Posted on 03/08/2023 8:47:06 AM PST by dennisw
https://www.walmart.com/ip/PowerSmart-209CC-engine-21-3-in-1-Gas-Self-Propelled-Lawn-Mower-DB2194SH-with-8-Rear-Wheel-rear-Bag-Side-Discharge-and-Mulching/193485183
This Chinese engine lawn mower is $197 at Walmart. You can buy a 2 year protection policy for 16$. I have this coming in on Friday. Walmart gives you 90 day returns on this but please verify for yourself
BUT I already have one that I got off of ebay with a 60 day return policy where seller pays for returns/ So if Walmart runs better I will return it? Or maybe keep both.
My review-- A bit hard to start with normal gasoline that has 10% ethanol. So...... I went and got some ethanol free gasoline. Now it starts on the second pull. From now on this is the only gasoline I will use. Less vibration too with ethanol free gasoline.You can get more details at the Power Smart website. On YouTube there are 3-4 very informative reviews of this 209cc self propelled lawnmower.I bought a Troy-Bilt lawnmower 4 years ago. The Briggs Stratton engine runs great. But the deck rusted so much it is disgusting. It is unusable because the deck cracked / split from rust.
So disgusted, I figured give the Chinese a shot. Believe it or not, this mower has a horizontal gas engine with a gearbox inside.At Harbor Freight, they have been selling the Predator engine for lawn mowers-- $229 https://www.harborfreight.com/55-hp-173cc-ohv-vertical-shaft-gas-engine-epacarb-69731.html_br_psugg_q=predator+gas+engine+vertical This is supposed to be a clone of a Honda engine. One of the reviews said to run it for an hour. Then dump out all the oil when the engine is hot. Look for metal filings. Then strain them out or just put new oil in it. The deal is that though it is a Honda clone, the Chinese do not manufacture to the exacting tolerances that Honda does. After that initial filings dump, your engine is good to go
So I will do the same oil dump with this new Power Smart lawnmower/ This mower has rear-wheel drive with one sorta fast speed. Non adjustable speed on this mower. I will be getting the Walmart one on Friday and will review it right here on Saturday
High octane gas is for high compression engines. It makes starting low compression engines harder and run under powered
“I plan to use ethanol free this season thanks for the reminder”
What I do is buy a gallon, then fill up a few Gatorade bottles to the top. Store outside under a shady bush. This way the gasoline does not get exposed to the air. Even more important, if you use gasoline for your mower that has ethanol. Keep air away from ethanol!
16 oz Gatorade bottles. Nice thick plastic! There are other sports drinks that also use thick plastic bottles.
Yes. Hard to buy anything these day that at least some part is made in China
I bought a robot lawnmower from Amazon 2 years ago
No more noisy mower with me pushing it. No more inhaling exhaust fumes. The robot is quiet, never strays over boundary wire buried 2 inches under ground, and finds his way back to charging station by himself when battery needs charging. Absolutely impressed with the technology. Best part is the clippings are very small and that minimizes thatch build up. My grass has less weeds and looks healthier.
LOL, face palm.
“I’m better off with my Troybuilt self propelled with the Honda motor. It was also reasonably priced has been bulletproof runs like a top”
Honda are the worlds #1 engine manufacturers. Perfecting them for decades. Gasoline and diesels of a large range of sizes.
This is why I don’t think Honda will get into EVs that much. They will talk a good EV game for PR reasons. But not make that many. Honda sells automobiles all over India, Thailand and Asia, where there are hardly any EV charging stations.
You wrote that there are “8” wheels.
Pics also show rear discharge, not side discharge.
“Metal shavings in the oil” was not something I dreamed I would ever find normal
True-Fuel is all we will use in out Toro snow blower. Starts and runs strong in the coldest weather. Remind me again why we adulterated good gasoline with ethanol.... did we save the planet yet? Just curious.
NEVER-NEVER-NEVER!
I only use 100% gas in my John Deere, ATV, chain saw, weed eater and leaf blower. We had a well established small engine repair shop that just flat out stopped working on weed eaters, chain saws and leaf blowers because they could never get them to run right after ethanol in them.
“Pics also show rear discharge, not side discharge.”
Chinese 209cc mower — There is a side discharge option, which is my favorite way to go. I have used it. I never bag the grass clopping from the rear discharge of any mower. That’s ridiculous.
One of the YouTube videos shows the side discharge on this ChiCom mower.
____“Metal shavings in the oil” was not something I dreamed I would ever find normal”____
This was said about the Harbor Freight Predator lawn mower replacement engine. Not the engine on the CCP mower I just bought. But I will check for metal shavings anyways.
Seems this is a form of Bait ‘n Switch.
I've replaced the ignition coil, blade, several wheels, and rebuilt the carb several times.
4 wheels! Like any other lawn mower.
“I use 93 octane gas in my lawnmower. It solves the whole problem of getting it started”
A higher octane rated gasoline is only necessary in higher compression engines. That might not be all of the story. The higher octane formulations might also contain more volatile components that would result in easier startups when the engine is cold.
Probably not since Babbitt metal was still used for a lot of bearings and engines needed to to be "broken in". There's still a very thin layer of Babbitt metal used in car engines, but not enough wear to shed shavings unless a serious defect is present. Maybe the Chinese are using a thicker layer, in which case the shavings might be expected, but it would still indicate poor machining.
You can find it around ports or harbors. I find it hard to believe they force boats to use ethanol. If not, comes in bottles. Expensive.
“Never put ethanol gas in a small engine.”
I know that’s the conventional wisdom, but I had a Powermate generator. I ran it on regular gas the whole 25 years I had it. It ran fine until I screwed it up putting in a new spark plug (I do not know how I did that). I do put ethanol free in my Cub Cadet but I frequently question the necessity. The only thing I ever did to the generator was maintenance and a new carb when I let it set up too long without running (like a couple of years).
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