machines

Honda stopping gas mower production after 2023

By February 1, 2023 No Comments

Old news

I had no idea Honda had announced it was stopping their gas mower production after this year, until I talked to James, the owner of this website and Proper Landscaping Inc. This happened in September 2022.

Why would Honda stop making mowers?

“Honda mowers will go down in history as the most durable commercial mowers”, says Desmond Early. Des owns and runs Foreshore Equipment, the best dealer in British Columbia. He would know.

Years ago, when he upgraded his mower fleet, he sold me one of his Honda commercial mowers for just over $100. I still have it, and it still runs. Since I don’t mow a lot when I side-hustle, I barely touch it. I did buy new blades and air filters.

It’s hard for me to admit, but oil changes seemed like a lot of work, so I skipped them and the machine still ran fine. I would haul it out in spring, pull the cord a few times, and it would come to life. That’s a true Honda story.

3 reasons

Honda gave three reasons for stopping their gas mower production but not much detail. Honda cited regulations, customer preferences and focus on profitable products.

States like California are coming out with tougher regulations, and people prefer to buy electric or battery-powered units for their homes. For homeowners with small yards, buying a Honda mower is overkill.

Also, the battery powered technology is much improved. See my blog post on the latest from Kress, which uses German technology. Kress promises quick battery recharge times and power output comparable to gas machines. Now, if a homeowner can avoid sucking unhealthy fumes on Saturday afternoon with battery powered machines, why wouldn’t they switch.

Obviously, I can’t comment on Honda profits but clearly they will concentrate on producing something else, like ATVs. Maybe they don’t really care about mowers and landscaping.

I think Honda sees the coming shift away from gas powered mowers and it’s repositioning. Whatever the case, the future is exciting with new technology coming online. I can’t wait to test some of it in the field. I’m tired of sucking exhaust but I’m keeping my old Honda mower for now.

Kress commercial battery powered mower

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