Self-Propelled Mowers Reviews

This summer (2004) I purchased a Husqvarna 7021CM from Northern Tools. I happen to live near one of their stores so I did not have to pay shipping. The reason I chose the mower was for the engine and the price. This mower has the same engine as the "expensive" Toros. The engine is very powerful and very smooth. I like rear bagging mowers since the bag stays out of your way when you are trimming around trees/bushes/swing sets...
The bag can hold a LOT of grass too.

Pro's:
1. excellent engine, plenty of power
2. built very solid
3. large rear bag - mounting and dismounting of bag OK
4. excellent air filter system
5. Husqvarna's excellent service/support

Con's:
1. There is a gap between the engine and the deck, I am told to allow air flow to help bagging - this causes the mower to be "dirty" - grass clippings and dust get on the deck while mowing (I just blow mine off with the leaf blower after mowing)
2. Not a very agile mower. If you have a hilly yard or don't like to push, spend the extra 30-50 dollars and get the self -propelled model. I'm young and my yard is flat. (I need the exercise too as well as being cheap ;-)
3. The rear "flap" to protect the operator from rocks/debris flying out from the back of the mower easily goes under the mower when pulling backwards on the mower. If you mow your grass short, the blade can actually put a cut in this guard.

Now - where to buy. My experience with Northern Tools was less than stellar. As I pushed the mower in the garage, I could tell one of the wheels wasn't quite round (it had a flat spot on it). Don't read me wrong, the wheels are very sturdy and have nice bearings in them. So at the end of the mowing season I took the mower back to Northern Tools to have them look at the wheel. They did nothing and wanted to charge me $38.00. When I pushed the mower out of the store, I could tell it was still bad so I turned around and asked them to please fix it again. 3-4 days later, I picked up the mower and it was "better" but I could still feel the flat spot. They said they put a new wheel on it but it sure doesn't look new. Oh yeah - they tried charging me again. Yeah, right.

So - I went to Husqvarna's web site, submitted a question to their support about the wheel. I RECEIVED SOME OF THE BEST SUPPORT EVER FROM HUSQVARNA. (No, I don't work for Husqvarna or one of their retailers) After a few e-mails back and forth, (They had me check the spindle on the mower) a new wheel arrived UPS in a few days. WAY TO GO HUSQVARNA. I will definitely be considering your products in any future purchases. The wheel still has a slight bump (Only felt on a very smooth garage floor) but I am definitely willing to live with it.

We bought one of these mowers to use a rough mower for our lawn business. It wasn't very expensive so if I ran over a rock or something while mowing an alley or lot and broke or bent the shaft I wouldn't be out as much money. Well we liked it so much we use it for all of the mowing we do to the point that we're not using the self propelled mowers that we own. We plan to buy another one or two when our local Husqvarna dealer gets some more in.

First, I have a shipping related tip. Since I was going to buy this mower I checked Northern's cost to ship and it was $93, the cost to ship through Amazon was $51. Use Amazon to save some money on shipping. Also, I received the mower in 5 business days after ordering it and Yellow Trucking did a good job about delivering. About the mower, I have only used it a couple of times but I was impressed from the first time I started it. The Briggs Intek (OHV/OHC, important if you live on a large hill) is the smoothest and the strongest engine I have ever had on a mower. The engine is fairly quiet for a 7 HP as well. The deck, wheels, and their mounting brackets are all very well made. The discharge,mulching,and bagging system is simple and works nicely.
I haven't used the bagger and probably never will, so I don't know how convenient that aspect is. The Husqvarna is every bit the mower that Toro, Snapper, Honda, and Lawnboy are.

Nicely engineered mower. I have had Husqvarna Chain saws for years, but this is my first experience with their other power equipment. I wanted a good reliable self propelled mower, but didn't want things like blade brakes, etc... Before purchasing I looked at mowers ranging from $275 to $550. Performance/value, not price, is my deciding factor when I buy tools or equipment.

Very easy to start with self opening choke. Honda engine is very smooth with very light pull start effort. Power is more than adequate.
The rear wheel self propelled drive is excellent with infinitely variable speeds. I like the top end speed, which is very brisk. The drive control is convenient and easy to use for operators with large & small hands (my wife has no problem using). Drive mechanism is accessable and easy to clean. Mower is very easy to maneuver both when the drive is engaged or not.
I especially like the single lever mowing height adjustment (note- mower deck is counterbalanced with a spring so adjustment is effortless).
Very easy to change mower from mulching to bagger or to side discharge. No tools, just easy plug in's.
The mower deck pulls a very strong vacuum. I have been using it to clear heavy, wet leaves and it doesn't leave anything on the grass. This mower is superior to any leaf vac that I have ever used. Plus, it really shreds the leaves using the standard blade. Note: The vacuum is so strong that I cannot start the mower on my gravel driveway, it literally sucks the stones up, this is not an exaggeration.
The bagger is very quick & easy to install and empty. It is 2.5 bushels. I do wish the bag was bigger (3.5-4) for leaf collection. The normal bag is fine for normal grass cutting operations. Normally I mulch the grass.
Mulching is excellent. I tested the mower on some overgrown sections of the yard and it performed very well leaving very finely cut grass clippings without bogging down.
Note: The mower deck is stamped 14 gauge steel, very nicely powder coated. If you are used to a cast mower deck, this one will be a little louder as it will "ring" (typically of stamped decks) when you hit twigs or other debris (i.e. driveway gravel).
Shop around on price, my local dealer gave me an end of season deal at $350. After using this mower, I can't justify spending more money

First, let me say that I am elated to have my rl800. I bought it in 2003 and it has worked great for me, since I am not able to mow my own lawn.

Second, my reason for writing this note: The last couple of days I kept getting the you-need-to-recharge-your-mower message, even though it had been hooked up to the recharger.

After doing what it said, with no success, I bought some size C batteries for turning on the hook-up. That still didn't help. I looked inside where the battery contact is made. It was off line.

The message: "Please Remove battery before lifting!" had inadvertantly led to the damage of the interior connectivity. The battery is very heavy. The point of connectivity is very fragile, at least in comparison to the battery. My point, the constant removal of the battery will damage your connectivity. Rather than removing the battery and having to reinsert it, (risking damaging your product) shove the mower with your foot when it gets stuck, if not strong enough to lift the mower, battery and all. This will prevent damaging your mower's interior and save you repair bills or replacement cost.

I've now used my RL800 for two full seasons, and I'm still pleased with it. It does a decent job, and it has advantages, but it isn't perfect.

Some of this has been said in other reviews, but I'll add my two cents. The pros:
- it mows while you relax, out of the heat
- it only takes a couple of minutes of your time to start it mowing, and another couple to put it away afterward
- it mows in multiple directions, a tip recommended by many lawn care advocates
- it doesn't get tired; you can mow your entire lawn two or three times a week if you want
- it is very quiet compared to a gas mower; about as loud as a cordless string trimmer

The cons:
- pricey
- expensive for consumables (battery pack every 3-5 years, a $25-$40 expense per year, not including the cost of electricity to recharge, and new blades periodically, maybe every 2 or 3 years, another $20-$30 per year)
- very slow compared to a gas mower - expect 2 hours to mow what you could easily do in half an hour yourself
- misses spots on a single session (but more frequent mowing makes up for this)
- recharge with included trickle charger can take more than 24 hours (about 13 hours per hour of use in my experience)
- won't mow yards over 5,000 sq ft on a single charge
- yards over 5,000 sq ft must be split up into zones
- can take multiple days to mow your entire yard
- perimeter wire layout is time consuming and tedious, especially if you have to wire around many obstacles
- the supplied wire and stakes aren't enough for any but there very smallest yards
- it can't handle especially small sections (narrower than 5')
- it doesn't mow close to obstacles or walls
- you'll still want a standard push mower (much as you would if you had a riding mower)
- it sometimes gets stuck or stops spontaneously (in my experience this happens one time in 15, so not too frequent)
- it's not suitable for rough or especially steep lawns
- blades need frequent cleaning for maximum performance (they gut gummed up), I'd recommend once every three-to-five session

I've rated this a four because I expected most of the above, and within it's limitations the Robomower performs as expected. But bottom line, unless you have some special reason you'll probably be better served spending your money on an inexpensive lawn tractor.

First of all, you need to understand the limitations of the Robomower and determine if your yard is right for it or not. I've had my RL800 for 3 seasons now and while I still fuss at it every time it cuts the grass, I don't know what I'd do without it...Except get another smelly gas mower and grind it out like before Robomower.

It doesn't do hills well. Think about how you divide up your yard into zones before installation. Keep the battery continuously charging. And "supervise" it while it's cutting the grass. If you're yard is relatively flat and you send Robomower out every week during the summer, you should be pleased with the results, mechanical/warranty problems aside.

Our entire front, sides and back yards are all 1 zone. As such, after completing the perimeter cut, Robomower usually leaves the front yard before it's completely cut and sneaks into the back yard. While this can be frustrating, it's how it's supposed to work if everything is 1 zone...I simply walk it back up into the front yard and let it start zig-zagging back and forth again. If it looks like rain or I'm in a hurry, I'll manually touch up any missed patches before walking it to another part of the yard...Otherwise I just let it run and run and run and it usually gets just about every spot (eventually). I got an extra new battery that I switch out mid-week so both stay charged.

I have it set to take off about 1/3 of the grass with each weekly cut and our Bermuda has never looked better. It truly is a "sea of green" once Robomower is finished and the blades have been clipped from every direction. It looks as good or better than the $150/visit professional landscaping crew does across the street. We have four 20" x 20" recessed drainage holes throughout the yard that can be a problem. Most of the time Robomower goes down and comes back out OK...Sometimes it just sits and spins the wheels trying to climb out. Hence, the supervision part of the job. Keeping an eye on Robomower and intervening when needed is still much better than the old blood and sweat that I see falling off the neighbors when they go out and cut their grass the old-fashioned way.

Next to the PC and HDTV, Robomower gets my vote for best "life made easier" invention of the past 20 years. It's not perfect, but neither are you when you cut the grass. It's just much more convenient watching the grass be cut by Robomower. Understand it's limitations, plan your yard zones like you want it to operate and you should be equally pleased with the results, provided you don't get the inevitable lemon. I have extra tires and extra blades, but haven't needed to replace them after 3 seasons of weekly mowings. Great product!!

Keeping it short and simple:

For a townhouse-sized lot, this electric mower will get the job done no problem. I see no difference in performance between this and a gas mower. Much quieter and you don't have to worry about gas and oil. Starts up quicker than a car. Kind of hard to get used to managing the cord, but if you have a small sized lot, it's worth the inconvenience.

Has a steel deck and compares favorably with the Black&Decker (Sears?) which has a 2-ply plastic deck which also does well. Has 4 individual wheel height adjusters with twice the positions as the B&D which has a nice single handle adjustment. Yard Machines' power cord guide which slides from one side to the other as you change mowing direction is an advantage over the B&D's fixed-position version. YM also has an easier and wider-ranging handle height adjustment. 2-step start function adds safety. Lightweight, no gas or oil mess, energy-conserving even considering power transmission loss from the power plant, quiet, and starts every time! Apparently is made in Hungary.

Before purchasing this electric mower I've only had experience with gasonline ones. I've noticed a lot of consumers had problems with the Black & Decker brand (not necessarily their mowers), so I decided to give YardMachines a chance despite lack of reviews. After owning it for two months I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone with a smaller yard (i.e. townhome). Build quality is excellent with the chasis made out of steel. The cord falls out of the cord minder feature but works if used with a twist tie. Height adjustment is extremely simple and a single pass is sufficient enough to trim/mulch the lawn most of the time because of the powerful 12 Amp motor. During operation it produces a loud whirling sound but is much more quieter than a gas mower, and no gas fumes to gag on either. Also the handles can be folded down for more compact storage, too. My only complaints are that the cord minder bar was difficult to install (the manual is vague on details and the bar seems not to fit initially) and the shipping packaging was lacking. Because the mower is placed in a fitted box without any styrofoam to secure it in place, the wheels arrived bent inwards somewhat but was easily fixed. The manual recommends a 12 gauge cord no longer than 50 feet.

After reviewing several mowers, I feel this make and model is best suited for a variety of users.
The 4-cycle engine feature helped me make up my mind on which mower would be best for my family, we don't need to mix oil in the fuel. Also, the electric start is a good feature--for the weaker persons.

I almost bought a Toro with essentially the same features. With the promotional discount, I saved $100 and this mower is excellent. I have an acre and a half of land to maintain, and the variable-speed self-propelled controls work flawlessly. It's also great having the electric start. No more yanking on a mower cord to get it started. I can't believe I could have purchased a better mower for the money.

I have around six hours of total use, so this review is based upon that.

Delivery time was good, but initially taking delivery was a problem. The item shipped on a semi-trailer and could not be delivered to my home address due to the trailer not having a lift. My options were to pick it up at the delivery hub or have it shipped to my work, which I did. Set up was easy. All I had to do was attach the handle bars, check the oil and fill it with gas. A couple of tugs and it started and off I went. Spent an hour and a half mowing chest high thistles, burdock and nettles in our horse pasture. Went out the next day to continue mowing and the blade would not engage. Upon further inspection, I discovered the cable and spring that engages the blade was lose and some how became bent. I called the company and their response was great. Replacement parts arrived within 5 business days and after installing them (which was fairly easy) I mowed for another four hours with out problems.

Likes: Does what it is supposed to do starts easy and it is fairly easy to maneuver. It was the most reasonably priced mower I could find. The next closest in price was $800.00 more.

Dislikes: Shipping directly to my home was not possible unless there was help unloading it from the trailer. Replacement parts were necessary after limited use. Getting it into reverse is touchy. (There must be a safety switch that engages and kills the engine if the shift lever travels too far.)The handle grips are not very good. (They keep slipping off and one is already starting to tear.)

Received within two weeks in an outstanding crate. Reviewers' suggestions followed regarding handles and wiring. Pull rope would not budge and tech rep at Swisher was CLUELESS. Local B&S repairman knew immediately that a machine shipped with oil had to have been tipped in the crating/shipping process filling the cylinder with oil. I removed the spark plug, pulled the starter rope(now EASY) spewing the oil from the cylinder into a cloth, and had it running in 5 minutes. The Swishser went through 1/4 mile of Nantucket thicket like NOTHING.

I bought this machine because I compared prices, and this is the best value on the market. I read the other reviews, and took the precautions mentioned. I used loctite on the handle bolts, wrapped the control cables with flexible tubing and zip-tied them, and used silicon glue on the handle-pads before my first use.

During use, you'll find that this machine won't lose battles with any weeds or brush. This is a good product for the price. The picture makes it look smaller than it is, and the model has been updated, so take a look at the swisher site to see the new handlebar configuration.

I was surprised that such a little lawn mower did as good a job as it did. The only thing I found that I didn't like is that some of the weeds that grow tall (usually just one stem) I had to go over more than once because it just bent it over rather than cut it off. Otherwise, it is very adequate and I am happy with it.

I was given this mower as a gift because it is small and light weight. My children meant well, but I do not think this mower was designed for my lawn which is over 1,000 square feet and has a slight up hill portion. I believe this mower has guts and does get the job done, but it is small and for a smaller lawn. The mower does leave the grass cut nicely, I use the highest height adjustment. I have a complaint about the wheels constantly coming off while I am using the mower. The handle is not really strong enough for up hill mowing and I am only going up a slight incline. I cut my lawn once a week. If the grass were to really get high this mower would have a tough time. I wish the mower was made 18" wide and it would serve me much better. The quality could also be improved the grass catcher is a good idea, but holds little and is made cheaply. If I were to replace it I would get a bigger more sturdily build mower. I do like electric though, had been using a gas mower.

Assembly: Super Easy - I only had to reference the written directions a few times. The assembly was a no-brainer.

Maneuvering: Super Easy - This machine is so light weight I can carry it out to the yard no problem. Easy maneuverability in the lawn.

Noise Level: Semi-quiet - Just loud enough to know your mowing the lawn but not loud enough to be disturbing (I tried the motor for the first time after 11 pm :-)

Cutting: with frequent cuttings this mower works great.

I bought this lawn mower from Amazon last summer. I had previously owned a Craftsman lawn mower, which I bought 5 years ago, used hard, and eventually burned out. I was aware of the Lawn Boy's good reputation, and after some research, the Lawn Boy seemed like a great balance of quality and price. I therefore bought the Lawn Boy #10367, even though it was $100 more than I had spent on the Craftsman, with the expectation that I could this machine for a lot longer. Unfortunately I have been disappointed ever since.

My main complaint is the cheap components. The height control assemblies are made of a combination of weak metal and plastic. Virtually every time I hit a bump, the components flex, the height drops, and I turf my lawn. For a mid-range lawnmower, this is unacceptable.

The bagging system is also weak. The back of the bag closes with a plastic clasp, which is about as effective as a second rate zip lock bag. Regardless of how much grass is in the bag, it constantly opens and sprays grass on me and the lawn.

For some reason, I also have a lot more trouble with the chute clogging than I have ever had on any other lawnmower. Perhaps it is narrower than others (?). Regardless of moisture, the amount of grass, or any other factor, the grass clippings frequently get stuck in the chute before they can make it to the bag. This results in the pleasant experience of having the lawn mower cough grass clippings all over the lawn, requiring me to clear the chute manually (with a stick) and later rake the clippings.

The deck on this piece of junk is also made of plastic. I don't know whether that necessarily impacts performance, but it just adds to the cheap look and feel.

My final complaint is the offset wheels. Despite LB's claims, I find it actually makes it more difficult to edge. It also leads to a last attractive wheel pattern on the lawn, and makes it diffficult to align each row with the previous row.

In the end, all I can say is I can't stand this mower, and I wish I had bought a Craftsman.

Shipped fast, just unpacked & assembled the 10367. Packaging was damaged but only a few scratches on plastic bagging chute (acceptable to me). Deck and engine build quality look great. HOWEVER, I tried to install rear bag, since I don't plan to mulch, and realized that the bag sits right below the recoil start rope (look carefully at larger image). Bag must be lifted up to remove from flange on chute and rear bag hanger but will run into starter rope every time bag is removed or reinstalled. I don't see any way to reroute the starter rope to avoid this problem. It seems this mower was intended for mulching or side chute and the rear bag was an afterthought. Also, chute was very difficult to install "keyhole" slots correctly over stationary bolts - supposed to make it easier to change without tools but inacurate fit requires a lot of elbow grease.

I will update my rating once I have a chance to see how it runs - especially bag vs mulch performance.

UPDATE I've used the mower for several months now and have found the rear bag hitting the starter rope to be a nuisance but tolerable once you get used to it. A bigger dissapointment is that the rear chute assembly (needed for bagging) is loose (designed with support rod that sits in a hole) and flaps up when removing bag so you have to reinsert the support into hole every time bag is removed. The mower runs great - starts on first pull every time, the engine has power to spare and it cuts great. I would highly recommend if mulching but for bagging I can only give 3 stars because of mediocre rear chute design and bag/starter cord placement design.

This is a great lawn mower. It starts easily. It will go as fast as you can walk.

How clich� for a product to break shortly after the warranty period. Well that is what you have here with the Robomower. Of course the cost to ship and fix the mower is quite expensive. When I purchased this product the Friendly Robotics went on and on about how good it was. Well let me tell you that this is not the case. The product is not even close to worth what it costs. I am going to stick with conventional gas mowers from now on. We all need to protect ourselves from products that are costly with short warranty periods.

I got my RoboMower in June of 2005 and other than one breakdown it has performed perfectly for me.

I have 12,000 Sq Ft of very level lawn (newly landscaped and graded yard) with no obstructions. The RoboMower comes out every night at 5:00PM, mows for a few hours, and comes back without issue. It's the hit of the neighborhood.

Laying the perimeter wire was a pain. At first I just laid it out and used the stakes to keep it down. I figured there was a 50/50 chance I'd be returning the unit (low expectations!) and I didn't want to spend the time burying the wire. After a couple of weeks I decided the unit was a keeper and I buried the wire - which took all day.

Suggestion: keep the box in case you need to ship the unit back. If you have the box they'll pay for shipping. It's a pretty bulky shipment, so it'll be hard to find a box that can safely ship it back.

Bottom line: My yard looks like a golf course every day. The quality of the mow is excellent.

Even if the unit broke every three years, I'd keep buying them. Having a mowing service would cost me $1,200/year ($60/week, 5 months a year) and the lawn would start to look shaggy a few days after mowing. With the RoboMower it looks perfect every day. A riding lawnmower would have cost me more, would cost more to maintain, and would still require me to mow my lawn myself every week. For me, it's a no-brainer.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of reviews are for older models. I have the 1000 version that automatically docks itself.

I actually have the RL800 model. As do all the above reviewers. I know this because this model, the RL1000 was only released in 2004 and the above reviews are all complaining about it being out of warrenty. That means they bought there mowers in 2003 or earlier. So please give this review as much weight as theirs. I also have an RL500 and that has been more difficult to maintain. If I guessed I'd bet most of the above problems were with that model.

As for the RL800, this is my second full year using it and its been no problem at all. I've played around with the barrier wires a little this year, but other than that and replacing the blades before the season started its preformed perfectly.

One note of common sense. Sure the mower will mow in the rain. Just like you could walk down the street with a sack of potatoes. But why would you strain yourself like that? Wet grass = heavy motor wear.

And just to be clear my RL500 is also 2 years old and running strong.

The instruction is confusing. The machine does not start after I followed all the instructions. Bad experience. Wasted my time. Shame on the manufacturer!

Easy to put together, added oil and gas, one pull, started, and away I went, mowing the lawn. Couldn't be better

10 minutes after I opened the box I was mowing away. 1 pull evey time. Great mulcher.