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Honda HRX review

81K views 79 replies 33 participants last post by  weeze 
#1 ·
As some of you know, I've been discussing hand mowers for the past year. My LawnBoy DuraForce was a very big hassle last season, and I was waiting for the new LB Commercial mower entry. We all know that didn't happen because of no engines for these machines. Now, as discussed in another current thread, these machines are red, being branded as Toro mowers.

After much discussion with many on LS, and doing my own research, I ended up with a Honda HRX, self-propelled model. This is not the machine of my desire, but was the "last one standing." I didn't want the former LB entry, now a Toro, fearing it would soon be an orphan. Of all the criteria, weight of the machine was very important. Also, it has to be a good bagging machine. We use a hand mower at least 600 hours per season, mostly bagging. [Save all the discussion of bagging vs. mulching, vs. discharge for another thread -- been through that valley far too many times to repeat here. Also, save all the discussion about "no need to use a 21" mower, use a w/b instead." Again, been down that path far too many times too. Thanks.]

The HRX is 90-95#, about the lightest one that might have a chance of standing up to our needs. I do not like the idea of the Honda GCV engine, but that is all that is offered.

So this is what I have for the 2009 season. Let's also not debate the "shudda" machines either. I've spent far too much time discussing all other choices, and this is the only one that emerged as a choice.

I picked it up more than a week ago. I tried it out a little last week, but today was the first day out. I only worked three properties, but came away some initial impressions. We don't have much growth here yet, and only the "early" ones are candidates to make a mowing pass.

Engine: I like the starting, and power. I don't like the way it runs. It seems very rough, will not idle well at all (surges). Also, it seems to have quite a knock.

Fuel: The small tank is a real problem. All it will run is about 1.5 hours on a tank. That will be a problem when we run it 6-8 hours per day -- perhaps will need five refueling stops. I think the tank is only one quart.

Ground drive: It is very easy to select the speed desired, able to change speeds on the fly with the hydro transmission. Top speed is a little disappointing -- only a good brisk walk. I am doubting this will be a problem when the real heavy mowing is at hand in a couple of weeks.

Handling: It seems very cumbersome to make turns. Yes, it is a much different setup than my old LB. But, it just seems awkward to be sure to manage two handles - one to keep the BBC engaged, the other for ground drive. I'm sure time will help find better ways to handle this machine, especially on slopes and tight places.

Cut: The quality of cut was much better than expected. To be sure, I'm cutting pretty low on the first cut. But, whether in bag mode, or mulch mode, the cut surface was picture perfect. This may change when we start to work at higher cutting heights, and have heavier cutting requirements. But, at first cuts, I am pleasantly surprised. It is on par with my old LB, and that is one of the LB's greatest assets.

Clipping handling: I tried some areas with the Versa-cut knob in the full mulch position. The results were good, but not much clipping burden to handle now. I am doubtful much work will be done in mulch mode in a couple of weeks. Other areas, I went to full bag mode. I can quickly see that the bag will not fill completely. I was excited about having a large bag, but now I can see all that volume cannot be utilized. The clippings enter the bag on the right side, blowing them to the rear of the bag. However, the flow of debris inside the bag must swirl some of the debris up the the front, on the left side. With the bag partially full, the front of the bag on the left side will have a wall of debris. When lifting the bag out, that wall of debris will falter, and some debris will fall out. It looks like there will always be a small pile of debris fall from the front of the open bag to the ground, even when the bag is partially full. This can lead to a mess to be cleaned up after every bag change. Maybe I will find a better way to remove the bag.

I did try the partial bag/partial mulch function, putting the knob at the 8/10 position toward full mulch. This left only a small opening in the discharge chute for debris. I don't know how much savings this meant. I suspect not very much. All the other openings (e.g. 1/10, 4/10, 6/10), are probably worthless. But, in more difficult cutting, I envision the small opening to quickly clog, putting the mower into full mulch mode. Time will tell how well this feature works for grass cutting. I'm not optimistic.

I did have one lawn that had some Fall leaves that blew into a hedge, and along a bed. I raked/blowed them out onto the turf, put the knob into full mulch mode, made a couple of passes, and swung the knob to full bag, and made another pass -- zippo, mulched leaves were quickly put into the bag! A half tarp of leaves was gone into a quarter of a bag on the mower. Great!

Conditions today were very good. The grass was not high, it was not wet, sappy growth. The sun was out (albeit only low 40s), and all was dry.

Stay tuned. I'm sure that I will have more comments as the weeks pass, and this machine gets some real service hours, under more extreme conditions.

If this information is useful to somebody else making a decision, good! If anybody who has an HRX has any comments about some of my first negative impressions, let me hear what you think, or different thoughts. Thanks.

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#27 ·
It will run about 1:30 on a full tank of fuel, perhaps 1:25. I knew this would be a problem, but decided it wasn't that much of a problem. In reality, now that my machine has been through a few hundred hours, the fuel tank isn't as much of a problem as anticipated. I have a 2 1/2 gal can within easy reach on the trailer, good nozzle. I've just become accustomed to refueling at proper intervals -- it has been a long time since I've ran it out. Mine typically runs through four tanks per day, sometimes five, and at the most six. But, by now, I know my route, how long each job takes, and if I can make one or two properties.

My point: Small tank is not as much of a problem in reality as anticipated.
 
#28 ·
It will run about 1:30 on a full tank of fuel, perhaps 1:25. I knew this would be a problem, but decided it wasn't that much of a problem. In reality, now that my machine has been through a few hundred hours, the fuel tank isn't as much of a problem as anticipated. I have a 2 1/2 gal can within easy reach on the trailer, good nozzle. I've just become accustomed to refueling at proper intervals -- it has been a long time since I've ran it out. Mine typically runs through four tanks per day, sometimes five, and at the most six. But, by now, I know my route, how long each job takes, and if I can make one or two properties.

My point: Small tank is not as much of a problem in reality as anticipated.
Roger,
Have you been able to use the HRX217 to mulch/bag leaves yet? I'm very interested in seeing how the unit does with leaves/fall-cleanup.

Here's a video from Youtube that shows some capabilities of this machine:
 
#29 ·
thats all I mainly use to suck up leaves in the fall is my 2 hrx's they do an excellent job
 
#30 ·
The more I use this machine, the more I like it. Put another hour on it tonight, this time in pretty thick, wet grass. It didn't phase it a bit, just plowed right through, spitting it out the back chute.

Switched to a no-spill gas can, that eliminates any over-filling.

Couple of questions for anyone who might know.

Does it hurt the drive system to feather it? I find it much easier to turn doing that.

Also, does the drive system require any maintenance? I know it has fluid in there, maybe using a high quality synthetic would increase the life of it?
 
#31 ·
joed - in this area, only a few very early leaves have fallen. First use on some dry maple leaves is promising, but no good test will be for another few weeks. In the past couple of years, I've put a Gator blade on the Toro Proline for leaf mulching. That has worked well, but will have to learn about how well the Honda does in similar situations.

hate ... I don't think the feathering of the drive creates any problem. Apparently the less-than-full-forward position is only opening/closing a valve, perhaps the same valve as the ground drive speed selector is using. In my experience, I don't feather, rather use the bail in either the full, or "off" position. In the "off" position, the bail is used as another handle to maneuver the machine (e.g. pull to the rear, force side-to-side, etc). In feathering, one has to take care in the position of the bail. I would rather not worry about the position, rather use it forcefully as a handle. In the "off" position, I can pull on the handle with force, not having to be concerned about position.

But, don't worry -- like any piece of equipment, we all find what works best for us, settle into a pattern and rhythm, and be productive.
 
#32 ·
Good review, thanks for the information. I use mostly 21" mowers and also bag with the properties I do.
Right now I use an older Toro 4.5 hp Personal Pace RWD. I love that self propel system. I have tried several other mowers, and still think the personal pace is the best drive system out there IMHO. Just have to get a RWD version, never could figure out why people would want FWD.

I think when it finally wears out, I am going to replace it with this:
http://www.toro.com/professional/lce/wpm/comm21/22156.html
 
#37 ·
I know this thread is 3 years old but I recently had to use my HRX for 3 weeks while I had something done to my HRC (that I could have done myself in 5 min) one of the tabs that holds the bag on was always bending so I got lazy and took it to the dealer which was a stupid mistake, just a $20 dollar part.
It sure was nice to use such a light weight mower for that time.
My only complaint was that on some lawns it does not get the edge cut as good as the heavy HRC due to it's light weight, but only one customer complained about it.
It is a great mower and it feels like it floats over the grass rather then rolls through the grass as the HRC does due to it's heavy weight.
 
#38 ·
Just got back from the honda dealer. ONly just now learning that you don't have a "manual reverse" when the gear is disengaged with the blade cutting on either the HRC or HRX. There is still resistance even when it's not in gear.

So only snapper, exmark, & toro become essentially a push mower when the drive lever is not engaged?
 
#39 ·
Just got back from the honda dealer. ONly just now learning that you don't have a "manual reverse" when the gear is disengaged with the blade cutting on either the HRC or HRX. There is still resistance even when it's not in gear.

So only snapper, exmark, & toro become essentially a push mower when the drive lever is not engaged?
The hydrostatic drive will offer resistance for sure.
 
#40 ·
i'd get the opti-drive system that has variable speeds. that's similar to the mower i have now. it uses a belt but i've never had to replace the belt and it still works great. i'd never get a hydrostatic/cruise control system. it's just more maintenance and if it goes out you're screwed. the belt drive all you would have to do is buy a cheap belt and you could even use it to push manually until you got a belt for it without having any resistance.

i hate reviews like this when they say things completely opposite of the truth though. the honda engine on my pushmower runs smooth as butter and always has. it doesn't surge or run rough or knock at all and never has. no honda engine i've ever used has including my trimmers so i dunno where all of that comes from. just a review that isn't true in my experience.
 
#41 ·
Just got back from the honda dealer. ONly just now learning that you don't have a "manual reverse" when the gear is disengaged with the blade cutting on either the HRC or HRX. There is still resistance even when it's not in gear.

So only snapper, exmark, & toro become essentially a push mower when the drive lever is not engaged?
I have a 1996 HRC that is still going. The hydro drive is awesome. The resistance is a non-issue. You really have to feel for it to notice it. The mower is very well built and heavy if anything.
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#42 ·
i'd get the opti-drive system that has variable speeds. that's similar to the mower i have now. it uses a belt but i've never had to replace the belt and it still works great. i'd never get a hydrostatic/cruise control system. it's just more maintenance and if it goes out you're screwed. the belt drive all you would have to do is buy a cheap belt and you could even use it to push manually until you got a belt for it without having any resistance.

i hate reviews like this when they say things completely opposite of the truth though. the honda engine on my pushmower runs smooth as butter and always has. it doesn't surge or run rough or knock at all and never has. no honda engine i've ever used has including my trimmers so i dunno where all of that comes from. just a review that isn't true in my experience.
sorry it's called smart drive i think. i don't think the honda uses a belt either it uses some type of cone clutch technology so i doubt you'll ever have to replace that at all.
 
#43 ·
I'm confident that honda's system is a more robust, durable, & better choice for 99%+ of users, but I'm so used to what I do with a push 21" that I'm not going to do without my instant self powered reverse- the mower has to be able to cut while I'm quickly pushing & pulling it around tight spaces, & without the drive adding any resistance to the wheels when not engaged.

I realize I'm probably the only one with such a weird requirement, so the "negatives" of the Hondas (along with not having as tall handle bar as others) for my purposes will not likely apply to anyone else.
 
#44 ·
The drive system in the Honda HRC216HXA is a shaft-drive, fully hydrostatic design.

The HRC216 features the GX160 engine and it has has a special Power-Take-Off that turns a rigid shaft and operates a pump inside the transmission. The pressure created is then modulated by the controls on the handlebar, and causes the rear shaft/wheels to turn. There are no belts or pulleys on the HRC216.

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.

I'll speculate that you have not seen a Nexite deck commercial model from Honda are probably:
• the commercial-grade hydrostatic transmission in the HRC won't fit the current Nexite deck
• the commercial-grade hydrostatic transmission requires a shaft-drive, which is not a feature of the GCV190 engine found on the other Nexite mowers.
I don't think any of the belt-drive transmissions are would pass Honda's commercial durability standards. Fine for homeowner use, of course.

-Robert@Honda

Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.
 
#45 ·
I have 2 of these mowers and have been using them for 18 months mine do not have the blade clutch though as i just see that as another thing to brake - the first one i bought has maybe 2000 hours on it now and the engine still cranks up first time everytime, maybe this is due to changing the oil every 7 days. what has gone out on it is the rear wheel drive, i have spent maybe $200 trying to fix the problem and i now have a working drive but its not really strong enough to pull the mower - so essentially it is now a regualr push mower. i repalced the drive belt and whole transmission assembly, i dont know what else would cause the drive to weaken the wheel gears and bearings all look good.

In my opinion these mowers offer a great cut quality, they are efficient on gas and reliable for an affordable price, my understanding is that the difference between these and a full commerical model is the transmission, which explains my problems. but hey after 2000 hours for $600 id happily buy a new one every 2 years. Money well spent if you ask me.
 
#46 ·
The drive system in the Honda HRC216HXA is a shaft-drive, fully hydrostatic design.

The HRC216 features the GX160 engine and it has has a special Power-Take-Off that turns a rigid shaft and operates a pump inside the transmission. The pressure created is then modulated by the controls on the handlebar, and causes the rear shaft/wheels to turn. There are no belts or pulleys on the HRC216.

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.

I'll speculate that you have not seen a Nexite deck commercial model from Honda are probably:
• the commercial-grade hydrostatic transmission in the HRC won't fit the current Nexite deck
• the commercial-grade hydrostatic transmission requires a shaft-drive, which is not a feature of the GCV190 engine found on the other Nexite mowers.
I don't think any of the belt-drive transmissions are would pass Honda's commercial durability standards. Fine for homeowner use, of course.


-Robert@Honda

Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.
Re: drive compatibility- what about a push commercial grade with a nexite deck:

At that time, someone in this thread mentioned Honda switching their commercial models to the Nexite decks too. Guess that didn't pan out. Would have been nice. Imagine how light their HRC push model could have been.
Or even a push HRX model, I'd like to see.
 
#48 ·
I haven't read this whole thread, but I like my HRC216HXA. I don't have that Versa-cut function some of ya'll mentioned, just a mulching plug. I have had the same issue with some of the clippings falling out of the left side of the bag, however pulling back 6 inches before engaging the clutch will suck them right up.
My only complaint is about the "Micro-cut" dual blade system. This is great for mulching and even bagging on regular length grass and leaves a great cut on normal length, well maintained grass. However in taller (>6") grass/weeds it tends to turn the grass into a paste that gunks up under the deck.

I am, I suppose, somewhat biased because this is all I have ever used. I took over the business from my dad, and I think he has had 4 all together.
 
#50 ·
robertcoats,sir,I have a HRX217 and so far,I'm happy with it,what would the HRC216 do better?The HRC216 has a smaller engine,why and is it able to keep up with the larger non-commercial Honda powered mower?Thyank you.
From Honda's perspective, consumer products are not expected to be used commercially, and vice-versa, so the design and engineering standards are different. Honda builds commercial grade equipment for the professional, who is likely to use the machine daily, and needs it to be rugged and reliable. If a machine is in the shop, it can't make the operator any money.

Of course, there are thousands and thousands of commercial operators who use consumer-grade Honda mowers like the HRX and HRR series. These models are built to homeowner wants/needs, and that is why they have variable mulch/bag systems, electric start, etc.; these kinds of features aren't a high priority for commercial operators.

The HRC216HXA uses the 160cc engine, and it's plenty of horsepower and torque for the job, and has been for a long, long time now. The less costly HRX with its larger 190cc engine may sound appealing, but the lack of a commercial-grade transmission and other commercial features like handlebar supports, shaft drive, etc. can make it less attractive. I think the final straw is the warranty: HRC models get 24 months on the engine, and 12 months on the mower. All other consumer grade Honda mowers get just 3 months of warranty when used by commercial operators. Genuine homeowner users get 36/60 months depending on the model, and a lifetime warranty on the Nexite deck.

So what's the bottom line? If the consumer grade mower is doing a great job for you, stay the course. If you're unhappy with it, or it breaks down too often, consider spending more for a true commercial machine that's designed for daily professional use.

-Robert@Honda

Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.
 
#51 ·
Also,any plans for Honda to come out with a larger deck(than 21")mower?
Years ago, Honda offered some awesome walk-behind mult-blade units, 13~20hp, 36", 48", 52" and 60" decks. There was even a sulky option, and you could get full hydrostatic drive or gear drive models. Sadly, the market at the time was starting to fall in love with commercial ZTR products, and Honda ended up discontinuing all mowers except the 21" models.

But you're asking about the future, and Honda won't allow me to share anything about that. Honda does pay attention to what user's want and what's working for them, as well as watching the competition. I'll be happy to pass on any suggestions or a wish-list to the development team

-Robert@Honda

Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.
 
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