Well, I mowed the back yard today with my new SPV21675E. All I can say is, I'm kicking myself.... for not getting a good machine like this YEARS ago. I coulda saved many, many, many hours. I was bagging the clippings, and the performance was astonishing. My old "pile-of-unmentionable" mower would require me to stop after about 1 to 1-1/2 rows to empty the bag, which never got more than 25% full. But if I didn't empty it I was treated to a clogged deck & chute and grass clumps all over the lawn, a real pain to rake up. This Snapper requires 1/5 the stops. Not a typo - 20%. The clippings get packed into the back of the bag. In fact, if you run the engine without the bag, the machine will blow the cover plate open about an inch or so. Coming from what I had, this thing is just great! And, it doesn't blow clippings all over the patio. The self propel also works great. If I pull the handle all the way I have to walk FAST to keep up, but not unreasonably so. I couldn't believe how fast I got through the job. The manual says 4.2 mph, which is a good brisk pace. The simple lever system for controlling the mower is easy and natural. I'm glad I chose this over the Deere JS25 (which is essentially the same mower) - I'm convinced that I wouldn't like the Deere "Mow-Mentum" system as well as the less flashy Snapper control. My lawn is dead flat so I can't comment on hilly terrain performance but it seems quite strong and traction is good. The evenness of cut is outstanding - I couldn't ask for any better. It's quite a bit better than the one Honda commercial mower I borrowed (sorry I don't know the model number) but then again this is a brand new blade and I doubt the Honda blade was freshly sharpened. In any case, the grass looks beautiful. I never wanted an electric start before and just got it this time because I got a good price on the machine. But I would now recommend it. It is really great just to turn the key after emptying the bag without bending and yanking and vapor lock on a hot day... it was 100 here today, and that key start was absolutely decadent! The Briggs 675 is one of those "no-prime, no choke" engines and started instantly every time. There's no throttle on the engine - it runs full throttle all the time. Fine with me - faster blade means better vacuum and better cut. The self propel speed control is so easy and smooth you don't even really think about the lack of a throttle. I had a single-point height adjustment mower years ago and loved that feature. I still do. So easy to fine tune the height, no pain, no strain. This is a great feature and will spoil anyone fast. Cleanup was pretty easy. I always hose off the under-deck. I had a mower rust out once, so for the past 25 years I rinse off the underside of the mower and have never had any problems with rust since. Then I run the engine for a couple minutes to blow dry. Easy. I do think those machines with the topside hose port would be cool, especially if you fit a quick disconnect. But unfortunately Snapper doesn't have it. Still, it was only a couple of minutes to get the machine cleaned up. This Snapper isn't a commercial mower and it may not last as long as those do. But I have to say that it is the best running, best performing machine I, as joe average homeowner, have ever had. I'm very happy with how quickly and effortlessly I was able to complete the job, and how good the grass looks. The bagging performance is, once again, unbelievable. Next time, I'll try the mulching... but I have an old Toro "Recycler II" mulcher so even if this Snapper doesn't do as well at mulching I will still be a happy camper (I bag mostly). If you are looking at $200 mowers, step up to this one. You will not regret it! I haven't actually used the equivalent $400 Toro or LB or whatever. So, they may be great, too. But you won't be unhappy with the performance of this Snapper.

I'm not familiar with all the snapper models, but the snapper you are looking at may be comparable to the simplicity Regent. The aft rollers on the deck, allow the deck to traverse the turf somewhat independently of the mower. I have a fairly rough fescue lawn and as the tractor pitches and rolls over the clumpy fescue, the rollers keep the deck level, providing an incredibly scalp free cut. The deck is suspended at the front of the mower and then it rests on the aft rollers. Since the rollers span the lenght of the deck, they keep the deck level. Anti-scalp wheels do not work near as well, at least in my case. The rollers also allow the yard to be striped (the patterns you see on baseball fields), this is something that comes with the rollers on the deck, but if you do this, it takes more time to mow, although it is something different to do. I would look closely at the decks on both mowers. You may not have the need for the rollers. I would also check to make sure you are comparing similar models. At that kind of price difference, if they are the same with a slightly different deck, the Snapper would be a no brainer as long as it gave you the cut you wanted.

I'm also going to avoid the Honda v. Briggs debate by stating this: the only reason I went with the Honda is because of the ebay deal I found. I am willing to put any major brand on this mower so long at it works reliably. Briggs, Tecumseh, Kawasaki, Honda, Kohler, whatever...I just want it to mow. Dale, here's a feeble attempt at showing you the kill switch mod I mentioned previously. I tried to shoot pics of my setup but even with the fuel tank pulled, it was impossible to show you. In the following picture you'll see the location of the kill switch on your specific engine. You must push it in towards the carb to kill the engine. This is actually designed to be pushed in and killed when you throttle down all the way. Our (at least MY) mower does not have the stroke distance on the cable to kill it. So, just drill a hole where the throttle is supposed to hit the kill button, stick a small bolt in the hole and place a nut on each side of the throttle lever. This will allow you to adjust how far you have to throttle down to kill the engine. I'm pretty sure it's just as easy to splice in a different or additional kill switch on the "dash" [IMG]http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz204/pokeswin/honda%20340%20engine/MakeJpeg.jpg[/IMG] Here is a link that might be useful:

If you're just going to mow and pull the occasional, non ground-engaging attachment like a dump cart, broadcast spreader, sweeper, etc, I think either tractor will probably be just fine. I've got a Husqvarna YTH2348 lawn tractor and it handles all these tasks without a problem. Looking at the specs for the two models you mention, the Husqvarna GT you mention sounds like a much beefier tractor. Both run B&S V-Twins, but the Husqvarna has a more HP. It also has larger rear tires (23x10s instead of 20x8s), a beefier frame (10 or 11 instead of 12 gauge steel) and it also weighs a lot more than the 500lb Snapper. It has a beefier hydrostatic transmission and a deck that's 6" bigger so it'll take you less time to mow. On paper it would seem that the Husqvarna is the "bigger" tractor. The Snapper sounds like it's more in line with the ~$1800 YHT2348 Husqvarna which has the same Tuff-Torque K46 Hydro tranny, and same wheel size, but still features a larger 48" deck and 11 gauge steel frame and 23 horse Briggs v-twin. In your shoes, I'd probably opt for the Husqvarna GT or even one of their bigger lawn tractors like the YTH2454 (24 horse B&S with 54" deck ~$2000), YTH2348 (23 horse B&S with 48" deck ~$1800), or the YTH2146XP which has a 21 horse Kawasaki v-twin, 46" two blade deck and uses the same GT frame (~$2400). I really think either one should do just fine for what you want though.