If You purchased this at the home depot I am certain they WILL return exchange it. I have been at returns here many times and have seen people returning power eqipment including mowers. I saw this model and did not like the thumb control at all. (maybe this should be a lawsuit in the offing, could cause some type of occupational diesese,or syndrome!!) I think honda which builds a good product fumbled the ball this time. If Your budget allows I think the hrx is a better mower to operate. My in-law has this one and he is in poor physical shape and seems to operate this one well. The toro super recyclers are nice mowers and I believe about the same cost as your hrr. (honda seems to command a high price, more than deserved in my opinion.) I think the personnel pace on the toro is a better system than on your honda hrr, However a lot here are divided on P.P Good luck.

When I first saw these things at the sales update, this is what I was afraid of. Didn't feel right to me either. Good mower otherwise but they missed it on the ground control.

Honda has a provision for dealers, HD or independents, that allow them to take mowers back for just this sort of reason. I think its limited to 30 days after purchase and can't have any obvious damage. A little dirty from some use, sure, but no beat and banged stuff. Dealers can take them back, re-sell them with full warranty at demo discount and Honda will re-imburse the dealer. If for some reason your dealer balks let him know you're calling the consumer number in your owners manual.

I just returned my LB 10682 and purchased this model. This evening was my first time using it. First off the thumb paddles don't really bother me. I guess after riding for hours on my atv with a thumb accelerator that my thumb is used to it. In comparison to the LB it felt more light and nimble, and quieter with less vibration. What I didn't like was that the engine seemed a little underpowered and the bagger did a horrible job. The top left hand corner kept getting grass stuck in that area and I thought the LB did a better job at cutting the grass into smaller pieces. However I did enjoy the blade clutch, very nice feature. I don't know if I will keep it or try something else, I would like to try the PP out but here mixed reviews. Maybe I will try the HRX.

Definitely return it if you are unhappy with it. I wish I did for my Snapper RER and over the course of one season, I disliked it more and more until finally had to let it go the next year. Costly mistake.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. All your comments were very helpful. Nevada_walrus, the info on the dealer take-back was especially helpful. I bought the mower from an independent garden center and the folks there were very nice. I don't blame them and wouldn't want them to suffer for Honda's design mistake. I will call about returning it on Monday.

Shelley

They won't suffer, especially on someone like yourself who has used it only once, minimal clean up before re-selling. I go to the sales updates even though I don't work the sales floor because I like seeing new models before they get delivered to the shop and to pick up on things like this. Since I don't work the floor I don't recall the numbers on a for sure thing but my brain is thinking the Hondas deal is basically a $100 discount to the dealer. 50 for demo sale discount and 50 to cover clean up and paperwork costs. I may not be 100% correct on the numbers but it is a no hurt deal for the dealer.

Some dealers may balk because their paperwork dept is in a state of havoc or don't want to wait the 2-3 weeks for paperwork to clear channels and get their money.

Shelley; a good replacement would be the Lawn-Boy 10685 with Sensa-Speed. It's the same as Toro 'Personal Pace', and you don't have to hold a bail or anything else. You just walk and the mower matches your speed. Many users love this drive system. Honestly, I don't, but I'm an old curmudgeon who doesn't like much of anything. I do have a Personal Pace mower, though (Lawn-Boy 10550), as well as a Lawn-Boy 10684 with a drive bail to hold. The Lawn-Boy 'Insight' series mowers are very decent and work great. I think the 10685 is $379 at Home Depot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lawn-Boy 10685

Shelley, Please let us know if You were successfull on the return and what Mower You replace it with.
Good luck!

I sold my Toro 20041 yesterday and rushed out to Home Depot to replace it.

I have been contemplating the Lawn Boy 10684 or 10685. I have noticed that on most of the returned 10685's that the bar that pushes down to engage the Sensa-Speed seems to bind (difficult to push down). I do not like the idea of plastic sliding against plastic in a tube. Perhaps regular lubrication or silicone spray would prevent this binding effect.
I chose the 10684. It started on the first pull. It feels so much lighter than the Toro and is much easier to manuever. I was conceerned about having two bails to hold. I hold the engine bail down and use my thumbs to control the drive bail.
Best mower tht I have ever owned.

"use my thumbs to control the drive bail"

That's how we get micro-control of the ground speed.

Hi,

You may like to consider a Honda HRC216 HXA. It is sort of expensive though. It is the commercial one. I have one and have used it for one year now. It has performed well. Always starts first time. It has a slightly different engine to the mowers you find at home depot. I also use Stabil in the fuel mix to avoid old fuel issues.

Good luck.

Warmest regards, Mike.

"Is there a trick I haven't learned yet?"

Yes

The trick is to hang your copy of Consumer Reports on a nail in the outhouse. For that is about all it is good for.

I called the shop where I bought the Honda and first they tried to upgrade me. When I said this mower was at the upper end of my price range ($500), my call was given to another person (the owner, I guess). He said he'd call Honda and get back to me which he did. He said they would only give him $20.00 to clean it up and that since I'd charged it, I'd have to pay the 2% credit card fee. He faxed the Honda return form to me to fill out.

Since $20.00 was significantly less than the $100.00 which Nevada_walrus had said (and which sounded reasonable to me), I called Honda customer service directly. They were very surprised at my question (what's the deal with the dealer?) and refused to give me an answer. The customer service rep even tried to deny that there was such a deal. I got pretty upset and accused Honda of not even caring that I'd just bought a new machine of theirs that I hate. Finally, she asked (or I offered) to tell her why I disliked the mower and the call felt more productive. She said that if a certain number of buyers (1/2 of 1% I think) return a mower for a particular reason, they must stop production until the problem is fixed.

So, I'm returning the mower on Saturday. I have to find a replacement ASAP. The same shop also sells Ariens. Should I consider trading? I am really nervous about choosing the right mower. Thanks, everyone, for all your input on this.

Shelley

The Ariens is a good mower but heavy for turning and trimming.

Shelley I'm sorry for your problems. May be my fault for bad info but I know it was more then 20 bucks. The take back deal was talked about at the update the year before last and wasn't mentioned as cancelled this past year so I may have errored in assuming it was still in effect.

I need to do some research and see what is in effect currently.

Shelley, speedway sales has the toro 20056 super recycler for $529. currently there is a $50 rebate and free shipping.

cast aluminum deck and personel pace. This is one I am considering to replace my old honda hrc215. hope this helps.

As an FYI, Speedway was nice enough to raise the price on that mower by $30 when the rebate was announced. I was considering buying that mower from them and was waiting for the rebate. What a disappointment.

I hate companies that pull that kind of cr#p!
I still think the sr would be a great mower for shelley

What other online ope dealers are there? Anyone?

wecoyote--

Try this place.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mayberry's

Hey, nevada_walrus, you've got nothing to apologize for. First, the info you gave provided me with the courage to ask the dealer to take the mower back. And, second, I'd have been suspicious of the $20.00 he claimed. If Honda has a program to help with returns, seems that they would give the dealer more than $20.00. Anyway, I've really got no complaints about the dealer. I just hate the way he seemed to want me to feel guilty. Thanks for you help.

Many Thanks, T-Man!!

I just replaced my 14 year old John Deere with this model. This was my first self propelled mower. I have a small almost flat lawn so I didn't really think I needed the self propelled feature. I've only used it once but after mowing the front lawn I was fighting the mower. Seemed like it was more work than the old mower. I don't mow in circles so in some areas the distance I mow ranges from 50' to as little as 5' so there is a lot of turning around or pulling the mower backwards. The back yard went much easier as it is basicly just a big oval. I think with time I will get used to the mower and it will be fine. It is a little hard to match speed to your pace. It goes from too slow to too fast very quickly but I think I will like it as I get used to it. Adjusting speed without having to reach for a lever seems like a good idea to me but like I said I have never used a self propelled model before.

I also looked at the next model up with the plastic deck. This appealed to me because the reason I replaced the John Deere was the deck corroded through. I always cleaned under the deck after mowing like the manual said but it started to corrode the 2nd year I had it. I was surprised it lasted as long as it did. I also liked the the way you can split between mulching and bagging but three things killed the mower for me.

1. The handle was to ackward to fold compared to this model.

2. It was much longer which would make it difficult to handle around the walls and raised beds in my yard.

3. Price. $200.00 more.

I think that if people take the time to get used to the controls this will turn out to be a good mower. Some have complained about no liner in the cylinder and the lack of pressure feed lubrication, but what good is designing an engine that will last 30 years if the rest of the mower is dead in 10?

I purchased this same mower yesterday after much debate. I Liked the feel of the mower and it cut nice but hated the thumb controls. Agree it would cause problems after mowing the whole yard. I stopped about 1/3 thru after mine started having problems with the blade control. It would stop the blade periodically and unexpectedly. I think it was set to sensitive and was probably an easy fix but this problem along with my dislike for the thumb control was enough to make me return it.

I returned the Mower to Home Depot with no problems. I will say I was able to clean it up to where it didn't look like I had even started it. My Silverpro 2 cycle Lawn Boy still runs strong and cuts as well with a mulch blade as the Honda did, imo. My only concern is the self-propel giving out. Purchased the Honda mainly due to the "grass is always greener etc...." , thinking that maybe the newer mowers were much better than my 7+ yr old mower. This satisfied my curiosity and will save me some $$ for a while longer. I'll keep using the old 2 cycle Lawn Boy till the wheels fall off.

What do you have, a 10323? Great mower. How is the drive failing? The usual causes are excessive belt wear and/or control cable adjustment. The little 'transmission' is just a gear box like a car rear end, with a ring and pinion to change the axis of rotation and provide a gear reduction. There is also a ratchet at each rear wheel which needs to be cleaned and oiled. The spur gears and wheel gears could be worn. Generally, it is not expensive to fix, but probably needs service. There are three gear reductions; the pullies, the box, and the wheel/spur gears. The Variable Speed drive is controlled by the drive bail and tilts the gear box back to tighten the belt, which is always slipping. Varying speeds are produced depending on the position of the control bail. This mower requires the engine to be raised off the deck to get the belt down over the crankshaft end. I would first take up slack in the cable to see if that's the problem, then give a good cleaning and lube. Sometimes the crankshaft pulley gets loose, so check that too. Most often, though, they're on so tight you can't get them loose when you want to. When the wheels do fall off, they're available too, along with new axle bolts. Your only real long-term problem on a 10323 is the steel deck rotting away or cracking.

I just replaced my Troy Bilt mulcher - after many years of great service it must now rest in peace. I need a mulcher and have no need of a bagger or side dischage. I, like someone else checked consumer reports (yeah, the copy now hanging out in the outhouse), and bought the HR316VXA from HD. I used it for the first time yesterday and the mulching part was great. Two problems though: my thumbs are killing me and the drive blade control kept disengaging after I, too was about 1/3 of the way through my 1 1/2 hour mowing. I probably can live with the thumb thing, thinking I might be eligible for a trophy for having the most muscular thumb muscles in the tri-state area, but the disengaging thing is a real problem. Is there an adjustment I can make, or has anyone come up with some home remedy to resolve that?

Any help will be appreciated!

I just bought a slightly used VXA that had been returned b/c the original purchaser didn't like the thumb control (made his thumbs sore, even after the dealer installed a less tension spring). It doesn't bother me (maybe b/c of the less tension spring after market installment). I've also experienced unintended blade disengagement, but only when I accidentally let up on the control bar (it only takes about an inch!). I plan to have the dealer fix the blade disengagement. In the mean time, I'll just try to pay attention not to relax my hold on the bar.

It's an awesome mulcher. High quality design, motor & parts, through & through. Well worth the $399 I paid for mine. Can't get anything worth using in that price range from Craftsman or Husqvarna.

I just purchased this same model about a month ago and have no qualms about it. It might be a little heavier that what I am used to but not so much that I would complain about it. I have about 1 acre of grass around my house and I like to mow in a diagonal pattern and feel that this mower does very well for me. I like the paddle style speed controls, love the blade engagement feature, and like the bagging/mulching performance. This is my opinion and nothing more.

Shelley r, I understand your original posting is your opinion. Why should Honda take this mower back from you? wecoyote, you mentioned lawsuit??? WHY? The reason Shelley r does not like this model is because of the speed controls. This is not a design flaw. Shelley, you are still responsible to make sure you make smart purchasing decisions. When you say you were in a rush to purchase a mower; that is not a Honda problem that you did not determine if the product was right for you before purchase. If the dealer is willing to work with you, that is great. If not, I donÂt see how you can expect assistance from them.

We have just started selling this model, it became available in Canada this year. So far, we have not had any complaints of discomfort from using the speed control. The customers love the roto-stop, it is a lot cheaper than the HRX

honda_lover wrote:"Why should Honda take this mower back from you? ...If the dealer is willing to work with you, that is great. If not, I donÂt see how you can expect assistance from them. "

Are you kidding me? This is called customer service, and it is a MUST if a brand or retailer has any plans to build a good relationship with consumers. If you buy any automobile, the law states that you have the right to return it (maybe not for a full refund, but prorated) within a certain time period if not satisfied. The same should go for just about any other consumer product sold at a premium.

I'm not saying that a premium toothbrush, for example would be returnable, but I bet if you contaced OralB with a legitimate complaint, they'd refund your money. All big box stores take returns like they are renting equipment. Dealers are almost required to do the same if they want to compete.

How could Shelly have known how the mower was going to feel going up hills, around flower beds and making turns in her yard while operating this machine for 30 minutes plus (taking creative liberties here) if all she had in some dealer's shop was standing behind it for 5 mintues while it wasn't even running. There is no way she could have "determined if the product was right for you before purchase" without an in-home demo.

Right-on Shelly. Hope your next mower is better suited for your needs, and if not, I hope your next retailer is!

jim

jumpinjimmyb - You are not comparing apples to apples here. A tooth brush is completely different from a lawnmower. If I were an owner of a store that sold toothbrushes and a customer was really that upset about a particular toothbrush, I would accept the toothbrush for a full refund and simply throw it away.

I agree with what you are saying that the dealer SHOULD help a customer when they have a concern such as Shelley. However, that is not always the case as independent dealers are just that; independent. They can determine how they want to handle situations such as this as long as they stay within franchise guidelines. If Shelley went into the dealer demanding that they accept the return of the mower because she didnÂt like a feature, I can see why they said no to a simple return. Keep in mind, a dealer is in place for one reason; to make money. If the dealer determines that a customer is sincerely loyal to his/her store, they may be willing to take a loss here and there because most likely they will make it up in the end. I say take a loss because when they give a customer a full refund on a used product, they can only sell it as used (reduced price).

HELP!!

I have an 8-year old diligently maintained Honda HR215KHMA Master series lawnmower (GXV140 engine) that performed flawlessly until last fall. It began acting up - the electric starter would fire up, the motor would turn, but would immediately stop after turning. This happened several times, until finally it seized up. The motor has not turned nor the shaft cannot even be rotated ever since.

Several experts diagnosed the problem, based on the symptoms, as potentially a broken Connecting Rod.

Question? Assuming it is the problem, how much would it cost to replace the broken connecting rod?

A ballpark figure would be really helpful as I decide if it is worthwhile getting this lawnmower repaired, or just buying a less sophisticated/expensive mower?

I would greatly appreciate your insights. Thanks in advance for your help.

A Dispappointed Honda Mower Owner