Toro Wheel Horse 416-8

by Cyndi
(Belleville,MI)

The Toro Wheel Horse 416-8 has been the best mower we have ever owned. From ease of use to functionality I believe it has most others beat hands down.

The fuel system is designed to keep out most of the dirt and particles that tend to clog most fuel filters. If the filter does clog, which isn't very often, its location and design make it very easy to clean and reassemble. Although there are restrictions on the incline and decline that you are supposed to adhere to, I have never had a problem exceeding the limits.

The gear shift in front is in a fairly usable position, however, it would probably be better located on the side of the vehicle. I have to keep moving my legs and looking down to shift gears.

The blades (for which this lawn mower has three) all cut with uniform height. They are fairly simple to remove and sharpen. If something (like rope) becomes tangled or wrapped in the blades it is generally easy to remove.

As far as safety features are concerned the Wheel Horse has a seat trigger that cuts off the blades should you get off the mower for any reason. Also, you are unable to engage the blades if you are not sitting on the mower.

If I were to change one more thing on the mower it would be the handle that I use to raise an lower the deck. The long and narrow button on top of the handle is extremely difficult to depress and you have to apply considerable force to raise the deck up and lower it. This can be especially cumbersome if you attached a snow plow to the front of the machine for plowing during winter. I would definitely not recommend this particular machine for this purpose.