Need a new lawnmower

[Sky]

Well, I shopped around a bit...jaw hit the floor with the Honda for 4 figures! For that kind of cash, it better mow he lawn itself!

GOing to try the neighbor's Toro tomorrow. It's self-propelled to match your speed. My Physical Therapist was touting his Toro with this feature. There's a vendor in the next town with Toro and Husqvarna machines. The owner is a neighbor, lives up the street. I can score a good deal if I like the cut, the handle height, etc.

Looks like the cast aluminum decks of the Toro cost a tad more, but weigh a bunch less. Odd CR is down on the Husqy....Honda engines!

It will come down to handle height I'm thinking.

 

[Sky]

So...a quick "review" of the Toro Recycler

As I suspected...there were afew things CR didn't rport on that make a difference to the consumer. But first, the things I liked:

Love the one-touch speed dealy. It definitely goes as fast as I want...or as slow all based on the touch...how "hard" you press the handle (which depresses downward along the angle of the handle). I think I'd hate the handle height if it wern't for the absolute ease of the self-propelled function. I found myself walking next to the mower using one hand.

Hard to say how well the bag-size works...cuz my lawn needed to be hayed more than mowed. :> And will all the rain we got last night and all the leaves that came down with the rain....the bag was filling up pretty darn quickly...but not a fair measurement today.

Loved the ease with which the bag attached. Liked the plastic base of the bag...apparently it drags along the ground (or close). Love the ease with which the bag empties...again, maybe due in part to the plastic base. Imagine Indy gas can efficiency...one tip, one quick emptying. Nice.

However, I hate the way the bag has to be attached/detached....NOT the mechanism, but the process. The bag has to be lifted slightly to detach it...then dropped and slid backwards away from the mower, which dumps the overflowing clippings onto the lawn. Meh...so you stuff them in the bag when you re-attach. But you CAN'T lift eh bag straigh up...the handle is in the way.

Along with the frequent emptying, came the frequent starting....very easy to pull-start.

It did a fabulous job on the lawn, leaves and all. Hard to say how good a mulcher it would be...lawn height was severe. It sucked up the leaves embedded down into the lawn. Not enough "vacuum" to suck up the soaking wet pine cones. That would have been a plus.

One thing I agree with CR on is the mundane task of adjusting the height of each frickin wheel. The J Deere mower I had used two separate adjusters (one front, one back). I had an older mower that had a single adjustment from the operator's position. But it's not THAT big a deal....I may change the height of the deck twice a year.

So..."thanks" to my nice neighbor for letting me do my entire lawn....which took two+ hours by the way. But I can see where, had the lawn height not been so sever, and the leaves not been so deep....that SP option and the 22" cut would have made quick and easy work of the task.

I sort of tucked the bad things in the body of the test...bag attaching process is about it. Also, if it weren't for the SP option...the "Recycler" is a stteel deck...probably 90 LB or so. It would be a heck of a task to push thatt mower full of lawn clippings all of he yard. I was looking at the next level up, cast aluminum.

 

[faceplant]

It will come down to handle height I'm thinking.

here ya go....

http://www.mysizeusa.com/extenders.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Push-Mower-Hack-for-Tall-People/

 

[Sky]

here ya go....

http://www.mysizeusa.com/extenders.html

http://www.instructables.com/id/Push-Mower-Hack-for-Tall-People/

HA! Nothing in my size comes cheap!!

Thanks.

 

[RootDKJ]

Nice review on the Toro. Everything you like about the Toro is what I like about my Lawnboy. I also dislike adjusting each wheel indvidually, but it's not much effort.

 

[Sky]

Nice review on the Toro. Everything you like about the Toro is what I like about my Lawnboy. I also dislike adjusting each wheel indvidually, but it's not much effort.

re: review...thanks...sort of a stream of conciousness rant. :>

I've got my wallet ready for a deal maybe later today on that Toro....end of year dealy.