Docwheelhorse 2,647 #1 Posted April 13, 2012 Hi All, the short story is my sister in law has bad knees and can no longer push mow her lawn. She asked me to find her a riding mower and I tried the whole Wheel Horse deal and she said there too big and that she wants a rear engine rider and thats that. Sparky once again helped out and found this little rig.... I took a ride and was amazed at how tough/over built it is and how freakin quiet it runs!!! I bought it and its in my shop waiting for me to service it and adjust a couple things. Check out the engine compartment.... that silver shield underneath the shifter is covering a HUGE muffler and then look at how beefy the trani is in the back. I checked it out and its slick---the engine drives the transaxle and then there is a shaft out the bottom that is like a "live PTO" which drives the belt that runs the mower deck. Pushing the clutch in doesn't stop the blade. I love my Wheel horse but man I am throughly impressed with the engineering that went into a mid 1980's 9 Hp rear engine rider! Tony Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 649 #2 Posted April 13, 2012 Honda biulds a quality product. They last forever. Matt :flags-texas: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 21,073 #3 Posted April 13, 2012 She asked me to find her a riding mower and I tried the whole Wheel Horse deal and she said there too big and that she wants a rear engine rider and thats that. Tony At least its Red and not Green n Yeller ! Mike........... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VinsRJ 721 #4 Posted April 13, 2012 Say what you will about Honda but, they make good solid products. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
decksetter 50 #5 Posted April 13, 2012 wow, that trans does look beefy for 9hp! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 993 #6 Posted April 13, 2012 im a kohler guy true and true but i am also a honda guy too,for reliability they just cant be beat,if you maintain a honda it will treat you good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DoctorHfuhruhurr 137 #7 Posted April 13, 2012 Honda made some Garden Tractors in the USA for a little while but stopped in the late 90's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kloe0699 12 #8 Posted April 13, 2012 I mowed for a lawn guy in the summer's throughout high school. He bought a Honda one year 91-92, 2 years later he picked up 2 new simplicity's. That Honda was running long after they went to the scrap yard. It was a pretty tough mower. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,102 #9 Posted April 13, 2012 Sounds like your about to jump ship, and go all ricer on us Tony? Better give it to her with the quickness, before you go trying to hook up a FEL to that thing. :ychain: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grnlark 479 #10 Posted April 13, 2012 On a weekly basis I still use my 20+ year old Honda self propelled walk behind. That too is way over engineered with a magnesium deck that weighs a ton, but it is still the best cut I have ever seen and lays the best stripes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darren 49 #11 Posted April 13, 2012 Me too. I choose a Honda self propelled walk behind because lots they seemed to be one of the mowers of choice for gardening services here. They had good reviews too so I took the hint and bought one myself for doing the front lawn, which is a bit fiddly for the WH. It's always been faultless, cuts beautifully and leaves stripes thanks to the rear roller. The vacuum from the deck is impressive too. I use it to chop up and collect the front garden leaves in the fall. They do make good products. I'd be tempted by their current 48" v-twin ride on if I didn't have the WH. It's a shame they don't make tractors! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Kuhn 1,554 #12 Posted April 13, 2012 Wow that is a nice tractor. And that honda will always start right up!. Jake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hydro 131 #13 Posted April 14, 2012 When it comes to engineering the Japanese don't fool around. Honda is only one example of many. It's funny though they never really stayed in this market to the same extent as some of the the other products they offer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheelhorsec85 5 #14 Posted April 14, 2012 hahahahahahah would love to see a pic of you sitting on that thing hay change the pullys on it and start up a lawn mower racing circut, in your back yard ooooo wait why hasnt anybody done that around here yet , i would be the first to join :auto-checkeredflag: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wh500special 2,118 #15 Posted April 14, 2012 .... It's a shame they don't make tractors! They did, but they're not sold anymore (at least in the US, I have no idea about the rest of the world). If you poke around a bit on sites like ebay and such you can find quite a few garden tractor style riding mowers and even compact utility tractors. Many of their GT's and LT's are water cooled and are really quite beautiful machines from an engineering perspective. I've always been under the impression that their transaxles in the GT's really weren't very rugged and reliable though. I've seen a number of them through the last 10 years or so (including my boss's tractor) that no longer move under their own power. They can be had used - even when still 100% operational - quite cheaply, which is surprising to me. In the Compact Utility Tractor world (CUT), it seems like their products never really caught on. They were very innovative with features like 3pt hitches and PTO's on the rear AND front. Some had big tires, sloping hoods, and didn't really look like a "normal" tractor. They seem to have a cult following but never gained general respect or acceptance. I've never been much of a fan of imported products, but it's very easy to look the other way when it comes to Honda stuff. They really seem to do a wonderful job designing and executing just about everything they do. They build more engines than any other company in the world and cover just about every market. Neat rider Tony! Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve B. 30 #16 Posted April 14, 2012 I can't speak to Honda mowers, but I've been a big fan of their motorcycles for years. I've pulled a dozen or so '70's and '80's bikes out of the bushes and recovered them. Usually an oil change and carb scrub will get the engine running again and that's half the battle. Honda has made solid bikes for years, I imagine that would entend to any mower/tractors they built. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Docwheelhorse 2,647 #17 Posted April 15, 2012 Interesting fact on this tractor..... I printed off the owners manual and it shows how to adjust the clutch etc... etc... I kept reading and would you believe that inside that transaxle is a wet clutch just like a motorcycle!!!! When you stab the clutch the belt continues to drive the input shaft and then the jack shaft that runs the mower deck. That trans-axle is wayyyyyyyyy slick...... yah its a 9 hp rear engine rider but man somebody must have paid huge money for this thing. The motor is splashed lubed and says to use 20/50 above 40 degrees F that is pretty interesting considering the discussion thats been going on around here concerning straight 30/ multigrade debates. Tony Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #18 Posted April 15, 2012 Honda engines are great! Thats why you see clone engines of them. They were a little ahead of there time when they came out in the garden tractors around the 90's. I know of one guy that has a Honda lawn tractor that is 4x4 and turns on a dime. Has steering brakes and a rear pto. It is easy to get on and off as it has a deep tunnel between the seat and steering wheel. Nice machine and the guys that have one will never give them up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 21,073 #19 Posted April 15, 2012 Honda engines are great! Thats why you see clone engines of them. Good point. Is this why we havent seen a Tecumseh clone !! Mike............. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #20 Posted April 15, 2012 :ROTF: No the Indians now make casinos and the Chinese haven't mastered that yet :ychain: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Don1977 604 #21 Posted April 15, 2012 My friend bought an 1842 Honda mower with a water cooled two cylinder engine and used it for 18 years and sold it last spring. The reason he sold it was becaused the price of parts. It had 5 black boxes under the dash the one that went out cost $135.00 , the air filters were around $20 each., the PTO engagement cable was around $50 plus shipping. There was a bearing in the PTO that was making alot of noise and he desided to let it go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
