Honda HRX review

[robert@honda]

Originally Posted by kawasaki guy

Could you post some pics? They seem cool.

Here's a few photos from an old brochure....

Honda made a series of hydrostatic versions, with various deck sizes; these were based off of Bunton, Inc. designs and assembled at the Bunton plant in Louisville, KY.

• HRC7013, 13hp single-cylinder engine, 36 and 48 inch decks
• HRC7018 & HRC7020, 18hp & 20hp twin-cylinder engine, 52 and 60 inch decks

There was also a gear-transmission model, the HRC7113, also a 13hp unit with a 36 and 48 decks. It had a transmission made by the Auburn, Inc. company.

All had mulching kits and massive side-mount grass bags, as well as the ride-on Sulky...

See attached .PDF file for images..

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

[kawasaki guy]

Originally Posted by robertcoats

Here's a few photos from an old brochure....

Honda made a series of hydrostatic versions, with various deck sizes; these were based off of Bunton, Inc. designs and assembled at the Bunton plant in Louisville, KY.

• HRC7013, 13hp single-cylinder engine, 36 and 48 inch decks
• HRC7018 & HRC7020, 18hp & 20hp twin-cylinder engine, 52 and 60 inch decks

There was also a gear-transmission model, the HRC7113, also a 13hp unit with a 36 and 48 decks. It had a transmission made by the Auburn, Inc. company.

All had mulching kits and massive side-mount grass bags, as well as the ride-on Sulky...

See attached .PDF file for images..

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

thanks!

[lietzke]

Originally Posted by robert@honda

All other current Honda self-propelled mowers use a belt-drive design. Those with the SmartDRIVE controls use a cone-clutch, and will this year move to a slipping belt arrangement. Two of the HRX-series models use a hydrostatic-style transmission, and the third is SmartDRIVE.

Does the HRX2173VKA use a cone-clutch, or the new slipping belt arrangement that you mentioned? What was the reason for the change? Thanks for your information!

[weeze]

i think it uses cone clutch and a belt but i'm not 100% sure about that.

i'm glad this thread was brought back up since guys on here were bashing me about suggesting someone use an hrx model for commercial mowing. this thread proves that it is a good mower for lawn care business owners especially if they don't use a 21" mower that often which is the case for most of us.

[Roger]

Originally Posted by lietzke

Does the HRX2173VKA use a cone-clutch, or the new slipping belt arrangement that you mentioned? What was the reason for the change? Thanks for your information!

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/Jac...NDA/47615/4397

Here is the link to the parts diagram. The last drawing in the set includes the transmission. It looks to be a full gear transmission, input pulley with transaxles.

[weeze]

well i found this but it is from 2008. it is about the cone clutch tech which is what the honda website says they still use on the hrx vka models. robert did mention something about a belt but i can't seem to find that info anywhere so i dunno if maybe that is on a different model or what.

http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/ar...spx?id=4604-en

edit: found this so i guess it uses a belt too.

http://www.justanswer.com/small-engi...hrx217vka.html

[weeze]

i figure it would be similar to this honda mower since it has smart drive too:

[saw man]

That is a constant tension belt and will not need to replaced very often!!

[robert@honda]

The HRX2173VKA is a discontinued model, and uses an internal cone-clutch to adjust speed. The belt is under constant tension between the crankshaft and input shaft on the transmission.

The HRX2174VKA uses a belt-tension design to adjust speed. The belt slips/grips as you move the control lever to adjust speed, and the "4" weighs about 1 lb. less.

Otherwise, all the features, controls, warranty, etc. are identical. You may find the "3" at a slight discount, but really depends on the dealer/retailer.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

[weeze]

thanks robert. that clears things up.

i guess it works like my craftsman mower with honda engine. the more you pull the lever the tighter the belt gets and makes it go faster. i've had the original belt on my craftsman for over 10 years now so the belt will last a long long time unless you mow 8hrs a day everyday or something. i only have a few yards where i use a 21" for about 15min each time so not alot of use. i did use the mower i have to cut my 1/2 acre yard for a few seasons at my old house. the belt drive design is a more simple design and better since it's easy to replace a belt rather than a transmission. i'm glad honda did that. i'll definately be getting a hrx2174vka for my next pushmower when the time comes.