I've been looking around at some 21" mowers and lots of the "home owner" models have more horsepower than the commercial ones (Example: Hondas and Toros). Is their a reason for this?
But take into consideration the decks. Obviously a Honda / Toro will be better than a Craftsman. Plus some of the engines like Honda / Toro (honda being the top of the line engine) probably works more effectiently than a higher hp on a crappy built engine.
let me rephrase, the toro super recycler has 6.5hp while the proline commercial has 6hp. the honda harmony has 5.5hp while the commercial has 5hp. the snapper residential rear discharge has 6.75hp while the commercial rear discharge has 6hp.
that does not mean that is what the hp is. That Briggs engine (6.75) does not have the power that the Honda 5.5 hp has. The Honda Comm. is a 5.5 hp not 5 hp depending on the model. I can bogg down that briggs in tall grass where i cant the Honda, in same height and thickness. I would not trust Briggs or Techumseh on their hp ratings.
Just so you know, the Toro commercial 21' mower comes with a few engine choices. My son just bought one, they told him he could not get the 2 cycle anymore. After more checking, he bought one just like mine with a 2 cycle Suzuki. I think dealers lack energy sometimes????
I do NOT agree with this.I was loaned a 650.00 honda from hd,it does Not out cut my 6.75 briggs on JD.--HONDA isn't known for torque,hp is hp despite what kind of "commercial"sticker"on it. Also my 17hp,3000.00 w/b won't cut high grass near as good as my 849.00 huskee with a 20briggs.
you can disagree all you want and buy the Briggs over the Honda, but I have experienced just the opposite. I had a new Toro w/ the 6.5 hp Briggs, that mower bogged down all the time. I purchased a Honda w/ a 5 hp and can not bogg it down. I have also heard that Briggs has changed hp rating on their engines by replacing the sticker and thats it. Not all Briggs engines are bad, but I would not want one on ANY of my equipment.
I think the Lawn Boy is the best push mower out there.. Not Honda or Toro. My 6.5 horse LB has NEVER bogged down!!! And I will put it up against ANY other push mower on the market..
Horsepower is not the only measure of a machine's quality. Wheels, cables, controls, handles, etc. They are all part of the machine and are typically much better on the commercial machines. Commercial 21's aren't trying to compete with Murray or Yardman with their bargain basement Tecumsehs or Briggs. I personally owned a Honda with the 5.0 horse OHV--NOT OHC--engine--the "good" one. I don't know if deck design was a major factor or not, but I can say for sure that my boss's old Proline with the 4.5 Suzuki would eat the Honda for breakfast. I also have an early 90's Deere with a 4.5 Kawasaki. This is also much more powerful than the Honda could ever dream of being. My buddy's dad just picked up one of those new homeowner Toros. It's got a 6.75 Tecumseh. Guess what, it will bog down in grass that my 10 year old Kawi will plow right thru. Just goes to show you that manufacturer's claims of horsepower ratings don't mean much. As far as Lawn-Boy being the best 21" out there, I will have to respectfully disagree. The commercial machines might not be too bad, but the homeowner models are pretty chinsy compared to any Honda, Deere, or good Toro that I've compared them to. They do have decent engines and a good flowing deck design, but the handles and decks (steel) are pretty darn flimsy. IMO, Lawn-Boy's last good 21" was the Gold Series w/ 3-speed drive, last made in about 1996. And Toros were the Super Recyclers w/3 speed drive, also last produced around '96. Both these machines had aluminum decks and sturdy handles, etc. A far cry from the new Personal Pace models. Anyway, to make a long story short, go with a ProLine 21" and don't look back! Seems like everybody forgets that, yeah, while you can get 5 Murrays for the price of one Toro, all that time you are using a POS that is making your job harder.
