Honda 21"

[Scag48]

Hey all. Just found out that the mower I borrow to mow with quit working. Again! I have been looking at alot of different mowers but I think my best shot is a 21". I guess I can't put it off any longer, I NEED A MOWER! I have looked a Toro, John Deere, and Honda. I have considered all quite a bit but I keep bouncing between the three. Toro's are good and my dad swears by them (don't know why, just a homeowner model), John Deere's are pretty good but they don't offer a Briggs engine (I think). I know Honda has a great engine but I'm not familiar with the cutting quality, etc.. Are the commercial 21"s really worth 1K? That's what they sell them for around here. And could I get away with using a Harmony? This would be my main mower (pretty lame huh?). I have thought that in a couple of years when and if I get a bunch of lawns, having the commercial model would be better for the situation. If I had the rezzie model, I'd have to sell it I guess and I have to go through buying a mower all over again. So would I be better off buying a commercial to start with to save aggrevation?

[Rufur]

be sure to check the differencesd between the commercial and residential mower of the same brand sometimes the commercial mower just has better tires or something trivial 1 k sounds high they are 6-700 at lowes or home depot I had a harmony reason I like my toro better is the harmony's deck deck is bulky and takes up space I dont know if its true but Ive heard rumors that you're paying for better environmentally safe engines with the honda vs. a 200$ mower...right now Im using a toro personal pace and like it alot gives you alot more control of the mower

[little green guy]

Hey, If i where you instead of spending 1k on a chessy 21" mower I would get at least a 36" mower or bigger. You can buy a used one in decent shape for about 1200 or sometimes less. I would never spend that much on a 21" mower that's cazy considering what you can get for the same price. If you realy want a 21" though I think exmark makes one. Also you said something about JD not offering Briggs, In my opinion briggs motors are junk and I would never buy another one.good luck

[Likestomow]

I just bought a Lawn Boy Gold Series 21&quot; mower and really love the way it cuts. It has 3 speeds and the top speed is a very fast walk... as fast as I want to go. The power is great -- haven't made it bog down yet, even in really high grass.<p>I use mine for ditches (it's a two cycle) and small areas in an apartment complex. <p>It only cost me $525 and carries a full 3 year warranty on the whole mower except for the belt and blade.<p>I can lift it off and on my trailer much easier and faster than fooling with a 36&quot; walk-behind. For me it's just right.

[Keith]

The walkbehind would be better, but I think transport is an issue for Scag48. Putting a 350lb walk behind in the vehicle is probably a little difficult. :)<p>I did buy a new Toro Commercial 2 cycle in 1987 ($600)and lasted probably well over 2000 hours and never really quit, went through a few transmissions. I bought another in 95 ($900) and it wasn't the machine the 87 was. Whether it was just a lemon or what I don't know. I gave up on it since it was merely a trim mower. So I have a mixed opinion about the Toro 21&quot;. I probably would be willing to try another if I really needed a 21&quot; <p><p><p><font size="1">Edited by: Keith

[TGCummings]

If it's a 21&quot;, I'd suggest the Toro Proline for around 1K. I've tried several models (though not the new Honda Commercials), and the Recycler version of the Proline is the best I've ever used. I just upgraded to a 36&quot; Exmark but my ol' Toro still gets more of a workout while I adjust to the size and manageability of the big gun. <p>Been using 21&quot; six years myself and 17 years total and the Toro's the best so far...<p>-TGC

[gusbuster]

I've been mowing lawns since age 8 and only have used 19&quot; or 21&quot; mowers the last 29 years. I’ve used Lawnboy, Toro, Snapper, and now Honda's. Anything that is truly commercial grade mower your going to pay between $700-over $1000.I would check out this site: http://alamia.com they carry Honda, Snapper, Lawnboy. For example, they have a commercial 21&quot; Lawnboy model # 22261,self-propelled and free shipping going for $685. As long as you don't live in Colorado, no sales tax.<p>One thing that i have seen in the past, who's going to fix your machine if it breaks down? What I am trying to say if possible, buy from your local machine supplier. They don't make that much money off of your sale. Where they make their money is on repairs. They're going to service a machine that was purchased from them faster than a machine that was purchased at Home Depot or some other store.<p>Myself, I have bought a Lawnboy from alamia.com and I’m very happy with my machine. In California, at least in my area, nobody carries Lawnboy;s anymore. I also just ordered a Honda from my local supplier. It’s going to run me over $1200 for all the accessories that I’m getting. (Extra blades, mulching kit etc..)<br>John<p>----------<br>J-LC Landscaping & Maintenance Gardening<br>C-27 Ca Contr# 770044

[Scag48]

Littlegreenguy-I don't know if you have read any of my posts or not but trying to find used mowers that are in my price range is very difficult. I wish I could find an Exmark 36&quot; used. I think that would be best. For a new 32&quot; Metro my dealer wants $1,999! He told me MSRP was about $2,300. I wanted it so bad but guess what dad said. 80)

[little green guy]

hey scag48 i have read every one of you posts. My first mower was a used 1992 exmark belt drive w/14 vanguard engine that I bought from another landscaper in town that i know. I bought it for $600.00. The only thing I did to it was new tires, belts and blades. That mower runs just as good as my other ones do. I think a used mower would be ideal for you instead of messing around with a 21&quot;mower. Like i told you in the post about getting jobs, talk to the other landscapers in your town an see if they got anything they want to sell. If you absolutly can't find anything good don't spend 1k on a 21&quot;, spend a couple of hundred and save the money so you can buy a bigger mower when youget enough money. You do not need a commercail 21&quot; for a couple lawns a week.my two cents hope it helps.

[KirbysLawn]

I totally agree with the above. I think most decent landscapers would help you out with info and maybe have equipment also. Check and ask, make a few calls, you never know what may happen.

[MOW ED]

About 5 years ago Honda came out with a Hydro 21&quot;walkbehind for about 1k and I thought that was alot then. If you are gonna put alot of hours on a small walkbehind go with a Toro or Lawnboy which is the same company for about half the price of the Honda. <br>I prefer my 2-cycle Lawnboy for trim mowing and tight backyard mowing, its also great for hills as the 4 cycles can lock up at constant angle cutting. <br>Honda makes great ATV's and if you save your money buy one of these but don't spend 1k on a Honda. Good Luck.

[Turfcouncil]

I have been using a honda 2 speed commercial for about 4 years. parts are expensive but the thing seems to be bullet proof. They are worth the $ but if you mow wet grass don't buy it.. they clog EXTREMELY easy.<p>----------<br>Steve<br>

[yardmonkey]

I have been using a Honda HRC215SXA commercial 21&quot; mower for a few months. I would have to agree with the last post. It is<br>built like a tank and may last forever. I once moved my truck a little ways down a driveway with the tailgate down and the mower rolled out. Didn't hurt it a bit. But I have a lot of trouble with it clogging in tall grass, thick grass and wet grass. And that's in mulching mode, bagging mode or side discharge mode and even at the highest cutting height, though it is worse in mulching mode and at lower heights. I think the mulching blade may have something to do with it. You add the blade on above the existing blade. I am going to look into the possibility of using a different blade. (Anyone have any info on that?) It seems like this would be a great mower for just mowing nice yards every week or so but it really bugs me that it won't handle tougher jobs. I sometimes have to use my crummy $200 Sears mower which will chop right through stuff the Honda won't handle. I'm thinking of getting a Toro or something else. I'll probably stick with 21&quot; mowers for now but I can see how a bigger machine would be good to have. Everyone told me to get a Honda and I see lots of them on trailers around here so lots of people seem to like them.

[Guido]

YARDMONKEY - Do a search for 2 blade systems (theres a thread with 100 or so replies about mulching blades, etc) or check out Eric Elms homepage for more info on your question. Hope this helps!<p><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

[carlsmower]

check out the high lift blade made by rotary<br>they bag about 25% better than the standard honda bagging blade retail around $14

[yardmonkey]

Guido -I found the thread on 2-blade systems. It looks all the posts are in reference to large mowers. I found the page on Eric's site where he says to be sure and put the blades at 90 degrees when using 2 blades. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone say why to do that but it ocurred to me that this would help to prevent grass getting stuck between the blades. Would like to try that but I can't see how to do it on my mower. I could just clamp the top blade in above the bottom blade but there is nothing to keep it centered. I wonder why they don't design the machines this way.<p>Carlslawn - Where can I find the blade made by rotary?