Honda lawnmower

[ladylola]

I've just been offered a Honda lawnmower as I'm looking to expand what I do with property maintaince. The mower is a HRX426 SX and is about two years old. Has anyone experience with this model and advice on what to look for in the way of possible problems?
The same person also has a Sthil strimmer for sale although I'm unsure of the model .

 

[Burnerman]

I'm unsure about the post above - way out man - but check the oil on the proposed Honda. If the level is good, and the oil is clean, buy with confidence.
This machine has the facility to stop the cutting blade as the engine spins...hence the yellow button on the handlebar.
Feel the blade for notches - that tells you if its been mowing concrete
It should start first pull.
Re the Stihl strimmer - if its got plenty compression, buy it.....the only thing you watch on these is regular greasing of the gearbox at the bottom, and genuine oil mix is essential.
John

 

[ladylola]

Thanks for that John a little more to the point than the first reply.
I'm told by someone other than the seller that it has been looked after but in a worst case senerio what are parts prices like for example a new set of blades if the original are too far gone for regrinding ?

 

[Burnerman]

No problems with that one - you'll find a genuine blade (17" I think for this machine) on ebay for around £20.
Personally I pop the blade off ( 2 x14mm bolts) for a sharpen twice a year - but if its clouted a rock then more often.
If I had any moan about these mowers, it would be that if they revved just that little bit faster then they would scoop up wet grass a bit better.
No matter, its a first class bit of kit....around £725 new I think.
This machine is available with either a rear roller or twin wheels - both have their advantages but for general use the twin wheel is easier to use.
If you can find the number of the Stihl strimmer I'll comment on that - but if there's good compression (meaning it'll start on the third pull) that will be ok too, more than likely.
I'm always on the hunt for gear like this...Honda, Stihl, Husqvarna - I know I'll get somewhere.
John

 

[StuDH]

I bought this one about a month ago ..................

http://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/p...nda-hrx426sx?gclid=CMvDmIqkmLACFW1ItAodHg6E4g

I think the SX has rear wheels and the HX has a rear roller.

It's a super mower! Get a demo of it working and you wont go wrong.
It's an expensive one ( just over £600 new ).
I bit the bullet and paid up, because it has a Polypropylene deck and wont rust. It replaced my trusty ( or rusty ) Briggs and Stratten that had a steel deck and had rusted through. So I had to scrap a perfectly good engine just because the deck was a steel pressing.

 

[Burnerman]

I bought this one about a month ago ..................

http://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/p...nda-hrx426sx?gclid=CMvDmIqkmLACFW1ItAodHg6E4g

I think the SX has rear wheels and the HX has a rear roller.

It's a super mower! Get a demo of it working and you wont go wrong.
It's an expensive one ( just over £600 new ).
I bit the bullet and paid up, because it has a Polypropylene deck and wont rust. It replaced my trusty ( or rusty ) Briggs and Stratten that had a steel deck and had rusted through. So I had to scrap a perfectly good engine just because the deck was a steel pressing.

There you are then!
Cheaper than I thought.
John

 

[r896neo]

They are great mowers, among the best in my opinion. Avoid the roller models as professional use will knacker the drive quickly and they can be expensive parts wise.

I would maybe say to hold off for a bigger machine as it really makes a difference on medium-large lawns.

I have a HRX537 which is a 21 '' machine, i rarely get my 19'' rover out unless its very wet as it picks up better. I notice the extra few minutes on the smaller machine so a 16'' machine will be noticably slower and have a much smaller bag.

 

[ladylola]

I was wondering about the size to be honest, but not in a "is it too small" way. I do some mowing work but am at the moment using a crappy Chinese petrol jobby so don't really know the full differences so to speak but do the pros have two mowers, one for small lawns and one for larger pieces of grass in the same way I use a smaller saw for say beading rather than a chain saw or do you have a "do every job "size?

 

[r896neo]

I have the 21'' honda and a rover 19'' inch with another older honda as a back up.

There is almost no scenario where a bigger mower is a problem.

In reality lawns under 100m/sq the difference between a 21 and a 19 will be negligable, more time is spent getting them out of the van etc than the extra 2 or 3 stripes that need done due to the size difference.

Get over to landscape juice where there are endless mower threads but most people have their favourites and defend them religiously.

Wet pick up is a major consideration when mowing professionally, the hondas are all quite good and if you can get one with the versamow system its a great benefit. The blade brake which means you don;t need to turn it off to empty it is also a big plus.

Generally with regular cutting every 2 weeks or 1 week if you can mulch do so because it saves so much time and is good for grass, so get a mower with a mulch facility without needing to change the blade. Most simply have a plug thing that sits in place of the grass box and the hondas have versamow which is a selector switch giving a range from full mulch to full collection.

For a less demanding round the honda izys are ok for semi pro use. but you will need a back up mower and strimmer.