Snapper 21" Steel Deck Walk Mower, Model MR2106015B

by Mary Hilton
(Madrid, New York)

About two acres of lawn surrounds my house, so the first summer I was here, I purchased my first gas-powered push mower - a Snapper 21-inch Steel Deck Walk Mower.


The salesman at the Wood Chop Shop where I bought it gave me a manual, which is very detailed, but to make it easy for me he explained in about six easy steps how to use the mower - I took notes, and those became the reference I still use today.

Basically, with the Snapper, you just fill it with gas and oil, prime it and choke it, and then pull the rope start handle to start the engine. That's it - it is very easy to start and use!

While you walk, you hold the safety lever against the handle you're pushing so that if you need to stop, all you do is let go of the handle.

I also learned how to adjust the height of the mower deck to cut the grass really close, or leave it a bit long. I like to keep the front lawn a bit long so it looks more lush and green, but the aisles in my vegetable garden are kept close-cropped so they look very neat and the grass doesn't rise above the beds.

Handwalking behind my Snapper mower is like vacuuming a rug - it's pleasant to do because the results are so immediate, and it's also good exercise.

However, that first summer, I didn't realize that for two acres of grass, I should really have a lawn tractor. Mowing the front, two side yards, and a big backyard took me two to three days and about six hours of walking behind my mower! I eventually purchased a lawn tractor, but for the first year, I mowed two acres of grass about every 10 days with my trusty Snapper. This is an excellent credential for this machine!

My front yard is about 180-feet
long and 20-feet wide with lots of curvy landscaping to mow around. Even though I can now mow this section with my lawn tractor, I still almost always use the walk-behind because I like the precision look it gives. I can cut really close to the edges of the flower and shrub beds, the front walkway, and around the pine trees. Also, I've gotten creative with the patterns - sometimes I mow vertically, up and down from the street; other times I go horizontally, length-wise parallel to the street; and last year I learned how to make the baseball diamond patterns by mowing criss-cross.

I've owned my Snapper since June 2003, and the only mistake I ever made in handling it that caused a problem was during that first summer when I turned it over once to look at the blades. It wouldn't start after that, so I loaded it into the back of my Jeep and took it to the Wood Chop Shop. This mower is light enough for me to lift in and out of my vehicle, which is another bonus. The repairman fixed it right away and I learned to never turn my mower over again!

Every year I have my Snapper and my lawn tractor winterized. LeBerge and Curtis, the John Deere dealer where I bought the lawn tractor, has a special service each fall where a serviceman comes to your home with a big trailer, loads up your mowers, brings them to their shop, and services them. This service is great, because they do all the upkeep and maintenance I'd have to do if I ever read the manual. Most of that work is far too mechanical and complicated for me! This service also ensures that in the summer, the first time I pull the rope start handle, my Snapper always fires right up!

This Snapper is a great mower and I look forward to season #7 using it!

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