Murray - Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

My current mower is actually a replacement for a previous model that had a substandard pulley mechanism (pulley actually split apart) that effectively disabled the self-propelled feature.

Damages: A self-propelled mower that needs to be pushed. Wasted gas and a potential fire hazard.

I love my Murray 22" 6.5 HP lawn mower. It has so many things going for it. However, all these good things were discovered while attempting to deal with the mower's one little flaw. Nothing gets out the side discharge chute. Even after wiring up the safety flap (ironically enough with wire using my safety-wire pliers) it jams solid with mulch within a few feet.

# 1: The mower is tough. It has to be to survive the pounding required, bouncing the running mower from front wheels to back wheels, until it grudgingly discharges another bolus of grass.

# 2: It's user friendly. It obligingly vapor locks on a regular basis, allowing me to go into the house for a cool drink.

# 3: The grass fears it! I know this from the way it bows down in front of the mower. And even more so from the way it's still bowed down after the mower has passed.

# 4: No grass escapes. I have it set as high as it will ride and can pass over my dog's tennis ball without disturbing it. While the tennis ball can pass out from under the mower, somehow mulch can't escape. It has to be piled against the side discharge chute.

# 5. Ease of maintenance. With only one exception the mower is relatively simple to maintain. The exception is that first thing I must do before running the mower is to dethatch it. Thick layers of dried grass cling to every surface of the underside resulting in almost no clearance for cut grass. Getting that out of the way means I can focus on that pesky side discharge chute.

# 6: This mower builds character. The neighbors love the show and it's a heck of an ad for buying an A-O-M. (Any Other Mower). And BTW, I know the blade is sharp I and turning the correct direction. With the saftey flap wired up I can see it where it almost protrudes from the side discharge opening. Mowers like this should keep your attorneys on the gravy train. Happy litigating.

steals it.

Spring is here and again I have to do my yearly ritual: replacing another lawn mower wheel. I bought a lawn mower made by Murray under the Scott's brand name. The model number for the mower is 21365X8B. I am basically happy with the mower except for replacing the wheels. The problem is the the plasic that slides over the shaft cracks and breaks off. I bought a new wheel today for $10.50 and really should replace the others before they completely off. What really upsets me is that this must have been a problem for years and nothing has been to correct it.

Damage caused hair removed by the flames and expense of engine repair $94. Just happy I was not next to the engine when the explosion happened. Repair crew stated that the carburetor (inner structure) was the cause of the explosion. They replaced the entire carburetor. Not sure if Murray (Tecumseh) is causing problems with many other machines but having to go through this horrific incident, felt it's best to pass this along.

Damage Resulting: Premature retirement of what should have been a perfectly good lawn mower. Frustration, heartburn, filthy hands.

Using the mower as a push walk behind, physically wore me out and took three times longer to get the lawn mowed. I almost had heat stroke from pushing it through the lawn each time I mowed. It took all the strength that I had in me to get the job done. It also used a lot of gas as a push mower.

I have a Murray self-propelled lawnmower with electric start and a "mulching" deck. This deck design has an air gap all around the base of the engine mounting area between the engine and the deck. I have tried all sorts of different blade and mower height combinations but the results are always the same: the mower sprays large pieces of cut grass all over itself as well as the lawn. The lawn looks like a hay field ready for bailing after mowing. There is apparently a grass bag that can attach to the right side of the deck but I cannot find a bag that will fit. I recommend avoiding this type of Murray mulching lawn mower or if one is purchased from Murray make certain it can be returned if unsatisfactory for your use.

Damage Resulting: Wasted time, lost opportunities to do the work in a summer cursed with rain nearly every weekend. Apart from dyspepsia and, so far, about $70 no serious consequence.

Damage Resulting: I wasted $222 on a worthless mower.

I purchased a Murray self-propelled mower at the end of last summer. My family has used Murray mowers since I was a little boy (I am 40 years old) with hardly any problems. This mower I have now has been nothing but problems. I contacted the Murray corporation 3 times now but they fail to respond. I spent nearly $400 on this mower. I saved all summer to get it and now I still have no mower. I can't even use it. I lost my job recently and cannot afford another mower. I contacted Wal-Mart where I purchased it and they said I would have to contact Murray. As you can see, that did nothing for the problem.