pkguy: If it is of any help... I have narrowed my list down to... - Lawn-Boy Platinum #10797 - Honda HRX217HXA The above are the only mowers that I have found in my local area that have... - Blade brake/clutch... which is essential to me when it comes to leaves/needles in the fall. As re starting the engine 25+ times every time I bag leaves/needles in my yard is such a nuisance to me. - Over head valve engine... I think this is the best bet since it is more efficient... which for me means I will get good performance out of it and it will be better for the environment pollution and fuel consumption wise. The two mowers above have Honda OHV engines... which I feel is a plus as well. I took a look at the Toro SR4 today... nice mower, well built, rolls well with bushings in wheels, sold by knowledgeable dealer with good local reputation. The way the bag attaches and detaches is solid once on... two metal hooks that latch around a steel bar. The hooks weren't as easy to hook in as the way the Honda bag went on (see below). The personal pace thing... looks solid to me and for me isn't a real plus or minus either way. But the engine on the Toro not being a side valve/lhv takes it off my list. You can get a Toro SR4 with a OHV... but it doesn't have a blade brake/clutch I also took a look at the Honda HRX217HXA today. I really liked the versa-mow selector for mulch/bag. I thought it would be a plus for leaves/needles... as you could set the lever in between and mulch/bag. I also liked how the bag attached/detached... sturdy and easy to do by feel - meaning you wouldn't have to look down or work at attaching it. The bag attach/detach was better on the Honda then on the Toro. Granted the slots on the Honda were solid/solid plastic where on the Toro they were metal. The bag frame on both the Honda and Toro were metal. The only things I am not sure of on the Honda after seeing it... the strength of the blade brake/clutch lever (seemed real plasticy in terms of the lever on the handle). The overall design of the deck... doesn't look like there is much room under it for the grass to circulate. Heard some comments from local dealers how Honda engines are solid but the mowers themselves aren't the best. The exterior of the transmission box looked pretty chincy... although it is inside of the box that counts. The wheels didn't roll or feel as solid as on the Honda as they did on the Toro. I haven't gotten to look at the Lawn-Boy in person yet... the two dealers in my local area don't have their shipment in yet (we still have some snow on the ground). My hope is the Lawn-Boy will take what I like on the Toro and spruce it up a bit. Specifically, the pictures of the Lawn-Boy show how easily the bag attached and detaches. From the pictures it looks similar to the way the Honda bag attaches/detaches... except that you don't have to mess with the hinged plastic cover. By the way... Ariens and Snapper don't have a blade brake/clutch. The Ariens SW21 is a solid piece of machinery in terms of how it is built... has a Kawasaki engine which is a plus to. The Ariens didn't have the blade brake/clutch feature... which takes it off my list. Besides... the Ariens dealer in my area is a Deere dealer... and his prices are full/full retail and their service rates are much higher then anyone else in the area (that's Deere for you). Troy-Bilt did or does (not sure)... but it has lots of issues according to the service guys. Besides... Troy-Bil is part of MTD and most if not all of their consumer mowers are total junk... throw away type mowers sold only at big box stores (not all of them... but the vast majority). The Toro blade brake/clutch is solid and performs well... as does the one on the Honda. Anyways... more then you probably wanted to know. But figured the info might come in handy to someone. -------------------------------------------------------- * Posted by pkguy (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 07 at 17:09 Like Easternupstate I'm also in the market and have looked at the Toro's LB's, MTD, Sears,other makes and Ariens. I just got back from Ariens today and they're carrying a new design lineup called Blade Runner along with their traditional looking deck models, all to add to the confusion. I've also got tons of leaves from 8 giant oak trees in the back yard along with all the associated twigs etc that fall off. The bags on the Arien LM21S are pretty easy to dump, on the new Blade Runners, not so easy because they have the attached bag cover, I think the LB's have the easiest with that fold away handle. Anyways, I'm still looking. Heck I'm spending more time deciding on a lawnmower than I would for a new car LOL

I guess you have a 10684 or 10683 'Insight'? The first thing to check is the mulch plate or bag installation. The heavy wire extension must be all the way down in the RH retaining slot on top of the discharge box. There should be no debris in the channel under the frame. Make sure the piece is snugged all the way down, because there is a magnetic switch under it which cuts off the ignition to prevent starting/running without anything covering the discharge port. If that's not it, look at the switch wire connection at the engine brake (the part that moves when you operate the engine/blade control bail). If that is a good, tight connection with no corrosion, it's probably okay. Now you'll have to remove the tank shroud and steel air shroud to get to the coil and flywheel. It has been reported that the magnet on the flywheel on a very few units has come loose, killing any magneto effect. Plus, you'll need to do this anyway to replace the CD pack (coil).

The Super Recycler uses a much different mulch system than the Atomic blade. It includes 2 small blades (mulch fans for lack of a better word) and several kickers placed along the deck to force clippings into the blade to be fully mulched. My Super Recycler has the Briggs & Stratton Intek engine - so I am getter the benefit of more power than what you can get on the Recycler or lesser Super Recycler (a Briggs Quantum comes on most SR models). Since I mulch most of the time (especially where I live now) I would rather spend a little more $$ for power than a BBC, electric start, etc. Back to your original question about the engine on the Recycler - the engine is fine and unlikely to be the source of any concerns if you buy the mower. For a little more money you can get a very similar Lawn Boy with a Honda engine (the 160cc Honda and Intek are very similar in power). The 190cc Honda on the HRX is even more powerful - but available only on Honda mowers and a few AYP (Craftsman) and MTD (Yardman, Troybilt) mowers. Jim

I think you have a few things to weigh out with those engines. The Briggs have readily available maintenance and repair parts. The Honda parts are difficult to get but only because the model number system on Honda is difficult. Tecumseh will not allow consumers to have access to any on-line info and you will have to go to a Tecumseh dealer to get original parts. The Honda engine will probably last a lot longer. If you use aftermarket parts, Briggs and Tecumseh have more aftermarket available, though I would not recommend using aftermarket parts until the warranty period of the machine/engine is up. I am a certified repair tech and have worked in a lawn & garden warranty center for many years (11) so whenever I need to purchase any new equipment I always take the warranty coverage into account. All of those engines and machines have a 2 yr. warranty. They are all about the same in that dept. I guess I would buy the Honda. I would stay away from Toro and Lawn Boy only because I feel they are more difficult to deal with and repair/maintenance parts are more expensive. The whole torque issue is crazy. Briggs is not the only one doing that. All of the engine companies are going to torque and not telling you the HP. In reality, most machines have engines with too much HP and they never even get broken in over the life of the tractors/mowers. NeedLawnMowerParts.com