Poulan Pro PR173T22RP 21-Inch 173cc Kohler Gas Powered Side Discharge/Mulch/Bag FWD Self Propelled Lawn Mower

I bought this model at a local Menards for a good price and had trouble right from the start. Assembly was very simple, a couple screws near the handle and that was it. It came with a bottle of oil, so all I had to do was gas it up. I pulled on the string to start it and it sputtered. It eventually started, but not like a new mower should. It cut the grass fine. The next time I cut the lawn, it sputtered again, but DID start. This time however, I stopped the mower to take a phone call and it would not start again when I came back. Not even close to wanting to start. I waited 10 minutes and it still didn't start. I waited a few hours and nothing. I had to borrow a neighbor's mower to finish the job. The next morning, I got it to start and let it run for about 10 minutes. After I shut it off, it would not start again. I called Kohler, the engine manufacturer, and their recording gave me a local dealer who would take a look at it. I dropped it off yesterday and explained...Read more

I too purchase this mower on sale at Menards to replace a Snapper with a Briggs engine which had starting/run issues starting after 3 years. I did not do much research on this mower, but remembered good comments on Kohler years back when looking for a mower. Appearently, Kohler uses heavy duty components even in their smaller engines. The price was competitive on this unit, but for $50 more I could have got a name brand mower with a Honda engine with variable speed at Lowes. I believe Lowes would replace the unit if I did not like it.

Performance wise, this mower is bagging grass fine. I thought maybe the bag would not hold much,as compared with my prior mower, but holds about 3/4 of a garbage can and does not clog up like my former mower. Cutting thick long grass did not slow mowing performance. Engine has nice, not too loud hum to it when running. I takes one to two pulls to start when changing bags on a hot engine. The engine needs no priming and this may cause an...Read more