My first concern would be the negative comments I've read about Murray mowers on a couple of consumer websites as well as on this forum

Also, I would be concerned that it is using a motor commonly found on 21 inch mowers to spin a much larger blade in a much larger mower housing. I wonder if it has enough reserve power to keep that blade spinning to mulch or vacuum other than the lightest cuttings properly. Finally, a 26 inch mower because of its size could be much harder to maneuver on many standard lots.

good points...I am mowing a 1/2 plus acre hilly lot, and any advantage (26" versus 21") is huge. Dont have the cash to buy a commercial walk behind right now. I know that Murray's are usually good for about 3 seasons..

I have a power propelled 3nOne 5.5HP/22" Ultra Murray, that I purchased in 1994 and it is a great mower. It has plenty of power and I would think the 6.6 would have plenty of power for the 26" Murray selfpropelled. as far as lasting power mine looks as new today as it did when I first bought it and runs just as good. There are probably more Murray's out there than any other walk behind built today. I know that they are cheep to buy, but they seem to hold their own when it comes to walk behinds, JMHO.

Dan

Almost any mower should last longer than 3 seasons with decent maintenance. What you will probably find is that non-engine items such wheels and controls will loosen up and that the drive train may exhibit problems earlier than with a Toro or comparable mower.

Yeah, the extra size will probably drop 12 to 15 passes off an average 1/2 acre lot.

my MTD snowblower is about 8 years old, so taking back what I said, a murry mower seems like it would be a decent investment. Like you guys said, the engine will be great but other little items will loosen/break. I would expect that and am willing to live with that. For under $400 to my door, it might make life a little bit easier...so should I?

What do the mowers sell for locally.

I have never seen one locally, only ebay...

I've never seen one of those.

Regarding the power, it almost looks like there's a gear reduction or some sort of drive system between the motor and the blade. The centerline of the crankshaft doesn't appear to be over the center of the blade circle.

Echoing what some of the others have said, the deck might not be the highest quality around, but as far as longevity, I'd expect it to last a long time. My Sears Craftsman isn't the "best" mower out there, but it has been reliable. My Honda HR215SXA weighs well over 100 pounds, and it's not Lawn-Boy light, but with the RWD, it gets along just fine.

For a big yard, a 26" walk-behind looks like a great fit. I say go for it!

Jason

I think this must be a prior year model because the Murray website only lists 22 inch Yard King mowers with 7hp motors. Looks like you are getting a lot of mowing ability, so I would go for it.

Someone else mentioned that the motor is set back from center. You might ask the seller if that is because the blade is indirectly driven and geared down. Since it is a longer blade they may be keeping tip speed down.

I asked seller more questions regarding the blade system, and if he had any pics..I'll keep you posted!

I have one of these. Have had it for 2 plus years. The 6.5 briggs on mine is plenty powerful, will go faster than you want to walk and has never slowed/bogged down in tall grass. I have mowed some heavy stuff with it too. The blade is offset and belt driven. These are no longer made, haven't been for 4 or 5 years. Parts are available, although I have never had to replace anything. These were made by Murray, but there was a "Stanley" version with a Tec engine, also a Sears version. Some versions had caster wheels some don't. Volvo, Let me know if you have any other questions and I will try to answer.

thanks jdeaux for the info! the seller replied today that is was a belt driven mower. I am still deciding if it is worth it with the shipping charges. Almost 400 range...could get alot of other mowers for 400...tough call here

JDEAUX or anyone else that knows the answer

I have a question on your murray 26" yard king. On the height adj, what is the highest setting in inches the mower can be set at.

Thanks

firefighter_3506

I have purchased one of these on E-BAY and have used it to cut 4 times now. Some of my observations: Its a little bit more complicated than I think it needs to be; there are 3 cables and 3 belts. The deck is surprisingly well made with thick gauge steel. Wheels are plastic but have sealed bearings in them. Its a great mulcher - my first cut, which I had to cut too much grass, didn't clump and there was almost no grass stuck to the deck, subsuquent cuts have yielded even better results. Most stress areas of the machine have heavy, metal hardware except the front axel, this is held on with pastic brackets - should be OK if you don't bang the front end around too much. The transmission does not tilt to regulate groud speed, the belt to drive the transmission is tensioned tighter through a handle mounted lever/cable to the drive pulley to increase speed. I find the top speed to be a lttle slow (I am not a "power walker" either). The one-lever adjustment to raise or lower all four wheels works properly and all 4 wheels are in alignment and level. Range is between 1.75" to 4" (measured from blade edge to garage floor - so this is acurate). Cables are too long, I zip tied them to the handle in a loop fashion to prevent fouling. No complaints with the Briggs Intek OHV 6.5HP - seems to have plenty of power and starts vey easy with a bulb primer. I checked RCPW.com, and all consumerables (blade, belts) are available. Overall its a decent homeowner machine with a high quality cut. I am happy for the price (just PS - Fairly heavy at 130lbs. You won't be pushing this around without the drive too much - LOL.

Joe m, as I posted before I have one of these too, same engine, except mine has front caster wheels. The first thing I did to mine was also tie the cables up out of the way. I do wonder about your observation on ground speed though? I have to almost run to keep up with mine at top speed and I'm not short at 6 plus feet. I wonder if the cable is adjusted properly on yours?

jdeaux,

Yeah, I wonder if there is some slop in the belt adjustment. There does'nt appear to be any cable adjustment for the ground speed adjustment though. I will have re-check.

I was going to buy one as well but I am worried about getting a replacement blade, I can't find one anywhere. Any ideas?

"Posted by attfrank (My Page) on Sat, Sep 23, 06 at 0:36

I was going to buy one as well but I am worried about getting a replacement blade, I can't find one anywhere. Any ideas?"

"Posted by joe_m MA (My Page) on Thu, Jul 13, 06 at 11:15

I have purchased one of these on E-BAY and have used it to cut 4 times now. Some of my observations: Its a little bit more complicated than I think it needs to be; there are 3 cables and 3 belts. The deck is surprisingly well made with thick gauge steel. Wheels are plastic but have sealed bearings in them. Its a great mulcher - my first cut, which I had to cut too much grass, didn't clump and there was almost no grass stuck to the deck, subsuquent cuts have yielded even better results. Most stress areas of the machine have heavy, metal hardware except the front axel, this is held on with pastic brackets - should be OK if you don't bang the front end around too much. The transmission does not tilt to regulate groud speed, the belt to drive the transmission is tensioned tighter through a handle mounted lever/cable to the drive pulley to increase speed. I find the top speed to be a lttle slow (I am not a "power walker" either). The one-lever adjustment to raise or lower all four wheels works properly and all 4 wheels are in alignment and level. Range is between 1.75" to 4" (measured from blade edge to garage floor - so this is acurate). Cables are too long, I zip tied them to the handle in a loop fashion to prevent fouling. No complaints with the Briggs Intek OHV 6.5HP - seems to have plenty of power and starts vey easy with a bulb primer. I checked RCPW.com, and all consumerables (blade, belts) are available. Overall its a decent homeowner machine with a high quality cut. I am happy for the price (just

How do you think this mower would hold up on about 8 small yards? Is it too heavy to lift into a pickup truck? Any other ideas to make mowing faster? I have been using a 2 cycle 21" lawn boy for several years and it has heald up well.

I don't think increasing ground speed would be such a good idea, but maybe the experts could weigh in. Remember the cutting area gets over 50% bigger for a 5 inch increase in diameter over a standard 21" mower. That's a lot more cut grass to move.

It's 130 pounds, so it's certainly within range of being picked up or pushed up a ramp.

I have the 26inch Murry Yard King and love it except for a couple of things. Mine seems to cut approx 1/2 shorter on the right/discharge side. I cannot seem to adjust it either. Any suggestion on how the get this thing to cut level?

Thanks