21" Mower? Exmark / Honda ?

[kona]

I am looking at 21" mowers for trimming and smaller gated yards. I want a good , reliable one. I am looking at the EXMARK 21" ( which is a Toro) and the HONDA- commercial ? Which is better? Any one used these? THANKS

[MuskTurfKing]

I think whatever you buy will be a good mower and will serve you great over many years, it's all a matter of price, dealer, and how YOU like the product, go to a dealer and check em out.

Hank

[odin]

If you want to mulch go toro, if you bagg a lot go honda

[Turfer]

I have the harmony model Honda. I have heard allot of good things about the commercial Honda but mine gives a terrible cut. I have tried different blade combinations, mulching, bagging, discharging and I always get standing grass after I cut. Yes the deck is even and clean and the blades are sharp and I go real slow but I always get the same results - poor quality cut !!

[dlandscaping]

I would go with the toro since it has the grass kickers under the deck and you can choose from different engine options. The exmark cost almost $250 more than what i buy my 21 proline with 2 cycle suzukis. I have a honda push that is older. You can't kill either of these engines. The body on the honda is almost gone though. Get this the oil for the honda turns green/blue after a few hours use every time, i dont get it. For bagging the honda i feel is harder to put the bag on and can take longer to empty. I have been using toros for at least 7 years and am so used to them i can do it blindfolded. I love my toros.

[AK Lawn]

Honda commercial is the only way to go, i have used toros in the past and they fell apart quick, i have 5 21" honda commercials and they are bullet proof, yes the toro would seem better for multching but the honda commercial offers an excellent cut not to mention the bagging system is great and quick , they did remodel it over the years, as stated before was more difficult in past years but are great now, and just to reinforce what was stated before, the harmony is junk ,but yet you get what you pay for, and the honda commercial is $1000, so good luck w/ your purchase
AK Lawn

[Brickman]

If you can try a JX85 John Deere. Other wise I would stick with the Toro.
Have you ever tried to buy parts even an air filter for a Honda?? Mucho $$

[joed]

I enjoy my 21" Toro Proline very much. Mulches great, moves quickly and is a good bagger when the need arises. The only drawback I see is side discharging (not very good) and the bag is too big to empty directly into a garbage bag. Otherwise it has been a reliable and dependable performer. Wonderful unit

[Shadetree Ltd]

Funny, different strokes for different folks, I just got rid of all my 21" Hondas for 21" Toro's. The Hondas were nickle and diming me to death and the were all less than 3 years old. The Honda's are hands down the better mower when bagging or when it is wet out, but the Toro's is significantly faster and even when bagging reduces your collected clippings by a lot. So far I am happy with the switch over.

Scott

[longslawn]

Try the John Deere. I have 5 21" mowers and the cut is excellent on all. I bag with them most of the time and they do great. They also mulch OK.

[yardmonkey]

I have been using a Honda HRC215 commercial mower for almost 2 years. Took me awhile to get used to it. I think I was expecting it to do a better job of mulching tall grass than was reasonable. Very happy with it now. I use it for mulching, bagging and side discharging. It is a super-tough machine. My next one will probably be a Honda HRC216, which has a 5.5hp engine, the 215's have 5hp engines. The Honda engines are legendary. Mine has started on the first pull nearly every time. (takes about 3 pulls after it has been on its side for blade changing). Had trouble starting it this year - it just needed the choke adjusted. I was very surprised to learn a while back that Snappers do not have Blade Brake Clutches even on the commercial models. Last week I was even more surprised to learn that some (or most?) of the Toro commercials do not have BBC's either. And the ones that do are belt driven. I was told that Honda perfected and patented the BBC. Can't imagine using a mower without it. One difference in the Honda commercials and their cheaper machines (such as the Harmonys) is that the commercials use an extra blade for mulching. You purchase a "mulching kit" and use two blades for mulching. I just leave both blades on all the time.

Tons of Hondas around here!

[laynlow]

FYI, Honda harmony's, even the harmonyII's use the twin blade system. I have a harmony II for home use, and it came stock. Bought it four years ago (I think).

[johnhenry]

Odin is right mulch toro bag honda that all there is to know

[GLS]

I presume the Honda has a blade clutch on it, but if not, I would strongly suggest a mower with one, especially for a trim mower.

JD's JX-85 commercial 21" is $920 list. I highly recommend this mower.

[corban]

Something I would look out for is the top speed of the mower as well as its highest cut option. I ruled out the Honda and Toro because they only cut up to 3". If you're like me, you run into times when you need something a little higher. I chose the John Deere JX75. Great cut and runs 4.1 mph. It Moves! It still has the 6hp Kawasaki in it. It's not quite the JX85, but it's a couple hundered less for a very similar mower.

[totallpm]

Have 2 exmark 21 and 4 honda commercials. Personally like the cut better on the Honda but as previously stated mulch exmark and bag hondas. Also do not get the briggs on the ex the kawasaki is much better.

Kevin Total Landscaping

[RELIABLELAWNMAN]

HERE IN FRESNO,CA THE TWO MAIN MOWERS IN USE ARE TORO AND HONDA. I USE A 21" TORO WITH BBC POWERED WITH THE KAWASAKI ENGINE. THE TORO AND EXMARK BOTH HAVE ALUMINUM
DECKS (GREAT WITH ALL OF THE PRESSURE WASHING I DO!) ALSO, IF MY TORO DEALER DOES NOT HAVE PARTS, I CAN GET PARTS FROM THE EXMARK DEALER. HAVE NOT HAD TROUBLE MOWING FESCUE LAWNS WITH THE TORO. YES, IT IS BELT DRIVEN, BUT I CHANGE THE DRIVE BELT AT LEAST 3 TIMES A YEAR EVEN IF IT DOES NOT NEED IT. AN ELECTRIC IMPACT WRENCH IS
NEEDED TO CHANGE THE BELTS (ONE DISADVANTAGE). I AM NOT SURE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO CHANGE THE DRIVE SHAFT ON THE HONDA HRC. TALK TO OTHERS IN YOUR AREA, AND GET THEIR THOUGHTS. GOOD MOWING........

[65hoss]

I've got a Honda 21" that we bought new in 1984. Runs and cuts great. I just refuse to carry it or use it anymore.

[keifer]

I vote for the proline but my dealer says dont get the one with the bbc it is nothing but trouble.

[cleancutdude]

If you ever get a chance try an etesia . I plan to buy the pro 51 with a speed up kit next month .


http://www.etesia.com/accueil_uk.html