Ariens WAW34 (34") 14.5HP Wide Area Walk Self Propelled Lawn Mower

Mower was delivered yesterday. Working great - cut my mowing time in half coming from a 21" self propelled. Not only because the cutting deck is much wider at 34" but also because the 14.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine effortlessly powers through even thick grass at speed - stuff that my old mower would choke on and have to slow to a crawl to make it through.

This mower is definitely more suited to flat yards - can be a little tricky on slopes and hills due to its weight. It likes to go in straight lines. If you have lots of turns or maneuvering to do, you'll want something else as you really have to man handle it through turns - not especially hard, but requires a lot more effort than a traditional 21" deck walk behind.

Definitely a nice upgrade for me - love the electric start and the power!

Mower was delivered yesterday. Working great - cut my mowing time in half coming from a 21" self propelled. Not only because the cutting deck is much wider at 34" but also because the 14.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine effortlessly powers through even thick grass at speed - stuff that my old mower would choke on and have to slow to a crawl to make it through.

This mower is definitely more suited to flat yards - can be a little tricky on slopes and hills due to its weight. It likes to go in straight lines. If you have lots of turns or maneuvering to do, you'll wan... more

I recently purchased this Ariens from Mowers Direct.

I looked at the Cub Cadet CC760 ES and was about to buy one when I saw this model online. Not only is the cub cadet more expensive, it has overlapping blades on a belt system that worried me. Saw several reviews where the user hit something, and the blades were knocked out of synch and hit each other... ouch! The Ariens blades are staggered, and don't overlap directly. One is slightly behind the other for full coverage, no worries that the blades will hit each other. Cut is very nice and even.

The Ariens has a 500cc commercial grade Briggs and Stratton engine (14.5 hp), the cub had either a 344cc B&S (10.5 hp non-electric start), or a 420 cub cadet engine (11.5 hp electric start). The Ariens also has wider drive tires that work better on my property conditions. The clincher was the hand controls. The Ariens has a variable speed system that is easy to use rather than a gear transmission that forces you to stop and change gears for speed differences or reverse. The Ariens reverse lever is great to back out of tight spaces without having to change gears, just squeeze the other lever, and you're on your way.

I was a bit worried about the front casters, but they're very sturdy and I've had no problems with them so far. I read a couple reviews that said they were inadequate, but after using the machine, I have to assume the users were really abusing the machine, or they've been revised. I've had no problems so far with the casters tracking well, and going over tree roots and bumps without a problem.

My property is 1.35 acres, about .9 acres of grass. I have been using a 22" Toro personal pace, and it took 4-5 hours to do it all. I just mowed my property with the Ariens for the third time since delivery, and it took 2 hours. I use the Toro for trim work still, as the Ariens doesn't cut up against a section of fence as well as the Toro. If you regularly touch up with a weed whacker, that would work as well.

The machine is big, quite a bit more effort than a standard 22" mower, but it's not bad at all. Once you learn how to use it, it does most all the work. You can turn it under power with little effort due to the split differential in the rear. My property is mostly flat and nice lawn, but there is a section on a slope that had berry bushes and rough terrain. This mower handled it all no problem.

First mow was 12" grass and weeds that were wet (Washington State), and it didn't struggle at all. Other two mows were cutting about 3-4" grass down to 2", and it cut it beautifully. Powerful discharge, and the trimmings are fine enough and shot out strong enough that you can't really see them. Mulch kit isn't necessary for my needs. Almost no dirt or grass sticks to the deck due to the power of the machine and the blade speed.

Mower arrived crated, just bolted the handle in place with four bolts, connected the battery, added fuel and it fired right up. The engine had clean oil in it when it arrived. Ordered it on a Sunday, it arrived eight days later on Monday morning.

I read the manual, and it says to adjust the belts after twenty five hours of use or so, which makes sense. You can get at the blade belt by removing the black plastic hood with a couple of bolts, and the drive belts you access from the back with a single bolt hinged door. Looks like it should be fairly easy to maintain.

I had little trouble getting it into my tool room that has a 36" door on it. Just have to flip up the discharge flap and jockey it a bit, but it'll get through a 36" door or gate.

Very happy with this purchase. To get something comparable in a wide area walk behind, I was looking at twice the price, and that was no where near the machine (for more money) in my opinion. To get into a decent rider, you're looking at considerably more money also to get into the good quality machines. I wanted a walk behind for exercise, and my property also has small spaces and lots of trees, so a rider isn't ideal. I have a Honda RT5000 Tractor with a mower, but I prefer to use a walk behind as the tractor has a 52" deck and even with four wheel steering is a bit difficult to navigate around the obstacles.

Mowers Direct was quick and easy. No shipping or tax charges, and the mower was on sale. Product delivered promptly, and as advertised.

I recently purchased this Ariens from Mowers Direct.

I looked at the Cub Cadet CC760 ES and was about to buy one when I saw this model online. Not only is the cub cadet more expensive, it has overlapping blades on a belt system that worried me. Saw several reviews where the user hit something, and the blades were knocked out of synch and hit each other... ouch! The Ariens blades are staggered, and don't overlap directly. One is slightly behind the other for full coverage, no worries that the blades will hit each other. Cut is very nice and even.

The Ariens... more

I live near Bolingbrook where Power Equip. Direct has a showroom, and I wanted to see the Ariens 34in. walk-behind before purchasing one. I went into the showroom, and was greeted by friendly sales staff. The unit was not on display, but the sales rep. had one brought to edge warehouse next to showroom, where I was able to view it in shipping crate. He answered all my questions and I was very impressed. I bought the unit after seeing many other brands and seeing the huge difference in the quality of the Ariens model. I took it home, and used it and it worked like a dream. I had to only loosen and then adjust handle bars and replace the two bolts and it was ready to go. It was very nice because the hand controls are easy to work, and the amount of pressure on drive and reverse is controlled by user simply by the amount you pull back. Slightly for slower, all the way for quicker. It's cut was wonderful and I have slight hill grade and flat sections. No scalping, and it cut like a dream. Thank you Ariens, and thank you Mowers Direct, I will purchase future items for sure from your company, Very Good experience.

I live near Bolingbrook where Power Equip. Direct has a showroom, and I wanted to see the Ariens 34in. walk-behind before purchasing one. I went into the showroom, and was greeted by friendly sales staff. The unit was not on display, but the sales rep. had one brought to edge warehouse next to showroom, where I was able to view it in shipping crate. He answered all my questions and I was very impressed. I bought the unit after seeing many other brands and seeing the huge difference in the quality of the Ariens model. I took it home, and used it and it worked like a dream. I had to only loosen ... more

I bought this lawn mower last year from mowers direct. The second time I used it in my half acre lawn, the belt drive quit working. I was told to contact the repair company Ariens recommends to service it. I called Ariens, they could care less.

I had to rent a truck to take it to the repair shop. The repair shop had no idea I was bringing it to them and told me they would not work with Ariens. THIS IS ARIENS RECOMMENDED REPAIR COMPANY! I asked why and they told me Ariens has a horrible history of repayment to them for service.

I told the guy I would pay him directly, for my brand new lawn mower. I guess he felt bad and offered to fix it, when he had time. I was down the list and professional lawn care companies came first. I understood, that makes business sense. Four weeks later my lawn mower is ready. I rent another truck and pick it up to get home. I use it the rest of the season. Everything is ok.

This season I order the bag assembly. I install it following the vague directions. It looks great. Go and try it out, its horrible. It would probably work great on a perfectly level yard. My backyard has a slope and many bumps. Every time the lawnmower hits a bump, the bag bounces and all the grass dumps into the yard. So much for bagging. Would not recommend.

I bought this lawn mower last year from mowers direct. The second time I used it in my half acre lawn, the belt drive quit working. I was told to contact the repair company Ariens recommends to service it. I called Ariens, they could care less.

I had to rent a truck to take it to the repair shop. The repair shop had no idea I was bringing it to them and told me they would not work with Ariens. THIS IS ARIENS RECOMMENDED REPAIR COMPANY! I asked why and they told me Ariens has a horrible history of repayment to them for service.

I told the guy I would pay him dire... more