had some hrx questions;
For those who bag & compost, have you seen a difference?

RB> A difference compared with???

Such as less of a tendency of the grass to ball up?
How is it with lots of leaves? Can it powder them?

RB> Never seen a mulching mower turn leaves to powder.

Wet leaves? Will it bog down (compared to my old 5hp Toro mulcher?)

RB> Wet leaves and wet grass if there is enough of it will choke any mower, especially if it is mulching. A Honda won't be any better than any other mower.

RB> How could anyone compare their Honda to your mower.

If I do purchase one of these models I would use it in a 50/50 mulch/bag mode.
How well does this work? Or does the chute to the bag tend to clog?
Does the underdeck stay clean?

RB> It will stay clean if you clean it. Same as any mower.
With this kind of mulching do the twin blades stay sharp?

RB> I have yet to find a lawn mower with blades that will stay sharp. They all have to be sharpened.

How easy are they to sharpen?
I noticed that the bag capacity is 2.5 bushels, thatÂs about 20 gals. Does the weight of a full bag affect performance?

RB> If it is a rear bagger with a bag full of wet grass than the front wheels will tend to get light. As with any mower. A full bag if not emptied will effect performance because the grass will back up under the deck and eventually kill the motor.

This model has features that I havenÂt used with a mower.
RB> That's nice.

I do own a Honda snow blower w/ var speed, works well, but it seems that the controls were designed for a person with 3 hands. How are the ergonomics on the mower? I do like the feature of blade disengagement to reduce the need to restart; seems safer than wire tying the dead mans handle.
thanks

RB> I have an idea. Why not try the mower at the dealer so that you can determine how the ergonomics suit you.

I haven't had a HRX, but I had a HRB with the Xenoy deck. IMO, if you can do the stretch for a $600 Honda, go for it. There is a tremendous difference in quality over anything I've seen. Even with the 5.5HP engine I had on the HRB, there was plenty of power to mulch while pulling up a hill, and the HRX has 6.5HP. The weight of the full bag will not affect ground speed or cutting/mulching ability. The Xenoy deck will get a buildup on it as quick as any other, but it will never rust or rot and is easy to clean. The Honda twin-blades are thin but tough steel and hold a good edge, maybe a little better than others. The mower can be operated for mostly bagging (or 50/50 in your case) with just the lower blade, which is a general-purpose high-lift blade. This prevents over-mulching (green slime) which is a possibility with the twin-blade system. Leaf mulching means different things to different people. In early fall when you get a few leaves on the lawn every day, most mowers will make them disappear when mulching. Not as neat as bagging. When the lawn is covered in leaves, this is where the Versa-Mow feature will come in handy. I would try it at about 30% bag, using both blades for finer mulching. This will keep bag emptying to a minimum while putting a lot of organic matter on the lawn. Depending on the type and height of your grass, the mulched leaves could very well disappear. Wet leaves (and grass) are pretty much a problem for any mower - you might have to drop back and punt here.
Ergonomics are fine on the mower. I had the 3-speed but would get the HXA (hydro) if I bought one. It's a big, heavy mower, but very agile in the yard. The Honda engine is smooth and quiet - much more so than any other mower, and the Xenoy deck soaks up most blade noise. Now that they have 6.5HP, 9" wheels and hydro drive, I really can't think of any drawbacks to having one.

Neither of these replies are from people who own an HRX; you may to do a "search" on this forum for this topic. It is possible that with yard work winding down for most of the country that a lot of owners are not frequenting this website. The comments above are useful.

Yes, I did search, & yes I am thankful for the replies.
Possibly I should have been clearer. I plan to "import" leaves and cut/ bag them. With that in mind the larger capacity bag & "finer" mulch cut seemed attractive for my winter composting needs. Run that bad boy up the windrow, just as I do with my Toro.
My Toro doesnÂt mulch grass much less than 1/2", so grass has a tendency to collect as golf balls in the compost. So I thought that if it were cut finer it would dissipate better in the pile. I also wondered if the mulch left on the lawn being finer than with my Toro was better, or is this an advertising gimmick?
I was looking for opinions from people that do the same stuff as I, but with one of these mowers, and yes I would like my grass looking good as a secondary consideration.

So you would buy one of the finest and most technologically advanced mowers in the world to mulch rows of leaves for compost? That's mower abuse. What you need is a chipper/vac or some other piece of equipment made for that job. I keep an old push Lawn-Boy, a 10201, for mulching up my leaf piles, but just what falls on my yard. Bringing in leaves to mulch with a lawnmower amounts to commercial use. The leaf mulch could very well jam the wheel gears - I've tried several self-propelled mowers on that job, and they all jam up. The problem is, you can't ignore that - the rear wheels won't turn, so you have to stop, take the wheels off and clean it out. Doesn't matter if you're not using the drive, either - the wheel gears are always engaged.

Not quite sure if I understand the issue w/ the rear wheels, but it sounds like self propelled wonÂt perform. Maybe I'll look at the push HRR216PDA. What I do like about Honda is that the noise levels are lower. My Toro will perform this job on a good day; I was looking for improvement possibilities
Like taking an 80K land rover off road, you say?
I wouldnÂt want to upset any mower religions here, I promise to be gentle.

I've had my HRX for 2 years now and it is the finest mower I've ever had. I won't get into all your questions because Saxman pretty much hit the nail on the head.

roadbike, cut the guy some slack and lose the unnecessary sarcasm. Questions asked, no matter how silly or insignificant they may seem to you, are important. I depend on this site, as does many others, for accurate advice from others who are more than willing to offer their sincere and honest responses to questions.