TroyBilt 436 rearside discharge mulching mower

by George
(Lutherville, MD, USA)

The TroyBilt Model 436 rear/side discharge mulching mower is an excellent easy pull start mower for small to medium sized lawns. This model can easily be started by smaller men or women, unlike some other models which require significant effort to get running. A few pumps on the carburetor primer and a few tugs on the starter are usually enough to get the mower running smoothly.

The mower deck adjustments are easy with no tools required, and it consistently cuts and mulches grass on a single pass. Maintenance is relatively simple, with excellent instructions provided in the manual. Although I've never used the bagging attachment, it is available if you'd like to collect your clippings.

The mower mulches grass clippings small enough that they mesh well with the rest of the lawn, and compost nicely, helping to keep the lawn healthy, eliminating the need to rake up clippings.

Fuel and oil mixing aren't necessary as the mower has separate reservoirs for each, eliminating the need for a separate gas can for the mower.

A few negatives to keep in mind are the mower is not powerful enough to handle grass higher than about 4 inches without going very slowly and then cutting only about half the width of the mower deck through high areas. This should be of little consequence if you tend to your lawn regularly, but coming back from a long vacation to tall grass can be a little difficult to get trimmed.

The fuel capacity of the mower could be a little greater, as mowing 1/10th of an acre usually requires some extra fuel.