Weed Eater 300 Series Lawn Mower

by Matthew
(Stillwater, OK)

I recently bought this mower at Wal-mart on fall clearance. Man what a deal. It was under 100 bucks, and it came with oil. It was real easy to get it ready to mow, I just unfolded the handle and tightened 2 bolts. After adding the included oil and my own gas, we were off and going. Prime 3 times, and it starts on the first pull.

Just looking at the mower, you would think it was junk and worthless. It has tiny little motor. Don't let that fool you. I had a big 6HP bagger mower before this, and it took almost 2 tanks of gas to mow my yard. This mower uses less than one tank. And the motor is plenty powerful. I hate to mow the lawn, so it gets very tall. The little guy pushed through it with ease. This mower is QUIET too! You can actually hear the blade cutting the grass.

It isn't all good though. This is actually my second one of this model. The first one sputtered a lot. It ran well, but it took three or so pulls to start it. I traded it out at Wal-mart and that fixed the problem. The only thing I noticed about this model was the rear wheels are crooked. I just grabbed them and bent the bracket straight. Not sure what happened there, but it isn't a big thing for me.

If you have a regular size "city" yard like I do, I would highly recommend this mower.

Comments for Weed Eater 300 Series Lawn Mower

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Apr 25, 2017
Rating

Great mower!
by: brand027

Howdy, I have the series 300 mower also, and have no clue why these people are saying so many bad things about it. I purchased mine at a pawn shop used for $65 last year (2016), here I am a year later and the mower is still working perfectly, starts on the first pull every single time and completely destroys anything in its way with ease. I have a huge back and front yard and it takes me about 2 hrs or so to completely mow it all and this mower has yet to fail me. Changed spark plug air filter and oil this year as well as cleaned everything off and it runs better than new.

Jun 16, 2014
Rating

Mixed or regular gas???
by: Anonymous

Does this mower take mixed or regular gas???

May 03, 2014
Rating

ENGINE
by: Anonymous

HOW MUCH OIL IT HOLDS

May 03, 2014
Rating

ENGINE
by: Anonymous

HOW MUCH OIL IT HOLDS

Jul 26, 2012
Rating

Solid lawn mower
by: Pat in Nashville

I have no idea how old my lawn mower is but it's still running just fine. Cuts like a dream and doesn't use much gas. I've read some of the other reviews but, for the bad ones, that has not been my experience. I'm a 60 year old lady who is a do-it-yourselfer. Granted my yard isn't that big--it only takes an hour to mow--but this mower has proven very reliable for me. Yes, it takes maintenance like anything else you want to last. Make sure you keep good gas and oil in it. Drain all of that at the start of each year and refill; and change the spark plug if you think you need it or not. Spray some WD40 on the gears that change the wheel height. Clean the filter every couple of months (unless it's really oily because of tipping the mower), it takes five minutes to wash out the foam filter. But make sure you let it dry thoroughly before replacing. If you do that, you don't need a fancy mower; just get out there in this hot summer heat and mow! This runs fine!

Jun 19, 2012
Rating

Piece of
by: Anonymous

This mower sucks. Bought it new and used it three times. It won't run now. There is air getting into somewhere. You can tell when you prime it. I should have known better.

Jun 19, 2012
Rating

Stay away from this model
by: mark

I have 2 of these models,its not the weed eater brand its the briggs and stratton junk that sits on top thats the problem.I do small engine repair for a living and I got these 2 units from customers who thought they were doing me a favor lol I just put them with all the other briggs and stratton junk and fire up my 10 year old honda mower.Hate to say it cause im a flag waver but the japs kick our asses when it comes to small engines.If the unions would take some pride we might be able to come up with a decent small engine one day

May 22, 2012
Rating

What kind of oil?
by: Anonymous

What kind of oil do I use or this? Can't find any website that says what kind to use. I got mine at a yard sale and have run it twice. Now the thing is smoking. What do I need to do?

Apr 15, 2012
Rating

WeedEater 300
by: Anonymous

I got my WeedEater lsst year at a thrift store for little or nothing.My biggest problem was getting it to start an keeping it running.But with all of the input that i've read about this model.You guys have been a geat help to me,i thank you all.I'll make sure to drain the oil and keep the filter clean.As amatter of fact,i used mine yesterday(4/14/12)to cut grass behind my garage which was atleast 7in. high.It did a good job for me!

Mar 28, 2012
Rating

Weedeater walk behind 20"
by: Anonymous

I bought one last yr and worked well for 3 mths, now its time to cut grass and will not start. It has been kept in a garage, maintanence done and still no start>

Nov 03, 2011
Rating

AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID
by: Anonymous

this mower is absolutely terrible. I've had to take the plastic piece of crap carb off numerous times, yet it won't do anything for it, because the fuel delivery has something seriously wrong with it. It uses springs to govern the engine, and they never work right.. now it wont start, no matter what I do, presumably due to the carb failing somehow. DO NOT BUY YOU MIGHT AS WELL BURN YOUR MONEY

Oct 26, 2011
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Worst ever
by: Crispin52

The Weed Eater 300 is the very worst mower I have ever used! Bought first one...broke on second use - the engine blew. Walmart replaced reluctantly. Replacement mower lasted one mow. Can't believe the lousy quality. Will never buy another Weed Eater product.

Oct 26, 2011
Rating

end of 3rd summer
by: Anonymous

dry here in Texas, so the little mower spent a lot more time under its cover and in the garage this season. Fall is looking like spring so Im back to doing a little mowing again. So far so good. Ill do another oil change at the end of the season and either clean or replace the air filter. Still starting and running fine so no messing with the plug. Big note: remember to run it year round( and let it get up to temp) so the carb doesnt get gunked up. If people would do that with anything that has carb or carbs, things would just work. When I go looking for a motorcycle on Craigslist, its almost ALWAYS the same story, "bike has been sitting, carbs will need to be cleaned or rebuilt". How hard can it be to just run it a little year round - problem solved.

Oct 18, 2011
Rating

Fixing cheesy Walmart Weedeater mower
by: Rich(y)

They manually bent the choke tab down to keep it from moving (this model does not appear to HAVE a choke). If you discover this and UNBEND it, the mower will not run unless the lever is placed in the original bent alignment position. This is not mentioned in the instruction manual.

This is a jury-rig of cosmic proportions and has something to do with the more expensive models having a real choke and throttle assembly. Once you get this thing running, it works well. If I hadn't torn up the packing box and thrown out the packing material I would have returned this piece of junk immediately to Walmart.

More stuff I will NEVER buy at Walmart: Anything electronic---since I watched in amazement as a few high-schoolers played kick ball with various unopened cell phones at a local Walmart.

What a place...

Oct 03, 2011
Rating

300series
by: Anonymous

would not start after a few hours running , replaced the carberator ran a couple time. maybe a total of three hours running. Its a piece of crap.

Sep 21, 2011
Rating

changing the oil
by: Anonymous

if the gas tank is empty, take the filler/dipstick out and turn it upside down and drain it that way, works just fine. You dont have to mess with that drain plug on the bottom. I have a vacuum tank/pump that just vacuums out the oil through the filler hole. Its light enough to just hold upside down and it will drain out in no time. There is NO oil filter on this model(in case anyone was wondering). Definately change that oil and clean or replace the air filter.

Sep 21, 2011
Rating

second comment a year later
by: Anonymous

...on my 3rd summer with this mower and still doing just fine. I changed the oil before the season(10w30), cleaned the air filter and thats it. For 64 bucks I cant complain...for those of you that are having heck, its WALMART...return it!!! Thats why we shop at Walmart....their return policy is great and handled by a bunch of 7 dollar an hour people that dont give a crap....ha!

Sep 02, 2011
Rating

Super
by: Anonymous

For all those complains ... You simply change the oil (use the right type too) as needed and don't top off the oil to avoid over flow or mix old oil with new oil. Remember to refill the gas after the tank runs empty after 2 mins not right away. Don't forget to read the owners manual, it pays to read before operating. Mine was a gift from the home owner who sold me the home and it has been running for 5 years.

Aug 31, 2011
Rating

Piece of junk
by: Anonymous

I was hoping to beat the odds and have a pleasant experience with this mower, but...nope. It ran fine the first time I used it; wouldn't stay running more than 5 seconds the second time I wanted to use it. Only had it 11 days, it's going right back to Wal-Mart (I should've known better).

Aug 28, 2011
Rating

weed eater
by: Anonymous

this is the louiest mower i ever bought i have to take the air cleaner off each time i want to use it and put some gas in it to get it going ,then keep mowing because if i stop it might not start again ,its a complete fraud ,i can't find the purchase or i would take it back

Aug 23, 2011
Rating

Waste of money
by: Anonymous

I've never owned a worse mower! I bought it 4 months ago, and now it is totally useless! When I can actually get the thing started I am lucky if it mows a single strip of grass before it dies and I am unable to start it again.

This mower has totally soiled the Briggs and Stratton brand for me. How can they sleep at night putting their name on this piece of crap?

Who were the engineering geniuses that decided to put not throttle or adjustments of any kind?

I think I could do a better job of mowing with one of those Fischer Price mowers for kids that blow the little balls on the air.

Aug 22, 2011
Rating

boo hoooers
by: Anonymous

dont know what you people are talking about. i bought this 300 series 5 years ago in texas used it almost every week now its about 7 months a year and it still looks new and works great. now i just need to order some new springs for on the carb so it stays running easy. i think we have alot of story tellers here.

Aug 21, 2011
Rating

Found my lawn mower at the curb on garbage day!
by: Discodan

Found this weed eater 300 series lawnmower at the curb, waiting for a ride to the land fill. Took it home to find out what was wrong with it. I check compression by giving it a few pulls. And it seemed find. I then checked the oil level and it was fine. Next I checked the spark plug. It was dirty and oily. So I cleaned the spark plug with a sand paper and compressed air. Before re-installing the spark plug I checked for spark. A-ha! no spark! so I suspected a faulty spark plug, coil or kill switch!
I started with the most simple,common easiest thing to replace. THE RIGHT TYPE OF SPARK PLUG FOR THAT ENGINE. And voilà! with fresh gas and an oil change, pushed the primer 3 times and the engine started with ease!

P.S. Try to empty the gas tank or run dry after every use to avoid the gasoline to deteriorate and clog the carburetor over time. Use higher octane gasoline and keep in a smaller amounts, so gas is always fresh! Stay away from gas containing more then 10% ethanol. Because it attracts moisture and breaks down faster losing its ability to create a good combustion! That goes for all small engines!

Aug 19, 2011
Rating

Piece of junk
by: Anonymous

Bought from wal-mart and had to replace it after the first use. Would not start. Second one doing the same thing. I refuse to work on something new. Thats why i bought new and not used. Im taking this one back and am done with weed eater. The only reason i give it one star is because i dont have an option for lower.

Aug 11, 2011
Rating

Needs customization
by: Anonymous

I has this mower one summer and it ran like junk the carb clogged up over winter rebuit it my self and took some stuff out and removed the governor now it runs better than my troy-built with a honda 160 on it the only bad part is is the deck i had to put a deck on from my old craftsman

Jul 06, 2011
Rating

oil cap removal
by: Anonymous

does anyone know how to get the cap off for the oil,I cannot get it off for nothing.

Jun 20, 2011
Rating

Piece of crap mower
by: Anonymous

This thing is a total piece of crap. I had to take the air filter off to check the carb. It really isn't a carb, just a piece of cast plastic with some holes in it. The thing runs up and down up and down because the govenor is a joke too. Briggs and Stratton should be shot for this piece of junk engine. Someone thought it was funny to design something with NO adjustments at all on the engine.. if you get lucky it might work for a season, but good luck the next year getting this thing to run. If you don't blow all the gas out before storage you will be screwed because carb cleaner would probably melt anything inside.

Jun 20, 2011
Rating

lousy brigs and stration
by: snakeeyesbeer@yahoo.com

i bought this mower last year at walmart it started hard from the begining ,i mow very little maybe 5 hours a year ,this year it won't start at all ,i'm 85 years old and this is the poorest mower i have ever bought ,i can't find the purchase slip or i would take it back for a refund and by a mower with a tecumseh engine that will start

Apr 20, 2011
Rating

Weedeater 300 series mower
by: Anonymous

Wish I could recommend this mower but its been a frustrating ordeal to keep it running. It starts eventually but then goes into idle speed and seems like its going to quit. Have had it repaired with a rebuilt carb,etc. last year; I think its gas related as far as the carb is concerned,etc. With the price of gas going up I'mthink of getting an electric mower!

Apr 17, 2011
Rating

oil/gas mix or what -no manual
by: KMS

Have Briggs Straton 300 Series Weedeater Mower with no manual. Does it take an oil/gas mix? If so how do you do that? If not, do I need to add oil and where? Is there a filter to clean/change? I know nothing and can't seem to navigate to a page that gives me a mnaufacturer's manual.

Mar 26, 2011
Rating

Weedeater 300 4.5 lousy
by: Anonymous

from day-one it has never started or run worth a crap. complete waste of money. i've had to pull out my 8 year old Poulan to cut the yard. there is something wrong with fuel delivery on the 300 Weedeater I have. Hopefully Walmart will take it back. Spent $130 on this lousy lawn mower.

Sep 08, 2010
Rating

Weedeater needs to redesign thier mower platforms and blade on the 300 series...
by: Anonymous

This mower has the very best operating engine possible to cut grass, but sadly has the worst platform, and blade.The underneath design is all wrong, causing cut grass to clump up and come out under the platform and not through the exit vent, like it's supposed to. A grass catcher is totally useless to catch the clumped up cut grass. The platform on my old 1962 Gilson mower was the best made. I never once had to rake up grass after cutting, nor did I ever have to go out the next day and recut the lawn, because half of the lawn was cut uneven on the first cutting. I never even had to sweep the sidewalk using the old Gilson. It had enough blowing power to completely blow off the walkways in two passes.That's how much lifting and cutting power I had under that mower, and never once did I ever have to do a recut the next day as well. Now looking for a new platform for this new motor on the weedeater that will finally do the right job for once.

Aug 25, 2010
Rating

Great for the Money (and then some !)
by: Beth A. in Richmond

I have been through SO many lawn mowers it's not even funny. They just die on me for no good reason. Even when I started buying expensive ones thinking that might help...well it just helped me be out even MORE money ! Then last spring when I started thinking about mowers, I remembered the used one my parents had given me 25 years ago when I first moved out on my own. It was a Weed Eater and that little sucker worked for several years MORE after they gave it to me. So this year, I went to Walmart and bought one of the 300 series and it has been AWESOME. Started right up the first time, and has started right up every time since. Gets GREAT gas "mileage" too. As others have been saying, it does run "rough", but who cares what it sounds like. It keeps running and keeps cutting, as a MUCH lower price than others I've used. I'll never buy an expensive mower again. These little suckers are workhorses.

Aug 22, 2010
Rating

clean air filter
by: Anonymous

I bought one of these and seams to be pretty good little mower, pushes easy. Be sure to clean the foam air cleaner (bottom of foam is where oil and dirt clog filter). When it says prime 3 times do that when cold, that feature replaces a choke valve and they all start better with it.

Aug 19, 2010
Rating

removing oil drain plug
by: Anonymous

use a ratchet and short extension without a socket on it. The square end of the ext fits the drain plug!!

Aug 15, 2010
Rating

BAD 300 SERIES WEEDEATER MOWER
by: RONNIE

BOUGHT THIS MOWER & USED IT TWICE & IN BETWEEN USES IT WAS STORED OUT OF WEATHER.PUT NEW GAS IN MOWER THAT HAS STA-BIL IN IT.CAN'T GET IT TOO START FOR CRAP.BUT I BLAME MYSELF BECAUSE YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.I'M GOING BACK TO A LAWN BOY ARE MURRAY.NEVER A WEEDEATER AGAIN.O YEAH IT'S NOT A MONTH OLD YET!AUG.15-2010

Aug 12, 2010
Rating

Pass on this mower
by: Anonymous

We bought our Weed Eater in March and started using it in April 2010. It was hard to start but hoped it would improve. Used approx. 4 times and mower just stopped running. We had figured with the Briggs and Stratton engine it would be an ok mower since this was replacing one purchased from Walmart in '94 with B&S engine. That one is falling apart but still starts on first pull. They sure don't make them like they used to.

Jul 22, 2010
Rating

save your money!!
by: Bob

only started for one mow!! what a piece of junk

get something that will work, dont make the same mistake I did

Jul 03, 2010
Rating

Great deal for $64.00 at Walmart(preloved)
by: Anonymous

Im on my second season with this mower and its working just fine. Anything with a carb. needs to be cranked and run year-round on ocassion. As long as you prime with the bulb, it starts right up 1st or 2nd pull. Ill change the oil before winter this year and clean the air filter. As long as its making good power and starting ok, Ill leave the plug alone.

Jun 29, 2010
Rating

Need Oil plug wrench
by: Anonymous

The mower runs good but can't find a wrench to take the oil plug out to change the oil.
Need an owners manual but can't find one.

Jun 26, 2010
Rating

POS (Worked Once)
by: Anonymous

As other have said, bought at Wal-Mart...

Brought home, un-folded handle, secured...

Added oil and fuel...

Primed 3 times per sticker...started after a few pulls...little power but ran ok...

Stored protected from weather...

About week later, would not start worth anything.

Save your money for something better!

Jun 22, 2010
Rating

what a piece
by: Anonymous

Deck is horrible. Engine is acually breaking off the deck. Didnt even get 2 summers out of it. Lesson learned. Back to Sears for a Craftsman.

Jun 22, 2010
Rating

what a piece
by: Anonymous

Bought it at walmart. Used it 3 times and it vibrated so much I could not feel my hands afterward. I ran over small bush stump and the engine broke away from the deck. I accually had to laugh at how cheaply this thing is made. Lesson learned. Back to sears Craftsman for me.

Apr 29, 2010
Rating

Cheap deck, wheels bent
by: Anonymous, NC

It runs great, starts first pull, but vibrates a lot, not in a broken way, but when I get done my hands are numb after half hour of mowing. The only problem I've had is rear wheels bowing out so badly that I could not use mower anymore. The cheap metal on side of mower deck broke so I drilled some holes and screwed it back together, I hope that lasts rest of summer, then I'm sure it will be time to get a new one. I probably would not buy again because I'd rather it last longer. My last one lasted 20 years. I'd spend $180 to $300 and get one that will last a long time.

Apr 15, 2010
Rating

would buy again
by: Anonymous

Pros:
-Was on sale and pretty cheap
-The 150cc engine has good power

Cons
-Deck is unstable and bends easy
-Hard to get started at first

I saw it listed for sale in the paper for $150 and went and got one. At first look it was nice and ran great. It started every time on the first 1-2 pulls. After using it 3 times it was harder to start and keep running. Once it warmed up it had all the power i needed to cut the thick 1 foot tall grass around the house...for power it lacks nothing.

About the fifth time using it the the deck was bending real easy. It is made from really thin metal and the deck lacks quality. Other then the deck it has great 5 position adjustment and the clutch lever was easy to pull and hold in.

Vibration is very small, and the mower is ultra light...anyone can use it! It is quick and easy to mow the toughest of grass and weeds down. Also comes ready to run right out of the box. This was a plus...from the box to the yard in four minutes or less.

I really think i got the best deal on a brand new lawn mower. Not to mention the lawn mower came with a free pint of weed eater 4 stroke motor oil and a small tool kit with a spark plug wrench.

Overall I would buy this mower again and would recommend this lawn mower to anyone. For the price you can't get a better mower.

Jul 10, 2009
Rating

Discharge Bag?
by: Anonymous

Anybody know where a grass catcher can be bought for this mower? I hate raking up afterwards.

Jul 10, 2009
Rating

Grass Catcher For This Mower
by: RAR

Anybody know where somebody can find a grass cather for this mower. I really like this mower but HATE raking up the clippings afterwards. Being able to capture the clippings would save me so much time!

Thanks.

Jul 09, 2009
Rating

get what you pay for
by: Anonymous

It does the job. But if you use a cheap gas with a lot of ethanol (12%) then it quickly degrades the diaphram in the carborator. I had to replace 2 times so far since I bought it 15 months ago. Just a $6 part, but a half hour of labor.

Jul 06, 2009
Rating

Great!
by: Meredith

Hubby bought this at Wal Mart - I wasn't too thrilled with a reconditioned lightweight mower, but I have since eaten my words several times over. This mower is dependable and easy to use, and I highly recommend it. I only wish it had come with a manual, as we know nothing about how to maintain it!

Jun 01, 2009
Rating

Charlotte, North Carolina
by: Anonymous

I purchased this lawnmower at Walmart, placed the entire box in my trunk. The lawnmower was completely assembled, unfold the handle, tighten, add oil/gas, push the primer 3 times (as clearly instructed) pull and I was ready to cut. My yard looks great. This lawnmower cuts very well. I have an average sized yard. I am very pleased with my purchase. The price is great!

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Weed Eater 300 Series Lawn Mower

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