Hello weshorn.

I have never owned a Husqvarna mower or a FWD mower.
Could it be in some situations, the FWD mower provides better "traction and mower control" ?
I like RWD or non self propelled.

Good day.

RWD is generally better, especially if you bag (bag gets heavy and leverages weight off the front drive wheels). Of the mowers you list, I'd get the Husqvarna.

Not sure what your geographical limitations are, but in your case I'd really consider a slight stretch to purchase a Lawnboy with SensaSpeed (same as Toro Personal Pace) from Home Depot. They have even been running sales on them lately to clear them out, such that they would come in under your budget. These would be a big step up in durability and cut quality from any of the three you are considering.

I have heard nothing but bad things about the Tecumseh engines that are used on the entry level Toro and Lawnboy mowers. If they had a Briggs they would be at the top of my list.

Matty21 gave you good advice, which you threw back at him. I'll just add my $.02 - the LB 10684 or 10685 is the best bang for the buck going. You definitely want RWD. The Tecumseh is a fine engine. The jet at the bottom of the carb fuel bowl is subject to clogging on some engines, but is ridiculously quick and easy to fix yourself. Most Tecumseh engines will outlast the deck with reasonable care.

How much can the LB 10684 be had for? I have never owned a Tecumseh powered mower so I really can't say they are bad from first hand experience. I only know what I have read.... Matty21, Sorry. I definitely didn't mean to throw your advice back at you.

i own a troy bilt 21" 6.5 hp fwd and it is an excellent mower.mine has the easy adjust deck,just turn one handle to adjust deck height,and five speed drive.Rear drive mowers have alot of problems with drive systems.have been repairing mowers for 30 years and know from experience.plus troy bilt decks are cast aluminum,will not rust like steel.

Hello hoss 57.

Your 30 years experience repairing mowers puts you way ahead of my mower repair skills.

Question: Are there any new Troy Bilt walk behind mowers that have an aluminium deck?

Good day.

Yeah, Troy Bilt now uses all steel decks. I would imagine that changed back when Gardenway went bankrupt and sold out to MTD.

For $30 more this is a good mower.

http://www.troybilt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_14102_10105_17664_-1

So far I am unclear whether RWD or FWD is less problematic. I won't be bagging but 1-2 times per season and the terrain is flat so traction is not so important.

BTW, I noticed Home Depot has one Lawn Boy Sensaspeed left priced at the regular price of $349. Maybe I should go get them to price check it tomorrow to see if it is on sale.

Hi,

My preference is rear wheel drive. This is because when you go around a corner you typically lift the front wheels. A rear wheel mower will still give you drive power to help you go around that corner.

Best, Mike.

weshorn, I didn't take any offense at your comments. I haven't personally owned any Tecumsehs either, but my general impression is that they are not a downgrade over a new B&S engine. Compare that Tecumseh to a Briggs Quantum (the motors in the Craftsman and Troy Bilt that you first referenced) and you have two pretty similar motors. The SensaSpeed/PersonalPace drive systems are pretty simple and battle-tested. Lots of users here have them and don't report any real problems. The only controversy about them is whether you like the way it actually operates (you push a variable bar) vs a more normal drive system that pulls the mower and you along if you let it. That Lawnboy is on HD's website for the same $349, so whatever sale was on is apparently off. But it comes with everything you need to bag, mulch, or side-discharge. You should probably go check it out along with that Husqvarna and see for yourself. I will say that the drive system on the Husqvarna is probably a lot more suspect in terms of durability. I know some people with Cub Cadets and other mowers with the same system have had issues. I also don't know about the engine on it: is that an Intek or the new "Dove?" If it's the new engine, there's no way to judge its reliability yet.

Let us know what you end up with and how you like it!

Well I bought a Toro 20071

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100521266&N=10000003+90401+503347+1953&marketID=401&locStoreNum=8125

I ended up getting the Home Depot store to match their internet special at $209.25. As soon as I fired it up I noticed that it's about half as loud as my 2 year old Troy-Bilt with the Briggs 6.5. I'm not sure why the Tecumseh is so much quieter, but it is. The mower does a good job and pulls along nicely. I couldn't be happier.

Hello all.

Hi weshorn. Nice mower and very good price. I also like the Wash Out Port feature.

Fresh fuel and Sta-Bil.

Good luck.

Good day

weshorn; congratulations on the new Toro! That was a good buy. Above all, don't forget to use STA-BIL in every refill of your gas can - not because of the Tecumseh engine, but because it saves you tons of trouble over the years. As you already found, it has a good-sized muffler on it. Unless they have changed recently, the recommended oil is SAE 30. Let us know how it does, and there are instructions posted here for easily removing the lower fuel bowl nut/jet for cleaning. Sometimes a piece of trash will get in somehow and block the jet. Installing an in-line fuel filter is a good idea even though there is a large, fine screen in the tank over the fuel line. It happened on mine after about a year, and I was running again in about 10 minutes. This is the only thing I have heard happening to them. For the price you paid, you can hardly get a replacement engine much less a new full-featured mower. Happy mowing!