Absolutely perfect mower and for people complaining or wanting the adjustments not on each wheel lol there are times when you need to have one side higher than other the pros know this and laugh at people not understanding lol
I disagree with your last statement...if you HATE mowing your lawn, buy that mower, it makes the chore more tolerable. I have a cub cadet and a toro recycler to augment my John Deere 425 lawn Tractor (amazing) and both of these mowers SUCK. Lots of problems. In any event nice review. I am thinking about the the electric start and I am thinking if I have one good mower for 15 years the electric start may be worth it. I have HHT35SUKA string timber and it runs like a beast.
Nice video. I hope you will continue to do more. What type of floor product did you use on your garage floor? Looks very well done and durable. I'd like to put that on my garage floor.
Thank you John. I did the garage floor myself. I actually should of done a video on that one too! I feel like a pro now after doing 2 garages. I used the Rust-Oleum Professional Epoxy with a layer of the clear coat on top as well for added protection. I used 2 coats of the epoxy and 1 coat of the clear coat on top. Picked it up at Home Depot. You must use the Professional one though, the other won't hold up. And don't skimp on the clear coat, add 2 if possible. Saved a few grand doing myself.
I've owned a few old HR214s for years and I have the first one I purchased back in the late 80's. On the HR214 a person was able to engage the wheels to drive the mower without having to engage the blade. This was nice because the mower could assist you while going over different surfaces like a gravel driveway. It doesn't look like you can do this on the new HRX, is this true?
The rear wheels do have a numbering. It`s cast into the deck vs the decal on the front wheels. I have the HYA, K5 version. So, the deck should be the same.
I have used it 6 times over 3 weeks . It is sublime this is how mowers should be . Turn key and done. Only complaint is about some thing I love . It's the blade disengage when you go to engage the blade it Boggs down a bit . But I like that I can disengage it moving it across stones. It's good.
I ordered the HRX217HZA on the 28th of March this year. Got it about a week later and did all sorts of stuff to her before I ever put gas and oil in her. Her name is Kathryn, she is a VERY expensive piece of equipment, and I proudly baby her to death. First, I put a Tachometer/Hour Meter on to track when to perform scheduled maintenance, and to be certain that she is running in her optimal RPM range. I discovered that she wasn't and had to move the governor retainer spring to it's second location. Next, realizing that this engine does not have a pressurized oil delivery system and, as a result, no oil filter, I purchased a magnetic oil dipstick made for the GCV 160 & 190 engine. The first time I pulled that dipstick after 30 minutes of run time, I was terrified to see all the metal slag that magnet picked up. But, she is breaking in so, that is to be expected. As a side note, I am partial to Royal Purple oil products, so I bought a bottle of RP break-in oil for her as well and chucked the Honda dino oil. Non-ethanol gasoline ONLY for my Kathryn. Bought two extra keys in case I lose the original. Bought two Honda key chains just for her keys. I like stripes in my lawn so I bought a Big League Lawns, CHECKMATE Lawn Striping Kit for her. It does a phenomenal job of laying down nice lawn stripes. Honda sells a guard kit that bolts onto the sides of the deck to protect it from curbs and boulders and things that the side of the deck might scrape against while mowing. Installed those. Finally, I always hated the color of the wheels on these mowers. They don't match the deck, the engine, the grass bag, nothing. I knew spray paint on plastic never works well. It always chips and peels and flakes and looks like garbage. So, I discovered a product called Plasti-Dip. It sprays on out of a can like paint, but feels like rubber when it's dry. It's MUCH more durable than paint. To remove it, just peel it off. It peels off the surface in a single sheet and the only prep required is the surface must be clean. That's it. When I start Kathryn, I push the throttle to full and turn the key. The moment she fires, I throttle all the way back to idle and let her sit there and warm up for a few minutes while i put on my hearing protection, gloves and sunglasses. This stops her from surging on start-up. I don't slam my car accelerator to the floor when it's cold, why would I do that to my brand new, thousand dollar lawn mower??? When I'm done with the lawn, I run her back to my wash area, throttle her down to idle and shut off the gas. This gives her a cool down period of about 3 minutes before the gas runs out and she shuts down. She gets washed top and bottom after every mow, then wiped down with a microfiber cloth and put away. I told you, I baby her. But, it is the best quality cut I have ever seen in my lawn. I am AMAZED at the difference between my old mower and this one. She is absolutely superior to anything on the residential, 21 inch market. I wrote a review of the 217HZA on Amazon. Mine is the only review with pictures and video of Kathryn. Check it out. Cheers!
Heinzkitz Velvet This is what I am going to do with my brand new 200cc HRX217HYA this coming spring! Her name is Clarissa. I will be babying her real good. I may change the oil after the first few uses. I can’t wait!
Thanks for the exquisite tips. I have this exact mower, but I’m having trouble finding the correct magnetic dipstick. Do you have a brand or model number that you’d be willing to share? I was also considering the Checkmate striping kit, but I’m concerned about drilling the Nexite deck, and possibly voiding the lifetime warranty. It’s plausible that the kit will stress the drilled mounting holes over time as it flexes and twists over the years. Should I be concerned?
People who say eletric start is the same as burning money. Well, I want you to have spinal injuries like I have and live with it for a week. Then, I want you to go tog on that pull start and see just how painfull it is, then go cut grass without self prepelling and no roto stop blads. Oh, and do it all without taking an pain pills and absolutely ANY NARCOTICS WHAT SO EVER.
Captain Falls a Lot ATP, PIC I agree that it is burning money for people who are lazy and just don’t want to do it but can.people like you need it because of a medical condition that’s when it is no longer burning money I feel bad for you because of your injury’s i hope you have a painless rest of your life
Absolutely perfect mower and for people complaining or wanting the adjustments not on each wheel lol there are times when you need to have one side higher than other the pros know this and laugh at people not understanding lol
I disagree with your last statement...if you HATE mowing your lawn, buy that mower, it makes the chore more tolerable. I have a cub cadet and a toro recycler to augment my John Deere 425 lawn Tractor (amazing) and both of these mowers SUCK. Lots of problems. In any event nice review. I am thinking about the the electric start and I am thinking if I have one good mower for 15 years the electric start may be worth it. I have HHT35SUKA string timber and it runs like a beast.
Thinking of buying the Honda HRX217HYA mower. Debating on if it’s worth the extra cash $ or not
Agree on wheel adjustment being in the Stone Age. At this price point, there should be a level adjuster.
Nice video. I hope you will continue to do more. What type of floor product did you use on your garage floor? Looks very well done and durable. I'd like to put that on my garage floor.
Thank you John. I did the garage floor myself. I actually should of done a video on that one too! I feel like a pro now after doing 2 garages. I used the Rust-Oleum Professional Epoxy with a layer of the clear coat on top as well for added protection. I used 2 coats of the epoxy and 1 coat of the clear coat on top. Picked it up at Home Depot. You must use the Professional one though, the other won't hold up. And don't skimp on the clear coat, add 2 if possible. Saved a few grand doing myself.
I've owned a few old HR214s for years and I have the first one I purchased back in the late 80's. On the HR214 a person was able to engage the wheels to drive the mower without having to engage the blade. This was nice because the mower could assist you while going over different surfaces like a gravel driveway. It doesn't look like you can do this on the new HRX, is this true?
You actually can do the same thing just dont push the yellow button
The rear wheels do have a numbering. It`s cast into the deck vs the decal on the front wheels. I have the HYA, K5 version. So, the deck should be the same.
Just bought it
Robert Trotter have you tried it yet? What do you think?
I have used it 6 times over 3 weeks . It is sublime this is how mowers should be . Turn key and done. Only complaint is about some thing I love . It's the blade disengage when you go to engage the blade it Boggs down a bit . But I like that I can disengage it moving it across stones. It's good.
Can you remove the battery for winter storage?
Honestly never tried.
I ordered the HRX217HZA on the 28th of March this year. Got it about a week later and did all sorts of stuff to her before I ever put gas and oil in her. Her name is Kathryn, she is a VERY expensive piece of equipment, and I proudly baby her to death.
First, I put a Tachometer/Hour Meter on to track when to perform scheduled maintenance, and to be certain that she is running in her optimal RPM range. I discovered that she wasn't and had to move the governor retainer spring to it's second location.
Next, realizing that this engine does not have a pressurized oil delivery system and, as a result, no oil filter, I purchased a magnetic oil dipstick made for the GCV 160 & 190 engine. The first time I pulled that dipstick after 30 minutes of run time, I was terrified to see all the metal slag that magnet picked up. But, she is breaking in so, that is to be expected. As a side note, I am partial to Royal Purple oil products, so I bought a bottle of RP break-in oil for her as well and chucked the Honda dino oil.
Non-ethanol gasoline ONLY for my Kathryn.
Bought two extra keys in case I lose the original. Bought two Honda key chains just for her keys.
I like stripes in my lawn so I bought a Big League Lawns, CHECKMATE Lawn Striping Kit for her. It does a phenomenal job of laying down nice lawn stripes.
Honda sells a guard kit that bolts onto the sides of the deck to protect it from curbs and boulders and things that the side of the deck might scrape against while mowing. Installed those.
Finally, I always hated the color of the wheels on these mowers. They don't match the deck, the engine, the grass bag, nothing.
I knew spray paint on plastic never works well. It always chips and peels and flakes and looks like garbage. So, I discovered a product called Plasti-Dip. It sprays on out of a can like paint, but feels like rubber when it's dry. It's MUCH more durable than paint. To remove it, just peel it off. It peels off the surface in a single sheet and the only prep required is the surface must be clean. That's it.
When I start Kathryn, I push the throttle to full and turn the key. The moment she fires, I throttle all the way back to idle and let her sit there and warm up for a few minutes while i put on my hearing protection, gloves and sunglasses. This stops her from surging on start-up.
I don't slam my car accelerator to the floor when it's cold, why would I do that to my brand new, thousand dollar lawn mower??? When I'm done with the lawn, I run her back to my wash area, throttle her down to idle and shut off the gas. This gives her a cool down period of about 3 minutes before the gas runs out and she shuts down.
She gets washed top and bottom after every mow, then wiped down with a microfiber cloth and put away. I told you, I baby her.
But, it is the best quality cut I have ever seen in my lawn. I am AMAZED at the difference between my old mower and this one. She is absolutely superior to anything on the residential, 21 inch market.
I wrote a review of the 217HZA on Amazon. Mine is the only review with pictures and video of Kathryn. Check it out. Cheers!
Heinzkitz Velvet 🤪
Heinzkitz Velvet
This is what I am going to do with my brand new 200cc HRX217HYA this coming spring! Her name is Clarissa. I will be babying her real good. I may change the oil after the first few uses. I can’t wait!
how did you hiik up the hour meter and tach
Heinzkitz Velvet where do you get the hour meter? Thx
Thanks for the exquisite tips. I have this exact mower, but I’m having trouble finding the correct magnetic dipstick. Do you have a brand or model number that you’d be willing to share? I was also considering the Checkmate striping kit, but I’m concerned about drilling the Nexite deck, and possibly voiding the lifetime warranty. It’s plausible that the kit will stress the drilled mounting holes over time as it flexes and twists over the years. Should I be concerned?
People who say eletric start is the same as burning money. Well, I want you to have spinal injuries like I have and live with it for a week. Then, I want you to go tog on that pull start and see just how painfull it is, then go cut grass without self prepelling and no roto stop blads. Oh, and do it all without taking an pain pills and absolutely ANY NARCOTICS WHAT SO EVER.
Captain Falls a Lot ATP, PIC I agree that it is burning money for people who are lazy and just don’t want to do it but can.people like you need it because of a medical condition that’s when it is no longer burning money I feel bad for you because of your injury’s i hope you have a painless rest of your life