Looking at getting a mower - is rear/all wheel drive preferred over FWD? Does it make a difference?

You talking about a push mower?

You can use all of them effectively, but I prefer a rwd push. With fwd, when you pick the front of the mower up to turn, you lose your propulsion. If you are on any type of steep grade that can suck with a heavy bag on the back. An AWD system just seems overly complicated for a push mower, but it would have some advantages.

I find the speed management system to be more important. I prefer toro's personal pace system as its progressive with how hard you push the mower handle. It's pretty convinent, but the cable has to be tightened every few months to keep it accurate. They are the only ones that have that fluff. All the other systems are not as fluid imo, and you just set a speed and have to take your hand off the handle to move a lever or knob to change that set speed. It can get clumsy around corners when you need to slow down. The toro system you just have to put less pressure on the mower handle.

If you are talking about riding mowers, rwd

I actually prefer kubota. Commercial/home zero turn riders. They are baus

http://m.kubota.com/#/Product/Index/100/series

I drove one for 3 summers while working for a commercial nursery out of bloomington illinois.

Stong, reliable, cut well, easy maintenance, and the zero turn is blows everything with a steeri g wheel outthe water

I think there is a difference between a $200 push mower and a $5000 commercial mower.

Yeah, walk behinds. My property's not big enough to justify a riding mower..

Probably looking at a Husq w/ Honda Engine or a flat out Honda mower

Honda makes some nice push mowers, but they can be pricey. They have a new speed management system that looks thumb driven or something. I have never tried it.

Be a real man and push it yourself.

I'm American which means I'm slightly overweight and lazy. The last 2 years I'd pushed it myself and I'm fed up with the amount of physical exertion needed :P

I have a fwd. Like ford was saying when you turn you lose the use. I'd I could go back I would get rwd with the ability to change the speed.

Instead of pushing down, why not pull up?

mrford appears quite knowledgeable in mowing technology.

Toro is pretty compfortable and agree completely with the speed control. Auto-start is nice but honestly it starts with a single pull every time thus far. Don't know much about honda except expensive for what it is. To the point you could buy a cheap rider at least in this area.

Having owned a toro and being quite lazy I had some complaints. First off their belts don't last long with hills. To change the belt it's a real pain in the ass to the point I checked around to have it done for me and was quoted ridiculous prices. The oil plug is on the bottom and you have to remove a plate to get to it, leaving you with a 2 person job of holding oil pan in place and flipping it over to drain and cleanup after. Tightening the activator wire isn't too bad luckily but yes you will be doing it at least 2 times a season. The whole system is a little weirdly built, I am not confident how long such a mechanism will last. In all a pretty good buy for the money, but they all have their issues. Have never owned a mower without quirks.

Oh and on your original question, I agree with RWD being the best, front wheel being poor for momentum and terrible on hills, and AWD just being over priced and a headache. The AWD mower I had just constantly had issues, there was so many things that could fail. Unreliable and just plagued with poor decisions. This was many years ago and didn't have hills maybe things are better now and maybe it's worth it with hills.

I do my research before purchasing "big items." I settled on a ~$300 Toro about 5 years ago and don't regret it.

I have used my neighbors 5 year old honda, and it cuts great, it has dual blades and the clipping s are extremely fine. I really didn't like the speed control system which is just a stepped lever from turtle to rabbit. I also don't like the fact that it has no side ejection. Wtf is that fluff? It does have a nifty feature where you can step the size of the bag opening, just for the fact that it is an interesting idea, how practical it is I don't know, as it isn't my mower and I hadn't used it many times.

But these are both 5 year old mowers. I'm sure a few comfort features have been refined since then.

As long as it comes with a honda or brigs and straton engine, it really just comes down to personal preference, and the layout of your lawn. The latter being fairly important in choosing a mower.

http://www.toro.com/...x?pid=20332-personal-pace

That is pretty much the exact mower I have. But I think mine is only 6.75 hp.

My only complaints are the small bag size, and cable system on the personal pace. It starts on the first pull every time, no choke no pump no nothing, and that's over 5 years of use. Back when the mower was about a year old, it would refuse to start back up while hot. It was weird, and lasted about one season. Once I winterized it, i never had the same problem. Maybe it was a bad ethanol level in that years gas or something along those lines.

The blade clutch is nice as well. I found the clutch system on my neighbors Honda to be unreliable, and sometimes it would randomly disengage.

The toro also has a "quick wash" which is basically a female garden hose coupling on the deck, and you hook a hose up to it and engage the blade and it clean the underside of the deck and blade. It's pretty cool

You always want rearwheel, because all the weight is in the back, you will get better traction, honda is currently the best rated mowers on the market, but they aren't very far above toro, and toro uses honda moters, so its just the bells and whistles that are missing. I like the honda's though because they have the 3 in 1 systems, so you can bag, mulch or blow. Makes it more convenient when your dealing with grass and then leaves in the fall.

My toro is 3 in 1, and it has a briggs and straton, not honda!

Mine is 3in1 too, and same as ford for engine.

I bought my toro a few years ago, and at that time the main difference from the toro and honda was I liked honda speed control better and it had a solid mounted gear system rather than toro and it's weird slip belt system. Also the honda was another $200, maybe more hp too.

Get a scythe you wuss

Ive got an old school cylinder mower i was going to use. You can have it, still works a treat. Freight would be a fortune to get anywhere so defeating the offer.

I love Toro, back in 90s when my dad had a lawnmower shop, he was Toro authorized dealer, that's where I learned to service, repair and overhaul engines, good times!

Rwd with honda engine.

All the time shopping for a push mower then using it sounds BORING.
Hire a landscaper. Its as much as a cell phone bill or less or...
Maybe buy a sickle and kick it old school tubby. :P

Or hire somebody else to do it for you.

AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I recently bought a Husqvarna with Kohler engine - AWD. I picked this one up since it was on sale and the AWD didn't particularly appeal to me but didn't hurt either with my backyard being all sloped. I have really enjoyed it so far and wouldn't look back on this purchase for the price. Turning isn't nearly as much of an issue as I thought (lift the front wheels a tad and give it some juice - just like having RWD)
If you are looking for a reliable and decent priced push mower I would recommend this one.
http://www.lowes.com/...7-63311-961450015_1z0wgdf

That is a nice looking motor, but the engine is kinda small for an AWD mower, and it doesn't have side discharge. If you ever gat busy and have to skip a week, your mower will probably stall out in the thick stuff.

In none of the examples is there a place to put your beer. I assume you have a beer helmet? Wtf?

Lol lol. Can't afford to hire the neighbors kid to do that anymore.

OR, IF YOU DON'T OWN ANY BLACK HOODED ROBES, MAYBE TRY A TWO-WHEELER

http://www.homedepot.com/...100329904-_-202332518-_-N

BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:

NEVER GETTING GOUGED BY THE LOCAL EXXON JUST TO MOW YOUR LAWN.

YOU WON'T HAVE TO SET THE VOLUME ON THE MP3 PLAYER YOU'RE LISTENING TO QUITE SO LOUD.

IT IS MUCH HARDER TO ACCIDENTALLY KILL YOUR CAT WITH THIS.

NEGATIVES:

IT IS MUCH HARDER TO INTENTIONALLY KILL YOUR CAT WITH THIS.

wow, that's pretty nifty



too much work, i'm far too lazy to be swingin' a scythe around.

here's the mower i'm going to get later today (why don't they make a mower whose box will fit into a honda civic?)

http://www.homedepot.com/...KA/203709643?N=5yc1vZc5ap

next question for you guys (and mrford in particular)

curved or straight shaft weed whacker? won't be used for heavy duty trimming, just light/average use. should i stay above a certain size of engine?

Sheep for lawn care, goats for weeds and brush :-)

Go with a four stroke weed wacker. Streight shaft if you want to get fancy with your cut angle.

Those are nice, no mixing 2cycle oil :-)

I've heard a 4 stroke is better..

Is that the only difference between a curved/straight shaft? just being able to be fancy with a cut angle?

I am not a mechanical inclined at all, I can't stand mowers. I always end up having issues with the mower after the first season of owning it. I can handle basics like changing oil, filters and such, but I end up having to spend money getting it fixed. 3 years ago I got a battery powered mower, the only maintenance I have done on it since getting it, after last season I cleaned the deck and sharpened the blade. Most times I can mow my entire lawn on one charge, but I have a spare battery. This is if I forget to charge it one week, or I let the lawn get too long.

I would say the biggest draw backs, first it's not quite as powerful as a gas mower. And second you have to push it, but the mower is half the weight of a gas powered.

Some of the best things about it, I don't have to buy gas, plus not as harsh on the environment. Another nice thing is how quiet it is, I can hear my cell phone ring and sometimes hear when I get a text message. It's also nice, because it starts every time and so easy. With my gas mower I always ran over sticks, because I didn't want to have to start the mower up again. That resulted in my blade getting chewed up.

I will be starting my 4th season, I thought I might need a battery, but it seems to be okay so far.

http://www.neutonpower.com/

I would of gone with electric but had a battery powered weed eater for a bit and the experience was horrible. Also mainly hills and big yard so no way a single charge battery will make it. Had to break up the lawn in half for the weed eater even.

rear wheel drive = more traction

Straight weed eater if you want to easily use it to edge too, curved if all you care about are ergonomics. For home use, that's about the only difference. The string system however, that is pretty imporrant.

The weeded ter I use now has individual lengths of string that you install before starting the motor. I like to use a heavy Guage string, and one string lasts me for the job, I replace it every time I use the weedeater, takes about 20 seconds. Some may not like this, but I kinda do, no meddling with an auto feed system, my nemesis.

Also, that is a pretty nice mower trife. I have used an earlier model similar to that one, and the only complaint I had was the knob you slide to change where the clippings are directed is attatched to a sliding door, the mechanism was a bit different but it looks about the same. That door blocks the bagto mulch, this door can get clogged with grass easily, and jam. Keep that clean every few mows and you shouldn't have a problem with that mower. The twin blades are pretty cool, it murders leaves. I also liked the large bag size.

Let me know how that speed control system works, that's the honda system I said I had never used and was intrigued.

yeah, this is the biggest splurge i've gotten for myself since a TV 4-5 years ago heh.

the speed control is pretty nice. i did read some complaints about it online, how that with the thumb paddles, as you encounter bumps/hills while you're going it'll cause it to speed up sorta unexpectedly since you apply a little more pressure to the paddles. i didn't see the complaint too often so i figured it was just someone without a clue. sure enough it was. there's like 4 different starting positions for the thumb paddles, you just need to play with it a little bit, figure out which setting fits your hands/walking speed/backyard layout the best and it's fine. so the guy was sorta right but you just have to adjust it and it works great.

using a plain push mower i used to dread mowing my lawn with my small hills on my yard, but this self propelled makes it so much easier. i actually look forward to mowing now. i was just telling a friend that the upgrade from a push mower to self propelled is up there with dialup to broadband. never going back to a push mower again.

hrm yeah, i'd like to find a weed eater with a string system like you mentioned. on my previous weedeater, an electric corded one (don't get me started), i was easily spending more time fighting with the autofeed thing than actual weed eating.

since i won't be using it as much as the mower, i think im going to cheap out on a weed eater =\

Oh, a common problem with most newer mowers is pulling them backwards on turns. You have to release the propulsion lever, continue to push the mower forward a few inches to disengage drive, and THEN it will roll backwards.

I can't tell you how many idiots I see dragging their mower backwards complaining how hard it is, because they didn't follow these simple steps.

As for a weedeater, I had a $70 weedeater for 6-7 years. A lot of durability is how you maintain your equiplent. If you have a head on your shoulders and do some basic maintaince even the cheapest will last for residential use.

Never store them for long periods with gas in them, drain then fire them up til carburetor has run dry ;-)

stupid question, my honda's (mower) manual says to turn off the gas line, then run it until it dies..

should i also remove the gas from the tank?

i'm making sure to use ethanol free gas btw

only remove the gas from the tank if you are winterizing it. gas that sits for a while "spoils" and can damage engines if used. they make stabilizers, but in terms of a mower that only holds like 1/4 of a gallon, better to just drain it. turning the gas off every use seems to be a little overkill, especially if you use the mower at least once a week, however to keep up with warranties, its best to follow directions to the T. i have seen warranty claims rejected for some stupid reasons.

ethanol free gas is best for mowers, but in reality, as long as you are only using gas that contains 10% or less of ethanol, you shouldn't have a problem. they also make ethanol treatments if you want to buy a large quantity of ethanol gas, and treat it.

What fordy said ^

Completely silly, I would even recommend against closing the gas line after every use. Rarely is a valve on a consumer product built to last. Your average indoor emergency water shut off valve is not even intended to be used but a few dozen times. I doubt the likely cheap plastic one added to your mower is rated for much more than that.

Unless you have worlds smallest lawn you should be able to plan it so as you completely run out of gas upon your last mowing of the year. The small amount of stale gas left from running the mower until it stops will do no damage when mixed with fresh gas.

opps sorry, yea i wasn't asking for normal storage, but rather long term storage

for a weed whacker, i ended up getting this cheap-o

http://www.homedepot.com/...1790?N=5yc1vZbx8iZ1z0zy8m

used it tonight, worked well, might consider buying a different head for it if possible. we'll see how things hold up.

Not bad for the money, Trife, two cycle especially do run it out of gas after every use, drain tank 1st ;-)

Ohh then just for the winter should be fine, I doubt it matters at all really if it is kept in a garage or shed. We had a mower for many years that all we did was put a tarp over it, didn't even empty the gas. Lasted forever.

Seems like a pretty decent weed whacker.

I have never had a home lite weed eater, but I did own a homelite chainsaw for a time there. The motor worked great, the chain, and the chain oiling system was another deal.

Just make sure you mix that 2 cycle right. I usually keep a 2 gallon jug of 93 octane for my mower and edger, and a gallon container of 2 cycle for the weedeater, chainsaw, and blower. I use all but the chainsaw every week and those sized containers are perfect. I used to have a 5 gallon jerry can, but at that point it just gets too heavy and cumbersome and you end up spilling gas everywhere.

Don't EVEN get me started on some of the new jerry can safety valves. Do not want, they are awkward as fluff.

One of my contractors makes the joke that 'if its orange, its good' and I have to agree with him for hand held two stroke stuff like weed eaters, blowers, chainsaws. Stihl, Echo, and Husqvarna products seem to last longer for me.

As for mowers, I have a lot of exposure to small engines at work over the last 20 years and I was a die hard Honda guy. Lately (last 4-5 years) I have gradually become more fond of Kohler. Kohler seems to have a lot more power to weight than Honda and they start easy. B&S are tough and will last a long time, but they are hard to start and prone to carb issues. I've never used a powered walk behind so I'll stay out of that discussion.

Find a source of gasoline that is ethanol free for small engines. Trust me on this. If you can't find it anywhere (and there are actually specialty dispensers for it at some gas stations) then be sure to add Sta-Bil or something similar to your fuel.

I love EE.

yeah, i just got a premixed 50 to 1 blend at HD, because of the stupid fluffing safely valves on the new gas cans

i'm a smart person, but yet can't figure out how to work a gas can with these safety things on it without spilling a bunch of gas on myself. i was cursing up a storm in my yard. was thinking about taking the damn thing back to HD but i finally figured it out - but now instead of the gas can leaking all over me, in order for it to work right you hold the can completely upside down so you can't see how full the tank is so inevitably you still wind up spilling gas all over youself and the mower from it being over filled

much anger. such stupidity. wow