Honda Buffalo Classic HRU216M2

No good in damp grass – When the grass is damp it clogs up the shoot all the time ,requiring you to remove clogged grass . Has done about 40 hours work and smokes on start up . wont go back to honda again. Show details

Reliable commercial use – I purchased my Honda HRU216 new about 4 years ago and have been using commercially 5 days a week ever since in my lawn and garden business. The machine has never let me down. I change the oil twice a year myself, replace the the plug at the same time and air filter. The blades last me about 4 weeks which is normal seeing as we use it approx 3… Read more

hrs per day x 5 days x 4 weeks = 60 hrs mow time

I spoke with other contractors prior to buying and they all said to give the machine a slight push being engaging the self propelled lever as this takes the load off the gearbox. The dealer agreed saying that they had a few gearbox problems in the past.

The only fault I have is that the Shute is way too small and clogs up when the grass is a little damp or a bit long. You think Honda could overcome this problem easily. I noticed other comments about the weight of this machine - remember you are buying a commercial machine that is made to last which is not made to into the boot of the car. We use ramps which you can drive up (obviously with the disengaged)

Overall the machine is a no brainer for commercial use

My Mowers better than yours – One thing I love to own is a great lawn mower. Can’t go past Honda mine is not for commercial use this is my second only due to moving states and couldn’t take my other one. Starts first time every time I have it serviced regularly and love how it’s self mulching as I can’t lift the catcher so I don’t use it. This one’s going to outlast me I… Read more

think. The only downside for me was price $1600 is pretty overwhelming but one the other hand it’s there for the long haul.

Great mower, pity about the service techs and mistruths that come with the mower – I have had a number of 216's over the past 11 years. They are a good mower, although I now do all my own repairs and that of my fellow contractors due to the poor knowledge of the service staff at selling/servicing dealers. Bent axles, broken gearboxes and low HP are all common problems with these mowers. In the latest generations, broken cables… Read more

seem to be the new trend. This will be my last lot of HRU216's, I will be moving to a different brand. Warranties are often denied on broken parts, even when it's proven to be manufacturing faults. Sorry Honda, your day has passed.

Big and powerful, but not perfect for all applications – This is a big, powerful mower. Ideal for cutting through tough, tall grass. This mower is not ideal for all applications. Weighing in at 54kg, it is not possible for the average person to lift this into the back of their vehicle. Yes, I know some people can lift 54 kg, but it's an awkward shape and not all that easy to wrangle in my view. If… Read more

you are moving this mower from location to location by car, I'd suggest using a ramp or at least some sort of method to assist getting it in and out of a vehicle other than just lifting because it's too difficult to do on your own on a regular basis.

Having said that, for situations where you have a large area to mow and you either cannot afford or is not practical to use a ride-on mower, this mower will give you results that are almost as good. To be fair, ride-ons are a different category, so I won't labour that comparison too heavily, but this is a good alternative if you are thinking you need something less than a ride-on but more than a regular mower.

Looking at the speed settings on the self-propelling side of things: this mower has three speeds and I tended to use 1 for the first mow over very tall grass, then switch up to 2 or 3 once I'd cut the grass down to a managable size. I was also mowing over uneven and rocky ground, often with rubbish (such as cans and plastic containers) strewn around so I didn't want to go too fast. Your situation may be different to mine. If you're doing residential you are less likely to deal with these problems.

My only issue with self-propelled is the manouverability around obstacles such as trees was a little tricky, I had to disengage the self-propelled features and manually push around the trees. Depending what type of mowing you are doing this will either be a nuisance or irrelevant - I rarely encounter problems navigating trees as I'm mostly mowing open spaces and verges.

The blades have had to be replaced after about 4 months of regular use. I'm sure results will vary depending on use. I was using this mower in situations where there was rocky, uneven ground with rubbish that obstructed the blade (often not visible due to long grass so went through mower). I fully accept that my use of the mower probably put more stress on the blades than a normal domestic situation would and I am also willing to accept that the replacement of blades will depend on how you are using this machine.

In summary this is a powerful and useful machine. But I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. I'd really consider what your needs are before spending the big bucks on this one, but if you think it suits your needs you will be very happy with it.

Great Mower!!!! – I got sick of buying a cheap lawn mower every couple of years. This starts 2nd pull every time. Only down side is the weight of it. Its very heavy and makes it difficult lifting in and out of the back of the ute. Thats the only down side even has the water wash point to clean the deck without flipping it over.  Show details

One of the best things I own – This works a treat after 5 years and I expect it will keep going that way for another 5 at least. I purchased to mow our 1/2 acre block that has some sloping parts and it does it with ease. At first it seemed a bit heavy and clunky to use but it a short time I figured out when and how to use the self propelling feature to my advantage. I have it… Read more

serviced once a year but it could easily be done by someone at home who has the time and inclination to do it. I have since purchased a small ride on to cut the mowing time down even more but there are still some areas that the Honda can only do so I cannot part with it.

This mower is a Tank and too heavy for parts to handle – Hands down that this mower is the pinnacle of mowers, it has the right sounds, a beautiful cut, the beefiness and a great air filter system. The bad...This mower weighs at a whopping 70 kilos if not more with the catcher full. During my 2 years of owning it as a contractor it worked great. Had some issues with the drive cable stretching and… Read more

that's about it.

This mower was not used much in all honesty, maybe had 100 hours of use since most of my yards are done with a normal push mower.

The gearbox stopped catching and had no drive. Upon further investigation, I pulled out the gearbox, split it open and noticed 3 broken teeth in the cogs. My theory is the weight of the thing is just too much for that tiny transmission. I called the service centre for a replacement and they wanted $550 for this part. In dismay I went and bought another mower, a cheap Chinese black eagle that's self propelled and I am going to test with my work for 1/5th of the price. I bet this will last me a year at least and I'll still be on top 4 years :) I'm not bashing honda, I have a cbr 1000rr and love it, but Honda, please ditch the transmission and go back to a pulley system for drive.

Great self-propelling mower – Great mower especially the self-propelling part for our steep block. Easy to use and once the initial throttle cable hiccup was sorted it starts on the first pull. Nice big catcher and great mulching function. On the heavy side weight wise but. Very solid build so it should last well.  Show details

Dream mower! – Heavy going without being too heavy this is fantastic to work with. Such an easy to use marvel that I'm mowing the lawns of less fortunate neighbours because it's just made so easy! Very easy to start and maintain, well worth the cost even on a pretty small surburban block.  Show details

I miss my victa mower! – After 15 years, my victa finally packed and decided to call it quits. Against my better judgement, I bought this lawnmower as Honda is a reputable mower brand. My lawn gets chewed and then mowed. It's not a clean cut and a nuisance. I dearly miss my victa and regret not purchasing a victa mower.  Show details

Easy to use – The honda hru216 is easy to use and saw to use. It make relatively low noise and cut grass nicely. Since I bought the machine I begin to love cutting lawn. Overall it is a very good lawn machine and I really recommend to everyone who consider to buy it.  Show details

Good – Used it found it Cool. Good power strong equipment Would recommend to anyone. If it dies I would buy another Honda for sure Maneuvering is easy and cutting results are excellent with this mower About maintenance not much is required except the normal oil change routine and spark plug cleaning along with air filter cleaning  Show details

Disappointing – Firstly, I am a contractor. I usually buy the 19" Honda mower which is fantastic! When I bought the 21" self propelled, at first it seemed great! Unfortunately unless you mow your lawn twice a week it is useless both mulching or catching grass, and if its long and wet better to use scissors!! The small shute clogs up every 10m. A very… Read more

disappointing mower and would not waste the money on one again! And don't start me on the cost of maintaining it with all the cables etc that break!

Domestic Use on a large lawn – I had been using a Honda HRU194 push mower for about the last 25 years and it still starts first go.. I'm getting older so I decided to get a self propelled mower. I also have a ride-on but don't like the way it cuts. I enjoy mowing and look after my lawns so spending around $1700 was okay for me. The mower has the 160cc engine which starts… Read more

first time and is equipped with a lever which controls the spinning of the blades and another which propels it. Once you get used to it, its a good set up. The blade control has a safety interlock so just moving the lever will not engage the blades which is a great safety addition.

It is a very heavy mower so maneuvering it can be heavy work on the turns or around tight spaces where you cannot use the self propel feature. I have read that it is advisable to move the mower forward a little before engaging the self propel lever or early clutch wear will result. The mower is also equipped with three forward gears from fairly slow to a quick pace.

I don't mow when the lawn is wet so I cannot comment on grass pickup on a wet lawn but on a dry lawn, pickup is excellent. The mower is heavy so it does leave wheel marks on the Queensland Couch lawn but not enough to concern me. The height adjuster is a little heavy to use.

I've already changed the engine oil which was a quick and easy job. As the mower is heavy, it is more suited to those who have a bit of muscle. I could not recommend it for a frail user or the average woman or those with lawns with tight areas. It's a 21 inch cut compared to my previous mower which was only 19 inch. Certainly heavy duty. Overall, I am really happy with it.

Terrible mower for the price – Unfortunately in 25 years of making the Honda buffalo they have never improved it. The mower chassis have a tendency to be warped from new , this problem has been around since about 2005 and is still around today although Honda will not admit to this .I recently purchased a replacement deck , spent two hour transferring all the components only to… Read more

find out that the new deck was wrapped . I took it back put it on the bench and measured the difference was 14mil from lrleftside to right.the deck also wears out on the front axle on the height lever side , the mower is now too heavy for the front axle setup this is evident when the front left hand wheel wears out well before the right one . The clutch system does not cope with long or wet grass and slips . Overall the mower does not cut straight and is useless in wet grass . Unlike a kubota w821 with a fan to help push grass into the bag . I have bought over 50 Hondas from 1993 - 2010 , since then I have bought just 1 new 1 last September and the problem of wrapped chassis still exists , so I will never buy another again. Buyer be warned check that the left hand front wheel touches the ground when the mower is in the shop .or better still do yourself a favour and buy a kubota w821 with Honda gxv160 mower.

Very good mower, but not perfect – I ran a mowing business for 7 years and have used 3 HRU216s in that time. The good points are. They start easily They are easy to maintain for example regular oil changes, filter cleaning, and blades are easy to change. They tend to just keep going. Motor is great never had a problem. I loved the catcher set up as it is so easy to empty and… Read more

collects a lot of clippings although they do wear out.

It does give a great cut.

The height adjustment is good and easy to change.

But when you mow 10 plus lawns per day 5 days a week and putting it off an on a trailer bits and pieces start to brake down. I've broken 2 handles in the same place so I think that's a design fault. Plenty of cable brakes. the gear box failed on two.

I didn't like the narrow shute which would clog with wet or long grass.

Its very heavy, so can leave tracks on soggy lawns.

Didn't like the way it mulch mows.

The wheels are plastic so they wear out in a year, I would like them a bit wider and made of proper rubber.

Over all it is a good mower. If I were still in the mowing business I would seriously consider buying one again, although I would also look at a rover.

Terrific – Mighty good mower cuts really well, Just a bit heavy! Bit hard to turn for a old bloke of 74! Very easy to start and run, Starts first time every time.. Easy to maintain Love it. supplied by Mowers Galore and they have serviced it once and I would recommend this model and the service center to each and eryone  Show details

Extremely disappointed – Bought this mower to use in my new business utterly disappointed at $1750 new I was disappointed from the first 5 mins. The price of this mower is ridiculous but being a reputable brand I thought it would be an investment how wrong I am. It's a lawn mower .... that doesn't mow lawn!!! Seriously standard lawn 2 weeks growth had mower set on medium… Read more

height must of stalled over 20 times in 100sq metres its so under powered The first sniff of grass it clogs up and stalls. I've mowed lawns for 20 years and never had such a slow machine. The time spent stopping to un clog it and the crawl speed I had to walk to stop it from stalling is appalling This is a machine purchased from biggest Honda dealer in qld pre run at dealer so it's running as designed but what a piece of junk. Dry grass ended up having to mow the lawn 3 times at different height to cut down 2 weeks growth i couldn't even use the mower on number 1 speed because that was too fast for the underpowered motor. Admittedly unit seems well built but if it does t do it's prime function then everything else is irrelevant will be selling this brand new machine due to overwhelming disappointment and the fact it doesn't have enough power to mow a standard residential property.

Good Mower Terrible service!! – I purchased the Honda HRY216M2 for my business in 2015. I have had the mower less than 2 years. I am a commercial contractor. I maybe use the mower maximum 10hours per week. I maintain it well as i do my other equipment. During the busy Christmas rush the engine siezed on it. I took it to the dealer. Honda came back and said they would not cover… Read more

under warranty as it has had too much use. The rear tyres were bald. 10 hrs per week? to much for a commercial grade mower? Also they said the oil was dirty. It was not technically due for an oil change according to their manuals timing for another 3 months. But i scheduled it in for just after Christmas. Didn't happen. My recommendation, DO NOT BUY! not up to standard. I have multiple friends in the commercial industry so it's now going to cost Honda more than just the $560 for my new engine. USELESS!!!!

Honda reliability – I've got two of these and they cop a fair amount of abuse. They start first pull every time and they aren't too noisy. I live in a hilly area and none of my clients live on flat ground, so having a self propelled machine is a must. One mower has over 800 hours on it and never had any mechanical issues. A couple of small annoyances are they don't… Read more

rev out hard enough when delivered from the dealer, but that's an easy fix. The throttle lever seems to catch on low branches resulting in it almost shutting down (minor thing). Keep you blade in good condition and you'll never have an issue

Love my Hondas

Bulletproof – I've had my mower for twelve months. I will often do between five and 10 lawns per day in summer … This mower is fantastic. As someone mentioned before, a friend of mine who does hundreds of lawns told me to push off before engaging the clutch always, and you can potentially add a couple of years life to your gearbox. Highly recommend.  Show reply

Awesome Lawn mower gives excellent results – Wonderful mower. Self-propelled, blade brake, and massive catcher. I have a 10 year old one I use a lot. Doing around 200 to 300 lawns a year I need the best. Great warranty. This is however, a rather heavy mower, so if you need to transport it, get some ramps.  Show reply

Deck wear – The deck wears out after about 18 months of daily use .A lot of our lawns are sandy and the constant sand blasting from the blades pits and eventually puts holes in deck .It's around $500 to $600 for a new deck including labour .Apparently this is more a W.A. problem. A stronger deck is needed.

Gearbox issues – Working as a contractor I use this machine. I'm quite happy with the cut and speed but find the gearbox is not reliable and often find it needs repairing after 6-12 months. Blades do wear quickly. At $1700 plus now for a new machine out might be time to find a more reliable alternative .

Reasonable machine – I do about 7 -10 yards a week with the HRU216M2. Had it for 7 months so far. It has a reliable engine and gearbox. I like the blade brake system as it stops grass flying around when emptying the catcher and allows me to safely move over driveways etc.. The fuel tank is big enough to do at least 3 1/4 acre blocks without refueling. It is not… Read more

too heavy for me (but I am a 25yr old distance runner) and I also like the front bar for protection and tie down. Now for the cons. It could have a little more power to cut couch grass (which it more or less tears). The wash port is absolutely useless even if the grass is only a little damp and even more useless with even half worn blades. Lastly only a minor thing(but annoying). Randomly when mowing(even sometimes on level ground) the blade engaging button pops out.

ok at the moment – Bought 216m2 , starts 1st time, feels strong but its bloody heavy for someone who uses it daily, shute gets clogged a bit and the spring on the self propelled cable twists itself around and jams the self propelled to open occasionally.revs feel slightly low (around 2900-3000) and feels like at $1650 it could be a bit more powerful . Not sure Ive made the right choice but time will tell.

Great cut and powerful engine – Fantastic lawnmower, much better then any other mower we have had previously. Great for larger lawns i.e. 0.5 to 1 acre. Love that's it self propelled, starts first time and can cut through pretty much any type of lawn/grass effortlessly. Comes with 4 yr warranty. Mulch and catcher works really well. cuts well and efficiently, powerful engine, starts first time nothing really, just that is it a heavy machine Show reply