My Mower Won't Die - But I Need A New One

[cabinetman]

When we bought this house we needed a lawn mower. A good friend of mine had a John Deere that he gave me. It was just sitting in his garage, with a broken transmission. He used it for 10 years, and found out it would cost $250 to fix it. So, instead he bought an upgraded one from that model. After several more years, that one's transmission broke and gave me that one too.

Well I took the transmission out of the first one and been using it for 12 years as a push mower. It's a great mower, starts on the first or second pull. Wifey says now I need to get a self propelled one, as I have a few health issues that may lay me out prone in the middle of the cut.

My needs are a bit different than Hank's (leehljp). I would like a self propelled, rear drive (maybe larger wheels), electric start, adjustable throttle, (speed control), folding handle, with mulching capabilities. Advice will be appreciated.

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[toolguy1000]

toro here for 34 years. still have the one i got when first married and purchased first house. front drive transmission failed years ago but it still functions as a push mower. it was replaced with a second hand rear drive toro 7 years ago. starts on 1 or 2 pulls. for me, they've been inexpensive and reliable.

[x00018]

I bought a Toro Personal Pace mower 10 years ago. I had to replace 1 drive belt and the drive gears once. Both jobs are easy and not very expensive. The handle is spring loaded so as you start to push it the drive engages and it will go as slow or fast as you want. I like that feature as at my age I want to set my own pace. ( No idea how fast it will go)

[sweensdv]

This one should make mowing the lawn a breeze.

[LinuxRandal]

This one should make mowing the lawn a breeze.

Those can be heavy to move if one doesn't have a trailer and can seem awkward for sharpening. I bought one from a friend, for a friend who obtained it via a closed school auction for $500. We had to modify his gate to get it through, but he was mowing his yard and two elderly neighbors, and was ecstatic I found one at that price.

My mower is a Cub Cadet, and I know there are versions of it that are electric start. The speed control I believe is linked to the drive speed. I tend to leave it in one setting. I LOVE rear drive especially on a hill but am happy I do NOT have the larger rear wheels (bad experiences with them before and smaller wheels are easier/less expensive to replace when needed).

[dbhost]

What about one of those Robotic lawn mowers?

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products...or-homeowners/

After coming in one too many times with heat exhaustion, LOML insisted we get a service... I now have an automatic lawn mower, the kid down the street. If he keeps up the snap he has shown so far, this is one kid I expect to actually go somewhere with his life...

[pelligrini]

Another recommendation on a Toro Personal Pace. I got mine about 10 years ago too. It doesn't have the big wheels, but my property is pretty flat. It will go as fast as I want. There are times when I've got the mower in one hand and a pilsner of Guinness in the other. It's really easy to operate.

It mulches my grass very well. I only use the easy to attach bag a couple times in late fall as there are way too many leaves to mulch on the yard.

[cabinetman]

I have a question on the operation of these self propelled mowers. I understand that some may be single speed (engine). The friend that gave me the John Deere's has a Toro Personal Pace he is selling, as he is moving. He's asking $150. I have no doubt that it has been well maintained. These questions may apply to that mower or a similar type.

Questions:

Is it necessary to depress some kind of lever to start the engine?

Is this lever the same one to move forward?

If so, does this lever also engage the blade or is there a separate control for that?

While the engine is running, can the blade be disengaged?

While the engine is running, can the forward motion be halted? If so, does that shut off the engine?

On rear wheel drive while cutting, can the mower be halted and backed up?

I'm concerned about narrow areas on the side of the house where a mower would have to do a two or three point turn because it's so narrow (about 12'), or can the mower be paused with the engine running and make a 180 turn? IOW, do the drive wheels pause?

.

[pelligrini]

On my personal pace, there is a bail (bar) you hold to the handle to start it and keep it running. It will kill the engine when released. There's no chokes, gears, speed control etc. I prime the engine with three pushes on a bulb and give her a yank. Very rarely do I have to give it a second pull.

For forward movement, the handle will slide down slightly as you start pushing the mower forward. It operates a cable that puts tension on a drive belt that will then turn the wheels. At idle, it does not move, as the drive belt is not engaged. It will go as fast as I want, or as slow with no adjustments to anything on my part other than my walking gate.

The mower is not in drive when backing up, so it's a little harder to pull back. I have no problems with it.

You might go over to your friends place and give his mower a test drive.

This video shows the operation pretty well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hag7BokZLy8

[JimD]

C'man,

I have a Toro I bought only a year or so ago. It is not the exact model you seem to need but is close. Mine is pull start but there is an electric start model. There is also a model with a clutch on the blade but mine dies when you release a spring loaded lever on the handle.

On mine you have to depress a spring loaded handle on the handle (goofy explanation but hopefully it's making sense) and pull. There is an electric start too, I believe.

No, on the Toro personal place, there is a plastic extra handle that goes all the way side to side inside the metal main handle. You hold onto the plastic inner handle and the force with which you push it forward determines the pace of the self propelled. The metal inner handle that kills the engine (or disconnects the blade clutch depending on model) folds up against the plastic handle.

On mine, the blade cannot be disengaged. There is a model with a clutch that disengages when you release the metal inner handle.

Forward motion ceases when you fail to push the plastic inner handle forward. Motor can run all day without forward motion.

Pulling back on the plastic inner handle to turn or back up has the same effect as not pushing forward. The self propelled doesn't work. So you get no assist with backing up but the mower is not trying to pull itself forward either. There is some additional drag because of friction in the drive system. It's not hard to back up but it's a little harder than if there was no assist.

Consumer Reports rates the Toro and Honda highest, I think it's because they mulch better. Toro does that with a specially shaped single blade. Honda uses two blades. Hondas were also a little more expensive so I bought a Toro. Works well. I really like the way the self propelled works. It is very natural. Harder to describe than it is to use.

Jim

[cabinetman]

Thanks guys for the technical explanations. I read this old thread, and got additional info.

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[sscherin]

Another Toro personal pace owner here.. I bought a 21" Super Recycler cast aluminum chassis model from the Toro dealer last month..

You can get them with Toro, Briggs, Kohler or Honda engines.

The aluminum deck super recycler models have a 5 year warranty but I haven't seen one anywhere but a Toro dealer. The warranty is fully transferable if you get a used one.

The 22" steel deck Toro mowers found at the box stores only have a 2 year warranty.

[crybdr]

Big +1 here on the TORO Personal Pace system. They did an unbelievable job creating this. The automatic real-time speed control feel is natural - and transparent to the user. I love mine, ALOT!

I've been spoiled.....pushing other mowers without Personal Pace is sheer drudgery!

[Bill in Buena Park]

Mike,
I've had my Craftsman mower, like this one, for five years now. It has one of those rubber-bulb fuel primers, and with the prescribed "pushes" (3x, I believe), still starts on the first pull. Still going strong. My lawn is only ~900 square feet, and I mow it weekly.

Answers to your questions -


Is it necessary to depress some kind of lever to start the engine? Yes, its a pull-bar "deadman" arrangement you hold in place against the mower handle; if you let go, then engine stops. (see upper bar in picture at website)

Is this lever the same one to move forward? No - there's an additional bar to pull against the handle to engage the transmission. (lower bar in picture)

If so, does this lever also engage the blade or is there a separate control for that? Blade goes if motor is running

While the engine is running, can the blade be disengaged? No

While the engine is running, can the forward motion be halted? Yes - let go of lower bar. If so, does that shut off the engine? No - that's the function of the upper bar.

On rear wheel drive while cutting, can the mower be halted and backed up? Yes - let go of lower bar (transmission in "neutral"), and pull back back on mower.

[cabinetman]

Thanks guys. I think I'm gettin' talked into a Toro.

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