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Thread: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU ???

  1. #16
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    I'm a non-believer in the snorkel kits. The original filter housing is still not sealed and sucks in just as much dust with or without the extra filter kit. I have two 216 Hondas, one with and one without, and have noticed no difference.

  2. #17
    Senior Member Arfa Brayne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by ian View Post
    hru216m2 & k2 53 kg or 117 pound
    i wouldn't be surprised if honda bring these or similar out next year but i bet the price will still be more than you can import for yourself
    Imow = Purchase from Speedway sales USA

    Ian = Asked Speedway about the snorkel kit - they say there are none in existence.
    As to your post above, about Honda bringing them out next year in Australia, I sent an email to Honda Australia asking them that question, and why the USA and UK models are not available in Australia.

    Here is their response ...............

    Dear Mr XXXXXXX ,

    Thanks for your recent Internet enquiry.

    We wish to advise that some Honda Lawnmowers are not available within Australia.

    Unfortunately, it is not always possible to obtain all of the models produced by our factories worldwide.

    There are a number of factors involved in determining our model line-up, such as production costs, product availability, exchange rates and modification requirements for our market etc. We also review feedback from our future and existing customer base and also market trends obtained from our dealer network.

    Once again thank you for expressing your interest in Honda products and if you require more information on models available within Australia please contact your local Honda dealer or refer to our website:

    http://www.lawnmowers.com.au/

    Kind Regards,

    Nadiene Stewart
    Customer Relations Team
    Honda Australia MPE Pty Ltd


    What I would like to point out here is the Fact that the USA version- The HRX217HYA has a UK twin - The HRX537VY. Identical in every aspect.
    The USA version costs $680.00 US -------- The UK version costs 1,225.00 Pounds = or roughly $2,400.00 US !!!!!!!!!!


    Just how relevent are Honda's prices to the equipment they sell ???
    How much are we being reamed by Honda Australia for an outdated, underpowered mid level mower ???
    I guess we're just dumb Aussies, but I pity the Brits - they must spend half thier time bent over.
    "Can't" is a dirty 4 letter word.
    If someone says "Can't" , take the "T" off the end and brew it.
    Sip on a mugfull, relax, and take a look at what you've got left to work with.

  3. #18
    Senior Member Lawn Mowing Professionals's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by Arfa Brayne View Post
    Imow = Purchase from Speedway sales USA

    Ian = Asked Speedway about the snorkel kit - they say there are none in existence.
    As to your post above, about Honda bringing them out next year in Australia, I sent an email to Honda Australia asking them that question, and why the USA and UK models are not available in Australia.

    Here is their response ...............

    Dear Mr XXXXXXX ,

    Thanks for your recent Internet enquiry.

    We wish to advise that some Honda Lawnmowers are not available within Australia.

    Unfortunately, it is not always possible to obtain all of the models produced by our factories worldwide.

    There are a number of factors involved in determining our model line-up, such as production costs, product availability, exchange rates and modification requirements for our market etc. We also review feedback from our future and existing customer base and also market trends obtained from our dealer network.

    Once again thank you for expressing your interest in Honda products and if you require more information on models available within Australia please contact your local Honda dealer or refer to our website:

    http://www.lawnmowers.com.au/

    Kind Regards,

    Nadiene Stewart
    Customer Relations Team
    Honda Australia MPE Pty Ltd


    What I would like to point out here is the Fact that the USA version- The HRX217HYA has a UK twin - The HRX537VY. Identical in every aspect.
    The USA version costs $680.00 US -------- The UK version costs 1,225.00 Pounds = or roughly $2,400.00 US !!!!!!!!!!


    Just how relevent are Honda's prices to the equipment they sell ???
    How much are we being reamed by Honda Australia for an outdated, underpowered mid level mower ???
    I guess we're just dumb Aussies, but I pity the Brits - they must spend half thier time bent over.
    Ah Arfa Brayne... you've done it again

    love your work!

    Simmo.
    New website coming soon...

    www.mowinglawns.com.au

  4. #19
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulG View Post
    I'm a non-believer in the snorkel kits. The original filter housing is still not sealed and sucks in just as much dust with or without the extra filter kit. I have two 216 Hondas, one with and one without, and have noticed no difference.
    the snorkel for the 197's are are different to the snorkels on the 216's
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  5. #20
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Ian do the original filter housings on the 197 have any sort of seal around them to make the remote filter do what it should? I received a PM from a member earlier that suggested the 216s should have this extra seal too. Mine doesn't.

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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulG View Post
    Ian do the original filter housings on the 197 have any sort of seal around them to make the remote filter do what it should? I received a PM from a member earlier that suggested the 216s should have this extra seal too. Mine doesn't.
    Paul the snorkels i have on my 197's were victas (1st one was rebadge as honda )and the lower cover just clips on and replaces the original cover then the other end has victa paper filter in it so you have the 2 filters
    i do think the filter housing on the 216 should be sealed to make the motor drag the air from the remote housing
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  7. #22
    Member of forum SM MOWING's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    what i dont get is in the email they say they "listen" to what dealers say and get feedback from there customer base..........THEY MAY GET IT BUT THEY DEFINATELY DONT LISTEN AND DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
    Independent and i know it

  8. #23
    Member of forum phaedo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Couple of questions - is this mower set up for US lawns, or perfectly happy with our conditions? Reason I ask, is I made the mistake of buying a Toro SP a year ago (commercial model, not the bunnings cheapo special), and the deck wouldn't go any lower than an inch - when cutting the lowest setting came out to around a 5 on the Honda. However, you didn't want to cut on the lowest level, as the rear wheels were set too far forward on the deck, which meant that every slight imperfection on the lawn and the mower deck would get stuck, which in turn meant the drive wheels would stop moving (but gearbox was still engaged), which ended up causing the rachets in the drive wheels to break - took all of 3 weeks for the drive to be inoperable. Toro refused warranty on it by the way, and the mower shop that sold it to me wanted nothing to do with me. It cut brilliantly on high cut lawns - ones I would do on a 10 on the honda, came out really good. They were the two big issues I had with it, although there were numerous smaller issues. So basically, is it designed to suit our lower mowing heights?

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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Arfa i missed your post while i was doing my 1 finger typing the snorkel kit for these is not an American one it is Australian designed i believe for the Honda powered Victas i don't know if Honda Australia still supply these or not the last one i brought was about 18 months-2 years ago badged as a Victa and brought from a Victa dealer
    unfortunately no pictures
    http://www.hondacatalogue.com.au/pro...SV190A%29.html
    and again no pictures so not sure if this is the one or not and also i know nothing about this company
    http://www.allmowerspares.com.au/pro...L-KIT-AF07881A
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  10. #25
    Senior Member Arfa Brayne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by phaedo View Post
    Couple of questions - is this mower set up for US lawns, or perfectly happy with our conditions? Reason I ask, is I made the mistake of buying a Toro SP a year ago (commercial model, not the bunnings cheapo special), and the deck wouldn't go any lower than an inch - when cutting the lowest setting came out to around a 5 on the Honda. However, you didn't want to cut on the lowest level, as the rear wheels were set too far forward on the deck, which meant that every slight imperfection on the lawn and the mower deck would get stuck, which in turn meant the drive wheels would stop moving (but gearbox was still engaged), which ended up causing the rachets in the drive wheels to break - took all of 3 weeks for the drive to be inoperable. Toro refused warranty on it by the way, and the mower shop that sold it to me wanted nothing to do with me. It cut brilliantly on high cut lawns - ones I would do on a 10 on the honda, came out really good. They were the two big issues I had with it, although there were numerous smaller issues. So basically, is it designed to suit our lower mowing heights?
    Yes - this mower has that silly 4x wheel seperate adjustment with 8 positions. I've been doing some comparisons this week with the offsider using a HRU216 and me using the HRX217
    The lowest setting on the HRX cuts the same as a HRU on the 5th/6th notch (bear in mind this is my modified HRU with 4x "non honda" bisaloy ride-on blades - one pair set to 15mm higher cut than the base pair which cut about 5mm inside the bottom edge of the deck. - my ORIGINAL version of Honda's new "twin blade advantage")
    The HRX blades (Honda twin blade bla bla-vantage) lower blade cuts about 14mm inside the bottom edge of the deck, and I co-incidentally spent about an hour tonight on the lathe spinning up a 9mm alloy spacer to drop the blades to where I like them because I have noticed exactly the symptoms you describe when cutting short hard turf.
    This should bring it down to about a "3" equivalent of the HRU. I do some couch lawns on a 1 or 2 - so for these I'll use the HRU.
    I can get the lower bar blades for $13 US each, but I'm not a fan of bar blades - swingbacks are better. So when I kill the first set of blades I'll decide whether to run a similar disc setup to what I use on the old HRU's, or stick with the bar blades.

    Interestingly we did a "drag race" today with the HRU vs HRX across the footpath of 5x neighbouring properties we service - by the time the HRU was at the 2nd driveway, the HRX was at the 3rd. Once again this is the rpm modded HRU, not a standard one.
    What we did find when competing on the lawns was the HRU was leaving a slightly better finish both mulching and catching - which was opposite to earlier testing !
    The reason was ground speed - once the HRX hydrostatic was dialed down to 3/4 speed (still slightly faster than the HRU) the finish was back to how it originally tested.
    We had to set the HRX front wheels 1 notch lower than the rears to match the "crescent" finish of the HRU - otherwise it stood out there were 2x different mowers used on the same lawn, the HRX gives that much more level finish.

    The "versamow" system is less than I hoped - I thought intermediate settings would alter the size of the clippings by mulching them a bit before they made the catcher, but it's not like that - anywhere from about 1/4 catch 3/4 mulch up the clippings are all standard clippings, from 1/4 catch down it just clogs the chute.
    Best use for it is when you have a full catcher and you need to cross paved areas, you just dial up "mulch" which closes the chute and stops the clippings leaking back out past the blades (which you have stopped with the blade brake)
    It's also really handy because (a bit sneaky here) you can mulch with the catcher on, and the finish is so good the customer wouldn't know the difference, so if the catcher fills 3x runs from the end of the lawn you don't have to take a catcher to the truck, you just mulch the last 3 runs and dump the catcher in the truck on the way past. (Haven't used grass bags for 12 years - dump straight in the truck and tip tray empty.)

    Another failing is that the deck protrudes behind the rear wheels - so it's harder to roll up and down steps. The HRU on 8th height or more makes the wheels the rear most point so it rolls up and down stairs on the wheels.

    Early days yet - So far mods are a blade clutch latch, blade spacer, and hanger loops and pins to mount it under the truck tray.
    Who knows what next week brings??
    "Can't" is a dirty 4 letter word.
    If someone says "Can't" , take the "T" off the end and brew it.
    Sip on a mugfull, relax, and take a look at what you've got left to work with.

  11. #26
    Senior Member Arfa Brayne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by ian View Post
    Arfa i missed your post while i was doing my 1 finger typing the snorkel kit for these is not an American one it is Australian designed i believe for the Honda powered Victas i don't know if Honda Australia still supply these or not the last one i brought was about 18 months-2 years ago badged as a Victa and brought from a Victa dealer
    unfortunately no pictures
    http://www.hondacatalogue.com.au/pro...SV190A%29.html
    and again no pictures so not sure if this is the one or not and also i know nothing about this company
    http://www.allmowerspares.com.au/pro...L-KIT-AF07881A
    Thanks Ian - I was chasing these snorkles last night till midnight. Victa "Mulchmaster 550" with the honda 190 motor, but not a picture or drawing to be found, so I sent an email to allmower spares asking them to clarify what the kit fitted. "Victa Honda snorkel kit" could be anything and fit anything.
    "Can't" is a dirty 4 letter word.
    If someone says "Can't" , take the "T" off the end and brew it.
    Sip on a mugfull, relax, and take a look at what you've got left to work with.

  12. #27
    Junior Member rld's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    I use the HRC 216s here. Hydro trans are hard to beat. As for the height , I have never had a complaint, by the second cut people dont notice the difference. Recommend removing the stacked blades and switching to a oregon or razor mulching blade. For catching wet grass I use the older hrc single blade with a welded addition to the aerofoil. It will pack the catcher with soaking wet grass. The meg mo system can be modified to fit.

  13. #28
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by Arfa Brayne View Post
    Thanks Ian - I was chasing these snorkles last night till midnight. Victa "Mulchmaster 550" with the honda 190 motor, but not a picture or drawing to be found, so I sent an email to allmower spares asking them to clarify what the kit fitted. "Victa Honda snorkel kit" could be anything and fit anything.
    called into mowerpower ferntree gully ( (03) 97560072)and they had some in stock Victa no. AF07881A so same number as the http://www.allmowerspares.com.au/pro...L-KIT-AF07881A
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  14. #29
    Senior Member Arfa Brayne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Quote Originally Posted by ian View Post
    called into mowerpower ferntree gully ( (03) 97560072)and they had some in stock Victa no. AF07881A so same number as the http://www.allmowerspares.com.au/pro...L-KIT-AF07881A
    Ian ..... THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    You really are a "Very helpful member"


    "Phaedo" and "rld" - Trialed the HRX with the blade spacer today and compared it to the HRU. With the lowered blades and the height adjuster on the lowest setting it cuts cuts slightly shorter than the HRU on the 2nd lowest setting, but not as short as the HRU on the lowest notch.
    All the "bogginess" behaviour has vanished (no longer gets stuck on the base with the wheels spinning)
    "Can't" is a dirty 4 letter word.
    If someone says "Can't" , take the "T" off the end and brew it.
    Sip on a mugfull, relax, and take a look at what you've got left to work with.

  15. #30
    Senior Member Arfa Brayne's Avatar
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    Default Re: Honda HRX217HYA imported from USA - A better mower for less $$ than an Aussie HRU

    Normally I buy mowers in pairs, but wasn't sure about the HRX without seeing it first, especially after the Proscape I bought for trial (fail!)

    I'm convinced - ordered a 2nd HRX from the States yesterday.

    I've been flogging the first one pretty hard over the past 2 weeks, and modding it as required. Problems still to deal with are the controls keep getting hit with branches & stuff, so I'll fit a control guard like I have on my HRU's - I'd say Honda haven't done anything to protect the controls for the past 12 years or more because they make money on throttle levers, but everyone probably gets chonda ones now anyway. Wakey wakey Honda !!

    The varimow lever is getting a bit sloppy, but I have been a bit heavy handed when it gets grass built up in it. Must clear grass before applying force to open/shut mulch lever. There is no point having the lever anywhere in between mulch and catch, it just varies the amount of grass it takes to clog the chute - that said, it doesn't clog like our Aussie HRU's when the cut gets heavy, and mulches beautifully. Way better finish than a HRU - probably because it cuts flat, not nose down.

    Still getting used to the blade clutch - not in love with it yet, the motor is so easy to start that it's just one of those accessories that you don't tend to use, and with the latch I fitted to the lever, I just lock the blades in and use it like a regular mower 99% of the time.

    Only really annoying trait is the catcher has a gap at the top that is sealed with the rear flap, but that means grass piles up in the bit where the catcher frame sits. In the end it doesn't matter, you just sit the catcher lugs on the grass buildup - it won't fall off, but it's just wrong.

    The height adjustment (as already detailed in earlier posts) is too coarse. Lowest setting (1) is like a 2 on a HRU, next notch up (2) is like a 5 on a HRU. Next is like an 8. Highest setting is like a wheat harvester.

    2x reasons I love the HRX - POWER and SPEED - I grabbed the HRU for a little courtyard today where I wanted a more exact cut height, first thing I did was check to see if I was in 2nd gear !! - I think I checked 3-4 times because it was so s l o w. Didn't realise I'd adapted to the faster speed of the HRX (which I only use on 3/4 speed setting mostly) It was nice to use the HRU again, bit it was kind of like dancing with your mother instead of your girlfriend.
    While the HRU was in my hands I went to mulch a heavy growth easement behind the property, did about 2x slow chuggy runs and then swapped it for the HRX. Wow - the HRX just ATE IT like it was a bit of ordinary lawn.
    "Can't" is a dirty 4 letter word.
    If someone says "Can't" , take the "T" off the end and brew it.
    Sip on a mugfull, relax, and take a look at what you've got left to work with.

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