Self propelled mower. Gas or electric?

[Ausfahrt]

First of all, I don't want to replicate previous posts but I don't have much time and I do have specific needs. Mainly that I rarely bag or mulch and usually just discharge the cut grass.

I am scheduled for total knee replacement surgery this Monday the 23rd. We have about one acre of land that is mowed but is very hilly. I mow most of it with our old JD L110 lawn tractor but there are portions that are too steep for the JD and I usually weed whack and/or mow them with my ancient push Lawnboy. I expect my mobility to be limited in the weeks following surgery so my wife may be mowing for the remainder of this growing season.

My wife understandably won't run the weed whacker or the Lawnboy but is ok with mowing the flat areas on the lawn tractor. We have been contemplating a new self-propelled mower for a while but now push has come to shove.

I have narrowed the choices down to two. A Honda HRX217K6VYA which is still available for $800 or a Ryobi RY40HPLM02K2 with two batteries for $650. I am open to other alternatives too but I need to decide quickly.

 

[cptbarkey]

That is a very fancy Honda. For a few hundred bucks (or less) on FB Marketplace will get you a good used run of the mill Briggs 22 inch self propelled unit.

Expect about 3 weeks recovery time for the knee, my elderly mom had both replaced in a 6 month timeframe.

 

[Nukeman7]

Buy the Honda and you will have no regrets; however, be aware the Honda does not have a side discharge option (i.e., rear discharge, bag or mulch only). I would not consider a Ryobi to be in the same ballpark as the ICE Honda top of the line mower.

 

[FowVay]

Americans have been waking up to the sound of a Briggs and Stratton flat head engine on a bright Saturday morning for nearly 70 years. Stephen Briggs and his buddy Harold Stratton changed the way the world took care of their lawns and gardens.

For the sake of all things that are good in this world, buy the gas powered mower. Things might have been different if they called their brand "Stephen & Harold" but I think the impact would have been the same.

 

[4WD]

Americans have been waking up to the sound of a Briggs and Stratton flat head engine on a bright Saturday morning for nearly 70 years. Stephen Briggs and his buddy Harold Stratton changed the way the world took care of their lawns and gardens.

For the sake of all things that are good in this world, buy the gas powered mower. Things might have been different if they called their brand "Stephen & Harold" but I think the impact would have been the same.

Well, she woke up to the sound of Kohler today bcs I was not letting it get any hotter outside

 

[Ausfahrt]

Buy the Honda and you will have no regrets; however, be aware the Honda does not have a side discharge option (i.e., rear discharge, bag or mulch only). I would not consider a Ryobi to be in the same ballpark as the ICE Honda top of the line mower.

Yeah. Honda calls it a rear discharge but in my experience, the grass just hits the rear plastic panel and clogs up before it drops to the ground.

 

[E150GT]

Why don't you mulch ?

 

[ecotourist]

I bought a new Honda gas mower last year. It's not perfect but it it pretty good. It will either bag or mulch (there is no side discharge).

If the grass is at all damp the action that controls bag or mulch gets blocked and I have to scrape off the underside to get it moving again. To stop that happening I have to wait until late afternoon on even dry days, which gets a bit annoying.

Other than that it's just fine. Starts easily, bags well. It is pretty heavy but the self propelled feature works well.

 

[E150GT]

I like my Hondas.

 

[UncleDave]

Hills kill electric mowers and you must run parallel to the hill or the up/ down cycles will flatten your batteries. The gas mower gives you the choice as to how to do the yard vs force you into a strategy.

Id go w a honda.

note: I have a Makita XGT mower

 

[Ausfahrt]

Why don't you mulch ?

In my experience, the grass needs to be not too tall and dry to mulch effectively. I tend to wait too long to mow and my grass always seems to be wet.

 

[ecotourist]

In my experience, the grass needs to be not too tall and dry to mulch effectively. I tend to wait too long to mow and my grass always seems to be wet.

I mulch the grass at the side and entrance to a local park. It gets pretty long there but the Honda mower mulches it just fine.

 

[4WD]

Well, she woke up to the sound of Kohler today bcs I was not letting it get any hotter outside

Just ordered as a trimmer (B&S) …
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Ma...4?classType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1300&from=/search

 

[Coltron_Actual]

I did not enjoy my time with my Honda post cam-recall, but I'd have more faith in one that was corrected by the factory instead. Given those choices, the Honda all day. Just for the option of a strong resale.

 

[edyvw]

My lawn is small (approx. 150ftx50ft). Just got Ryobi 23" battery powered one. No need for a gas one for such a small lawn. On the other hand, a snow blower is absolutely a gas one, as I am the one who snowblows all the sidewalks in the neighborhood, pretty much.

 

[shortyb]

Yeah. Honda calls it a rear discharge but in my experience, the grass just hits the rear plastic panel and clogs up before it drops to the ground.

Get gas, and get the Honda. It will probably outlast you and your wife (no offense) and run like a fine watch doing it. The gas will ensure that the self propelled feature on the hilly terrain will keep going (well, until it runs out of fuel). Unlike the battery that will be seriously taxed with that kind of running IMHO. Honda makes an accessory chute kit for their HRR mower that attaches to the rear of the deck and discharges grass to the side, but some have been able to adapt it for an HRX.

 

[B6_Dolphin]

My variable-speed (dial) self-propelled 7.5A-hr battery EGO rear-bagger has no issue with hills (my front lawn), and can easily mow my just under half-acre with at least half the charge remaining (using the optional high-lift blade), especially during the drier summer months.

When not rear-bagging, it has both a plug for mulching, along with a dedicated mulching blade, and a side-discharge chute, which I've never used.

Oh, and if mowing at dusk, it has headlights for additional visibility.

 

[GI_GRIFF]

First of all, I don't want to replicate previous posts but I don't have much time and I do have specific needs. Mainly that I rarely bag or mulch and usually just discharge the cut grass.

I am scheduled for total knee replacement surgery this Monday the 23rd. We have about one acre of land that is mowed but is very hilly. I mow most of it with our old JD L110 lawn tractor but there are portions that are too steep for the JD and I usually weed whack and/or mow them with my ancient push Lawnboy. I expect my mobility to be limited in the weeks following surgery so my wife may be mowing for the remainder of this growing season.

My wife understandably won't run the weed whacker or the Lawnboy but is ok with mowing the flat areas on the lawn tractor. We have been contemplating a new self-propelled mower for a while but now push has come to shove.

I have narrowed the choices down to two. A Honda HRX217K6VYA which is still available for $800 or a Ryobi RY40HPLM02K2 with two batteries for $650. I am open to other alternatives too but I need to decide quickly.

Honda got out of the lawn mower business a couple years ago, but there is old, "new" stock still for sale. They are good mowers; I own and run one. My neighbors across the street both have walk behind self-propelled battery powered mowers. One has an Ego brand, the other has a Ryobi. I have talked to both of them, and they both like them.

 

[97prizm]

First of all, I don't want to replicate previous posts but I don't have much time and I do have specific needs. Mainly that I rarely bag or mulch and usually just discharge the cut grass.

I am scheduled for total knee replacement surgery this Monday the 23rd. We have about one acre of land that is mowed but is very hilly. I mow most of it with our old JD L110 lawn tractor but there are portions that are too steep for the JD and I usually weed whack and/or mow them with my ancient push Lawnboy. I expect my mobility to be limited in the weeks following surgery so my wife may be mowing for the remainder of this growing season.

My wife understandably won't run the weed whacker or the Lawnboy but is ok with mowing the flat areas on the lawn tractor. We have been contemplating a new self-propelled mower for a while but now push has come to shove.

I have narrowed the choices down to two. A Honda HRX217K6VYA which is still available for $800 or a Ryobi RY40HPLM02K2 with two batteries for $650. I am open to other alternatives too but I need to decide quickly.

The electric mower likely won't be able to cut an entire acre especially after a couple of years with battery wear. I'd go the Honda route and be done with it.

 

[4WD]

Honda got out of the lawn mower business a couple years ago, but there is old, "new" stock still for sale. They are good mowers; I own and run one. My neighbors across the street both have walk behind self-propelled battery powered mowers. One has an Ego brand, the other has a Ryobi. I have talked to both of them, and they both like them.

That’s what I was thinking - Chonda put them under