21" trim mowers

[Schlepie]

Need a new trim mower. Looked at snapper for about 799.00, exmark for 830.00. prefered the snapper ( higher grip). Also saw the 26" high wheel snapper 6 speed , looks interesting for 999.00 anybody have one? Other opinions of 21" mowers?

[script]

The only three 21" mowers that I'm familiar with is the Honda, Snapper, and Toro. I like Honda but in my area parts are hard to get, and the Snapper is easy to work on when things break, but my first choice would be the Toro. The Toro gives a better cut and mulches better than the other two, and has held up for three years with minor problems. In my area the Toro sells for $875.00.

[EJK2352]

I run a Toro 21" commercial with a suzuki engine. I dont know if they
still offer that engine but its been a good one. The Exmark is really
a Toro with the Exmark name on it. I had a Snapper before & never
liked the way it cut or bagged. If you get a Toro or Exmark and are
planning on doing a lot of bagging, get the blade for a Toro 21"
Vaccu-deck mower. It bolts right on and works great in wet and/or
high grass. Hope this helps you out.


ED

[Tropical Trim]

Honda makes some pretty good 21" mowers. Models HRC 216 and HRC 215. Both of these are hydrostatically driven. HRC 216 has a speed control at your finger tips. HRC215 has only two speeds high and low which is changed with a lever on the mower deck. Both of these come with roto stop which is a great feature. Plus the reliability of that Honda engine...one pull and your off to work...more than two pulls....check your fuel level!

[David Haggerty]

I bought a 26" Snapper last year to mow a couple of places I couldn't get into with anything larger. It gets done faster than a 21" but I think the drive machanism is a little wimpy for the size of the mower. It has a little trouble even pulling is's self up the ramp into the trailer. I even had to replace the little "drive tire" and I only use it on two lawns. But then to me it's a trim mower, all stop and go. On open areas it really delivers. And that Suburu Robin engine is great.

[jones]

21 is not a trim mower. Get a Sthil FS85 to trim.
The Lawnboy 21 comm is the best 21 in my experience.

[Scag48]

TORO! 'Nuff said. I have a residential Toro 21". Super Recycler II. It mulches great, although I haven't seen a Honda mulch. I would like a Honda but am a little skeptical of it's mulching capabilities as told by a few people. I've heard that the personal pace on the Toro's is hard to use so I reccomend the Toro Commercial with the 3-speed and blade clutch. That blade clutch sure comes in handy in transport of concrete, dirt, gravel, any place that has debris and you don't want to push the mower. I would go with Toro if you're mulching, Honda if you're bagging, and I'd stay away from Snapper. I've heard some stuff about them and they look kinda cheap. Yes Jones, 21" are trim mowers. Maybe not for you only 'cuz that's the only equipment you run besides your trimmer, whether it be a Stihl FS 85 or not.

[Redmowers]

Has any one with a Toro 21" tried the Toro"Atomic" mulching blade or a Gator blade on theirs. Always seemed to need a little more lift.Mine bags great in drier conditions ,also I see Accelerator makes an aluminum collector for the 21" Toro's now.

[jones]

Scag,
I'm giving up on the trim mower debate but I do use a 36 as well.
The LB is better than the Toro or Honda if you have to do any side discharge because it's lighter and has a designated discharge chute. The Toro uses a plug which clogs alot easier. If you're doing striclty mulching, which I can't do because of heavy growth, the Toro is a good machine.

[Scag48]

I will agree that Lawnboy will side-discharge better than any other 21" out there because of it's "ecentric" design. Toro has that plug thing that I would believe to be worthless to use for side-discharging.

[tpirobert]

I have had Toro and Snapper. Toro was the better of the two. However, I now use a much cheaper Yardman mulh/bag/side discharge that is 6 speed self-propelled. Works great, costs about $400. No blade break clutch, but I can live without. Don't get a Snapper.

[Redmowers]

I have the chute for my Toro that converts it to a side discharge.Remove the mulch block and lock the chute with handle ,takes seconds.That is what I was refering too when I thought it needed a little more lift in the blade,see earlier post.

[lawrence stone]

I have been using my back up 21 a 1989 toro commercial with a recycler one kit installed, recycler blade plus that thingy and no mulching plug. It's a real beast with a suzuki engine and no blade brake. I bought it from the local dealer many year ago for $250.

It was owned by a homeowner who never picked it up after the dealer installed a new transmission. The tires are like new but it sounds like it could use some crankcase seals.

Well it was about 85 and 70% humidity today and I had to walk behind a few small jobs. This thing has three speeds:

1. way too slow
2. too slow
3. too fast for an old guy

It mulched 9 day old turf w/o slowing down. One of the best $250 I ever spent.

[jeffyr]

This thing has three speeds:

1. way too slow
2. too slow
3. too fast for an old guy



That's funny LS

[Kevin Neely]

I too have the Toro 21" heavy duty Suzuki and it's the most powerful 21" mower I've used. Many comments on the power in tall conditions which is very true. I also like the 2 cycle feature because I know the engine will always be lubricated and I don't have to worry about oil changes which will reduce my overhead since I don't have to buy oil filters.
Be careful comparing Exmark's version and Toro's. The Toro has the recycler kickers and theirs don't. The kickers enhances the mower when in mulching mode.

[Sammy]

I bought a plain Jane Honda. 62 lbs. Use it one day a week.:cool:

[coyeote]

Kevin Neely,

Are the other differences between the Exmark and the Toro mower?

[samk]

have a toro recycler personal pace cuts awesome and is very light . Has taken a beatin so far and still holding up great

[leaflawnandlimb]

I guess Exmark is coming out with a 21" with a Honda engine.

[corban]

I've recently purchased a John Deere JX75. It's one step below the commercial and costs about $150 less. After buying the mulching kit, side chute, and spare blade it ran me $840. You don't get steel wheels, extra guard on side of deck, or the extra hard metal in the trans. I've put in about 20 hours with it and have been very impressed. It has 5 speeds and goes up to 4.1 m.p.h. That's really movin for a 21". The bagging is great. I haven't had a whole lot of mulch experience with it but it does okay. I wish they'd give a little more than 6 horses in that kawasaki engine though.

[Brad]

I was reading the responses to this post and decided to check out the Toro site and see what they had to say about their consumer vs. commercial equipment. Now here is where I get confused. They give a menu on the commercial site to go to the "21" WPM" mowers. I am at a loss on the WPM here. I have a hunch it's a typo, and should be WB, but I could be wrong. Anyway, I clicked there and went to the 21 commercial page. I was going to check out the Toro, but the Lawnboy caught my eye. I have the plain on 21" consumer lawnboy Gold, and it uses the DuraForce 6.5 HP engine. I see the that commercial Lawnboys use a different engine. The DuraForce 6.5 MPH engine. Do most commercial engines come rated in miles per hour rather than HP?

Webmaster probably not a mechanically inclined individual, and the cut-backs took out the proofreaders.....

Oh, well, just my 2 cents worth of cynicism.

Brad

[2tall]

Check out the Honda Hydros. You can pick one up for $700. Also come with Blade Brake. Shop around and see who will work with you on price.

[petemoss]

I have both Snapper's and Toro's and really prefer the Toro for power, longevity, and all around ruggedness. (My opinion) The only thing that I like better about the Snapper is the drive engagement lever, the one on the Toro rubs blisters on my thumbs bad. I talked with my dealer about the eXmark/Toro deal and he was of the opinion that the only difference was the engine. I am thinking for the future I will probably go with the eXmark, that way I can run the same fuel as bigger mowers and can save a few bucks on the cost vs the Toro.

[GreenIsland]

I have used my current toro with the bbc system commercially since 1993 it has been flawless- and Because of yard and conditions in my area I use this as my primary mower and not just a trim mower-- toros are excellent-- bought a new one this year for $625.oo as back up in case I ever would have a problem. You will not be disapointed at all. Hondas are great to. Snappers make you work too hard- just not that impressed -- I guess that's why Walmarts are selling them now-- in my opinion about a 1/3 the mower of a Toro or Honda. Bought a John Deere about 5 years ago-- one of their best models--did not last the season. AS far as most other brands-- throw aways nothing more. I would push for Toro-- can't beat the large opening bag featured as well-- If your lucky enough to get a suzuki motored model-- you'll know why they can guarantee them to start on first pull-- never fails. The only gripe that I can say about toro is if your sloppy at changing height adjustment on the wheels you will scrap metal down-- and eventually it leads to the wheel dropping adjustment during mower-- the only flaw I can see and preventable if you take your time adjusting them.

[Turf Ranger]

i have 4 snapper trim mowers.... 2 of them are about 20yrs old and were handed down to me.... if you put ninja blades on them they cut great... i have 2 others that i have had for 2 yrs... they are easy to work on, i run them with briggs 6.5 hp. well to get down to it... i like snapper

[turfman33]

I just got a John Deere and that mower with cut through anything. Awesome mower!

Steve

[rkbrown]

I use a snapper commercial with a gator blade, not the ninja. Does a fine job as a mulching mower. I will, however, probably go to a Toro when I need a new one. I just don't have that much confidence in Snapper now that their products are in Walmart.

[jhawk71]

Either lawnboy or toro. I personally wouldnt get the toro i mean the are so expensive. I would say toro is the most out all of them. But i have onlt tried the lawnboy and toro. the toro i have know is holding up strong so i hope o dont have to buy for another 10 yrs i just dont use it that much.
jhawk71

[rehfis]

i own a 26" snapper walk behind. for 2 seasons i used it as my main mower. i feel tht it has a ton of power and can cut through some pretty thick grass. the only thing bad with it is the bagging system. it is the worst bagging system ever, but i never use it becuase it mulchs so well. i now use it for a second or third mower and it is great for that too. sometimes i jsut don't feel like messing with my big mower and i get this out and it cuts twice as fast as my 21" john deere and leaves a great cut.