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Started By
Message
Walk-Behind Mowers-FWD vs. RWD What do y'all prefer?
Posted on 6/9/20 at 2:18 pm
Posted on 6/9/20 at 2:18 pm
I had a FWD Toro for fifteen years and I was happy with it. It finally died and I replaced it with a RWD Honda.
The Honda is definitely more powerful and starts easier and no doubt is the better mower but, dang, I think RWD sucks.
I have a lot of ins-and-outs in my yard that force me to do a lot of backing up.
With the FWD Toro the rear wheels act as a pivot-point and I can easily back up with the drive-wheels up in the air.
On the Honda I have to drag the mower back using the drive wheels and there is a lot more resitance.
To me the FWD mower is much more maneuverable. It makes me wonder why Honda opted for RWD.
What does this board think?
The Honda is definitely more powerful and starts easier and no doubt is the better mower but, dang, I think RWD sucks.
I have a lot of ins-and-outs in my yard that force me to do a lot of backing up.
With the FWD Toro the rear wheels act as a pivot-point and I can easily back up with the drive-wheels up in the air.
On the Honda I have to drag the mower back using the drive wheels and there is a lot more resitance.
To me the FWD mower is much more maneuverable. It makes me wonder why Honda opted for RWD.
What does this board think?
12
Posted on 6/9/20 at 2:28 pm to johnnydrama
My problem with FWD was that as the rear bag filled and got heavier, the front drive wheels would lose traction. I’ve had quite a few FWD mowers and always just dealt with it. Last mower purchase I decided to try RWD. I would say they each have advantages and disadvantages, but in my case, I prefer the RWD.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 2:28 pm to johnnydrama
I've never had a FWD pushmower, but damn I've never thought about this
It would be a hell of a lot easier to pivot and spin rather than dragging against the RWD.
quote:
With the FWD Toro the rear wheels act as a pivot-point and I can easily back up with the drive-wheels up in the air.
It would be a hell of a lot easier to pivot and spin rather than dragging against the RWD.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 3:38 pm to johnnydrama
quote:
On the Honda I have to drag the mower back using the drive wheels and there is a lot more resitance.
How old is your Honda mower and what model? I had the same issue and something just didn’t seem right so looking into I found there was a Honda service bulletin on the rear wheels locking up that requires a repair/replacement of rear wheel bushings to correct this. LINK
Lots of YouTube videos on making this repair yourself (google “recall on rear wheels locking up on honda mowers“ and look under videos) but it’s a tad more complicated than I initially thought. Anyway, I had a 3 year repair warranty when I bought my mower so I let an authorized dealer handle the repair under warranty. You might want to look into this if the symptoms fit your description when pulling the mower backwards.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 3:57 pm to johnnydrama
RWD with the bigger wheel...I think Husqvarna makes a RWD was a similar size to the front. Not a fan of that configuration, although I'm not a fan of Husqvarna in general.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 4:06 pm to MadtownTiger
quote:
RWD with the bigger wheel...I think Husqvarna makes a RWD was a similar size to the front. Not a fan of that configuration, although I'm not a fan of Husqvarna in general.
PSA - Husqvarna is apparently now out of the push mower business, will still make riding mowers. Dealers just have remaining what is on the shelf or in the store.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 4:34 pm to johnnydrama
FWD
I went through this dance last year. It is so easy just to push down on the handle and lift those front tires up and adjust.
I bagged on my first cut this year and didn't have a problem with the tires coming off the ground.
Got a 22" Husqavarna w/ Honda engine FWD. Its a champ but the lure of a riding lawn mower was too great and ended up getting a ZTR a few weeks back.
I went through this dance last year. It is so easy just to push down on the handle and lift those front tires up and adjust.
I bagged on my first cut this year and didn't have a problem with the tires coming off the ground.
Got a 22" Husqavarna w/ Honda engine FWD. Its a champ but the lure of a riding lawn mower was too great and ended up getting a ZTR a few weeks back.
Posted on 6/9/20 at 4:50 pm to johnnydrama
I have both:
Snapper 21" Hi-Vac 190cc (RWD)
Craftsman 21" 163cc (FWD)
(cheap purchase out of necessity when the snapper went down)
The Craftsman is lighter and more agile, but harder to keep on a straight line because it is lighter (yard is in serious need of leveling), but I'm not as tired when I'm done
When I mow with the snapper, I feel like I'm wrestling this thing every turn back and forth compared to the FWD... however it's like mowing on a rail and the lines are perfect... and it has a cup holder (very important)
I also have a Snapper Classic 11hp RER, but that's for another conversation
Snapper 21" Hi-Vac 190cc (RWD)
Craftsman 21" 163cc (FWD)
(cheap purchase out of necessity when the snapper went down)
The Craftsman is lighter and more agile, but harder to keep on a straight line because it is lighter (yard is in serious need of leveling), but I'm not as tired when I'm done
When I mow with the snapper, I feel like I'm wrestling this thing every turn back and forth compared to the FWD... however it's like mowing on a rail and the lines are perfect... and it has a cup holder (very important)
I also have a Snapper Classic 11hp RER, but that's for another conversation
Posted on 6/10/20 at 2:44 pm to johnnydrama
Pros & cons for each, but I prefer RWD for my current situation. I have a Husqvarna RWD with the bigger back wheels.
1. I've got a "bumpy" yard, which causes the mower to bounce a good bit in places. The "self-propel" on my old FWD was only a part-time gig because the front wheels kept jumping off the ground. RWD fixes that for me as the back of the mower doesn't bounce around as much as the front.
2. My yard is like a sponge. It will stay saturated for days after a decent rain, so it's usually hard at this time of year for me to mow often enough to keep the grass at a manageable length. RWD makes it easy to lift the front wheels and drive through especially thick patches to knock them down without bogging down the mower.
1. I've got a "bumpy" yard, which causes the mower to bounce a good bit in places. The "self-propel" on my old FWD was only a part-time gig because the front wheels kept jumping off the ground. RWD fixes that for me as the back of the mower doesn't bounce around as much as the front.
2. My yard is like a sponge. It will stay saturated for days after a decent rain, so it's usually hard at this time of year for me to mow often enough to keep the grass at a manageable length. RWD makes it easy to lift the front wheels and drive through especially thick patches to knock them down without bogging down the mower.
Posted on 6/10/20 at 4:03 pm to johnnydrama
I went to a RWD Honda after a FWD Troy-bilt, can't really say I have noticed much difference in maneuverability. Took a little getting used to how quickly the Honda gets going compared to the FWD that seemed to have a much softer engagement of the self-propel.
Posted on 6/10/20 at 8:52 pm to johnnydrama
Did the same thing have the same feelings.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 10:04 am to johnnydrama
I know it wasn't one of the options, but I prefer a push with big rear wheels. With a flat lawn and lots of trees/landscaping, I like the maneuverability better. Plus, when I need to reach down to pick something up, it won't keep rolling on me.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 12:45 pm to BallsEleven
quote:This and it's not even close. The Toros I have had have never had the weight issue some claim happens.
FWD
I went through this dance last year. It is so easy just to push down on the handle and lift those front tires up and adjust.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 4:57 pm to Mr Fusion
quote:
I know it wasn't one of the options, but I prefer a push with big rear wheels.
Is there a well made one with this? I’m in the market, I’d love a well built push mower with a Honda engine. No electric just a pull start push with big rear tires. Super simple set up.
I will say though I usually mulch my st Aug but it’s nice certain times of year when the live oak leaves fall or something to bag, and pushing a bagged mower gets old.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 7:26 pm to baldona
I have a Cub RWD and a Troy Built FWD. I will never buy a RWD again. That Cub is a pia to use.
Posted on 6/12/20 at 6:46 am to johnnydrama
I've never had one or the other. I went straight from a manually propelled push mower to a Husqvarna AWD. I'm not sure I'll ever use anything else. It's just amazing.
Posted on 6/12/20 at 9:10 am to johnnydrama
I have a fwd craftsmen that kept eating the grooves on the inside of the wheels that pushes the mower. Now it's a self propelled. Been eyeing the Honda rwd at Lowes but upon reading the reviews here I am hesitant. I have a small yard but thick with St Augustine and have to mow about every week. What to do
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