Forums Archive Index > Lawnmowers-Reviews Only Please > Troy-Bilt 11A 542Q711 lawnmower review

Author: AZinOH

Date: 8 Jun 2006 8:02 pm



http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=97712-270-11A-542Q711&lpage=none

Troy-Bilt Rotary 21 inch push mower Model 11A 542Q711
Honda 5.5 hp GCV 160 engine

3 in 1: Rear bag, mulch and side discharge. Weight 70 lbs.

First impressions: Easy to set up, engine starts easily and sounds good.
Also had 76-year old female pull the cord, started on first pull.
Shipped with no oil in engine. A 21-ounce bottle of “Arnold by MTD”
10w30 came with the unit. This will be changed at 5 hours. This mower
is noticeably lighter than the 10 year old MTD/Briggs mower that I
was using. Not a problem for me...just that much easier to push.

Positives: The 12-inch rear wheels feel better as the mower moves over
the occasional bumps in my lawn. Quality? It’s obvious this is an MTD
product so I wasn’t expecting great things, but it seems slightly better
than average for the price. I believe this model is available only from Lowe’s.
First time for me mulching and using a rear bagger-very satisfactory so far.

Negatives:
No throttle control. Maybe it’s a sign of the times that they are trying
to make things idiot-proof. The engine manual is confusing. It attempts
to provide information for no less than 8 different engine configurations
with different instructions for starting on each. Took me a while to realize
that mine was #4 (Automatic Return Choke-Fixed Throttle-Recoil). The
unit I selected was shipped without the side discharge chute. Phone call
to Troy-Bilt customer service resulted in UPS delivery of chute 74 hours
later.

Summary: Good basic mower for the price. Honda engine a definite plus,
and the main reason I chose this mower over the competition. Appears to
be better quality and more features than competition at similar price. Still,
it’s a light-duty only machine.

Date Putchased: 6/3/06
Purchase Recommended: Yes
Purchase Price: USD $239, less 10% Lowe’s coupon + tax =$229.62