21"s (NEED NEW ONES))

[sgreanbean]

I have 3 toro comm 21"s, they are getting worn out!
I have been thinking real hard about getting the lawnboy comm 21"s
has anybody used these, if not what do you suggest other than toro

[casey]

Get the LB commercial. I've used just about every comm 21" and it's the best by far.
Light, excellent discharge (take off the metal bar on the discharge chute), good bagger (get the side bag, not rear, good mulcher.
I've got 8 LBC's

[jeffyr]

I here they are good Casey. How do they stripe ?


:jester:

[Toroguy]

I bought a 21" lawnboy in 99 and have had good luck with it. It was my only mower for a time, as I saved up for a Exmark.

Casey,
I am going out to take off that bar you mentioned, didnt even think of it, great idea!

[casey]

Toroguy,
If you haven't allready done it, take off the plasic back flap too, it makes pulling the mower backwards alot easier.



Also doesn't stripe as much.

[lawrence stone]

Forget the 21" mowers and buy a pair of 32" Toro steering eXmark fixed deck machines.

Add a pair of proslides and you have just tripled your production rates.

[casey]

You might be amazed how fast a 21" LB can do a small lot. I think, much faster than any WB, because of its light weight you can get around a small prop faster.
Also there are alot of gates and steep ditches a 32 can't handle.

Bigger is not allways better!

[sgreanbean]

ive looked at them pretty good, ill defintey go with the self propelled though

[Prasino]

I have two Lawnboy commercials. These machines have gone through so much and still start up everyday. The staggerd wheel design makes for some nice striping. Best investment ive made so far

[danlawnser]

You might want to check into the new push on the handle bar type drive system that is now on the LB. I have it on my Toro 21 and love it. The only thing I don't like about my Toro is that sometimes the wheels like to change heights. It doesn't do it much although. I like the cut on the LB. The LB are always good choices.

[bam]

we are trying the lb comm. this year. so far so good. we have 5 of them. our old ones are snappers. I think we switched over for the 2cycle use, figuring its easier for guys to fuel the machines up. blowers, trimmers, 21" all the same fuel.

We have rear baggers for all, however some crews havent installed it. they prefer just mulching with it. they do a good job in the tight areas.

[sgreanbean]

what kind of prices are you guys giving for the self movers?

[David Gretzmier]

gotta disagree here, the toro proline 21's are my choice. That suzuki 2-cycle is bulletproof. the deck is like a tank. I've tried lawnboys, and the traction is NOTHING like the positrac on the toro's. Dave g

[casey]

Dave G,
Does the Toro have a designated discharge chute or a plug? Plugs clog. If it's designated what HP Suzuki is it? Th LB is a 2 cycle (light) 6.5 H.P.. Would you buy a WB without a designated discharge chute? Also I believe the Toro weighs 10 to 20 pounds more.

[gusbuster]

I've been using LB's for over 30 years.:laugh: Only complaint, which was addressed with the newer commercial versions, was the transmission speed.

When you factor: weight, power vs. other brands, you can't beat LB's. Toro's and Honda's get heavy after the lifting it a couple times. I do think though the other brands are very good choice for other people with different requirements than me. Also, LB's are a little cheaper to buy.

John

[Vandora Lawn & Landscape]

21" weigh at most 115lbs. Easily liftable by two people. Often by one. They are great for lifting into difficult places, carrying up stairs, those little areas you just can reach.

[watatrp]

I've had a Toro commercial for my previous mower. I bought a LB self-propelled three years ago. No problems yet. It seems to work just fine. The suzuki engine on the Toro was a strong point. Since LB and Toro are now basiclly one company now, the drives are the same as far as I can tell. If you ask me, I would be happy with either one. The LB price seems to be a little easier to handle.

[TFL]

take a look at the john deeres i have two. they been put through alot and still run like the day i bought them:)

[Mowman]

I myself have a Toro Pro-Line 21". I really like it. It also has the 2 cycle Suzuki engine. If I would buy another one I'm not sure. $1000.00 for a 21" that very seldom comes off the trailer anymore I would look into the LawnBoy's. It would have to be a 2 cycle though. I have a couple steep hills and ditches to contend with that a 4 cycle would not be the right choice for the task. Hope this helps.
Mowman

[rdh]

lawn boy mowers are to me better than the toros(self propelled).i dont know about the toro that they call personal pase. but the toro i used.
had just the one bar that you held down to keep it running and if you pushed the same bar down it would take off (self propelled).i couldnt
get used to it.the lawnboy has 2bars one for self propelled and one
for the motor a lot better to operate.all so they are supose to start
on the second pull but mine (90%)of the time started the first pull.
i had my lawn boy 3 years until resently my stuff was stolden.never had any problems out of it.

greenguy lawnboys are posi trac also.

[sgreanbean]

i really didnt think so many people used Lawn Boys! Im glad to see that you do, I think im prob gonna get a couple at the end of the year. I want to see how long my toros will make it

[summitgroundskeeping]

This is a popular topic. We use Ariens. Got two of them. Love the Brigs, but one has a Techum(POS motor). I beat the crap out of them and they are still mowing great. Or get a Gravely. They are the same mower with a Robins' motor. Just what I've been preaching 4 ever.

[summitgroundskeeping]

I was at home depot a while ago to look at Hondas'. That is the only place within 40 miles from me who sells them. Plastic-like decks. Seem to have like fiber glass blades. Wasn't impressed. Does Honda make other mowers besides these?

[yardmonkey]

Honda makes a full line of 21" mowers, commercial and residential. Where I live they seem to be preferred. Lots of people have told me they last better than Toro, Snapper or anything else. I think the engines are especially good. I bought an HRC215SXA, which is one of the cheaper commercial models. Have used it for about a year as my main mower. Very tough machine. It once fell out of the back of my truck with no effect. Some of the residential models do have plastic decks, but I heard that Home Depot had some deal where they were letting people pound on them with sledgehammers. The blades are not fiberglass. Home Depot does not normally carry the commercial models, which will say COMMERCIAL right on the top of the deck. I think mine was about $850.00, which I think is the bottom of the line. I have been pretty happy with it, however I did have some trouble last year with mulching. I tend to want to always mulch if I can and I suspect some mowers may be better at mulching in taller or thicker grass. It seems like most people around here just bag everything. On most of the Hondas, you add a second blade for mulching and this can cause grass to get caught between the two blades and the deck. The discussion on this site on double blades is (as far as I can tell) oriented to larger mowers and the blades are mounted at right angles to each other, whereas on the Honda 21"s they are stacked on top of each other. I think most brands just use a single blade for mulching. I seem to be more in touch with how the machine works now and more able to deal with various cutting situations. You can get a side discharge shute , so this is a "3-in-1" mower. Hondas are super-tough. I know of one pro around here who buys Snappers but has Honda engines put on them. Mine has almost always started on the first pull. You can check out Honda's mowers here:
http://www.hondapowerequipment.com

I know another guy who uses a commercial Snapper. He likes it because it has a removeable oil filter and he says it is a good mulcher and he also like the self-propel. He says the bagging shute tends to clog with wetter grass.

I have suspected that Toro may be really good for mulching. I am not a fan of 2-cycle engines for environmental reasons. Some Toros have the option of 2-cycle or 4-cycle engines.

Honda also makes super-tough 4-cycle weedeaters. I bought a Robin 4-cycle weedeater since it is lighter than the Honda.

[sdwally]

My preferrence would be a Snapper 21" with a Robin Engine and a after market high lift blade kit. The Snapper are very durable and normally much cheap to have repaired compared to a Toro or a Honda. The Snapper is normally a rear bagger, however can be quickly converted to a side discharge or a mulching mower with a few part changes. The high lift blade kit is 2 plates that bolt onto the stock blade. With this kit, the bag will be pack full of grass and not just 1/2 or 3/4 full with a plugged chute, especially in heavy grass.
All three machines are good units, however your repair bill will be considerable more when have work done on the drive systems. Honda parts are just plain expensive normally. As far as I know, most of the Toro deck is a cast aluminum alloy. If you break or crack the deck most shop will tell you it cheaper to buy a new machine. The reason behind this is that the alloy contains magnesium, which most welders will not even attempt to weld. I've only meet one welder that has had any luck welding, however he has a very expensive Tig Welder. FYI: magnesium can catch on fire and is next to impossible to put out. Military uses magnesium grenades to burn through engine blocks to permantly disable a vehilce.
Snapper's however shut the engine off when you release the safety handle, whereas the others use a blade clutch. Convence vs. high repair cost of clutch systems.
As far as the high lift blade kits for the Snapper, if your dealer doesn't know what I'm talking about just post a note in the mechanic forum and I'll see about a part number and a supplier, so your dealer can contact them.