I need a lawnmower?

My 10+ year old rotary type has driveline problems and finding parts has been
Any suggestions for a rear bagger sub $400?

I'm in the market for one also. Been using the manual rotating blade type push mower. Looking forward to any response too.

I wish I knew what to tell y'all! I use a push mower around the house proper and in mulch mode.

We've had good luck with Craftsman mowers though....

RA40, I'm assuming push.

In that case, 4 companies come into the picture for me, Honda, John Deere,Toro(I meant to include that originally, just brain faded at the wrong time), Snapper.

I think they all 4 have push/rear baggers in your price range, and all are now available at Lowes and/or Home Depot.

Bill

RA40 said:

My 10+ year old rotary type has driveline problems and finding parts has been
Any suggestions for a rear bagger sub $400?

Click to expand...

Do you have that thickly-matted grass that requires a rotary mower?

I've always wanted to build a mower using an available blade/chassis and putting one of those Vanguard diesel engines on it.

So far after two seasons I love my Toro rear-bagger. When I was looking, I talked with my brother who had been through quite a few, and he said he'd had many problems with his Honda, and felt it was not built very well and expensive to get fixed, and liked his Deere pretty well, but had had some problems with it already. So after doing a lot of research, I went with a Toro rear bagger mulching mower with variable speed. So far, so good.

+1 on the Toro.

From your price range, I assume you're going for push? I got sick of disposeable mowers and bought a commercial model Toro with the Suzuki 2-stroke engine. Has a good thick aluminum deck, blade disengage, and three self-propel speeds. Mows in wet weather as well as dry. I don't remember what I paid, but it's been worth every penny. Bought it 3-4 years ago and have had no problems at all. Probably the last mower I'll ever buy. I make sure to run it(and any other small engine) dry on fuel before storing.

If you don't need all the bells and whistles and have some mechanical ability(or a friend with mechanical ability), I see lawnmowers at garage sales ALL the time. "It ran great last year, but just won't start this year." Draining the fuel tank, cleaning the crap out of the carburetor, and cleaning the spark plug usually gets it going again. Oil change, too. Total cost for the whole shebang is often less than $30. Used to do that when I mowed neighborhood lawns as a kid; still do sometimes when a friend needs a mower cheap. Good luck.

:buddies:

Edit: Sorry RA40, just saw that you're in California. 2-stroke almost certainly not available there.

Snapper first, Ariens second, Honda third, Toro fourth. Older Toros were better, I'm not a fan of the new ones. I'd tend to avoid plain Recyclers--go for the Super. Deeres are decent mowers but complex and overpriced. Lawn Boy has been ruined as a brand in the last two years.

2-strokes are now only available nationally on commercial mowers. Outlawed for civvie sales.

Skip the MTD/AYP/Murray machines (this includes Sears, Noma, Yard Machines, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Troy-Bilt, and more) unless you're getting a very simple one without drive, BBC, and other options.

If you really, really want my detailed opinions of mowers I'll see about digging up my past OE (outdoor equipment) board posts.

What brand is yours that you need parts for?

I'd tend to go used, but that's just me. I repair them as a hobby. You can get great deals.

My dad has used the same honda lawnmower for the last 17 years. No problems whatsoever. Excellent build quality, much like their cars. We have never needed any replacement parts other than spark plugs which only need changing every few years. Maintenence is pretty easy to do yourself.

I've had good luck with a Toro for the last five years. It's one of the high wheel rear baggers with front drive. The price is still the same seemingly everywhere- $299. I probably would not get the high wheel next time. Can't see much advantage, and it adds weight.

Geoff

Find someplace that repairs/sells old mowers and find one of the older Toro beasties. Other than that all I've ever used were John Deere (tanks, every one of 'em) and one bigger old sears mower/tractor that I'm pretty sure was a Satoh in disguise.

If you will consider used, find a good repair place and frequent it looking for deals. I've seen rebuilt $600 machines go for $100 at the end of the season, and we're getting close!

Toro's are well built too, I meant to have that in my first post and just spaced it.

Bill

+1 for the John Deere
I bought it last year and love it!

The old machine is a Murray convertable mulcher type, rear bagger. Until recently, it has not had any problems to speak of. This past session when I went to engage the drive, it didn't move.

Earlier this season, the steel deck developed some rust and has now gone all the way through leaving about a 1" hole. The jack shaft seems to have broken teeth but I can't get the driveline carrier apart to inspect it. Seems to have sealed itself shut even though it is alumnium. The motor is fine.

While jack shaft's are reasonable, at 10+ years, searches for this part don't show-up. A couple local repair shops say bring it in but if my diagnosis is right, the costs averages to $130.

My yard is about 2,800 sqft of lawn.

Thanks!

Forget it, used that's a $25 mower even in good condition. I'd go for a used Snapper or Toro. Snappers espcially are unkillable. The drive is strong enough for a rider.