Customer Reviews

Husqvarna 7021R 21-Inch 160cc Honda GCV160 3-In-1 RWD Self-Propelled Lawn Mower (CARB Compliant)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I recently purchased this mower. I was a bit skeptical as I truly wanted a Snapper, but I decided to save a few bucks and get this instead. I wanted a light weight, yet strong, and durable mower, that could easily pull the very steep hill in my yard. This mower is a little power house, and slices through my lawn like a sharp scissor through paper. I don't know how well it would do with tall thick fesque, but for my Bermudagrass it is absolutely perfect. It pulls the hill very well, mulches my clippings superbly. No need to make a second run. And the engine cranks on the first pull, each time, no problem, with very VERY little effort. An elderly person could start this mower. I love it!!!

I have worked as a dealer Mechanic for Stihl, Snapper and Lawn Boy Before they were Toros. I have done alot of reasearch to purchase my new mower I am a Big Gravely Fan but I wasn't useing this for comerical use just at home, My yard is about a half an acre with not a level spot around some hills are steep enought you can't even walk up them. I went to my local Husky dealer to get a gas cap for my 55 chainsaw when I saw this mower and a few other models. I wanted it to be powered by a Kohler or Honda and to be posi traction rear drive "where both wheels turn" and the handel controls to be easy and comfortable. This mower was very user freindly deck height was easy enough an elderly person could do it, The bag and Mulch plug were very easy to install and remove, The side discharge deflector was also easy. They were sold out of the model with the bail type drive enguage all they had was the Auto Walk I was a little sceptical about this so I bought it any way, Mine has Two levers for drive not one like most pictures. The Guys at Fulton Tractor did an excellent job of Service and Support in selling me this unit.
I got it home toped it off with fuel I was going to mulch only, Choked it one pull It started right up this machine was everything I wanted engine was smooth with lots of power for the size,The drive is effortless my hands weren't tired at all and the drive was smooth no spining wheels. The hills were no issue the mower climbed right up them,The wheels have ball bearings so reverse movement is effortless and it's fairly light. The double drive levers is nice if you have low over shrubs like I do you can use one hand to walk it around. This unit was money well spent! Just for Note When purchaseing a mower look at what your mowing, How much, And Dealer Support for your mower, Other mowers are good to it's all in what you pay, Your preferance, How you take care of it and know you mowers limits. I mow my grass at the scond notch from the bottom and it will still mow grass with the grass height mid way up the engine if I slow my speed, If there was alot of area like this I would change my deck height. I hope this helps.

I purchased this mower in mid season last year to replace an inexpensive Weedeater push mower from Walmart. I was initially impressed with features like the single lever wheel height adjustment, rear wheel drive, ergonomic controls, ball bearing wheels,and etc. I was also ready to give the much ballyhooed Honda engine a try after many years and many mowers with Briggs power. I had read reviews indicating the susceptability of Honda engines to carb problems and recommendations to install an inline fuel filter. When I requested a filter be installed by the dealer I was assured this problem had been resolved.

Now after only ~30-40 hours usage I have a Honda engine with a faulty carb that will not run and a mower that is useless. I am mad as hell. This mower has not been abused. The oil has been changed, air filter serviced, fed only clean gas, and the mower has been stored out of the weather. I am ready to go back to something with a Briggs engine and will certainly never buy another Honda anything!

This is a solid sturdy well constructed machine. I have had trouble with wheels on most lower and mid range mowers getting loose. (Granted this is the most money I have ever spent on a mower so I cannot say anything about the way high end mowers. I have looked at some and it looks like they have sturdy designs also, but the price is no where near this good with the shipping deals they have) ... with the rear drive and the solid connection on the front wheels connected with solid axle to work with the one lever adjust, the wheels are sturdy and solid.

I love the one lever adjustment for wheel height. It is quick and easy. One drawback is you cannot lower the front from the rear so mowing with the front into the base of a tree does not get quite as close as others, either this is that you cannot lower the front more than the back or the solid front axle protrudes the front a bit and does not allow the blade to reach out in radius as much.

The Honda motor is smooth and has great power when going through deeper grass. The choke seams to release quickly, but it starts every time if you do not hold the lever down too long. It seems to take just a touch longer to warm up and reach full potential however, but the power change is not really noticed, just seems to run a bit smoother after a few minutes of warming.

The rear drive is by far the best choice for the best traction. The speed control levers are easy to use and work seamlessly.

I hope that long term the wheels and the one lever adjustment remain solid and last. The construction seems solid so there is no reason they should not last a long time. I had more problems in the past with the large rear wheel versions getting loose faster. My only thought is that a side load while spinning around has a longer lever arm on the big rear wheel versions. They eventually get wobbly. This has the smaller rear wheels that I have had better luck from this standpoint on these types of mowers. Yes the larger rear wheels help roll over bumps, but you loose some torque on a rear drive self propelled unit like this one .... now that probably is splitting hairs, but physics is physics.

Funny thing is I cannot find this model any longer on the current US manufacturers web site. The Canadian version of their site has this model still available. I would almost buy another one, but that would be silly. If you are on the fence, but this on now ... you may not be able to get it in the future, though their models now look good too, but to get the same features they are more expensive.

I mow .60 of an acre with this mower twice per week all summer long, and I couldn't be happier. I've had it for two full seasons and half a third now, and it has never let me down. It starts first pull every time, the bagging and mulching features work great (I've never tried the side discharge though), and the drive system is acceptable for our slightly hilly yard. I run 91 octane non-ethanol premium fuel in all of my power equipment, and unlike other reviewers, I've had no issues with the carburetor, or the mower not starting... and I even leave the tank full of gas all winter! I'm pretty surprised that this mower has gotten anything but top-notch reviews by other owners, as it's been such a great mower for me. If I could change one thing about the unit, it would be a slightly larger bag, but really, it's hardly an issue. Overall, I give it a 5-star rating :)

I have had a Husky 55R21HV for 8 years and it is a good machine. I mow 3 yards here in the NE. I bought a 7021R this spring and I was told it was the new and improved replacement for my machine - 7hp compaired to 5hp etc. It apeared to be almost the same. After one use I found this to be far from the truth. It plugged 4 or 5 times then the shute started falling off "all the time" and the self-propelled is all but worthless on anything resembling a hill, and we have real hills and real grass here in the NE. I returned this machine to Power & Paddle in Owego NY, showed them all the problems and and lack of build quality (missing paint underneath). They called Husky and I was told it was designed to work, they are #1 in power equipment and "it is what it is." I am stuck with this JUNK. The Honda power is its only redeeming quality. I will buy a Honda HRS216K3SDA next spring - same motor, same price, and no bagger - much better design better build quality. "Buyer beware!" At Husqvarna and P&P, the SALE is MUCH more important than the customer.

Bought brand new. Always use fresh gas. This thing has been used about 5 hours tops. Hard to start at times. Today started and ran fine minutes. It just sputtered and stopped with brand new fresh gas that works fine in other mowers and equipment. Won't start. Kohler engine; junk. This says it has a Honda engine; it doesn't, at least not the Sears version. So...it has to be hauled in at the height of mowing season and wait weeks for repairs ona brand new mower. Alo minor, but: Handle always comes loose and has to be re-tightened every use.

My previous mower was a Honda HRR216SDA (pretty much the standard, self-propelled 21 inch Honda mower). When I bought it the mower had a twisted deck and the local hardware store I bought it from (in 2003) said Honda would not replace it under warranty so they bent the deck back so that all four wheels touched the ground at the same time. I thought (and still think) that this was a serious initial defect in manufacturing and that Honda should have replaced the unit under warranty, but they did not.

Anyway, my Honda mower required multiple services for drive cable replacement and carburetor problems, so this after this past winter when the self-propelled drive mechanism also gave out, I was reluctant to buy another Honda product.

I bought this Husqvarna based on their reputation for other products and input from another local retailer. It arrived promptly from Amazon and FedEx delivered it right to my garage door, very considerate. The price was right too.

The lawnmower came in a clever box, fully assembled, and rolled right out of it. Started pretty much right away, too. Initial impressions extremely positive.

I am almost certain this lawnmower is made entirely by Honda. The box said it was made in Georgia (where Hondas are made) and EVERYTHING seems identical to my previous Honda lawnmower.

That is good and bad -- my Honda usually started right away and cut properly. But I had recurring carburetor issues and the drive mechanism finally froze up.

This Husqvarna has a different (and better, IMO) drive activation, variable in speed. And there is no variable speed feature for the engine, just one speed and an "off/on" choke that seems to work a lot better than the manual one on my previous Honda.

I think it's appreciably better than the [2003] Honda it replaced but I am concerned about its long-term longevity given its Honda roots. I know my opinion runs counter to accepted views of Honda products but lawnmowers in general do not seem to be of the same quality of years past. I had a Lawn Boy two-stoke for 15 years that was perfect the entire time, but they don't make them like that any more. I have also owned two Honda snow blowers that IMO were complete disasters; I got rid of them both. This Husqvarna seems the best of a compromised selection, IMO. It is interesting also to me that while the product is certified in all 50 states including California, it cannot be sold in Europe or Australia.

Time will tell; right now I'm very satisfied and would recommend this lawnmower.

UPDATE -- After a full season's use, I am very satisfied with this lawnmower and would recommend it highly. The engine runs perfectly and starts easily, and the drive mechanism works well. I'd definitely buy another.

Bought this mower with high expectations, very light and easy to maneuver from Sears, Manassas, VA. Bought it June 2009 used it sparingly because I have an old Snapper that I substitute using. On October 2009, it died at the middle while I was using it and never started again. I took it to Sears and they supposedly fixed it after two weeks in the shop; took it home and used it twice, but I noticed that it does not start at the first pull as before, then its time to store it (I always mix Stabil with gas in all my equipments). I ran all the gas out then stored it in my shed. At the beginning of April 2010, when I used it again, it died again with the same identical symptom. I brought it back to Sears and after two weeks I picked it up and used it, again alternately with the old Reliable Snapper. On September 2010 that dreaded experience happened again, you keep on pulling the rope until your arm felt like ready to fall off, out there in the hot sun rays, MAD and looking for something heavy to smash the darn thing, but I settled down, hauled it again to Sears repair and ask them if they would replace it; their reply was that; it has to be in the shop 4 times before they could do decide of replacing it. After two weeks, I picked it up and used it a few times and stored it for the season. I used it again this year, then on May, the same thing happened again, I took it back to Sears and they replaced the carburetor and filter, which I did not think needed replacement. After three weeks on May 27th 2011, I picked it up(they gave me back the old carburetor (which look new) and the old filter w/c is not dirty (being used in the old Snapper). The following day I used it and it cut my front yard, after I emptied the bag, I tried to start it back up again and it did the very same thing again. I took it back to Sears, this time I went and spoke to the Lawn and Garden manager, his name is Jim. Explained to him my frustrations and complaints and showed him all the repair orders and receipts. To my surprise, he gave me credit of which I used to purchase a higher end Craftsman with electric start.
My advice: STAY AWAY FROM HUSQVARNA WITH KOHLER ENGINES, IT MAD IN CHINA!!!