yourself a Commercial Snapper... In the fastest speed you'll just about have to jog to stay up with it, especially if it has both throttle and drive speed controls...

 

[mechanicx]

My push Honda mower is this one except mine's about 12 years old now and has a throttle with manual choke (that's the main reason I bought it because most other mowers had primer bulbs and not throttle cable at the time) http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrs216pda.

It has a steel deck but only weighs 66 lbs filled with oil and gas. It's really not much harder to push up hills and grades that my yard has over self propelled. Just imagine if the extra $50-$100 or much more spent on a cheesy self propelled drive system was spent on an aluminun/magnesium deck and all wheels ball bearing. Get the weight down to around 50lbs or so and then it really would be as easy to push as a self propelled on most grades. That's the mower I'd want.

Also, the Honda push mowers have the same engine and basic quality as the propelled versions. So much for self propelled having more power or being better quality.

My push mower will mow the whole yard on literally a splash of gas in the tank. My self propelled use a whole tank fill to mow the lawn. I almost save a $1 in gas every time I mow the yard with it

.

 

[asamek]

Originally Posted By: ARB1977

Push mower because I don't like to be lazy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

'scuse me.

I have a 21" Craftsman (Honda motor) rear-wheel drive for my 3/4 acre cul-de-sac yard on a hill and I can promise you that there is not one [censored] thing lazy about chasing that machine around my yard. I know this because the drive mechanism went out last year, so I dismantled it and went with just a push - and I can tell you it made a HUGE difference. I about died - and I'm not in poor condition.

Perhaps that means I am less of a man than you other guys who cut 2 full acres of nearly vertical landscape twice a week in Louisiana-like summer conditions. But I repaired the drive mechanism, and I still sweat out 2 quarts of Gatorade every Saturday. And that's a fair amount for 6', 185 lbs.

 

[IndyIan]

I tried a self propelled but it was no good on my treed slopes, so I went back to a 25 year old lawn boy. This spring I put a couple hundred into it to get it fixed. Maybe I will get another 25?

 

[mechanicx]

But that's kind of like losing the power steering in a heavy car designed for power steering vs a manual steering light car that was designed to be drivable with manual steering

.

Economical, light weight, aluminum deck push mower with wheel ballbearings, YES!

Expensive, heavy mower with cheap plastic wheel bearings and cheesy, bad manuevering self propel, NO!

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I tried a self propelled but it was no good on my treed slopes, so I went back to a 25 year old lawn boy. This spring I put a couple hundred into it to get it fixed. Maybe I will get another 25?

 

[asamek]

Originally Posted By: asamek
Originally Posted By: ARB1977

Push mower because I don't like to be lazy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

'scuse me.

I have a 21" Craftsman (Honda motor) rear-wheel drive for my 3/4 acre cul-de-sac yard on a hill and I can promise you that there is not one [censored] thing lazy about chasing that machine around my yard. I know this because the drive mechanism went out last year, so I dismantled it and went with just a push - and I can tell you it made a HUGE difference. I about died - and I'm not in poor condition.

Perhaps that means I am less of a man than you other guys who cut 2 full acres of nearly vertical landscape twice a week in Louisiana-like summer conditions. But I repaired the drive mechanism, and I still sweat out 2 quarts of Gatorade every Saturday. And that's a fair amount for 6', 185 lbs.


But I will invite anyone who wants to to come by and have a go! Just let me know!

 

[123Saab]

http://www2.fiskars.com/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Products/StaySharp-Reel-Mowers

No gas needed either.

 

[mechanicx]

By the same token, I would invite anyone to mow around all the obstacles the chain link fence and constant manuevering in my yard with a self propelled. And not have to take a weed trimmer out to hit missed spots. It's a lot of man handling and fighting the self propelled drive.

My yard has a grade. I just mow along the long sides of the grade instead of up and down it.

Self propelled would work great mowing decreasing radius circles around a big hill of a yard with no onstacles but not everyone is mowing in that situation.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: 123Saab
http://www2.fiskars.com/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Products/StaySharp-Reel-Mowers

No gas needed either.


You know, some people with very small, flat yards with out edeges to mow around probably would be better served with a push reel mower than some powered self propelled mower.

It wouldn't work with my yard plus I don't want anyone to confuse me with being a greenie lol.

Many years a go I once came across a really old gas powered push mower in storage. It started right up and actually cut grass really well. Powered reel mowers are probably better than rotary.

 

[Rand]

with hills I get plenty of workout even with self propel.

 

[01rangerxl]

I had both when I had a house, and a large walk behind.

Out of the 21" mowers, I greatly preferred my simple push one. It was so light it was almost effortless to push, and you could just roll it up on a pile of brush and chop away. It was a Briggs powered AYP that was about 30 years old. My former roommate still has it, it's still in use. The roughly 10 year old AYP self propelled was a heavy POS. Eventually the trans went and it became a real pain to use because the front wheels would sometimes lock up. I removed the gears, but it was still heavy, so I used the old flat head pusher.

Self-propelled mowers aren't all bad, it can be really convenient, but I still like a simple push mower.

 

[LeakySeals]

BTW... If you have a lawnmower service/repair shop in your area he has 10 rebuilt lawnmowers waiting for you cheap. Save your money for something else, like the grass itself

 

[Cujet]

My Snapper self propelled has outlasted the engine that drives it! So, I can't say self propelled is all junk.

I'll probably re-engine it and restore it. Last another 25 years.