Will pushing a self-propelled mower damage it?
Hi guys, I'm new to the forum. I was hoping to get some advice about self-propelled mowers, i.e. will I cause damage to the drive mechanism by pushing it if I need to for some reason?
Also, I'm looking at single-speed models, which have a Briggs and Stratton engine, but could possibly stretch my budget to a variable speed model with a Honda engine. Does anyone have a preference between Brigg and Honda engines? I obviously want the most reliable one I can get, and I've heard good things about Briggs motors, but nothing about Honda. The only thing making me think the Honda powered mower is the better option is that it's variable speed and somebody said they plough through wet grass easier, is that right?
Either way, single speed or variable, I'd like to know if I would cause harm to the mower by pushing it manually.
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We have a small b and s mower, had it for ages never any bother, but you must make sure you keep the oil topped up.
OH disconected the cable that make it self propelled, so he only uses it as a push along, he says its better like that,
Hi Lyn, is your a single speed, belt-driven model?
Hi Henders, I have a Hayter and a Honda and much prefer the Honda, far more reliable, does a better job than the Hayter BUT it's heavier, slower and £300+ more expensive than the Hayter. Both of them are self propelled and I do now and again help them along a bit, especially on longer or damp grass but generally they tend to do fine under their own steam with me following. Not sure if you can damage the auto drive by pushing them but my Hayter has had the drive system replaced once (it's 5 years old). Honda is 3 years old and has never missed a beat, always starts, no repairs etc. Hayter has had 2 new clutch cables and auto drive system. Did have a larger Hayter that refused to start when warm, after 4 months of trips to and from dealer I got my money back and bought the Honda. Turns out there was a manufacturing issue with the Hayter that I bought. Good luck with whatever you choose. My Honda is an HRX426QX and Hayter Spirit 41. Honda is variable speed, Hayter is single speed, I don't make much use of variable speed on the Honda though, tend to just put it on fastest speed and go with it, it's not actually that fast anyway. One thing I do find useful on the Honda is that I can have the engine running with the blades disengaged and still use the auto drive to use the mower as a powered roller - useful when rolling grass seed etc. The blades on the Hayter are always engaged and when I let go of the lever the engine switches off, I can leave the Honda idling without it cutting out.
This is ours, good cheap and very reliable, had it for years. If you have something in mind you could go into Amazon site and look at customer reviews
My advice would be to go for the Honda. You get what you pay for and many lawnmowers now have cheap engines made in Asia which are really hard to find parts for when they go wrong