[jkilov]

Last year I bought a honda HRS216 single speed. Loved it, cuts ok, super light, drive works great, simple and little to go wrong. Nice addition for trimming after ZTRs on small lots.

1st week ... rubber flap falls off
~ 50 hrs ... drive wheels occasionally lock up
~ 65 hrs ... engine surge, fault is chips of fuel line in carb idle circuit
~100hrs ... drive locks up completely, open it up to find a burnt up plastic drive clutch, push mower from now on
~120 hrs ... unable to start, intake valve stuck open and I don't recall doing any hot shut-downs
~120 hrs ... valve cover bent when fixing valve, sardine can for lunch appears more sturdy than a honda valve cover
~180 hrs ... wheels worn, my racing mower now equipped with slicks
~180 hrs ... ran over debris, blade is hardly bent, check flywheel key ... key is OK but crank slot is broken, WTF? I ran over stuff before with other mowers, keys shear and cranks would bend yet most could be hammered straight, not this honda

junked at around 180 hrs

I hear it coming, it's a homeowner model. Yeah I know, had many of these, all survived 500-800hrs and these were MTD and Husqvarna. Holy smokes but I never realized honda was cranking out such pieces of junk.

Anyone had better luck with hondas and did I just get a lemon?

Oh, never took pictures of it other this one when it was new just to show people what not to buy:

 

[mcw615]

Toro 21" Commercial Hi-Vac all the way!

 

[Merkava_4]

Toro 21" Commercial Hi-Vac all the way!

Yes, the Toro model 22189 Hi-Vac. But I find it very
strange that it's no longer on their contractor page,
the only way I could find it is through Google.

 

[Mike Blevins]

Mine is near the same model but you can bag with it also. I will be starting my 6th year with it. I have to replace the back wheels every year because i wear them slick. $18.00 for both wheels and a plug and oil change and i'm ready for another season. I have replaced the drive cable once. I would definately buy again, I have had excellent service out of mine. I beleive I paid around $400 for it new.

 

[hornett22]

Last year I bought a honda HRS216 single speed. Loved it, cuts ok, super light, drive works great, simple and little to go wrong. Nice addition for trimming after ZTRs on small lots.

1st week ... rubber flap falls off
~ 50 hrs ... drive wheels occasionally lock up
~ 65 hrs ... engine surge, fault is chips of fuel line in carb idle circuit
~100hrs ... drive locks up completely, open it up to find a burnt up plastic drive clutch, push mower from now on
~120 hrs ... unable to start, intake valve stuck open and I don't recall doing any hot shut-downs
~120 hrs ... valve cover bent when fixing valve, sardine can for lunch appears more sturdy than a honda valve cover
~180 hrs ... wheels worn, my racing mower now equipped with slicks
~180 hrs ... ran over debris, blade is hardly bent, check flywheel key ... key is OK but crank slot is broken, WTF? I ran over stuff before with other mowers, keys shear and cranks would bend yet most could be hammered straight, not this honda

junked at around 180 hrs

I hear it coming, it's a homeowner model. Yeah I know, had many of these, all survived 500-800hrs and these were MTD and Husqvarna. Holy smokes but I never realized honda was cranking out such pieces of junk.

Anyone had better luck with hondas and did I just get a lemon?

Oh, never took pictures of it other this one when it was new just to show people what not to buy:

you bought a cheaper,non commercial mower to do commercial mowing.

this might explain why Honda makes a commercial mower

maybe your a dollar chasing a dime.

 

[jkilov]

200 hrs aint commercial duty IMO, I was expecting it to last up to 500hrs.

I've had commercial 21"s before and were too heavy for trimwork.

 

[ALC-GregH]

200 hrs aint commercial duty IMO, I was expecting it to last up to 500hrs.

I've had commercial 21"s before and were too heavy for trimwork.

Buy the proper equipment and you won't have these problems.

 

[Dimple]

Got the commercial version myself HRC, ran it for two years, its the most durable push mower I ever owned. You can get into one for around 12-$1300.00. Its worth it!

 

[yardguy28]

i have an older honda that worked for awhile for me. it's maybe an 06 or a little older. i quit using it because the wheels started to lock up and then i had problems where it'd take me 15 min. to get it started. didn't have time to do that at each job.

i tried to replace it with a 2008 toro i got at a going out of business sale from home depot. it doesn't cut worth a sheot. not even homeowner quality IMO.

right now i'm using an old 1985 toro push mower than i bought from my aunt when she moved into an apartment. best damn push mower i have. i need to sell the honda, the 2008 toro and i also found a toro 1987 mower in someone's trash that i'm trying to fix up but right now it doesn't look like i'll have the time so i might get rid of that as well.

for my business and the amount i use a push mower i don't think i need a commercial grade one. but i would like find to a decent one because that 1985 isn't going to run forever. although right now it runs like a champ. starts on first pull, cut is great, and it bags awesome.

 

[MOturkey]

I see both sides of this issue. A grand plus is a lot to pay for a 21 if you only use one like me, maybe an hour a week if we have a backyard that requires a 21, about 10 minutes a week, if we don't.

However, 180 hours a year is quite a lot of use. For the average homeowner buying a 21, this would probably be 6 or 8 years.

 

[Dimple]

Also, I forgot to mention that serviceability on the HRC seems good too, its easy to adjust and replace things getting the mower back to like-new condition. The point of fact here is nobody does it better than Honda on most walk-behind stuff. Maybe you did get a lemon?

 

[Darryl G]

So you ran over debris and broke it and that's Honda's fault???? So if you smash your truck into a telephone pole and total it, you gonna badmouth Ford?

 

[quiet]

Let's see . . .

Let's say the average homeowner spends a half hour mowing his lawn.

He cuts it regularly . . . 36 times a year.

You got 180 hours out the thing . . . or 360 times of a 1/2 hour mow.

Sounds to me like the mower would have lasted the average homeowner 10 years. I don't think anyone can have a beef with that.

 

[DoetschOutdoor]

I can tell by looking at that one bad pic taken of the mower that it was a POS. And just to let alot of people know, a commercial mower from JD or even the new exmark is not near $1000. My $650 JD push mower is on year 5 of hard work and ill put it up against any $1k toro or other bull**** price people pay for a dang push mower.

 

[yardguy28]

I can tell by looking at that one bad pic taken of the mower that it was a POS. And just to let alot of people know, a commercial mower from JD or even the new exmark is not near $1000. My $650 JD push mower is on year 5 of hard work and ill put it up against any $1k toro or other bull**** price people pay for a dang push mower.

check your dealer again bud or maybe it's different in your neck of the woods........

any commercial push mower around here is at least $1000, JD, toro, exmark. they will all run you $1000 to $1500.

if all they cost was $650 i would have purchased one a long time ago. i'm in the market for a replacement push mower. right now i'm using a 1985 toro and my backups aren't that great.

 

[Darryl G]

Well if you it over with your truck, be sure to blame the manufacturer everyone

 

[MnGreen]

You needed to upgrade a model to the HRR216vxa. $580 compared to your $375 unit.
Dealer suggested the unit opposite the "commercial" expense. Told me I'll go through (2) of these before
the price of a commercial. He's been correct as the other unit (Lawn Boy) with same engine works side by
side with the Honda. I have only had to re-weld a handle on that mower.
I have one with 2 seasons on it of which I only use 21's and figure it has 950+ hrs on it.
Service ridiculous lots with terrible conditions and steep hills.
It only now needs wheels replaced.
I have beat the he!! out of this thing with the work load it's received.
Oil, plug, and filters, as needed and I can't kill the thing.

It's heavier then I'd like but still less then a commercial.
If I didn't have such properties with all the steep hill challenges it would be a great mower.

Getting a new one in April... This one owes me nothing.

 

[specialtylc]

where the hell did you find that model Honda? I have never seen one like it. I havent found any 21s that last more than 2 years. I have been buying the Honda HRC216 for ten years now. Get a new one every spring and rotate out the 3 year old. They could be improved , but I dont like the other brands available. Ours get about 800 hrs a year.

 

[jkilov]

So you ran over debris and broke it and that's Honda's fault???? So if you smash your truck into a telephone pole and total it, you gonna badmouth Ford?

There's a 21" POS MTD with a flathead briggs in my uncle's barn that I've used for 800hrs. Went through two sets of keys on it, second time it hit a stump yet the crank could still be hammered straight. This honda hit a construction nail the owner's dog managed to set up my path, the blade was hardly bent, the crank was straight, I was expecting to find a sheared key yet found a ruined crank and the key intact.

Yes if I smashed my truck into a telephone pole at 15 mph and found the engine off it's mounts, I would have badmouthed Ford big time.

 

[jkilov]

I can tell by looking at that one bad pic taken of the mower that it was a POS. And just to let alot of people know, a commercial mower from JD or even the new exmark is not near $1000. My $650 JD push mower is on year 5 of hard work and ill put it up against any $1k toro or other bull**** price people pay for a dang push mower.

You needed to upgrade a model to the HRR216vxa. $580 compared to your $375 unit. I have one with 2 seasons on it of which I only use 21's and figure it has 950+ hrs on it.

Exactly my point. Had a $1200 toro 21" that was heavy, slow and took about 1/3 more time to do the same job. I would'nt mind the price tag if it came without 120lbs of machine weight. The honda weighed 70 lbs and could be used one-handed, all it needs is $150 worth of durability upgrades.

I also have a cheap husqvarna 21" that has already done way more hours without repairs, so I'm comparing apples to apples here.