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The bobcat 21"

5K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  DuraCutter 
#1 ·
Wow, does it look like an old mower. I just can't see them selling many of these. Anyone have one? Doesn't seem like a commercial machine at all. I just noticed it on there thats why im asking, no intention to buy it, just wondering.

Here is the link where i found it:

http://www.bobcatturf.com/products/walk-behind/push_21/index.html

Just kind of caught me off guard with the designs im used to seeing from companies like honda, toro and eXmark. Just wondering.
 
#2 ·
They do look very cheesy but the decks are very heavy duty. That is one problem though; they are a heavy duty deck but it weighs a good amount and since the mower is not self propeled, it can get tiring quite fast!
All the wheels have zerk fittings on them to keep the bearings lasting a long time! The deck won't rust so it can go thru a few engines before the deck is totally junk.
 
#3 ·
I used to run those for years. They are a knock off of the old Sensation mowers. Tough decks. The wheel limbs crack and break on the Bobcats over time and need to be welded and the handle bar welds at the top of the triangle busted a lot too. Most are set up as rear baggers. Tru-cut still has a deck like that also. No where near as good as todays mowers. Those are not cheap either. Almost a grand last I looked.
 
#5 ·
One of those would outlast all 3 of your 21 homeowners models. I still see decks that are over 25 years old with new engines on them. They are becoming increasingly rare because the catchers are about 80-90 bucks now and they don't cut as nice as the newer deck styles of today. The wheels they come with do have zerks but the rear wheels always end up having the bearing pushed out of them by employees that put too much pressure on them in a sideways direction. THe wheel ends up acting as a lever and breaks at the hub. There is a repalcement wheel for them with zerks that are a much better choice but that means putting in another ~40 bucks or so.
 
#7 ·
out4now said:
One of those would outlast all 3 of your 21 homeowners models. I still see decks that are over 25 years old with new engines on them. They are becoming increasingly rare because the catchers are about 80-90 bucks now and they don't cut as nice as the newer deck styles of today. The wheels they come with do have zerks but the rear wheels always end up having the bearing pushed out of them by employees that put too much pressure on them in a sideways direction. THe wheel ends up acting as a lever and breaks at the hub. There is a repalcement wheel for them with zerks that are a much better choice but that means putting in another ~40 bucks or so.
This is from an old post & thread, but I just stumbled upon it. I have one of those old Bob-Cats too. Mine's the self-propelled version, and it's more than 35 years old. It's had a couple of engine replacements, but it's still running. I doubt if there are many mowers sold today that will last as long. Actually, I have two walk-behind, self-propelled mowers from the 1960s, because I used to have a summer place and I left one there. But when I sold the place, the mower was still running fine, so I took it home with me and now alternate between the two. Right now, both are running perfectly, but whereas once upon a time I mowed my whole lot with one of them, now I use a ZTR and the walk-behinds only for trim work and a couple of hills. The other walk-behind is a Hahn-Eclipse Pow-R-Pro, and in my opinion it's superior to the Bob-Cat. Too bad neither are being manufactured any more. By the way, if anyone wants the grass catcher for the Bob-Cat, you're welcome to it at no charge. It's been used, but not much. Also, I saw a place on the web where replacement wheels with the zerk fittings are $20, if anyone is interested.
 
#9 ·
tiedeman said:
But I still have 2 residential 21" right now that I have used for almost 12 years. Still fire up and work great everyday. I only paid $150 for each of them.
Yeah, some residential mowers with a honda engine are good. Why buy a super expensive 21" to have an employee hit a water pipe with it?
Expensive or not, the shaft will bend or engine will die horrible death. :laugh:

You pay $350 for a cheapo honda equipped one or a grand for a commercial one.... hum... give me 3 please :laugh:
 
#10 ·
lawnboy dan said:
i worked for a big company and we were forced to use these over weight peices of s#&t!every one hated them! sensation copied bobcat.
If you're referring to the push version, your point is well taken. But then again that probably applies to all push mowers. But the Bob-Cat 21 has a cast aluminum deck, so it isn't much heavier than the stamped steel deck mowers. However, mine is self propelled, so what difference does it make if the machine weighs an extra 20 pounds if you don't have to push it. Many of today's 36" walk-behinds weigh around 500 pounds, but since no one pushes them, there are no complaints. To me, the biggest objection to the Bob-Cat 21 is, as Duracutter just mentioned, the fact that the blade is connected to the engine drive shaft. Not only can a bent shaft result from hitting a stone or iron stake while mowing, you have to start under load if the mower is sitting on uncut turf at the time. And of course it's a safety issue if you can't stop the blade without stopping the engine. I'm sort of surprised that OSHA still permits them to be made that way. My 40-year-old self-propelled Hahn Eclipse,by the way, has a belt-driven blade, which suggests to me that the designer was way ahead of his time.
 
#15 ·
DuraCutter said:
I bought mine at Rona here. It's made by White. Very light with small wheels, and of course, the Honda engine. A neat feature I noticed is when we start it with choke on in am, the choke retracts by itself, a small thing but a handy feature.
Thats most likely a GC honda engine. Maybe a GS. But not a GX. The GC is the low end. Not the engine you will find on the better Honda or Toro mowers.
 
#16 ·
pugs said:
Thats most likely a GC honda engine. Maybe a GS. But not a GX. The GC is the low end. Not the engine you will find on the better Honda or Toro mowers.
You're prolly right, it looks like the lower line Honda. Still, it's better than a briggs...:laugh:

My guys have been fighting to use it as it is light and cuts good. Easy to push. I have a mower by Troy built that has a Kawi engine. It's tough but damn it's heavy. Enough to kill a horse :weightlifter:
 
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