Honda HRX217K2HXA
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I just bought 2 yesterday for use this year. Don't have any personal experience yet, however, the research that I've done both on LawnSite and elsewhere on the Internet have led me to believe that it's a reasonable risk to invest in this mower. I got mine for $659 per. While it is a high quality "residential" mower, it has all the things I was looking for; wheels with sealed ball bearings, Blade Brake Control (BBC), hydro drive, twin blades for excellent mulching, and the ability to quickly change from mulch to bag, or rear discharge.
I plan on changing the oil weekly, keeping a good check on the air filter to ensure it doesn't get clogged, and changing blades weekly. I think a LawnSite member by the name of "Roger" did an excellent analysis of this mower while putting on approx. 700 hours on one last year, and he had minimal problems. Since I have 2, and a 34" walk behind, I shouldn't be putting that many hours on mine, so I hope to get 2 to 3 years out of each one. Then I may upgrade to a full commercial 21", and/or a 44" walk behind. Just have to see how things go.
Good luck with your search!
I plan on changing the oil weekly, keeping a good check on the air filter to ensure it doesn't get clogged, and changing blades weekly. I think a LawnSite member by the name of "Roger" did an excellent analysis of this mower while putting on approx. 700 hours on one last year, and he had minimal problems. Since I have 2, and a 34" walk behind, I shouldn't be putting that many hours on mine, so I hope to get 2 to 3 years out of each one. Then I may upgrade to a full commercial 21", and/or a 44" walk behind. Just have to see how things go.
Good luck with your search!
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94 Posts
I bought 2 last year and had nothing but problems with them...honda eventually bought them back from me. They had issues with the carbs and didn't have a fix for them at the time. They might have that resolved now. When they worked they worked well. I replaced them with 2 Commercial HRC 216 Hondas and have never been happier. Just my .02
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627 Posts
they appear from the outside to be very similar to the 216's. I have a 216 and was wondering the differance.
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The engines are different
The deck is different
They are 2 totally different machines
The deck is different
They are 2 totally different machines
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3,768 Posts
I have a HRX 217. I do not remember what the last numbers are, but it is the one with the hydro trans and BBC. This is not a commercial mower but for the few hours a week I run mine it is great. The only trouble is the rear tires wanting to come off the wheel when you get to close to curbs, so I put screws in them. For the price they have a good cut. My engine does want to surge at times without the blades turning but with the blades engaged it goes away. A couple of times it got pretty bad so I ran Seafoam through it and it helps a lot.
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310 Posts
If you want better answers you might give some more info.
If you use it on four lawns a week it would probably be fine.
If you mow with a 21" all the time, then step up to the commercial. The difference between commercial and resi mowers it quite a bit. Hence the price difference. But comparing high end resi at $700 to last year model commercial deal at $1059. The $359 dollars is well worth it.
Find a good condition used commercial.
rreyn... Yes, you are right about my posting about this machine. To the OP, do a search. I have written extensively about his mower.
For me, it was an excellent choice, one that I ran for 700 hours last season. Two problems arose, ground drive speed selector cable (not properly installed in manufacturing), and broken handles. But, the hydro transmission held up well, and the GCV engine did well. All the running gear is in good shape, and I needed no repairs during off-season maintenance to bring it back to good condition. The plastic deck has only a few surface scratches and shows no sign of failure or deterioration. I've used it once this Spring for a cleanup job, and worked just like it did all last season.
Does it have another full season left? I don't know, but am planning to run it hard again to start a full schedule of mowing in another couple of weeks.
Be aware, HRX217 comes in two models. One with Cruise Control (mine, and I think that is the model number referenced), the other with Thumb Drive. Apparently, the transmissions are much different, and the Thumb Drive models are much less reliable. Stay with the Cruise Control model.
For me, it was an excellent choice, one that I ran for 700 hours last season. Two problems arose, ground drive speed selector cable (not properly installed in manufacturing), and broken handles. But, the hydro transmission held up well, and the GCV engine did well. All the running gear is in good shape, and I needed no repairs during off-season maintenance to bring it back to good condition. The plastic deck has only a few surface scratches and shows no sign of failure or deterioration. I've used it once this Spring for a cleanup job, and worked just like it did all last season.
Does it have another full season left? I don't know, but am planning to run it hard again to start a full schedule of mowing in another couple of weeks.
Be aware, HRX217 comes in two models. One with Cruise Control (mine, and I think that is the model number referenced), the other with Thumb Drive. Apparently, the transmissions are much different, and the Thumb Drive models are much less reliable. Stay with the Cruise Control model.
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Used my 2 new ones (HRX217K2HXA, cruise control) for about 4 hrs on Friday doing some early season "low mowing" & cleanup. Worked flawlessly so far. VERY, VERY easy starting. QUIET engine. Easy rolling. The BBC is great, but does bog the engine when engaging, but quickly comes back up to speed. Have experienced some minor engine surging as related by others, but has not been a problem. Will change the oil on Monday, and will use them again next week for a couple of hours. When mowing season starts in earnest, the will be getting a good workout. Plan on keeping an on-going assessment of my experiences.
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444 Posts
Used mine today in rear discharge mode. Just remove the bag, move the lever over to "bag" and she's ready to go. I mowed some very, very heavy grass in rear discharge mode, and it generally works pretty well, but if real heavy, it will clog. Mine was so heavy, that I had to stop a couple of times and clear the chute. After discharging, I put it into mulch mode again (just move the lever over to "mulch") and ran over the heavy discharge and it completly mulched it up. Overall I'm pretty satisfied, but have had a couple of problems. Mainly, something gets into the gas and caused the mower to run rough. Had to remove the carb bowl and dump, then it was back to normal. Have also had an intermittent problem with one of the mowers (I have two) that it doesn't want to roll backwards at times. Worked pretty well today, but sometimes it just locks up when you try to pull it backwards.
I use my HRX217 for discharge periodically. At first, I was disappointed, and wrote the discharge function off. I think I made posts on LS about it being a joke. But, I have revisited it several times this season, and found it to work pretty well.
If the clipping burden is heavy, it will tend to make windrows on the left edge. And, if really heavy, it will leave some clumps. When in heavier situations, I have tied a bungee cord on the deflector/shield, holding it up a couple of inches from the full down position. This gives the clippings more room to exit the chute. Also, the clippings might fly around a bit more, but that is not a problem for me. All it needs is just a couple of inches, so the safety issue remains closed. No objects thrown out will endanger me, or others.
If the clipping burden is heavy, it will tend to make windrows on the left edge. And, if really heavy, it will leave some clumps. When in heavier situations, I have tied a bungee cord on the deflector/shield, holding it up a couple of inches from the full down position. This gives the clippings more room to exit the chute. Also, the clippings might fly around a bit more, but that is not a problem for me. All it needs is just a couple of inches, so the safety issue remains closed. No objects thrown out will endanger me, or others.
I have an HRX217, though I am just starting out, the accounts I have are rather large yards 1,500 sqft-2,500 sqft (I was told this is large). The Hondas are working very well-so far so good. I got a really great deal on my unit, because of mistake Home Depot made. I was cordual about it, and the sales person set it up to where I got the $799.99 mower at $550.00 (out the door) w/ warranty in tact.
Good thing about this mower is the 5 year warranty. So I mowe with a peace of mind
Good thing about this mower is the 5 year warranty. So I mowe with a peace of mind
I'm not sure where you got your "large" characterization of those sized yards.
Just for reference, our HRX217 did these jobs today:
1. 10,000 sq ft
2. 12,000 sq ft
3. 5,000 sq ft
4. 12,000 sq ft
5. 18,000 sq ft
6. 8,000 sq ft
7. 10,000 sq ft
All sizes are approximate, but are part of 0.50-0.75A properties. The remainder of the mowing for these properties was done with a JD 717A, 48" deck. The smallest sized property (total mowing area) is about 10,000 sq ft.
Your HRX217 will last a lifetime mowing those small properties!
Just for reference, our HRX217 did these jobs today:
1. 10,000 sq ft
2. 12,000 sq ft
3. 5,000 sq ft
4. 12,000 sq ft
5. 18,000 sq ft
6. 8,000 sq ft
7. 10,000 sq ft
All sizes are approximate, but are part of 0.50-0.75A properties. The remainder of the mowing for these properties was done with a JD 717A, 48" deck. The smallest sized property (total mowing area) is about 10,000 sq ft.
Your HRX217 will last a lifetime mowing those small properties!
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