Well, you mentioned heavy duty metal parts...and for that, I'd probably want the Ariens. I went with the Snapper Commercial for that reason. I looked at the height adjusters on the Toro, LawnBoy,etc. and thought they looked like they were made out of that metal that you band wood bundles together with. I think the Honda had some sort of metal for that Xenoy deck, even though the detents were plastic. My dad has a HRX217, and he likes it. I really wanted to like the LawnBoys, but I couldn't get past all of that plastic and the engine choices (refuse to go Briggs Quantum due to experience and discussions with shops). I realllly wanted the Kawasaki and I love power/idle of the engine. Tecumseh really impressed me a week ago, though, because my dad gave me his Yard Machine late last fall and I left it outside because I had no room and in the garage. We got hit with some snow that lasted months and it sat under a drift for at least 2 months, non-winterized and recently started after some priming and playing with it for 5 minutes or so. I was down to either a Husky, Ariens or Snapper. For the money, I could get the best features on the Snapper Pro. I liked the controls better on it, and the bagging system was more ideal than the Ariens for me. Plus, you can add the casters to the Snapper Commercial, and the caster model of the Ariens just didn't appeal to me at all. The Husky had the aluminum deck, but I still liked the Snapper better for that price range. I'm hoping that it will last a long time and I love it so far. Maybe all of the plastic and lighter metal on those other mowers is okay for what I would do with a mower. My dad broke the back wheel off of his Yard Machines a year or two ago, and that was the metal part.

I have a HRX217HXA mower. The transmission cable broke and was replaced under warranty a year ago (with original type cable). It broke again and they replaced it with the new cable/kit. Now the mower self propelled speed is very slow. Tried adjusting the cable per the owner's manual and still slow. Trying to advance the cable to gain speed and then the rear wheels lock when you try to pull the mower backwards (drive disengaged of course). Took it back to the dealer ( A Harley/Honda dealer where I bought it) and they called and told me there is nothing wrong. Any Suggestions? Will a slipping belt cause a loss of speed? How important is the two control cable bands? ( I made sure they were at the right places when I adjusted it, and then as the mechanic had told me after the cable change that they sometimes hurt more than helped I removed them, but still same slow speed) When I go get it tomorrow (a 70 mile round trip) I will try it out and if still slow show your previous suggestions (for other models) to them. Thanks, Cliff

I've had the Honda HRR for maybe 6 years, and I've struggled with the mohawk or uncut strip of grass ever since I got it. I've been told that I'm not mowing frequently enough, the blades are not sharp enough, the wheels may be out of balance, etc. Basically I'm doing something wrong, not the mower. I've taken it to 2 different shops and both say there is no issue with the mower. After reading this thread and another similar (but older) one, I realize that this is a common issue for Honda. How can it be that the mower I thought was the best in industry does such a crappy job at mowing? (rhetorical) Thanks to all of you who posted such insightful comments. Unfortunately I'm stuck with a bad mower, which I bought to replace my Husqvarna (with Honda engine) because I thought it would do a better job.

Now that's a good question. I have to admit that my cover has not fallen off yet. So, you can feel free to question my 'crummy design' comment. I made it because in normal maintenance/handling of the filter cover, I noted to myself that it most likely was going to be trouble some day. That's because the locking tabs hardly make enough contact to stay in place, and retainer 'rings' look very fragile. The way the filter assembly stands out from the engine, you have to keep it in mind when cutting under bushes/obstructions on the carburetor side, because one good hit on the filter housing might break a retainer ring. At that point, you could rig a makeshift keeper for it but the filter housing should be replaced. This opens another can of worms because the housing screws are self-tapping in the aluminum, and might strip out easily. Does it sound like I have been there with this? Indeed I have. My LB 22271 I got from Wise Equipment was poorly packed (they had set it up on display and repacked it for shipment) and the filter cover got knocked off, breaking a retainer ring. I had to get them to send a replacement along with some other parts. There were no more 22271s, and I didn't want to deal with shipping it back anyway. So, that's when I found out about the housing screws which brought lots of aluminum shavings out with them. They tightened back up, but I was holding my breath. Next time they probably will strip. If that happens, I hope to be able to tap a slightly larger size in those holes and use conventional screws.