Mowers Reviews

i don't know how the other viewers possibly able to push this thing. i tried and it was like pushing a car that's stuck in mud. my friend tried. and my friend's response: "return it".

Now i know why there's powered mowers.

I wanted to like this product. I really did. However, it appears I was sent a mower different than the one in the photo. Amazon was contacted.

The mower I received was easy to assemble but the bolts were impossible to turn on my own with my own hand, thus I had to go out and buy the necessary tools to tighten them. Mowing my back yard was pretty much a breeze, and I was surprised how light-weight and easy to push the mower was. It was a good aerobic workout..broke in to a good sweat and got my heart rate up, all with no blaring loud motor. The reel mower brought back fond memories, I was glad I was helping myself, my lawn and the environment.........but...when I got to the front lawn that was a different story because the previous owners had two different types of grass in the yard. While the mower cut one type fine, the otehr type would NOT budge! I tried raising the blade and still nothing. I ended up having to use an electric trimmer on half our front lawn as a result! I believe this should be mentioned in the product description..that the mower will not cut certain dense grasses. What I h ave appears to be from sod, and is dense and tough. What was also difficult in the front lawn was as we have lots of trees in our yard, we have lots of tiny broken twigs. The mower will NOT go over these, so I had to keep stopping to pick them up. The mower itself seems to be of good quality, and does the job, and is enjoyable and easy enough for a senior or child..as long as you know your lawn...and know that there are not a ton of twigs..or dense grass like mine. Otherwise, this is a good and recommended mower.

I almost didn't buy a reel mower after reading reviews here, but my lawn is so small that I thought a power mower (besides a waste of $$), would rip up the ground.

It was easy to assemble, but I am still confused as to the purpose of the screws to adjust the blades closeness to the back plate. I just left them alone and the mower seems to cut fine. My first try was in new sod, layed 2 weeks ago. The grass was about 4 inches and it was a struggle to get started. I readjusted the mower to its highest setting. Once I got momentum, the mower really sung through the grass. Unlike a power mower, you kind of need a running start, so small patches in awkward areas will have to be cut with a weed eater. If I wasn't going fast enough, small sticks would stop the mower. But when I saw the sticks ahead of time, I could give the mower an extra push and it would snap them in pieces. Luckily, my grass is not under a tree, otherwise that might be a royal pain.

I think I will have to mow once a week to keep it manageable. I can easily see how tall grass would be impossible with a push mower, but I think I could get it through grass under 5 inches ok. It was a workout, but it is very light and stores well. I think it was worth the purchase.

Home Depot sells this mower for $73 if you want to try it, knowing you can return it easily if it doesn't suit you.

... but not Brill!
Like many of us, I bought this mower based on some reviews praising German quality.
I should've bought a trusted American (well, made in (insert your country of choice here) ) made brand and save a bundle!
Quality is not bad but the mower itself is WAY overpriced. The grass catcher came with unfinished stitches - ripped wide open on the first use. Battery life is decent but nowhere near enough for 3000sf, even after more than 5 charges. And, if it runs out of juice, don't even think you can use it on manual mode - the mower's plastic wheels are, to put it nicely - totally useless, no grip at all! (made by Tonka for Toy'R Us, maybe?) Grass height adjustment MUST be checked every so often, since it has the tendency to lower itself - I guess because of the weight of blade.
Other than that is a great mower :)
Now, don't get me wrong, it's a good mower but, in my opinion, well over hyped!
It does a decent job but I think, for the money, is not worth it. If I were to buy another mower, manual or electric, I will look somewhere else.

I purchased this mower in the spring of 2004. To date, it has run perfectly. I truly do have a small yard, so I do not have any trouble with using the mower on one charge from start to finish. I have a heavily treed lot. Advantage....I don't have thick grass....so I have no problems using the mower with or without the battery pak. A disadvantage....because of all of the trees, I have tiny twigs all over. Every twig must be carefully picked up before mowing or they become caught in the mower and must be manually removed. Overall, I have been very pleased with this mower. Upon my own personal experience, I would recommend it.

The brill push mower is everything I expected it to be - reliable, safe, easy to use and effective. The 24V battery has a long life and rotate the blades at the right speed so the lawn is neatly clipped. It well worth the price and very cute to boot.

Tractor was delivered by ABF within a week of ordering! It was crated and the driver used the liftgate and brought it into my garage. i tipped him $20 for the effort.The tractor was in pristine condition. Lots of wood to remove. After an hour uncrating the mower and attaching the seat and sterring wheel I thought i had an issue becausue it would not start. I charged the (2004) battery but nothing worked just a little click. I called MTD "support." They told me it was a 2003 model and I may have recieved a used unit as Amazon was selling refurbished and used units. I assured him it was sold as new and had the warranty even though it was a 2 year old model, He told me I would have to take it to a warranty center for repair! No way. I don't have a trailer nor do I expect to have to do this before even using it!!

I called Amazon and began the return process. In the meantime I called the local warranty center as listed on MTD website. they informed me they will no longer handle MTD warranty service due to financial issues and would charge me $50 for pick up, but were helpful in solving the "problem". Seems one has to be sitting on the tractor And have the brake pedal depressed to start it. Duh....never had one of these.

It started right up and after a couple hours setting up the deck attaching the bagger, and aligning the front end, (the tires were overfilled) I ran the mower up the block and back in reverse. the Twin was smother then any single I had tried and it ran great. I cancelled the return and look forward to Springtime. I most definately do not look forwrd to having any dealings with MTD and would not buy another MTD product after this. Customer service is too important and should not be as shabby as my experience with MTD.

The tractor arrived ALL BOXED up very securely in a wooden crate. ABF Freight was very helpful, unloading and putting it in my garage for me. The unit was very dusty but no shipping damage noted. Here are my comments:
1. Great price but this must be an older unsold unit as battery was dated 12/04 and needed charged.
2. I am 5'10" tall and with the seat all the way back still very tight. Dont see how really tall people could sit and drive this thing.
3. I was sad to learn this unit DOES NOT mow in reverse, to go in reverse you must turn off the PTO or the engine will die. Thats an inconvenience for me as many trees on my property.
4. While the unit seems well set up there are many adjustments necessary in the future as this is a complex unit compared to the one I had for 15 years or so. LONG owners manual.

All in all seems to me like a very nice unit, good price now to find out how it runs. That will come later.
Operation:
Filled the tank, checked the oil and it started right up. After warming up drove it up and down the street. Shifted smoothly from Forward to Reverse, not nearly as fast as my old manual shift but certainly fast enough for mowing speed. The feeling of power from the 20hp engine is obvious.
In summary, I am pleased with this purchase.

Mine is now 10 months old and has had a considerable amount of use. It has always performed flawlessly.
The price was $100 less than WalMart and shipping (including power tailgate delivery) was totally free. Excellent value!

I have similar problems with my Yard-man model 979 as many of the other reviewers. My gear shifter is frozen and one of the wheels keeps falling off due to a worn screw hole in the front axle assembly. I have only been using it for 3 seasons. Considering how much it cost, I expected better quality, durability and reliability. I've used several mowers in my life (mostly really cheap ones) and this has the worst quality of all of them.

Now it is a push mower. I ran over a rock and killed the tranny like other reviewers are saying.
The plastic gear handle is also not a great feature.
For the money you can find a better machine to cut your grass.

I brought my Self Propelled mower about 3-4 years ago and after the first year I became very disappointed. Like many of the complaints in the prior reviews, I have a problem with the gear box. Currently I only have the 6th gear and that does not move the mower as though it's in 6th gear, more like 2nd or 3rd.

I just spent the last 3-4 hours trying to start my new Lawn Boy out of the box...Still not started. The blade was hitting the side of the mower and would not turn. Now it just spins with nothing happening. I read the manuals over and over to no avail. The web site says " pull the string then if it doesn't start call for service". I called the help line and they said take it to a local dealer ? This was an expensive lawnmower for me to purchase and it has been all day and my grass is not cut with now idea when I will get it back. The dealer near my house is only 5 miles away but he has about 500 mowers to be serviced in front of mine. Needless to say this whole purchase has been a big mistake. Buying my next large item in a store not online. Also the UPS driver needed me to help him carry it into my yard and it looked like someone had dropped the box several times but not enough to refuse delivery.

I got my lawnboy delivered within a week and it was a matter of flipping the handles up and filling with gas and oil. I saved over a hundred dollars buying it online. I have had 3 previous lawnboys. The old one is still my backup mower. What people need to remember about ordering online is don't be afraid to refuse delivery if the box even looks damaged. UPS will leave ANYTHING on your doorstep. Don't be shy about telling UPS that you are refusing delivery and make them come back to your house to pick it up. None of this drive over to one of their centers.
Complain loud enough or threaten to send an email. They will pick it up. Tell the supplier to ship another. Problem solved.

I read the other reviews. This mower doesn't have a 2 cycle engine or a bag. Those reviews are about different models. Also, shipping damage doesn't mean the mower is bad.

I've had the mower for a short time and have been very happy with it. It starts on one pull, has good power, and the drive system works smoothly. Lawn Boy calls it a variable speed but really it is a one speed with a clutch that can slip. Holding the drive bar all the way up engages the drive; letting up a little allows the clutch to slip for a slower speed. It works well. If you don't bag clippings, mulching is the way to go...no bag or chute to mess with and no clippings to dispose of. The mower can also side discharge by switching the insert on the mower deck. That's why I said everything you need (good mowing with a useable drive system)and nothing you don't (bagging and complicated drive system). Combine that with a good price and the 10356 starts to look like a winner. I can't speak to its longevity yet but my other Tecumseh engine (Murray lawn tractor) has been going 15 years.

I purchased my 42" Swisher Walk Behind from Amazon, and received on July 15th 2003. I didn't find assembly to be complicated, just that I had to disassemble the handle bars and assembly the gear lever first and then reassemble the handle bars. If they came with instructions saying that, it would have helped. But I figured it out, so it worked out, just cost me a little time. I never had to make any adjustments with the belts. This mower does cut nice. I will sell mine for eight hundred fifty. So you can save some money.

Joel
email lancelotnelaine@yahoo.com
715-268-6356

I bought this mower, because it was half the price of a commercial walk-behind, and I wanted to speed up my mowing time. Instantly, I realized that this mower sped things up considerably. I was tremendously thankful for purchasing the mower, after cutting my yard for the first couple of times. However, I've mowed all spring and summer with this mower, and it is starting to show signs of weekness. It takes about 15 minutes for the mower to warm up, before it will shift past 1st gear. The belts are loose on this mower, and the mower slows down tremendously in thick grass. The wheels should have been made wider, to eleviate some of the indentions the mower makes while riding over softer soil. The gear shifter is terrible. Some times it takes way too long to shift gears, and it always takes more force than necessary. The last bit of discouragement on the mower is the lack of a bag. If I can get someone to work out the problems I'm currently experiencing on this mower, this walk-behind is not that bad. However, if you don't want to do the extra work to get this mower to perform better, you might consider spending more money for a commercial walk-behind.

Like most of you, I cut my lawn each week and sometimes more during the growing season. I lead a very busy life with three kids and I do not want to spend my whole week-end cutting my grass. I live on an acre of ground, so I was used to spending 2.5 to 3 hours just mowing every time. This mower is a lifesaver for me. Not only does it leave the yard with a professionally cut look, it cut my mowing time dramatically, to 1.5 hours.

I recommend this mower to anyone who is seeking a good solid mower for a very fair price. There is very little assembly required(you have to fasten the arms) and it runs great. It is an adventure trying to start it the first time, as there are no instructions......but it runs great once you get the hang of it. It's all in the positioning of the "Choke" lever. When starting, place the "Choke" lever in the middle, not all the way towards the mower. Good Luck and Happy Mowing.

This unit does trim fabulously-great for weeds but it is impossible to start, or at least for a woman. Also, what the other writers say is true: the front part doesn't stay put and then when it reaches resistance it pivots and shaves the soil. Doesn't lock into place. I've spoken to the company and they are being nice but I doubt I'd resolve it. Buy an electric start and another brand you can try out first in a store.

Was very satisfied with the quick arrival of the trimmer mower. Still learining about the machine but have put it to a tough test with excellent results to date.

I have used this trimmer for the past three months to control the weeds around small trees. It will cut through just about anything (including trees!) without bogging down. The line will last quite a while as long as you are chopping weeds and not rocks, barbed wire, or anything metal. Overall a very good product. I have not ever used the tilt head. The only drawbacks are the flimsy wheels (replace with metal rimmed wheels) and the tendency to get too close to something important! The brace holding the guard did break off but a quick weld fixed the problem. My machine has been run for about 120 hours with no problems under some severe conditions (heat, dust, large amounts of vegetation, etc). I would purchase this item again but I may look at the Trail Cutter for my application in the future.

I ordered this mower 2 months ago, and it finally arrived yesterday. The oil intake funnel was broken off at the top, and suspended into the engine. The metal oil dip stick was bent at the tip at an angle of about 45 degrees because of that. There was no oil bottle shipped with the mower, unlike advertized. Troy Bilt (MTD) warranty support declined any assistance with the missing/broken parts, and referred me to Briggs&Stratton's warranty information inside the engine booklet. The only phone number in that booklet refers to a pre-recorded message, there is no way to get a customer representative on the phone. If you plan to order this mower, be prepared to take a gamble on broken/missing parts.

Very powerfull machine, just a step below a brush hog. My only criticism is that the gas tank isn't big enough. Otherwise, a very good machine.

This seems to be a very good trimmer. We have had a DR trimmer in the past. It doesn't have as many features as the DR but for the money is a very good buy.

I'm on my second season of using the yardbug and, other than its sleek style and compact design, there is not much good to say about it. The bagging and mulching capabilities are marginal - it tends to leave large grass clippings when mulching and does not give a clean sweep when bagging. Maintenance and adjustments are difficult to perform. To change the oil requires attaching a chute that can lead to a mess. Even leveling the blade is a complicated task. Most disappointing is the cutting capabilities. Cutting tends to be uneven and I often find the mower scaulps the grass when there is any uneveness to the surface. I find the mower to be unstable when mowing on an incline and the safety features are agravating.

I read the reviews and makes me wonder why some people expect this machine to do more than it was designed to do.

First off I selected Amazon's free shipping and they shipped it via ABF. ABF called me the day before delivery to confirm acceptance and I asked a simple question - truck have a lift gate? and the answer was yes. The unit arrived in its crate and 1, yes 1 man had the equipment to move it to the gate, lower it, and then moved it to the lawn where I was able to unpack it. All this at no extra shipping fees or cost.

Second, after unpacking and reading the manual (most people don't RTFM) it took me all of a half hour to set it up, gas it, and fire it up. While reading and looking at the unit I was impressed with the thought that was put into it with the number of safeties built in. One reason I selected it.

Third the cutting. This unit was not made to harvest wheat! High grass requires 2-3 passes, each pass lowering the deck to get the final cut height desired. I did have one happening while cutting - there was a slight rise in the lawn, not really noticable but the cutting deck found it and leveled it. No biggie, a little raking, some seed and now you don't know it was trimmed.

Fourth the terrain. Just driving it around with the cutter disengaged allowed me to get a feel of driving it and how the ground/machine react to each other. I have a slight incline in the back and riding lenghtwise across it the machine felt like it might tip. After parking it on the incline and shutting it down I physicaly tried to tip the machine by hand and it would not move. I noticed that the engine sits to one side and by driving the unit with the weight on the high end of the incline the sensation of imbalance was greatly reduced.

I have been using it now for almost 6 weeks and not once have I had to make any adjustments to the cutting blade, leveling, change/adjust belts, or fix/replace tires, just gas and go. Mainly cause I know from reading the manual and looking/working with the Bug that this is a LIGHT DUTY machine, perfect for small lots. If you find this Bug doesn't do what you expected/want then you got the wrong size tractor for the job you are demanding it to do.

Several neighbors have seen the Bug in action, many expressing interest in it and several giving it a test drive. After seeing what it can and can not do a few have asked where they can purchase it. Like cars a test drive of a riding mower is worth the time and saves the expense if it turns out it will not do what you want a riding mower to do.

FYI - I am a aircraft mechanic and after being in the field for 25 years I have seen and used a wide varity of equipment including riding mowers so I know what to look for and what to expect from a machine. The design tells volumes if you are willing to look.

I ordered this machine and we are happy with it so far. I have only had it for a week but it ran well and arrived safely. However I do want to warn anyone who is going to have this shipped that the shipper is only required to bring the item to your home. It is up to you to get the lawnmower off the semi. The shipping company was going to charge me 90.00 to bring it with a truck with a liftgate so it could be set in my driveway. It comes on a wood pallette with a wooden frame around it like a cage. You can't just pick it up. I was told that they would call and arrange a delivery time so I figured I could pick it up at the shipper when it arrived and they would have a forklift to put it in a pickup truck for me. I could then wheel it down a ramp or something. But the shipper called to say they had it and they were in Miami, I am in Ft. Lauderdale. This is a 80 mile round trip. It never occured to me that they would send it somewhere I don't live. I couldn't find anyone with a pickup truck with the time to go that far to get the lawnmower. The shipper said it would be a 90.00 charge to bring the lawnmower to my house from Miami on a truck with a liftgate to set it in my driveway. I called amazon to complain about the charge and was told it was my own fault for not reading the information on the shipping. I did read it. (they also threatened me that if I refused delivery, that I would be charged the 600 and something shipping fee). I had made arrangements and then they shipped it to Miami. Anyway, Amazon made a deal with the shipping company if I paid amazon 25.00 more I could get the liftgate truck. So I paid. I think if this service is available, I would have paid it when I bought the lawnmower from amazon originally. Then there would have been no problem. It was a hassle that could have been avoided.

I bought one of these and two of the reels would not engauge the cutting bar as they should. Left patches of grass all over.

Took it back and bought a Scott's Classic 20" reel mower. Twice the price, but its made in America and the quality is there.

It's easy to push, and cuts bermuda and St Augustine AND even thick weeds very well. If yuour grass is too tall, it will lay the grass down rather than cut it, but if you keep up with cutting, it's great! I like that I can even go out at night if I want to, and mow. It's not whisper quiet, but as long as you're not mowing under your neighbors window, you can pretty much mow the lawn without disturbing anyone. Also, when you walk behind it, you don't get hit with rocks and grass and dirt, like you do with power mowers. You can finish mowing with your pants and shoes as clean as when you started.

It's not as fast as a power mower, not by a long shot, but it's not a bad way to mow the yard. It is less stressful, less expensive, and less damaging to your hands, ears, and sinuses! I'm glad I bought it!

I've used one of these for about fifteen years, a slightly earlier model 1414-16.

It's been a very good mower. It is very easy to push, and cuts very nicely. Solid metal, yet deceptively light. Its pretty easy to maintain. Oil the bearings annually, and sharpen the blade every year or two. Once you've done it once, sharpening the blade takes about 30 minutes, a screwdriver and a wrench and some valve-lapping compound, and is pretty easy (about the same complexity as assembling a new kids bicycle), but is greasy. That's all you ever have to do. Fifteen years later mine cuts as well as the day I bought it.

I like to think I'm getting more exercise, but the truth is that because of its light weight and good cutting mechanism, its no more effort to push around than a gas mower (if you don't let your grass get too long......).

The only problem I've had is that you have to frequently tighten the nuts holding on the wheels.

If you haven't had a push mower before, a couple of caveats: It does cut more cleanly than a gas mower, but you do usually have to make two passes. Also, you have to keep current with mowing. If you let the grass get too long, you are REALLY going to sweat to cut your lawn the first time. Also, it really won't cut bermuda-type grass very well at all.