OK, I've had my new Honda HRG 536C Isy mower for a week. It was ordered from a company who call themselves Cheap Mowers, and they handled everything smoothly and efficiently.
Assembling the mower was not too difficult, though the manual - see tinyurl.com/2w997f4 - is somewhat short on words and high on diagrams. I'm all in favour of diagrams, but some more English prose wouldn't have gone amiss. The most difficult thing was assembling the grass bag. I thought that this would take 2 or 3 minutes to put together, but it was more like 15. (No doubt a competent person would have done it in 2 or 3!) My last mower came with a plastic box, which I'm inclined to prefer to a bag.
The other slightly peculiar thing I noticed when I was putting the mower together is that the engine oil dipstick goes in at something like a 45 degree angle, whereas I would have expected it to be roughly vertical.
I've cut a lot of grass in the past week - out one evening until I had to stop because it was getting dark, on another evening I was driven in by midges, and on another I was just feeling tired.
In terms of comparisons, my last mower was a pretty basic Qualcast petrol rotary mower with a B&S engine, which cost about £140 - so this one cost about £400 more.
B&S starting was pretty good, but Honda starting seems to be even better. Once on the move, I was struck by how slowly lawnmower moves when it is propelling itself - as Fenlander mentioned. However, once one slows down and just goes with it, it is a very relaxing way of cutting grass.
The other big positive is that it is very good with long and damp grass - the Honda engine, being more powerful, cuts the grass and throws it into the bag very effectively so that in practice, the bag holds a lot of grass and one has to do less emptying of the grass bag.
Negatively, the mower is heavy (36 kg - dunno what my old Qualcast was, but a basic John Deere petrol rotary mower is only 24 kg) - and rather difficult to manoeuvre. In other words, it is fine for doing large open areas, but it wasn't so good with the fiddly little bits. The difficulty in manoeuvring comes not just from the size and weight of the mower, but also from the fact that it is not designed to go backwards. And in my garden, there are a lot of areas where one is pushing the mower into an area and then pulling it out again, so obviously one cannot use self-propulsion for such areas. More irritatingly, there is a flap between the rear wheels, which is not shown in the instruction manual. If the mower is going forward, the flap is just pulled along and sort of flattens the grass. But if one pulls the mower towards oneself, the flap stops it moving backward smoothly - if you know what I mean.
Anyway, all hints about how to show mechanical sympathy to a self propelled mower gratefully received.
Though don't feel obliged to remind me to check the engine oil regularly. :-)
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Good update, read it even though I'm not in the market for one. Don't forget to come back with the 10,000 mile review :-)
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I bought the base model Izy push mower (HRG415PD) earlier this year. Very happy with both the cut and build quality of the machine. Like you say the motor (an OHC with autochoke) is strong enough to cut through long wet grass. Mine seems to like a drink and it is fairly heavy to manoeuvre and turn round.
After registering the mower with Honda I got a warranty pack from them but it seems (like a car) it is only valid if you get the mower serviced annually at an authorised Honda machinery agent. I got a free Honda service kit (oil, plug and filter) thrown in with mine so I'll be servicing it myself probably.
Last edited by: Marc on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 16:43
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...like you say the motor (an OHC with autochoke) is strong enough...
I think this engine holds a few records for numbers produced.
Honda have fitted it to goodness knows how many millions of lawnmowers, small motorbikes, small tractors, other garden machinery, generators, etc etc.
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Maybe the dipstick tube is at an angle because that's also where you have to tip out the old oil when you change it.
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"After registering the mower with Honda I got a warranty pack from them but it seems (like a car) it is only valid if you get the mower serviced annually at an authorised Honda machinery agent."
Hmmm. Nearest one is over 70 miles away for me.
"Maybe the dipstick tube is at an angle because that's also where you have to tip out the old oil when you change it."
Ah, thanks. Having had a look at the manual, that seems to be correct.
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Don't you have to do an oil change after the first 5 or 10 hours ?
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"Don't you have to do an oil change after the first 5 or 10 hours ?"
I don't honestly know. I suppose I'd better investigate.
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>>Hmmm. Nearest one is over 70 miles away for me.
It might take you a while to get there but afterwards there will be 140 miles of well cut verges.
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Your new mower is very similar to my Honda. Agree with the bit about pushing/pulling it around trees etc being harder with the drag of the drive system.
Mine needed a first oil change at 20hrs by the manual.
Like the company name... Cheap Mowers.... didn't take them too much thought. There's a corner shop in town that's called Booze & Fags.... similar simplicity.
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>Don't you have to do an oil change after the first 5 or 10 hours ? <
Yes, basically. I am about to do my friend's GCV190-powered brushcutter. That's how I know about the dipstick tube.
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There's a happy side effect of having the dipstick at an angle - in this case, 10mm difference in level on the dipstick equates to about 7mm difference in the sump - the angle magnifies the reading.
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V funny Crocks.
Reminds me of the David Lynch film 'Straight Story' about the elderly guy who drives across Iowa & Wisconsin using his John Deere ride on. Good film.
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"Don't you have to do an oil change after the first 5 or 10 hours ?"
Just checked the manual for mine and it states (in pictures) annually.
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"Don't you have to do an oil change after the first 5 or 10 hours ?"
Just checked the manual for mine and it states (in pictures) annually.
The manual for mine is clearly the same as Marc's. It is to be done annually, but nothing about a change after the first 5 / 10 / 20 hours.
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What's half a litre or so? Do it anyway,
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My new Honda . . . . mower - smokie
