Which one of these lawnmowers would you pick?

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Honda HRR216VYA: http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrr216vya

or

Husquvarna HU800AWD: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/hu800awd/

The husquvarna has more features for the money but I want a lawnmower that mulches great so I don't have to bag it and one that the other half can handle when I'm gone for work. Also the lawnmower HAS to have a blade stop/engage. We have to mow 1/3 of an acre. To me this points me to the husq because it should be a lot easier to maneuver. Will the honda twinblade system mulch that much better? The husq has the GCV190 vs the GCV 160 on the honda. To me it seems the logical answer is the husq but I want some opinions. How would these hondas engines be on fuel compared to a Briggs 7.75 like this lawnmower:?

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/hu775bbc/
 
get the husky with Honda engine cant go wrong with this combo. I have one and it is a great mower. Mine is push only. I like Honda engines over the Briggs and Stratton. I have a Husky tiller and chainsaw also.
 
Originally Posted By: volk06
Honda HRR216VYA: http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrr216vya

or

Husquvarna HU800AWD: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/hu800awd/

The husquvarna has more features for the money but I want a lawnmower that mulches great so I don't have to bag it and one that the other half can handle when I'm gone for work. Also the lawnmower HAS to have a blade stop/engage. We have to mow 1/3 of an acre. To me this points me to the husq because it should be a lot easier to maneuver. Will the honda twinblade system mulch that much better? The husq has the GCV190 vs the GCV 160 on the honda. To me it seems the logical answer is the husq but I want some opinions. How would these hondas engines be on fuel compared to a Briggs 7.75 like this lawnmower:?

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/lawn-mowers/hu775bbc/




Honda, by a long shot. According to Consumers Reports in a report last year, Honda. Toro and Crafstman were listed in the top eight out of 28 for self propelled multi speed mowers. Husqvarna was listed as one of the worst in terms of frequency of repair...21% compared to 14% for Honda and 15% for both Toro and Craftsman.
 
Can't go wrong with the Honda. The dual blades do a great job of mulching, and the engine burns 1/2 the fuel of the Briggs. Of course this is only my opinion.
 
i have a husky and ive been well pleased with it. im sure either will treat you well. get the one you like best for the money spent.

i bought a husky because it offered the best features for the money.
 
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I would have to pick the Husky, seems like you get more for the money and it's been my experience that Honda branded mowers, while a quality product, are priced far and above their competition.

Ignore the complaints about the B&S engines, the one you have linked to (though it seems the link was only for example, not one of your considerations) is a modern OHV design, which will offer more power per displacement and better fuel efficiency than the old B&S flathead engines, which you rightfully SHOULD avoid. In my opinion, there is no reason to build a poor efficiency, dirty engine based on technology from 60+ years ago, regardless of how cheap they are to make, when the technology exists to build clean powerful engines at a low cost (OHV & OHC designs).

That said, I'm not endorsing B&S engines, I like them with the exception of the flatheads and their choke-less start system which always breaks.

My present mower is a non-self propelled Troy-Built w/ the Honda GCV160, and it's the best mower I've ever owned. *ALWAYS* starts on one pull, and you simply cannot kill the thing. Since I've gotten my riding mower, the push mower is relegated to places I cannot fit my rider into, and also thick brush, small trees & other things which you rightfully shouldn't subject a mower to, but it takes the abuse and always comes back for more.
 
Last year, I used a friend's Husq rider to mow his yard after his shoulder surgery.

Honestly, I've never used a bigger piece of junk, that was only a few years old. If I got the job done, without breaking down, it was an accomplishment. One day, it chewed through a deck bearing, and tore up the pot metal housing. In 25+ years, I've never put a deck bearing on anything that I've owned... and I'm currently using a 1990 model and a 1995 model, both bought new.

I begged him to get rid of it.... and he knows that I'm right.
 
I would choose the Honda.

My 11 year old Honda (HRX 217) with GCV190 is a workhorse that never bogs down.

Fairly quiet, easy to maintain and never had a problem. I do run alcohol-free fuel plus stabilizer, though.

What I really like is hyrostatic transmission (stepless ground speed adjustment) and the fact that if I let the lawn get too high (I travel a lot), I can still mulch by adjusting mulch:bag ratio. I do not have problems manuvering the mower but it is quite heavy for a mower (~100 lbs).

If you choose Honda, make sure the thumb speed control is to your liking before you purchase.
 
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I have owned lawnmowers with both B&S engines and Honda engines. I don't see anything wrong with the B&S but I think the Honda is a higher quality engine. It might cost more but it is simply a better engine.
 
Honda in everything is overrated. I'd go with the Husky since you get more for your $$.

My only concern would be with the OHC engine. I dont care what the Honda lovers say, an OHC power equipment with a belt in oil is asking for trouble. I've gotta Briggs OHV on our power washer and it's a fine engine, easy on gas, easy to start and reliable.
 
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Originally Posted By: itguy08
My only concern would be with the OHC engine. I dont care what the Honda lovers say, an OHC power equipment with a belt in oil is asking for trouble. I've gotta Briggs OHV on our power washer and it's a fine engine, easy on gas, easy to start and reliable.


I second this.. The GCV160 in my mower is a good, reliable engine, but it's far from commercial quality. Honda does not hide this fact. In the end, it's a throwaway engine.

Aluminum cylinder bores, and the OHC belt are the two weak points. There are better engines for the price. Kohler & B&S both have equivalent engines that have cast iron liners & no belt.

But that does not mean you can't get years worth of reliable service out of the Honda GCV's. In residential use, where they spend the majority of their time in a shed hibernating for the winter, the engine will likely last longer than the deck & wheels it's bolted to.
 
I have had my Honda since I cut 5 lawns a week plus my parents in high school and that was back in 1987. I have a HR214 push with the alu deck. It is the commercial version now. The only thing I have ever replaced was the throttle cable, twice, because I kinked it on something while using and a bolt that went missing on the muffler. Parts are still available from honda.
 
Those Honda mowers are really good. Plus no rust on the deck!

But, if it were me, I'd find a commercial Snapper. Mine's been fantastic.
 
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I've got a Husquvarna riding mover with the big Kohler engine and a Husquavarna self propelled push mower with the Honda engine. The push mower is great - the Honda motor is garbage and I cannot for the life of me see the hoopla over this engine. The Kohler engine on my rider - great, the old Briggs on my backup push mower - runs rings around the newer Honda powered mower.

I would go with a mower NOT equipped with Honda power.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I've got a Husquvarna riding mover with the big Kohler engine and a Husquavarna self propelled push mower with the Honda engine. The push mower is great - the Honda motor is garbage and I cannot for the life of me see the hoopla over this engine. The Kohler engine on my rider - great, the old Briggs on my backup push mower - runs rings around the newer Honda powered mower.

I would go with a mower NOT equipped with Honda power.


That's not the case at all. The Honda COMMERCIAL engine series is fantastic. Snapper sells mowers with Honda GX series commercial engines.
 
Absurd. I make my living with Honda gx160 5.5hp engines. They are fantastic and I've got compressors 10 years old with nothing but oil changes and basic maintenance.
I will say that you have to find the ones that say made in Japan. The ones built elsewhere are not as reliable.
Look for and buy the made in Japan pieces.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
I've got a Husquvarna riding mover with the big Kohler engine and a Husquavarna self propelled push mower with the Honda engine. The push mower is great - the Honda motor is garbage and I cannot for the life of me see the hoopla over this engine. The Kohler engine on my rider - great, the old Briggs on my backup push mower - runs rings around the newer Honda powered mower.

I would go with a mower NOT equipped with Honda power.


That's not the case at all. The Honda COMMERCIAL engine series is fantastic. Snapper sells mowers with Honda GX series commercial engines.





Originally Posted By: Clevy
Absurd. I make my living with Honda gx160 5.5hp engines. They are fantastic and I've got compressors 10 years old with nothing but oil changes and basic maintenance.
I will say that you have to find the ones that say made in Japan. The ones built elsewhere are not as reliable.
Look for and buy the made in Japan pieces.



Ok, so you guys have better experience with Honda engines. Being honest, I read lots of good things about them.

However, my particular Honda engine equiped mower SUCKS. The very first week, the flimsy plastic fuel cut off switch snapped off. The air filter lid flies off if you even go near a branch and the cheap oil dipstick tube you have to hold the sheet metal "lockwasher" just to turn it or the whole thing just spins. It is very finnicky on gas - stutters on gas the Briggs runs fine on and with twice a year synthetic oil changes - it smokes on every start up. This mower is 2 years old! My old 11 yr old Briggs makes MORE power and doesn't smoke or is made of cheap plastic parts.

Again - just one man's experience and I know I am the minority on here when it comes to Honda small engines.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy

Ok, so you guys have better experience with Honda engines. Being honest, I read lots of good things about them.

However, my particular Honda engine equiped mower SUCKS.


You have the GCV engine on your mower, which is Honda's "residential grade," aka throwaway engine. While these make good power for their size, the long term reliability pales in comparison to the GX (commercial) series from Honda, and also many of their competitors. Honda makes no effort to hide this fact. Some of the bad points about this engine is the cam belt that WILL break with enough use, aluminum cylinder walls, and plain (non-roller) bearings. It's an engine whose number one goal is to be inexpensive.

For the weekend warrior, and the type of equipment that spends the majority of its life hibernating for the winter in your shed out back, they'll give years of satisfactory service. But a bulletproof workhorse, they are NOT.

The GX line of engines on the other hand, are the standard by which all other small engines are measured. They have been building these workhorses for countless years with little changes to the design, other than for emissions. It's the engine that put big, efficient power from small engines on the map, with it's OHV design, an industry first when they were introduced. This engine has been reverse engineered by untold numbers of Chinese manufacturers with varying degrees of success.

The next time you stop at Home Depot or Lowes, take a look at all the outdoor power equipment with "no name" or off-brand OHV engines. Ten years ago, you couldn't find equipment that didn't have a Briggs, Kohler or Honda engine in it. Today, the engines bear the name of the equipment manufacturer, like "MTD" or "Troy Built," etc. (who doesn't build the engine), or they'll have some random name like "Xoing Xu Engine Company Ltd."

Why? Because so many chinese manufacturers have been successful at selling copies of Honda's GX line of engines. Pay attention to the layout of the controls, approximate valve angle & port placement and you'll see how closely they copied the GX line of engines. Take off the labels, put them side by side and you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference.
 
Among these two, I'd buy the Honda every time. The deck is far superior to the Husqvarna deck, and you have only one transmission to fail, vs. two in the Husqvarna. Though I suppose one could make the point that if one trans goes out in the Husq, you could survive on the other one.

I own a Honda GCV engine and a GXV engine. Both have been fantastic for me. They're the only engines I've owned on which I did NOT have to clean the carburetors out every now and then. The GCV is 10 years old and the GXV is 12 years old. The GXV is on a very heavy aluminum deck (a Honda Masters mower) and it's notable how smooth this combination is. It purrs like a kitten. The GCV is on a thinner steel deck (a staggered-wheel Lawn-Boy 10330), so you can feel more of the engine's vibes though the deck and handle. It's still much smoother than competing engines in my opinion (I've owned them all). There's a reason I own mowers with Honda engines, and it's not because they're more reliable to use than other engines (they're not). It's because they're more enjoyable to use.
 
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