Honda. I have a Honda. On its 11th summer. I get the maintenance kit every summer - oil, air filter and spark plug. Sharpen the blades. Not a single problem so far.
OT - Lawn mowers - I know there have been multiple threads
- Thread starter Fac
- Start date
I have a Cub Cadet self propelled I bought in the spring of 2018 when I bought my house. It's worked flawlessly for me. Starts up on the first pull, oil was still perfect after one year of mowing, air filter was clean as it gets, and my neighbor sharpened my blade for me before I used it again this year. I couldn't be happier. I am on a quarter acre.
Honda also makes fantastic mowers. I have friends who have them and swear by them.
Honda also makes fantastic mowers. I have friends who have them and swear by them.
Yes - front is St Augustine. Gets pretty thick. Usually mowing every 5 days through the summer. Starting to slow as we are in September.
I hear you, but if I need to spend 12 hours starting it just to spend 25 hours running it, my tolerance for a cheap mower goes away really quickly.Unbelievable. Were talking here of a workload of about 25hrs/years for the mower. Twenty Five!! . This is where you buy pawn shop or craigslist and then take it to a small engine shop if need be. Run it til it quits then repeat.
DO NOT OVERCAPITALIZE, I say
This is now my all time favorite thread.
How about oil changes? Recommendations on frequency and brand?
How about oil changes? Recommendations on frequency and brand?
people say every year, or every 50-100 hrs.
I have changed the oil once in my Deere LT180 lawn tractor in 15 years, averaging ~30-40 hrs/year
As I said above, I get the Honda maintenance kit every year. Oil, air filter and spark plug. Replace everything before the first mow of the season. Sharpen the blades as well. I'm pretty sure I could go years without replacing any of those parts, but for as inexpensive and simple as it is, why tempt fate. I just do it.
on hot days do you take that Deere in the house to re fuel?
My LawnBoy is nearly 25yrs old and i have never changed the oil
You’re nuts... that Kawasaki FH500v in your LT180 is worth too much to neglect it...
Though two weeks ago I ran my x300 mowing a 3+mile trail with the dipstick out... lost all but a few ounces of oil (2qt capacity) but suffered no damage to the engine... which i attribute to use of fresh Mobil1 full synthetic (every 50hrs) and anything but Fram oil-filters
I’m amazed and forgetful that BBC’s were invented and installed 25 years ago. For some reason I thought they were a more recent “safety feature”. That said, I did own a Toro of slightly newer age that had a BBC that only shut-off the blade and not the engine+blade.
I’d like to smack the goofball regulator who thought it was wise to propose modifying the regs such that the entire mower now shuts down.
Last edited:
I’m amazed and forgetful that BBC’s were invented and installed 25 years ago. For some reason I thought they were a more recent “safety feature”. That said, I did own a Toro of slightly newer age that had a BBC that only shut-off the blade and not the engine+blade.
I’d like to smack the goofball regulator who thought it was wise to propose modifying the regs such that the entire mower now shuts down.
It was simply easier (and certainly cheaper) to satisfy the safety mandate w/ a kill-switch mechanism vs. a comparatively complex clutch system that allows the engine to remain running
It’s as much rocks as grass though. It takes me 90 minutes. Actually enjoy it.
Lawn Boy, once head & shoulders above all other push-mowers (innovative staggered-wheel magnesium deck, super-compact/featherweight 2cycle smoke-belching powerplant with muffler integrated into the deck - unkillable ... unless one straight-fuels it)
is nothing now but a re-badged Toro since the acquisition about 15yrs ago... Toro scrapped everything that made LawnBoy unique (and superior) ...
Here’s my 25yr old Gold Series :
And he's a Genny man! Luv it!
Not certain about Honda - but the JD models available at HD and Lowes are exactly the same as those sold at Deere retailers
About five years ago I bought one of the Craftsmans with a Honda engine that MMII said he might possibly make an exception for earlier in this thread (though I have a self-propelled model).
It sits outside year-round, exposed to the rain and snow. I've never changed the oil (topped it off one time, but don't think it took much), air filter, or spark plug. Still starts and works as well as the day I brought it home.
Now I'm scared though and think I might at least change the oil.
smartass
Ha!
My brain upon reading his post: "wow, what? that's amazin... oh wait a second. smartass."
Unbelievable. Were talking here of a workload of about 25hrs/years for the mower. Twenty Five!! . This is where you buy pawn shop or craigslist and then take it to a small engine shop if need be. Run it til it quits then repeat.
DO NOT OVERCAPITALIZE, I say
The OP lives in an area subject to high Heat Index. I think the last thing he wants is unreliable lawn equipment!
Damn. You don't measure mowers in years. You measure them in hours of operation. In Florida an average lawn cut once per week would be about 25 hrs. That's nothing. When we lived in Colorado we had a much bigger lawn but a short mowing season. Typically about 15 hrs/yr. Most small engines manufacturers recommend an oil change after 50 hours but there is a huge dummy margin factored in.
So do I in Florida. Ambient temperature is nowhere near the operating temperature of the engine. My point is not to get hung up on this brand or that brand. At the end of the day small engines are almost a commodity for the work they're intended to do.
I know people who do that. And do it again. And again. And end up spending more than I did on my Honda after 10 years (11 summers). My brother bought a cheap mower for about $250 (half of what I spent on mine). He's spend over $250 on repairs already (carburetor issues) and his is only 6 years old.
I know other people who do that. And have gotten away with it.
My neighbor owns a lawnmower repair shop. Says he can tell whether the Honda was purchased at a big box store or from a dealer.
OP, Look at the Honda powered Husqvuarna 7021P. I bought one off Amazon four years ago. It can be had for around $300. Simple, extremely reliable machine. I prefer the larger rear wheels for maneuverability.
Here’s a couple of tips from my neighbor who owns a lawnmower shop. He said over 80% of the repairs his shop makes is related to the carburetor.
First, small engines don’t like ethanol so buy a bottle of ethanol treatment and pour some in your gas can. Most of these treatments also contain a stabilizer which is good.
Use a funnel with a filter when pouring gas into your lawnmower tank. You would be surprised how much dirt, small pieces of grass, and other debris can get in your gas tank,
These two things will greatly minimize carburetor issues.
First, small engines don’t like ethanol so buy a bottle of ethanol treatment and pour some in your gas can. Most of these treatments also contain a stabilizer which is good.
Use a funnel with a filter when pouring gas into your lawnmower tank. You would be surprised how much dirt, small pieces of grass, and other debris can get in your gas tank,
These two things will greatly minimize carburetor issues.
I don’t always avoid ethanol-laced fuels... but i do dose each fuel-fill with a spritz of SeaFoam regardless if it’s a chain-saw/weedwhacker/gen-set/lawn tractor/push-mower/snowthrower...
Always clear the fuel-system at end-of-season and final breaths of the engine get some 2cycle oil before the machine goes into a seasonal slumber ... 2cycle oil is a better stabilizer for fuel,or so I have read... no Stabil as i leave no fuel in the machine at all anyway (speculating that Stabil is little more than 2cycle oil anyway )
Interesting. Thirty years ago they recommended not leaving any gas in the tank over the winter. Today his shop always recommends keeping gas with stabilizer in the tank over winter. They claim there are gaskets that need to be kept moist and with running all the gas out of the tank prevents this. I’m no expert but this is what he indicates the engine manufactures recommend.
I don't subscribe to this. Thirty years ago many small engine gas tanks were still made of metal and ethanol fuel wasn't pervasive. You wanted to keep the tank topped off to prevent rust from forming inside the tank. These days most of the tanks are made of plastic. There isn't much in the way of gaskets - just the fuel petcock and fill cap. I wouldn't worry about either ever drying out.
Good for you. Maybe you've been lucky. Or maybe you know enough about small engines that you feel comfortable going that direction. When I bought my Honda mower, it was the first mower I ever owned and I wanted to make sure I didn't have any issues. Now that I've owned a mower, and have tinkered with it enough (routine stuff), I might feel more comfortable going cheaper next time around. But hopefully this is the only mower I'll ever own.
Great response... your thoughts echo my reaction as well.... what gaskets are involved in the plastic tank / rubber fuel lune / plastic fuel filter housing ?
Well, duh yeah... i can too... because the deck will say “ Craftsman” or “Troy-Bilt” even if the engine is a genuine Honda... but Honda engines are Honda engines built to Honda spec ...
All Honda lawnmowers (Honda-deck + Honda power) sold in the USA come from one place, and that's the Honda factory in Swepsonville, NC.
There are no differences between models shipped to independent stores vs. those shipped to Home Depots; they are all the same.
Same with Deere...
Not so fast my friend/ami. Honda recently outsourced "some" (akin to @michnittlion and his cookie count) of their engine manufacturing to Taiwan.
Trust me, the outsourced engines aren't the same. The differences are noticeable especially from the "first pull", which surprisingly doesn't ignite the engine, or the 2nd or 3rd.
It's important to check serial numbers on modern Honda engines to determine manufacturing origin.
Last edited:
