Which Lawn Mower?

[Paul P]

I'm considering 2 lawn mowers within the price range I have set.



They are:



1. Toro Personal Pace - $360 - (Model 20017 / Home Depot Internet # 162282,Catalog # 100047622,Store In-Stock SKU # 445086 ) - 6.5 HP Tecumseh Engine, 22 inch, mulch/rear bag/side discharge, rear wheel drive.



2. Craftsman - on sale this week for $300, reg $350 - (Sears item #07137071000, Mfr. model #37071 ) - 6.5 hp Briggs & Stratton Quantum Engine, 21 inch, mulch/rear bag/side discharge, rear wheel drive.



Any recommendations?



Thanks!



Paul

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Toro...only one

 

[mike chip]

i prefer the briggs engine myself if those are my only choices.

mike

 

[Gene B]

Wider is better. 100' lot at full coverage will take 58 passes with a 21" mower, 55 with a 22".

you save 3 passes each time you mow, over your lifespan think how many more fish you could catch with all that extra time. Speaking of time.....yup, I'm not real busy this morning.



Gene

 

[Bryan Fary]

I had a TORO personal pace before I got a John Deere commercial walk behind and I loved it. Takes awhile to get used to the personal pace control, but once you are used to it, you will like it.



Bryan

 

[TritonGlenn]

For the simple fact that it has a Briggs and Stratton engine - buy the Sears mower. I have a almost 3 year old Craftsman with the 6.5 hp Briggs engine, 21 inch, mulching, rear bag, High wheels on rear (not automatic drive), and both me and my wife can use it easily. It still starts on the first pull every time. I've owned a few Tecumseh's in my life, and they have never started as easy / lasted as long as my Briggs powered equipment. Nowadays, if it doesn't say Briggs and Stratton on the engine, I don't buy it. I'd like the Honda's also, but they are so darn expensive, I can't afford most of them.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Paul P]

I have a Briggs and Stratton on my 15 year old Craftsman and its running strong. Only problem is the deck is starting to rust through. I never took quite good care of cleaning the underside as often as I should have.

 

[fatrap]

Based on the fact that I taught small engine repair for years I'd go with the Briggs and Stratton for the reason I stated a while ago. Much better system for distributing the oil to the moving parts. The Carb and govener on the Briggs is a much better system also.

fatrap

 

[Paul P]

I'm inclined to go with the Briggs/Craftsman but the only down side I see is the 21" blade vs. 22" on the Toro. I guess going with a 21" is not so big of a difference but will result in a little more cutting time than my current 22".



With the power of lawn mower engines these days, why aren't there larger self-propelled mowers of the same design say like 24" blade?

 

[fatrap]

Mike

Most of the smaller Briggs I've taken apart have a gear driven spinner with several paddles that spin the oil into a spray. The pump is driven off the camshaft.

Tecsumeh has a dipper. A single little arm with a crook on the end that that is connected to the bottom of the connecting rod that dips into the oil then flings it around the crankcase.

fatrap

 

[Thad Fineran]

I'm surprised no one has said "neither." You mentioned they're both rear-wheel drive, which makes for a royal pain when you turn them. I'd choose a sears model front-wheel drive mower, similar to the one you listed, for the engine issues people have mentioned above.



If you have any turns whatsoever, it's much easier to lift the front wheels off the ground and pivot on the rear wheels. You can't do that if they're the drive wheels...



I have, and recommend, something like this one: Craftsman 6.5 hp 22 in. Deck 3-in-1 Bagging-Mulching-Side Discharge Rear Bag Mower, Sears item #07137608000, Mfr. model #37608. $279.99



Thad

 

[Paul P]

I thought rear wheel drive was the overwhelming preference. I had the same concerns as you Thad. Maybe someone can comment on the concerns with regard to turning with rear wheel drive.



Thanks



Paul

 

[Larry Campbell]

With the Toro personal pace turning is not a problem. You let up on the pressure and the drive stops while you turn the mower. About 6 years ago I purchased a Toro RWD with a 6.5HP Briggs and the key electric start. This past summer I had to replace the battery for $35.00. The key electric start is a nice feature. I joke with friends that I bought it with that feature because I was thinking of my wife. I hated to see her out there struggling to start the mower before she mowed the yard. All kidding aside, it is a nice feature. I bought mine from a mower dealer on ebay and saved about one hundred dollars. Just recently my mom's cheap mower finally gave out. I have been keeping it running for the past couple of years on a prayer. She is 64, but still insists on mowing her own yard. My brother, sister and I went in together and bought her a new Toro. I found it on ebay and saved about $75.00 even after shipping. The company I bought it from is in Schaumburg, IL and I received the mower in about 6 days. A link to the one I bought is below. It has a 6.75hp Briggs and the 22 inch blade. They don't have any more of this model listed, but they might have some since they are a Toro dealer. They also have other brands of mowers and power equipment. I am very cautious about buying online, but this company has a high rating and I had no problems with them at all.

Larry
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50376&item=7729270937

 

[Larry Harp]

I've mowed with both front and rear wheel and I prefer the rear drive hands down. With my Snapper I can easily dis-engage the drive and make my turn. My experiance with front drive is that it slips, especially on wet or hilly lawns. Another issue I had with a Toro I used to use was the dead man switch would dis-engage the blade and leave the motor running instead of killing the motor. I wrote about this in another thread on this subject a week or two ago. The problem occured when I would stop to empty the bag and then start up again the drive wouldn't engage reliably causing me to mow a row without the blade engaged. When I compalined to the dealer about it he told me that it was working properly that I just needed to be more careful.:angry: I like the system were the engine is stopped better, if the mower is in good condition it's not that hard to restart it after empting the bag.



I agree with most of the above about the Briggs motor. I had a cheapy mower from Montgomery Wards that had a Techumsha motor and it wasn't much of a motor in my opinion.



If you really want my opinion get a Snapper and be done with it for about 25 years.



Harpo

 

[Paul P]

For Toro, does the personal pace work well going up hill when you might be pushing harder than normal?



Harpo



What's with Snapper brand? Don't they also use Briggs and Stratton engines like other brands?



Paul

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Briggs and Stratton is my choice too. There's one on my 27 year old Snapper and it's going strong.



Uncle Billy

 

[Jeffrey Durham]

If you have any kind of a hill, REAR wheel drive only. Trust me, I live on the side of a mountain (at least it feels like it when I mow) and the front wheel drive bites. Honda engine all the way, no matter what mower it is on.



My plug-nickles worth,



Jeff

 

[fatrap]

Harpo

Nothing like a little snapper to put some spring in your step......while mowing the lawn that is.

fatrap

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Just to jump in again, when you hear anybody saying they've gotten over twenty years with whatever mower, buy it. Why wouldn't you? Like I said mine has lasted 27 years with minimal maintenance and Harpo's has lasted 25 years or so. On mine even the bagger assembly is still good.

So it's not just the motor but the whole assembly that will last you.



Uncle Billy

 

[Texas Transplant]

I have the Toro that you mention. Not even a close call - it's simply a great mower. Opt up to the battery powered start. You will absolutely love it.



My WIFE even uses it now. First time in 32 years. The quality of the cut; the quality of the 'self pace'; ease of changing direction - get the Toro.



Tex

 

[Larry Harp]

Just want to clarify one thing... My Snapper is only about 6 or 7 years old, can't remember for sure but it is good to go for another 20.



Paul P... The deal with Snapper is they just hold up better. True, most mowers will have the Briggs & Stratton engine but the differance will come in things like the way the deck is built or the quality of the cables and things like that. For example, the Montgomery Ward mower that I mentioned before was still running but the deck had stress cracks and the cable were impossable to use and the handle was falling off. In all fairness that was a $79.95 mower that I got 6 or 7 years out of so it's hard to feel like I got gyped. Look at some of the commercial mowing crews and you'll see most of them using Snapper. True you'll also see them running Toro, Honda,Scag or Gravley too but around here anyway Snappers are the best sellers. That may have a lot to do with the fact that the Snapper dealer here in OKC is very strong so just like with boats buy where you get good service and sales you are comfortable with.



BTW...my wife has taken over the mowing too...she thinks it's good excersise. I couldn't agree with her more.



Harpo

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

BTW...my wife has taken over the mowing too...she thinks it's good excersise. I couldn't agree with her more

Wish I could get Nancy to do it.. In all fairness she's tried and she also does everything else so I can't complain.. I felt I had to add all of that before someone here tells what I said.



Uncle Billy

 

[Paul P]

Wow ... too many choices!



I went to Sears and its pretty straight forward if you go with Rear wheel drive. If you go with Front wheel, there is the option of high rear wheel. All have Briggs and Stratton engines.



So its



21 inch/rear wheel vs. 22 inch/front wheel?



Is going with rear wheel worth giving up on cut width?



If going with front wheel, is high wheel prefered?



Thanks



Paul

 

[Paul P]

BTW



This mower purchase is hopefullly a holdover while my son has a chance to "enjoy" cutting the lawn for the next few years or so. After that its on to a nice Snapper deck mower or maybe even a zero-turn sit down mower.