TORO vs LAWN BOY... help me decide plz....

[Metal or Death]

I think I've narrowed it down to the following 2 push mowers just looking for a little input before pulling the trigger...

will be using in conjunction with riding mower on 3/4 acre unlevel, rough & bumpy yard...



TORO RECYCLER 20331 (http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/recycler/20331.html)
Engine Briggs & Stratton® Engine
Power Rating 6.5 ft-lb Gross Torque**
Power Train Warranty 3 Years*
Guaranteed-to-Start Promise 3 Years*
Starter Recoil
Drive System Variable Speed Front Wheel Drive
Cutting Width 22"
Deck Material Steel
Washout Port Standard
Mulch, Bag, Side Discharge Standard
Warranty 2 Full Years*
Approximate Weight 83 lbs.

VS.

LAWN BOY 10645 (http://www.lawn-boy.com/productinfo/mowers/2009/10645.html)
Engine Briggs & Stratton ReadyStart
Engine Power 6.5 ft-lb Gross Torque**
CARB Compliant Available in California
Drive System Push
Power Train Warranty 3 Year*
Tru-Start Warranty 3 Years*
Starter Recoil
Cutting Deck 20" steel deck
Cutting Modes Mulch, Bag and Side Discharge ***I've read that it doesn't actually side discharge and have yet to see a pic indicating that it's even possible***
Easy Turn Wheels Standard
Tires 7" Front, 8" Rear
Cutting Height 1-4"
Weight 66 lbs.
Warranty 2-Year Complete

TORO: $299 shipped
LB: $259 shipped

TORO PROS: +2" cut over LB, side discharge, high wheels
TORO CONS: self propelled (i've heard horror stories about out-of-warranty self-propelled failures)

actually... after typing this the TORO sounds like the way to go.... however input would still be greatly appreciated, thanks - MoD.

[NEW CITY LAWN CARE LLC]

Are you in business mowing for a living?

[Metal or Death]

Are you in business mowing for a living?

nope.... and I obviously wont be make a living posting in the right forum either.. :laugh:

[NEW CITY LAWN CARE LLC]

Oh, so if your looking for a good homeowner model, I'd go to home depot and buy a Honda HRX model.

[Metal or Death]

Oh, so if your looking for a good homeowner model, I'd go to home depot and buy a Honda HRX model.

The cheapest HONDA ant Home Depot is $399 which is more than I want to spend...

[DT Lawn Care]

You can do whatever you want, but in my opinion those two mowers are pieces of crap. 1. The tranny will last less than three months especially since you're mowing unlevel ground. 2. I never buy from the box stores because they're normally really cheap. 3. Why does it have to be new? What I do is buy 10-15 year old Toro mowers for like $50-$100 with no use and with these specs.

Rear wheel drive, Cast Alum Deck, Blade Brake Clutch, 3 speed tranny, Suzuki or Briggs OHV motor.

Once again you do whatever, but I did the same thing when I started out with $400 brand new Hondas from Home Cheapo and the trannys went out first after a couple months.

[Metal or Death]

You can do whatever you want, but in my opinion those two mowers are pieces of crap. 1. The tranny will last less than three months especially since you're mowing unlevel ground. 2. I never buy from the box stores because they're normally really cheap. 3. Why does it have to be new? What I do is buy 10-15 year old Toro mowers for like $50-$100 with no use and with these specs.

Rear wheel drive, Cast Alum Deck, Blade Brake Clutch, 3 speed tranny, Suzuki or Briggs OHV motor.

Once again you do whatever, but I did the same thing when I started out with $400 brand new Hondas from Home Cheapo and the trannys went out first after a couple months.

well... that TORO comes with a 3yr powertrain warranty which covers the tranny according to the local service center rep...

... but, I have also been chekcing out this TROY-BILT TB542 Model (http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_166504_54966_-1) *push* mower for $249... but I don't know much about TROY-BILT products and there's not alot of reviews of them around (atleast not that I can find anyhow).. although the few for this model sound pretty good.... howere, it's lacking the warranty support of TORO/Lawnboy.


Easy to use from the start! The TB542 walk-behind lawn mower comes equipped with a dependable, easy starting 160cc* Honda engine, featuring an automatic choke release that prevents engine flooding. Its 12" rear high wheels make it ideal for smaller yards with uneven terrain or other obstacles. What's more, a choice of side discharge, mulching or rear bagging puts you in control, with a standard 2.3-bushel bag included.


• Automatic Return Choke System (ARCS) prevents engine flooding
• 21" steel deep-dome mulching deck
• 3-in-1 convertible - side discharge, mulch or rear bag
• Standard 2.3-bushel grass catcher
• 12" rear high wheels for added manueverability
• 9-position fingertip deck height adjustment
• Standard deluxe bail
• Fully assembled with oil included in carton
• 2-year limited warranty
• 160cc Honda engine

[DT Lawn Care]

Thank you I did forget to add...

If you're buying from Home Depot...
They do not register the warranties on their mowers. They basically say they do but they don't. It's not your fault, but they say that you have to return it to the manufacturer which is a huge pain in the a$$. The troy bilts are not any better if not worse. Heres some reviews from other customers on Home Depot also. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/home_depot_garden.html

[Metal or Death]

Thank you I did forget to add...

If you're buying from Home Depot...
They do not register the warranties on their mowers. They basically say they do but they don't. It's not your fault, but they say that you have to return it to the manufacturer which is a huge pain in the a$$. The troy bilts are not any better if not worse. Heres some reviews from other customers on Home Depot also. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/home_depot_garden.html

yeh... if do go with the TORO I'm getting from Land and Coates, a local retailer, which is both a TORO Dealer & Authorized Service Center.

...and to be honest it the TORO'S tranny goes after warranty cant I just remove it so the mower will be a bit lighter and just push the damn thing ? (hopefully that wouldnt happen for aleast 4-5 years... bu porbably sooner ;)...

at this point i so frustrated trying to find a decent push mower at a decent price... it seems they are all POSes to somebody....

I would buy a used one if knew what a good tried and true used one was... each manufacturer has models that are great & models that are trash... so without first hand knowledge of models I sould be checking out I'm not sure where to begin.... which, to be truthful about it, is why came to this forums in the first place.

I'm still leaning a bit towards the toro mainly cuz of the strong warranty and the fact that the service center is about 10min from my house should there ever be (or... uhhum... when there is) an issue.

[ALC-GregH]

You might have a look in the phone book for mower repair shops. A lot of times they have good reliable push mowers cheap. It can save you a lot of money. I bought a Toro personal pace. It cuts like crap. I even bought a high lift blade to try but the single blades of grass still stick up after mowing with it. At this point, I don't even have a need for a push mower but I'm thinking of selling the Toro (for a lose of course) and finding a cheap push mower for when I need one.

[ksJoe]

Are the new Snappers still any good? In my experience the old ones are great.

About 11 years ago my father was a snapper dealer, and I bought a 21" self propelled. The transmission is just a rubber wheel that slides across a spinning disk to determine the speed. It gives you 5 or 6 speeds to chose from. Its very simple and very reliable. There is a rubber part on the disk that is designed to be a wear item. I think I've replaced mine once or twice in 11 years.

It was a great mower until last summer when several teeth sheared off the cam gear. About 1-2 seconds after startup it ground to a stop... The deck and drive system were still in great shape so I bought a new honda GCV190 for around $200 to put on it.

Other than the engine failing at 10 years, its been excellent. And that was Tecumseh's fault, not Snapper's...

[Capemay Eagle]

I might also take a look at some Craftsman push mowers at Sears. I have always used Snappers and Craftsman mowers for the home and they have all been good to me. You can get a great push mower at Sears for about the same money. But If I had to pick from the two you listed, I would get the Toro.

[mowerbrad]

If I were you, I would go get a toro. Especially since this is a personal mower, it will be best to have a dealer behind it. And since many homeowners don't know too much about engines (no offense) having a good dealer to service your mower is a good idea. And if you don't buy from a dealer but rather from a big box store like home depot, you won't have anyone to service your mower unless you have a small engine repair shop around that works on them.

[DT Lawn Care]

If I were you, I would go get a toro. Especially since this is a personal mower, it will be best to have a dealer behind it. And since many homeowners don't know too much about engines (no offense) having a good dealer to service your mower is a good idea. And if you don't buy from a dealer but rather from a big box store like home depot, you won't have anyone to service your mower unless you have a small engine repair shop around that works on them.

Well said. Agreed.

[giannipage]

Ok , but where to buy a decent lawn mower to start a business ?
I'm noob here
I'm a green card holder coming from Italy , going to live in Socal , LA area , and i want to start a lawn business here , obviously recommendations are accepted, but i went to home depot etc and i found Toro or Jhon d. etc but every mower is iron frame, no alu. !!
In Italy i'm a seller of garden prod. like Toro (prof) Tanaka and some other brand, I have about 20 year of experience in this market so I can recognize good deal to bad one.
Can some one tell me where to find a good mower ? which shop or other !!!

I only know home d. costco, lowes , but i'd like to find a place where the people know what they sell and have what I need !!!

[giannipage]

P.S.
I i have 20 year experience in sale lawn mower and garden products, maintenance , I'm a well known swimming pool and BBQ dealer in the north east of Italy I know how to mainatain the clean water, how the pool work and how install it
A lot of experience in customer service, good math and computer skills

So if a dealer need a men like me, I'm here !!!

[giannipage]

Just in case !!! I renew this topic to let someone read it !!!

[mowerdude777]

My neighbor had the toro, he used it once and returned it, something went wrong, I do not rember what though. I have a snapper home owner mower that I use some times for work, and like it alot.

[grass_cuttin_fool]

For what its worth I had the same decisions about 2 months ago....I have 4 small accounts to mow....doesnt take but 1 tank of gas to mow all 4....I was going to get another lawnboy to replace my old one....but the home depot didnt have it in stock so I went with the Toro you mentioned....so far I am more than pleased with it...it side discharges and bags nicely.....only thing I dont like is there is no throttle control and I would like a lil more rpm on the blade....other than that its ok

[giannipage]

For what its worth I had the same decisions about 2 months ago....I have 4 small accounts to mow....doesnt take but 1 tank of gas to mow all 4....I was going to get another lawnboy to replace my old one....but the home depot didnt have it in stock so I went with the Toro you mentioned....so far I am more than pleased with it...it side discharges and bags nicely.....only thing I dont like is there is no throttle control and I would like a lil more rpm on the blade....other than that its ok

You can get more Rpm, just using 2 screwdriver, I did it every time I sold a Toro and my customers are glad
about it