I chose not to address all of the points mentioned, but I do appreciate your input and advice. I finally got to try the HRX with cruise control, not just pushing it around on the showroom floor, but actually cutting the grass. Very impressive and high quality mower. Initial impressions, my opinion only, your mileage may vary: not a fast or as quiet as I would like; it bogged down a few times when I didn't expect it to be struggling, blade/cruise control will take some getting used to and at first try I do not find it as intuitive as the personal pace. It does seem like a high quality machine and I really like the composite deck and the Versamow feature and some of the higher end features like large bb wheels and the mulching blades and I can see why it receives great reviews. For the speed issue, I am going to try the Honda HRS216PDA, the push version, steel deck. There is no max speed on a push mower. Haven't seen any aluminum deck push mowers. At 63 lbs, it's the lightest I have seen of the quality push mowers. The Lawnboy10640 looks good too, but it gives up an inch on the front wheels and the blade, and my bumpy and large yard make these factors important to me. These two mowers also revive the B&S vs Honda engine comparison, but I get the point that both are good and will serve me well as long as I take care of them and whatever the power, should be enough. Still, I read the Cub Cadet thread and I also like to have the data and analyze it myself, with the help of the forum too. So, I am going to give the push Honda a try and if that doesn't crank my motor, I will get the Toro SR 20092 and be done with it. Yep, the B&S one, aluminum deck, 5mph top speed. Red is a faster color too. The quandry continues, and the grass keeps growing, but not under my feet. Cheers.

I just purchased a 2013 Honda HRX217HZA a couple of weeks ago. It supplants a 2003 Toro 20033 SR push mower here, which still is in mint condition. After recent spine surgery, I decided to finally purchase a self-propelled mower! Here are my thoughts on the HRX217HZA which cost me $849, plus tax (high here in IL (9%) - at a local mower shop. - Versamow System... So far, I exclusively use it in the mulch position, as I always mulch here. This fall I will try it out in the partial mulch and partial discharge when the leaves begin to fall. I never bag, as I have no way to get rid of the clippings. The mower mulches very well on par with the Toro SR. - The 190cc engine starts immediately with either the recoil or electric start. NOTE: With the 2013 HRX217HZA, Honda eliminated the "wall wart" charger for the battery. The battery is now charged from the engine's electrical system when the mower is running. No engine surging is noted, either at partial or full throttle. However, I am using non-Ethanol gasoline provided by the selling dealer. I will see if any surging begins when I start using the 10% Ethanol gas sold at all gas stations in this area. I do use an additive called Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment - I find it superior to Sta-Bil. - Blade Brake... the blade brake feature is very nice, especially when you need to pick up something from the yard which was overlooked prior to mowing. I know this adds to the complexity of the mower, but it's a big plus for me. When the blade brake bail is pushed in which engages the blade, or more specifically, the blades, the mower's dBA noise level increases significantly. The HRX217 is definitely a louder mower than my Toro SR 20033 with the flat-head B&S 6.5HP Quantum engine. - Nexite Deck... The Nexite deck is very nice, and rugged, but it may be more sensitive to spilled gas, fluids, etc. than a cast aluminum or steel deck. This is not confirmed, but it is noted in the HXA's owner's manual. - Ball Bearing Wheels... This mower is heavy (102 lbs.), but I honestly can't tell much of a difference between this mower with the ball bearing wheels and the Toro with sleeve bearing wheels. Granted, the Toro is only 69 lbs., but when I drop the Clutch Bail on the Honda to either trim or go back and forth around obstacles, the Honda is not necessarily easy to maneuver - ball bearing wheels or not. Not that it's hard to maneuver per se, but simply more so than my Toro push mower. - Hydrostatic Drive... The Hydrostatic drive is wonderful in operation. I can set it to its lowest setting, and it will simply crawl at a snail's pace. I will never use it at its highest speed setting, as I don't enjoy jogging when I mow the lawn! It's very nice to be able to change the speed on the go, and when you want to disengage the drive, you simply drop the Clutch Bail. You can also "feather" the drive system by partially dropping the Clutch Bail similar to a single drive or variable drive system. As to potential cost-of-repair, yes, I expect the Hydrostatic drive to be most costly to maintain, and certainly to repair than other systems. I've heard stories here on this site of high repair bills on the Hydrostatic drive, so I am a bit concerned about this myself. I understand the Toro's Personal Pace (originally designed by Lawn-Boy), and the Snapper Disc design is more simple, and thus, less-costly to repair. - Honda Warranty... The HRX comes with a 5 year warranty, but since I purchased the mower on or before May 31, Honda added a Bonus 1 year, so it has a 6 year warranty. I've also read on this site where Honda can be quite picky about some warranty claims, thus this also concerns me a bit. I never had the need to test the Toro 5 year warranty on my 20033 SR, as it never had one single problem in the 10 years I've owned it. The only negatives I've discovered so far are as follows: - When mowing laterally across a slight rise or hill, the mower wants to slide sideways down the incline a bit. This is due to its weight. It's not a significant problem, but it does occur. - The HRX217 is a complex walk-behind mower... from its OHC 190cc engine with a belt-driven cam drive to its Hydrostatic drive, it's likely the most complex walk-behind mower available for residential use. Unlike the Toro 20033 SR with the "old" B&S flat head engine which has only required annual oil changes, annual air filter replacements, and annual spark plug replacements, plus a thorough cleaning after each use, the Honda's maintenance schedule "reads more like an automobile maintenance schedule." The dealer strongly urged me to consider annual check-ups at $69+ per service, and the owner's manual directly addresses this, such as checking the valve clearance on the OHC system, as well as checking the Hydrostatic drive. Thus, this mower will certainly be more costly to maintain than the Toro I own. During the 6 year warranty period, the dealer will pick up the mower and deliver it back to my house for no charge - other than the service fee of course. Just a thought to consider, as I doubt HD would do this for you. One of the benefits of buying from a locally-owned dealer is that they generally provide excellent service. redballoon - I hope this answers some of your questions. I know this is not the exact model you are considering, but I have tried to cover most questions on the mower's features.

First, md.stamen. What are you trying to say when you said that their tranny was pretty much a hydro tranny? If there is a clutch it's nothing like a hydro Tranny. The propulsion system in my HRX uses the hydro fluid at varying pressures to drive a belt that drives the wheels. No clutch. To the op, I'm thinking you have the smart drive system. If so they do use a cone type clutch that shouldn't need replacement but stranger things have happened I'm sure. It could be the tranny all together. Hate to say it but it sounds like you have done what Honda would recommend before looking at the actual transmission itself.

Thanks for the comments grass1950 and mownie. I'm a little pissed at the moment, so don't take everything that I'm about to say in a bad way. I will calm down ..... Later. "And to be honest, it sounds a bit like operator error." First of all, I'm not a rookie. I'm a licensed electrician, certified Chevy and industrial mechanic, I can fix anything. I am considered the best troubleshooter for the company that I work for and the same with my previous employer. If you are younger than 50 I was repairing mowers, tractors, cars, and trucks before you were even born. Nope No operator error, the "free wheel" has never been engaged from day one. I drove it on to my trailer when I bought it and have never even messed with it until it stopped pulling. I tried to engage and disengage after it stopped moving and it wouldn't move. I followed the linkage to see if anything was blocking it, nothing was, I could not get the lever to move either direction pulling and pushing directly on it. "Lowe's doesn't make the Husqvarna and Husqvarna doesn't make the Hydro-gear." I don't give a rats butt who made it. I bought it from Lowe's. If they don't stand behind what they sell there is a Home Depot on the other side of the block! OK that vent is over! Next vent: I probably came close to getting a good old fashion butt whooping when I picked it up. I peeved off the muscular young man when he told me that there was a $78 charge. I told him no way. He also said that they engaged the free wheel to load it, which wasn't necessary since it was already freewheeling! He said that it was my fault not theirs. I said to him You engaged the freewheel, not me. He said that he had replaced the battery because it wouldn't start. As a courtesy, no charge. I had to put a battery maintainer on it two weeks after the battery warranty ran out, and told him that. He popped off and said I'll take the battery back out and put your old one back in if you don't want to pay the service charge. Then I got peeved off. I told him that he didn't have to be an a-hole. And that I wanted to talk to the manager. He looked at me like he wanted to kick my butt. He went in and got on the phone, came back out threw me a piece of paper and said sign this as proof that you have picked it up and be on your way. He got impatient with me when I was reading it an said, just sign the D thing! I took my time and read it and signed it. He grabbed it up and said the key is in it and walked away.