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Pros
Starts reliably
Easy to manoeuvre
Durable build quality
Cons
Prone to clogging
Reviews
Reviewer Photos & Videos
- 31 reviews
- 30 likes
Purchased on 5/08/2020 for $900 at my local Honda Dealer, this mower has made the job easy. It does start first time, every time, just as they claim so you CAN believe the ads! It is clearly a mower built to last with several exposed parts being galvanized steel. It also has an alloy chassis which minimizes the weight and won't rust, with large wheels (200 mm.) all round making it easy to push over thick grass. It has the standard "19 inch" cutting width, which is just right for most domestic situations. It has four long blades which come out a...
Read morelmost to the edge of the chassis so there's a lot of cutting going on under there. Just by way of comparison, my second last mower was a Rover with four blades and an alloy chassis which lasted 30 years! The last one was also a Rover, but the new self propelled model which was far too heavy to push when not able to be in placed into self propelled mode, so I sold it. Back to the Honda. It's not perfect, but it's great! Now days, all mowers are required to have either a "blade brake", or an "engine brake". This prevents the user from cutting their fingers or toes off, as either the blades stop turning, or the engine stops running. Honda have elected to use the engine brake on this model, and the blade brake on their commercial models. I prefer the blade brake safety method, although there are pro's and con's for both methods. Because the Honda is so very easy to start, it's not really an issue. There is a very generous catcher which does fill up fairly well, but there is one small annoying issue which is that as you remove the catcher from the mower, cut grass falls into two places on the sides (photo coming later as it's too wet to mow right now) where the catcher engages with the mower. This means in order to ensure your catcher is back on properly, you have to remove this grass with your fingers. There is just one other feature of this mower that I wish I could change, and that is that there is only one speed! There is no throttle adjustment at all, so the engine runs at the same speed all the time. This is a very clever design particularly when you are faced with variable loads such as changing grass heights and coarseness. This feature is probably very good for the motor, but not so good for the user in summer if you have areas where the grass has died off, as we do here in the bush. In this situation with the old Rover, I would just decrease the speed significantly and not get covered in dust. That's not an option with this model Honda, but you can have it if you buy the "commercial" model which is around $1,200. I didn't think that feature was worth an extra $300. I was aware of this limitation prior to purchase but I didn't think about any possible negatives around it. Just out of interest, the old Rover had the air filter high up on the handle as a "snorkel" type. This is a great idea and I suspect was only discontinued by most manufacturers to minimize costs which is a real pity, as it protects the mower's engine from very dusty conditions. This mower also has what is called a "wash port" which is a spot where you can connect your hose while running the mower for the purpose of cleaning the underside. I tried it and found using my hose directly underside was much more successful. Back to the positives, the height adjustment is fantastic having 11 positions which take the cutting height down to around 10 mm., that's short! As my photos show, the pull cord starts halfway down the handle which minimizes you bending over to start it. Unless you have turned the petrol tap off previously, it's just one short effortless pull on the cord and away you go. If you don't intend to use the mower for several weeks or longer, it is advisable to turn the petrol tap off during it's last use and let it deliberately run out of fuel while running. This drains the carburetor of petrol which if not done, can "gunk" it up because the petrol partially evaporates leaving just the oil component behind. If you have turned the petrol tap off, next time you want to mow, turn the tap to the ON position and pull the starting cord until it starts. This is usually within two or three pulls. It really does start so easily which is great for my wife who enjoys mowing the lawns. I actually have to "take turns" with her. I have changed the oil and air filter just once myself, and I'll now write about this important point. The warranty information says that unless you allow the dealer to conduct all the scheduled maintenance, the warranty period is only two years, but if you comply with this condition it extends to five years. I spoke to my dealer about this and his response was that if I attended to the required items in a timely manner, there would be no problem with warranty for the longer period if any issues arose. Changing the oil was easy, it's the same way for all mowers I have owned. Run the mower for a few minutes to warm up the oil, turn it off then tip the mower onto it's side after removing the "dip stick" and drain the oil into a suitable container. This is a fantastic mower and I have only one real criticism which is it has no throttle adjustment. This will not worry the majority of buyers I suspect, who have full green lawns through summer. As for the price, yes there are a lot of mowers out there for much less money, but Honda do a have an irrefutable and enviable reputation for reliability and endurance. I think it deserves four and a half stars. Enjoy yours!
Purchased in August 2020 at Honda Dealers for $900.00.
- 11 reviews
- 5 likes
I've had this mower for 17 years. It's been serviced once by a professional in 17 years, although I have changed the oil and air filter about 3 times myself and cleaned and reset the spark plug about 3 times. It starts reliably 1st pull every time and doesn't miss a beat. I had a period where I had a contractor mowing my lawns and didn't start it for almost 3 years. It started 2nd pull after not having been started in 3 years.
It can be a little finicky picking up long and wet grass into the catcher, which is a problem shared with countless...
Read more other mowers cheap and expensive alike. New / Sharp blades help a lot in both cutting the grass and picking up grass into the catcher. The other thing that helps a lot with picking up the grass is not to try cutting long grass in one pass. I have found that if the grass is long, cut it high first then run over it again a couple of days later knocking it down another 3 notches and it picks the grass up fine. The other regret I have is that I did not buy a self propelled mower. 17 years on from new and it seems a lot heavier than it was when it was new and that will be all down to the older operator and not the mower. Overall its been an exceptionally good mower and when I get too old to push it, I will buy a Honda self propelled mower.Purchased in May 2004 for $800.00.
- 2 reviews
I have now owned the mower for around 8 years and I am very happy with it. I live in Cairns and it gets a fair bit of use. I change the oil, air filter, plug and blades every spring and have had very few issues with it. It has started first time, every time throughout those 8 years which is a great indictment of the quality in my opinion.
Only a couple of niggles have presented themselves over that time. After only a couple of years, the powder coating on the handle blistered and lifted and the handle started to rust pretty badly. I covered it ...
- 3 reviews
- 4 likes
Bad:
I'm there with the angry people who bought this mower, never used the catcher since day one, i just zip tied 3/4 open that lid, the clogging is insane, wet or dry makes no difference, and i mow dry 99% of time , i just tape the brake cause when using cause its super annoying.
Good:
This thing gets abused beyond ridiculous, i mean i made a huge pile of branches from a tree i trimmed , put it on top of the pile and eventually it disappeared, was impressed .
starts FIRST pull every time ,(somehow) ,
still on original oil, spark plug, ai...
Purchased in September 2014 at Mower place Browns plains for $739.00.
Find out how Honda HRU19 compares to other Petrol Lawn Mowers
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First 3 years were great
After that the mower began to die after 20 mins of mowing
Took it to an experienced mower place, they said you need a new Carburetor that cost 3/4 of the price of a new mower! Even they recommended buying a new mower and not wasting money on it (they were not trying to sell me a new mower either)
It wasn't fuel or the spark plugs etc
The mower still starts first or second pull but it will not rev to a high speed and recently has started seeking before just dying, rendering it useless
I paid a lot of money for this Honda, I expected to get 8+ years out of it, to get just over 3 has left me with an aversion to buying Honda again...
Read more I'm now looking at a Makita battery mower, which cost more but I bet I get more than 3 years out of it before running into troublePurchased for $799.00.
Bought a Honda HRU19 a few months back. Wasn't sure about the absence of a throttle but seems to run at around 75% power which is enough for most lawns. It has the GCV170 engine and stops very quickly when you release the safety lever. This helps with not getting a face full of grass when emptying the catcher. Great, quality mower.
Purchased in May 2020.
- 5 reviews
- 3 likes
I purchased the Honda HRU 19M2 after my trusty Honda HRU194 bit the dust after 26y of faithful service. Originally wanted to purchase the 196 with blade brake, but unfortunately stock is pretty much non-existent here in Melbourne at the moment. Although I did find one without the blade brake, and after pushing it around in the showroom found it rather heavy. So had a bit of soul searching to do.
I rang my local mower store (Ranch House Mowers) and discussed my dilemma. They quite rightly reasoned, that I did not need to spend the additiona...
Read morel $400 to get a machine that was overkill for me and I would not fully appreciate. Especially as it is significantly heavier. I am on half an acre, and have a fully landscaped garden with 7 smallish lawns around the place. As it happened they had one coming in a few days, so I decided to buy one. Picked it up and off I went mowing. It worked fantastic for about ten minutes and then stopped. Waited 5 min started it again ran for 10 min and stopped. I was not happy, and just today went back to the store. Although the staff were under the pump, they looked at my machine immediately. They found the the carby had gummed up due to Honda putting a fuel preservative in it while the machine is transported around or sitting at the store. In any case all fixed and working beautifully. High praise to Andrew and the team. I was initially apprehensive about the engine brake, lack of an accelerator and the auto choke. In any case as far as the engine brake is concerned, you can use a bit of velcro strip to keep the engine running. Have to say that I quickly came to like these things, and after mowing some thick couch no issues. Cuts beautifully and love the mulching attachment and light and very easy to maneuver around. Just what I needed. So far I am impressed and glad that I did not purchase the much heavier HRU96.Purchased in November 2020 for $799.00.
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- 8 reviews
- 2 likes
My mower has the 2010 Honda GCV160AO engine. This Honda engine has the auto choke carburetor where auto choke has always worked fine ( I think the cylindrical thermowax 16620-Z1L-841 does not seem to be problematic whilst the square thermowas 16620-Z8D-842 does fail). I had surging at Revs (this mower has the safety lever so its either on at full revs or off). I took the carby off and cleaned it a number of times with compressed air and compressed can solvent fluid. Nothing worked. Gave it one last try and this time used a thin copper wire to ...
Read moreclean out passages. There is a 5 x 6 mm screw covering the pilot jet. I poked in there and whilst I didn't see any crap dislodged this is the only hole I didnt touch before and after reinstal the high rev surge stopped. There is a PDF from Honda on How to Clean a Honda Carburetor.pdf look up PJA54159 should find it. It suggest using jet cleaner 07JPZ-001010B . It is more cost effective to get a new carby I think but I just had to nut this one out.Purchased in December 2010 for $800.00.
- 10 reviews
- 3 likes
I remember the model with the bag and small chute that was prone to blocking stayed on very well, unfortunately the plastic polymer falls off or at least spits clippings in warm weather or midday sun due to it being black and expanding/bending when hot. I like the mowers but there's always been a problem with Honda catchers which lets them down. Would be pretty well perfect if they could sort this issue
Purchased in June 2020 for $850.00.
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- 6 reviews
- 9 likes
The brief was simple. The mower had to be light and easy to push. It had to be efficient and not fumey. It had to be easy to start. It had to withstand the abuse my employees deal to my mowers, specifically the chassis and wheel combinations. I had to have quick access to cheap parts.
I think Honda has finally hit the mark, and they didn't even mean to.
It all started in around 2015. I bought a brand new Honda commercial grade mower, with the blade brake, cloth catcher, stout handles, the works. Over $1100. After becoming fed up with my ques...
Read moret to become He-Man to push it, fed up with how long and low the handles are for my 6"4' frame, the utterly STUPID one-size-fits-all half chute grass clogging chassis design to accomodate the self propelled system, even though my model was not self propelled, I sold it at a major loss. Swearing never to buy another Honda piece of equipment again, I carried on my business with the alternatives. You can find the review by clicking my username. Fast forward to 2020. My entire fleet of mowers and handheld equipment is now exclusively Honda. That's not to say my experience with comparable B&S engines has been bad, or my small GX25 and GX35 Hondas have been flawless, it just ended up that way. I ordered my new HRU19M2 with newly designed GCV170 from BW Machinery in Melbourne and it turned up the next day. I easily assembled the catcher, unfolded the handles, put some oil and fuel in the engine and pulled the cord. First start, off she went. Warmed her up. Mowed my minimal nature strip with the catcher. Beautiful. Rolls like it's on rails and cuts like a mower should. Unbelievable how light it is and how easy it is to turn around at the end of your run. Put a few hours on it and forced it to power through some foot-high kikuyu. No dramas at all. Runs all day on the one tank of fuel. So 2 of the "design brief" have been ticked off. But what about the chassis? Well you'd be glad to know that Honda have put their new GCV170 engine on the same chassis that they adorn the venerable GXV160 engine and market towards full time contrators and councils. The chute? Full chute. No grass blockages. A no nonsense catcher and mulch plug that's easy to install and remove.Purchased in June 2020 for $799.00.
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
Firstly, this is a great mower. It's probably the most mechanically reliable mower that I've ever owned. BUT - this is a mower for the muscle men (and women). At 44kgs, it's like pushing two bags of concrete around. Unless your block is perfectly flat and you want a good workout instead of going to the gym, maybe this isn't for you. When the time comes to get it into the car for servicing, it's definitely a two person job.
I suggest that unless you're a body builder, gym junkie or are married to a chiropractor, spend the extra money and ...
Read moreget the self propelled version especially if you're no longer in your twenties. Yes - I know it sounds like a huge indulgence but pushing this thing around in summer for an hour or two and it's a choice between a heart attack, a stroke or both. It is an incredibly reliable machine that starts every time and the engine is brilliant.Purchased in March 2020 at Mower Specialist for $1,229.00.
- 9 reviews
- 19 likes
Fantastic domestic mower, mulching plug works well. small rear opening can get blocked if grass is moist but still ok. clippings fertilize grass and grass appears greener after mulching. start first time everytime!!
Purchased in November 2010 for $750.00.
Find out how Honda HRU19 compares to other Petrol Lawn Mowers
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- 3 reviews
Honda Mowers are top value for money. My HRU19 runs perfectly. So dies my 1985 HRU214.
Honda mowers aren't cheap. Granted.
But I can tell you, if you look after yours, you'll still be using it in 35 years.
We have a 1000 m2 block, so it gets a fair bit of use at home. My brother has 5 acres, we help with my Honda mowers each spring and summer.
My grand-dad bought a new Honda HRU214 lawn mower from Roberts Agricultural, in June 1985. I engraved his Licence ID number and the date on the engine cover when I got it. When he got too old to push it, the Honda passed to me, and I've had her ever since.
I bought my new Honda HRU19R be...
Read morecause I'm getting older now, and the new HRU19R is about half the weight of the 35 year old HRU214. Now my boys use the old HRU214. We got 35 years out of a Honda mower by being sensible. It is never left out in the rain. It has had regular oil changes (always Honda mower oil), gets new blades, a new air cleaner and a new NGK spark plug every year in autumn. The starter "rope" has been changed out maybe 3 times in 35 years. I reckon with care, the new Honda HRU19R will see me out: it'll be cutting the daisies I'll be pushing up...Purchased in June 2010 at TAS CHAINSAWS AND MOWERS, Launceston for $925.00.
- 12 reviews
- 11 likes
This lawnmower never gives up! Never stops running and its build quality is obviously the best why?? Because it just works every time..
I have buffalo and 5 acres ( this is used close to my house)
Ask yourself how often do you want to replace a mower??
Purchased in June 2019 for $899.00.
Wont pick up the Cut Grass.
Get used to it. Had my HRU 19 for a number years. Wont load the catcher consisitantly. Basically leaves 80% of cuttings on your lawn. Done the blades cleaned the catcher many times. These are just the poorest design I have ever seen especially being regarded as a good brand. Easy to start just buy a few rakes for your entire family at the same time. The Motor does seem slightly under powered just able to cut a medium to low lawn. Very quiet.
I'll stick with the previous brand and retire this to the farm for small trimmings where the cuttings can stay on the lawn. Honda should have got onto this before releasing these mowers.
Purchased in January 2016 for $950.00.
Questions & Answers
Am using this mower for the first time What do I need to do to start the motor?
Turn the fuel flow on, if it isn't already on, push the throttle all the way forward as far as you can (this activates the choke) then pull the cord. Once the engine fires pull the throttle back midway and let it idle and warm up. I never turn my fuel off and the mower starts 1st pull 98% of the time and always on the 2nd pull if it didn't start 1st pull.
On my mower, turn fuel on (I also always leave mine on), hold the engine brake lever on the handle in, and pull the starter.
Where do the throttle cables connect on carby
What type of spark plug & gap size
Get an answer from our members
Details
Features:
- The Honda HRU19 is a petrol push mower that’s ideal for medium sized lawns.
- It has a GCV170 4-stroke engine, which is lightweight and easy to start.
- The mower has a tough alloy deck, making it durable and able to withstand harsh conditions.
- An auto choke system automatically sets the choke to provide the optimal start in all types of cutting conditions.
- A lever to adjust the height of all 4 wheels lets you cut in a way that’s comfortable for you.
- Debris is easily caught with the mower’s full open discharge shoot.
- This product has a 4-year domestic warranty.
Points of praise:
- Most reviewers found that the lawn mower was simple to start and started reliably - many reviewers also said that it started on the first pull every time they used it.
- Reviewers also found that the mower was easy to manoeuvre around their lawns.
- According to reviewers, the build quality of this mower is exceptional; many found that they had very few issues with the mower and rarely needed to service it, even after many years of use.
A point of pain:
- Some reviewers found that the chute of the mower clogged up too frequently. While some found that this only happened with damp or wet grass, there were also reviewers who noted that the mower also clogged up when they cut dry grass.
 Honda Buffalo Buck HRU19M13.9(40) |  Honda Buffalo Buck HRU19K13.6(42) |  Honda Buffalo Buck HRU19D4.2(23) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Petrol Lawn Mowers | Petrol Lawn Mowers | Petrol Lawn Mowers | Petrol Lawn Mowers |
| Price (RRP) | $939.00 | $899.00 | $889.00 | $899.00 |
| Power Source | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
| Features | Blade Brake, Mulching Capability and Quick-Start Motor | Blade Brake, Deck Clean-out Port and Mulching Capability | Blade Brake, Deck Clean-out Port and Mulching Capability | |
| Catcher Type | Rigid | Rigid | Rigid | Rigid |
| Catcher Capacity | 60 L | 60 L | 54 L | 54 L |
| Cutting Deck Material | Aluminium Alloy | Aluminium Alloy | Aluminium Alloy | Plastic |
| Cutting Width | 470 mm | 482 mm | 470 mm | 470 mm |
| Height of Cut | 16 mm to 76 mm | 16 mm to 76 mm | 16 mm to 80 mm | 16 mm to 80 mm |
| Number of Blades | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Weight | 34 kg | 34 kg | 31 kg | |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 4 year(s) | 4 year(s) | 4 year(s) | 4 year(s) |
| Engine / Motor | ||||
| Engine Name | Honda GCV160 4-Stroke | Honda GCV160 4 Stroke | Honda 170cc OHV/OHC 4-stroke Engine | Honda GCV170 |
| Engine Type | 4-Stroke | 4-Stroke | 4-Stroke, OHC (Overhead Cam) and OHV (Overhead Valve) | 4-Stroke |
| Brand | Honda | Honda | Honda | Honda |
| Engine Displacement | 170 cc | |||
| Release date | Sept 2010 | Sept 2010 | Sept 2010 | |
| Replaced by | Honda Buffalo Buck HRU19M1 | |||
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