0.4 acres is pretty small. a push is OK, but I have always liked
self-prop mowers. I have a craftsman 5.5hp that is about 8-10 years old
now. rear bagger, mulcher (chute optional). I think it was $300 back
then. Replaced this year with a JD riding mower, but it still works
just fine.

What I would do in your case is buy a self prop or a big wheel mower. I
would also suggest a honda engine, but that often puts the price higher
than you want to pay.

If going craftsman, buy a new blade, air filter, belts (if any), and
blade to keep in hand when you need them.

Kirb


G wrote:
I have about .4 acres to mow. Originally I was looking
at self-propelled, but have been convinced by a long-
time mower friend (this is my 1st house and I've NEVER
mowed before), that a push-model is good enough. That
the more complex a mower (i.e. Propel vs. push), the
more things can go wrong, and I'm 30 & fit so a push
should not be an issue. Land is mostly flat, backyard
slants up about 30 degrees. Obviously, electric not an
option.

After looking at Consumers Reports and reading a lot of
stuff in general, I'm considering the Craftsman 38886.
It's a push, large-rear wheels, with mulching & rear-
bagging. I wish I could find out if it is ball-bearing
or not (I'll go this weekend to look at it and hopefully
the salepeerson would know....we'll see....is there any
way to tell myself?)

Any opinions on Craftsman push mulching/rear-bagging
mowers, specifially the 38886? Oh yea, it's B&S 6.5hp

Thanks a ton, trying not to make a bad decision
considering I've never owned a mower before, and I
figure a $220 Craftsman is better than spending $700 on
a Honda HRX217HXA now that I have mortgage payments...