[Drysnyaty]

** Ok, long but some interesting lawn mower info below.

Ok... I do this to myself every time I shop for a large purchase. I drive myself nuts trying to find the best. I have been going back and forth with this lawnmower thing and I have found out some critical information that may help you all if you decide to purchase a mower soon.

First I wanted the John Deere JS25. It is at Lowes which has 12 months no interest.

Then I saw a consumer reports that bashed John Deeres and put a Lawn Boy and Toro at the top (all three mowers are within the same price range). So I had to start my search all over since Consumer Reports fried my mind.

The Lawn Boy 10785 rated highly in Consumer Reports and it's green so I started looking into it more. After some studying, I found out how to decifer the Lawn Boy model numbers. The third number means aluminum or steel deck. The number second from the right means what engine it has. The 10785 has and 8 which means it has a Tecumseh engine. A 7 would be the Honda and a 6 is the Briggs and Stratton. Otherwise, the three mowers are EXACTLY the same, just different engine.

After realizing that all the mowers at Home Depot and Lowes and Sears around here are nearly all Briggs & Stratton (not counting online), I decided this must be a good engine with wide parts availabiliy at a presumably decent price. I'm sure the Honda engine is good too, but it seems to me parts would be a little more expensive. As for the Tecumseh, I have never heard of nor can I pronounce so I decided against it.

Ok, so sticking with the Consumer Reports rating, I just changed engines. The top Toro in the Consumer Reports had the B&S engine I decided on. Also I think that Consumer Reports is full of BULLSHIT. After I realized how nearly exactly the same these mowers are, I do not know how one could be at the top of a Consumer Reports list and one at the bottom. I also noticed that all Home Depot brand mowers rated on the top of consumer reports and all Lowes brand mowers rated at the bottom. Something smells fishy to me.

So I thought I had it figured out. I was getting the Lawn Boy 10665 which means steel deck and Briggs & Stratton engine. The only problem I have is, nobody around here sells it and I really wanted 12 months no interest. I'll have to wait until Monday to find out if Home Depot can special order it. But, Home Depot only has 6 months no interest.

Well, I decided to look back at the John Deere. Lowes has it in stock right now and they have the 12 months no interest. The John Deere JS25 has the EXACT same Briggs & Stratton engine I decided I wanted on the Lawn Boy. Then I noticed that the two looked similar.... that's because they ARE!! They are basically the SAME mower. Same steel deck, same engine, slightly different personal pace self propelled system. The John Deere has a one lever hight adjuster, whereas the John Boy has adjusters for each wheel just like most old mowers.

So I decided to check the Toro 20066 to see if it was the exact same mower too. It also has the EXACT same engine and the same personal pace drive system as the Lawn Boy. The Toro steel deck also looks just the same as the John Deere.

Ok, so this is the thing.

John Deere JS25
Lawn Boy 10665
Toro 20066

Are all the same mower. The only thing that can help one decide which to choose is color or the very slight difference of the John Deere personal pace controls. The John Deere has the one lever for quick and easy height adjustment too. The Toro has a water hose connector to quickly wash the grass out from under the deck.

All three mowers have the same 2 year warranty as well.


Ok... now that we know all this I have to throw ANOTHER kink into the mix. The Husqvarna sears model #37445. Sears creates their OWN model numbers so that is a little annoying to me. BUT, the Husqvarna comes with the 8.75 torque Briggs & Stratton engine when the other three I mentioned comes with the 6.75 torque engine. The Husqvarna deck is again exactly the same as the other three, just with a more powerful motor. The biggest difference with the Husq, is the way the self-propelled is operated. The previous 3 are setup to when you push forward, they drive forward. The Husq has a throttle handle you have to hold to keep moving.

Now that makes me ask, which self-propelled system do I want? Oh yeah, The transmissions on the Deere, L. Boy and Toro are all the same. I haven't looked up the Husq yet, but i'm certain it is the same too.

So I read some reviews that the Toro, Lawn Boy and John Deere work great and some that complain that it will somewhat 'jump' forward if you get stuck on a stick or uneven ground for a second. With the Husq hand held speed adjuster, I've read it works great but also that some people said their hand gets tired from holding it for so long while mowing. The Husq is at Sears and they also have 12 months no interest if I remember correctly.


So... do I want the easier sounding John Deere, Lawn Boy, Toro type self propelled with the 6.75 torque B&S engine, or the more powerful but not as sure about self propelled hand controler with an 8.75 B&S engine??


I have also checked the Briggs and Stratton website and have a theory about the 6.75 and 8.75 torque engines. Both of these engines have an automatic throttle. You start it and it runs automatically without you adjusting anything. My theory is the 8.75 torque is throttled higher than the 6.75 engine but are exactly the same. They are both 190cc engines. I MIGHT be wrong about that though because there is also a 7.75 torque B&S engine. It seems if I was right, it would also be 190cc, but instead it's 175cc according to the B&S website.

Now, there is a Troy Bilt mower also at Lowes. Again it is exactly the same at the others but with another slightly different self propelled drive controls. It has 4 speeds and you just select one. It also has 12" back wheels compared to 8" or 9" on the other models I listed. The Troy Bilt also comes with the 7.75 torque B&S engine. I'm sure the transmission is again the same but I have yet to look it up.

I really should look at the transmissions on the Husqvarna and Troy Bilt since they have different engine sizes. I'll get to that later today.

The Toro is red.
The Husqvarna is Orange.
The John Deere is green.
The Lawn Boy is slightly different shade of green.
The Troy Bilt is gray and red.

So what do you think? You should have seen me shopping for a refrigerator last year.

It drives me crazy doing all this stuff but in the end, I always know exactly what I got and that I got it at a price I was happy with. Also, once I finally decide on the specific item, I NEVER LOOK AGAIN. Because the very next day after you bought it, you will ALWAYS find something better.
________
Arrya