Push Mower with the virtues of a WH?

[jellyghost 378]

I need to buy a push mower to work alongside my Wheel Horse.  Do you have a favorite push mower that has the same quality, repair-ability, longevity of a Wheel Horse?  Any suggestions in general?  Thanks! 

[ebinmaine 63,086]

I've got an old Snapper brand. Sort of a gift from a friend in that he could have sold it all day for $150 and let me have it for 50 clams. 

 

Been 2 seasons with it. 

Has REAR wheel drive. 

 

Great machine. 

 

[8ntruck 6,363]

I had a Toro two cycle GTS push mower that I got in the 80's.  Ran well until I found the stump of a fence post with it somewhere around 2005 and bent the crank.

[roadapples 6,981]

Gave up trim mowing for weed eating...

[8ntruck 6,363]

7 minutes ago, roadapples said:

Gave up trim mowing for weed eating...

What's your favorite weed to eat?

[roadapples 6,981]

8 minutes ago, 8ntruck said:

What's your favorite weed to eat?

My grandmother used to make dandelion. A lot like spinach...

[Stepney 2,314]

You need a 1990's Lawn Boy Gold-Pro 3 speed. Not the later DuraForce, but the classic looking version. 
F-model 2 cycle will run until the cooling of the sun, the cast iron 3 speed pulls hard and they never go wrong. Cast aluminum deck lasts forever with minimal care. Cuts like glass, quiet under deck exhaust, bags or mulches equally well.

Getting kind of rare here in Maine, usually sent for scrap as soon as they need a carb clean.. 
I dont like the roller-drive LB machines personally.

If SP isnt a big deal, the pusher LB's were all tanks. 
Nothing bad to say about old 2 or 4 cycle Suzuki powered Toro 21's either. Same 3 speed tranny as the LB.

Old Snappers are cool but I'm not the biggest fan of the little B&S engines. The 'Zuki and LB engines will cut moderate brush long after the B&S has stalled in some tall grass.

I used to turn 20-30 mowers a year over here from the yards. The LB's that were too rough to save we would monthly try to destroy one.. very rarely did we succeed.  

[jellyghost 378]

30 minutes ago, Stepney said:

You need a 1990's Lawn Boy Gold-Pro 3 speed. Not the later DuraForce, but the classic looking version. 
F-model 2 cycle will run until the cooling of the sun, the cast iron 3 speed pulls hard and they never go wrong. Cast aluminum deck lasts forever with minimal care. Cuts like glass, quiet under deck exhaust, bags or mulches equally well.

Getting kind of rare here in Maine, usually sent for scrap as soon as they need a carb clean.. 
I dont like the roller-drive LB machines personally.

If SP isnt a big deal, the pusher LB's were all tanks. 
Nothing bad to say about old 2 or 4 cycle Suzuki powered Toro 21's either. Same 3 speed tranny as the LB.

Old Snappers are cool but I'm not the biggest fan of the little B&S engines. The 'Zuki and LB engines will cut moderate brush long after the B&S has stalled in some tall grass.

I used to turn 20-30 mowers a year over here from the yards. The LB's that were too rough to save we would monthly try to destroy one.. very rarely did we succeed.  

What is "SP"?  Going to search lawn boys now...

 

[Stepney 2,314]

1 minute ago, jellyghost said:

What is "SP"?  Going to search lawn boys now...

 

Me being too lazy to write 'self propelled' after ranting about push mowers for far too long hahah.

 

The older LB mowers had a roller drive over the rear wheels. When it works, it works.. but it can be finicky. 

 

Dont have a good photo of my Gold Pro, but the ones I am talking about look like this.

The later ones had the Tecumseh designed DuraForce motor.. I don't care for them much. Not as smooth or as reliable as the oldies. 

 

[jellyghost 378]

I am finding some images of Gold Pro's, but they all seem to say dura force on top of the motor. What would the older ones say?

[Stepney 2,314]

Just now, jellyghost said:

I am finding some images of Gold Pro's, but they all seem to say dura force on top of the motor. What would the older ones say?

Nothing at all, just green tank with a black center. The appearance is really obvious. The DuraForce is a later thing, hence more common today.. The F series 2 stroke motor ranged from about 1978-1997 or so. 
Usually the mower itself had a simple Lawn Boy badge on the front. The handles would say Gold Pro on the 3 speed model.

Just about any other F series machine will be a roller 'capstan' drive.

If the grass is wet or you are on a hill.. forget it.

They made a single speed gear driven 'V' series. Or the Silver Series.. avoid those too. 

There was further a 1 speed F series 'commercial' with a steel brush guard around the front..

History gets a little deep with the old things. But I always recommend a F series Gold Pro to friends. I've been through dozens.

[haydendavid380 759]

I'm very happy with my Super Recycler.

 

The deck will never rot out, and the Honda engine should last a good long time. It cuts great, it's quiet, and sips fuel. 

 

Really the only downside is that I had to pay more for it than any of my horses. 

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by haydendavid380

[ri702bill 7,314]

All:

I have had many different brands of walk behind mowers  - some good, others not. I still have and use my all around favorite - a 1994 Honda HR214 - 21 inch blade, 4 HP, rear wheel drive with a 2 speed transmission. This was a $700 mower when new. This model, like the Lawn Boy 2 strokes is a favorite of landscapers. Don't be fooled by only having 4 HP - with a good high lift blade it will strip acorns off the lawn in one pass and probably could suck the worms right out of the ground!

Bill

[EricF 589]

In a way, it depends on if you just want a good reliable mower or something "contemporary" to go along with it. Can't go wrong with some of the suggestions -- Various Toro, Lawn-Boy with F-series engines, and Snapper -- especially the Hi-Vacs with the miniature disc drive. I've had all of them at one time or another. I miss the hand-me-down F-series Lawn-boys (even with the capstan drive -- Hint -- keep it greased well to protect the gears) and the Snapper Hi-Vac the most. But my go-to has always been the M-series Lawn-Boy I got new in the 1990s. Perfect companion to the 520H -- kind of the ultimate 1990's lawn care pairing.

 

After the M-series mowers were retired from the Lawn-Boy line, Toro kept them on in red paint with a different handle and cover/gas tank design on the engine, and then switched to a 4-cycle engine on the same deck... Just checked their commercial lineup and it looks like a slightly modified version of the M-series deck is still being used.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,419]

9 hours ago, Stepney said:

Me being too lazy to write 'self propelled' after ranting about push mowers for far too long hahah.

 

The older LB mowers had a roller drive over the rear wheels. When it works, it works.. but it can be finicky. 

 

Dont have a good photo of my Gold Pro, but the ones I am talking about look like this.

The later ones had the Tecumseh designed DuraForce motor.. I don't care for them much. Not as smooth or as reliable as the oldies. 

 

 

I picked up one of these recently at a garage sale for $10, not running of course.  I did get it fixed up though and it is a little monster of a machine.  I may do a post on it after I get some new pics if anyone would care to see.  Here it is the day I bought it:

 

 

I would think any vintage mower would be a fun project.  I do like the old snappers hi-vacs.  I work on push mowers a lot and would recommend Honda or maker with a Honda engine.  They run a long time and OEM parts are cheap and plentiful when you need them.  No joke, brand new honda carbs are in the $25-30 range when you need one 15 years later...

Edited April 28, 2021 by OutdoorEnvy

[OutdoorEnvy 1,419]

9 hours ago, jellyghost said:

I am finding some images of Gold Pro's, but they all seem to say dura force on top of the motor. What would the older ones say?

 

Here's the top shroud of mine:

 

[Stepney 2,314]

3 hours ago, ri702bill said:

- a 1994 Honda HR214 - 21 inch blade, 4 HP, rear wheel drive with a 2 speed transmission.

I actually forgot all about those machines, I had one way back when I started working on mowers. They were great, nbut scarce here on the coast for some reason or another. 

[EricF 589]

2 hours ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

 

I picked up one of these recently at a garage sale for $10, not running of course.  I did get it fixed up though and it is a little monster of a machine.

Nothing quite like the power of a 2-cycle when it hits thick grass. With a good blade, they'll chew into it without slowing down. If all you're used to is the newer 4-cycle machines, they can really put a grin on your face.

I think the self-propelled Gold Series Lawn-Boys are using the same or similar Tuff-Torq 3-speed drive as the M-Series, just applied to the classic stagger-wheel Lawn-Boy deck. Check for grease zerks out by the rear wheels, and under the cover or deck, and keep it filled up with a few pumps of fresh grease.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,419]

5 minutes ago, EricF said:

Nothing quite like the power of a 2-cycle when it hits thick grass. With a good blade, they'll chew into it without slowing down. If all you're used to is the newer 4-cycle machines, they can really put a grin on your face.

I think the self-propelled Gold Series Lawn-Boys are using the same or similar Tuff-Torq 3-speed drive as the M-Series, just applied to the classic stagger-wheel Lawn-Boy deck. Check for grease zerks out by the rear wheels, and under the cover or deck, and keep it filled up with a few pumps of fresh grease.

 

Thanks Eric, I'll make sure and grease it up good.  I haven't done anything serious with it yet but will plan to use it in some heavy overgrowth in some woods behind my yard.  Yeah it's different than the 4 cycles, I think it sounds like a giant fan or a small plane about to take off!  I can tell the blades are spinning at a much higher speed.  I did sharpen and balance the blade so it should be fun to test in some thick stuff. 

[EricF 589]

Helpful tip on the Tuff-Torq drives -- As they age, you may find that when you release the drive handle and then pull the mower back while trimming, the drive wheels seem to get "stuck" in drive even though they're not being powered. If you let the drive disengage and keep pushing the mower forward for a foot or so, it won't happen. It's because of the way the drive clutch works; there's a ball in the clutch assembly that tends not to drop out of engagement right away because the "permanent" grease inside the clutch tends to get thick or sticky with age. It doesn't really hurt anything when it acts up -- just a little annoying. The Toro service manuals should show how to disassemble the drive and service it. I really ought to do it on my M-series, but it hasn't annoyed me enough to take it apart yet. 

[JustinW.73 224]

Do you want something new or used? New I only go for lawn boy/toro. They are the same thing now so pick your color and engine. Used, from my work with customers equipment, I rarely see toro, Lawn boy, snapper, and only a few John Deere’s. Most only needed a tune up. You won’t go wrong with anything used in my opinion. But I mainly try to stay away from auto choke systems. Those always give issues over time. This includes Honda’s. From all the push mowers brought in by customers, Honda’s have been the most troublesome. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by JustinW.73

[jellyghost 378]

Good news.  I was able to pickup a lawn boy gold pro for $100.  I hope to mow with it in the next few days. 

Thank you to everyone!

[Robyn K. Jackman 2]

On 4/29/2021 at 2:42 AM, jellyghost said:

Good news.  I was able to pickup a lawn boy gold pro for $100.  I hope to mow with it in the next few days. 

Thank you to everyone!

Do you know how much it is now? Thanks.

[rmaynard 14,888]

Now that this thread has been revived, I'll add my 2-cents worth. Back around 1995, I purchased a Honda HR-215 SXA. 3 speed, rear wheel drive, automatic blade brake. This has been the best lawn mower I've ever owned. From time of purchase until now, it starts on the first or second pull. Only minor services along the way. Replaced carburetor two years ago because someone left gas in the tank over the winter (me) and come spring, it suffered from non-ethanolitis. Cheaper to replace the carb than to try to clean it. This past spring, the transmission finally gave up. So I was happy to find a guy on eBay who rebuilt them, and I got a freshly rebuilt transmission for $140.00. That's a lot less than the cost of a new mower which wouldn't be near as well built as this one. So with an initial purchase price of $765.00 + $25 for new carb + $140.00 for transmission, comes to about $35.00 per year for a great lawn mower.

 

My son has gone thru at least 3 mowers in 15 years. 

[wh500special 2,053]

I’m on about year 5 with my Honda HRX 217 with the hydrostatic transmission.  Still

think it’s the best mower out there.  The plastic deck is great as grass doesn’t stick to it.  It mulches and bags great even on a thick lawn.  Doesn’t discharge well though if the grass is thick and/or tall. 
 

One of the main reasons I bought the Honda that I did was because the self propel has a high top speed.  I think it’s 4.5 mph or something. I like that.  It means the mower can keep up with me. 
 

I was (am?) a Lawn Boy 2-stroke enthusiast.  If they still made them, I probably would have bought one.  They have so much power and a really great sound. 
 

FWIW, they spin the blade at the same 3600-ish rpm as all the other mowers out there, but because they fire on every stroke they sound like they are running twice as fast.  
 

As much as I loved using my Lawn Boys, I never thought the cut quality was worth a spit from the stagger wheel deck.  Unless the grass is thin, short, and dry they leave clumps when mulching.  Newer mowers grind the grass small and make it disappear. 
 

 In heavy grass they struggle to discharge too since the chute opening is small. They do bag pretty well though.  This was mostly only a problem in the spring when the grass grows super fast and it’s hard to stay on top of things.  
 

That said, I still loved my LB’s. 
 

Steve

Edited July 6, 2022 by wh500special