Troy-built Z-start

by Jonathon Turner
(Salt Lake City, UT, USA)

For the last two years, I have been using a Troy-built Z-start lawn mower. For the most part, it has been a reliable mower. The 6.5 horse power engine has just enough guts to give me a good work-out. I receive a lot of cardiovascular exercise due to the walk-behind nature of the machine. Occasionally, I get a nice upper-body workout when I have to start the motor.


Usually, the machine doesn’t start well after the winter hibernation. Here’s my formula for starting the mower. I turn the throttle up to the “rabbit” setting and pull the cord two to three times. Next, I push it around the lawn for a minute. (For some reason, I think this gets the fuel moving through the system.) Next, I put the throttle in the choked position, and I pull the cord a couple of times. After pushing the mower over the lawn for another minute or so, I can usually start the machine with the throttle in the “rabbit” position.

Here’s another thing I have noticed: As long as I mow the lawn every four to five days, the machine will cut the grass rather well. However, if I wait any longer than that, I will either have to mow the lawn twice (on two different height settings) or I will have to go forward and backward a hundred times with the mower just to get across the lawn. The former option takes a little longer, but the latter option leaves half-cut grass residue all over the lawn and crammed up inside next to the blade.

I don’t like cleaning the moldy grass out from the inside of the machine, but I grew up with a mower that needed this kind of maintenance. Aside from cutting my knuckles a couple of times while changing the height of the blade, I haven’t had any major problems with the machine.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Troy bilt Lawn Mower Consumer Reviews.