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

My daughter in Ohio ordered an Ariens WAW34 earlier this year. I was recently at her home and she asked me to help her install the side bagger on it. The thing was ridiculous. The instructions were terrible. After we got it installed, she tried to run the mower and the baffle at the discharge chute was so poorly designed that the blade hit it. The only reasonable solution was to remove the baffle.
The mower itself is very poorly made. To only be able to adjust cut height with the front wheels is absurd. Not to mention the bearing inserts in the front wheels have already become detached from the wheels themselves so the wheels just wobble around making the whole machine difficult to control and results in an uneven cut.

My daughter in Ohio ordered an Ariens WAW34 earlier this year. I was recently at her home and she asked me to help her install the side bagger on it. The thing was ridiculous. The instructions were terrible. After we got it installed, she tried to run the mower and the baffle at the discharge chute was so poorly designed that the blade hit it. The only reasonable solution was to remove the baffle.
The mower itself is very poorly made. To only be able to adjust cut height with the front... more

We purchased this mower about 3 years ago. We love how it handles anything. It is a bit large for my wife to handle on our terrain, but it has good power and since our grass is Buffalo grass, we keep it fairly long. The problem is with service.

After one season the mower would not go any direction, forward or back. I took it to a dealer who would repair it if I paid for it and then he would submit it to Ariens. The gearbox for forward had broken teeth in it and was jammed. He replace the gearbox and belts and adjusted it. It cost me approximately $372.00. I have yet to be reimbursed, in fact, I have heard nothing from the manufacturer. This spring, I had to take it back to the dealer, as it would not pull itself anymore. He adjusted the belts again.

Unless or until I hear from Airens, I will be buying another one. It should have a multiple speed transmission to avoid slipping the drive belt, and at this price, as heavy as it is built, I would expect it. So while I like the results of the mower, it is way to expensive to own! It does weigh 270lbs. I could rate it better if it was more user friendly and the company even cared!

I would probably try a Toro.

We purchased this mower about 3 years ago. We love how it handles anything. It is a bit large for my wife to handle on our terrain, but it has good power and since our grass is Buffalo grass, we keep it fairly long. The problem is with service.

After one season the mower would not go any direction, forward or back. I took it to a dealer who would repair it if I paid for it and then he would submit it to Ariens. The gearbox for forward had broken teeth in it and was jammed. He replace... more

This past weekend was the first time I used the mower. Unfortunately, before I finished mowing the yard (less then 1/2 acre) the mower's engine speed decreased to a shaky idle and then the gears that propel the mower forward/reverse made a clattering noise and the mower stopped in the middle of the front yard. Needless to say, I'm greatly disappointed. A local authorized dealer picked-up the mower this afternoon (at a cost of course), and expect warranty works better then the mower did.

In fairness, the purchase and delivery experience was fine ... the product itself not so much.

This past weekend was the first time I used the mower. Unfortunately, before I finished mowing the yard (less then 1/2 acre) the mower's engine speed decreased to a shaky idle and then the gears that propel the mower forward/reverse made a clattering noise and the mower stopped in the middle of the front yard. Needless to say, I'm greatly disappointed. A local authorized dealer picked-up the mower this afternoon (at a cost of course), and expect warranty works better then the mower did.
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I was very excited to get this mower. I was tired of having to mow twice a week due to the seed of the grass growing. I also bought the mulching kit for the mower. This mower will give you a work out when using it but there are ways to reduce how much of work out you get. Turning right is easier than left. Also using the reverse and forward together will also help in how much effort goes into the mowing process. The cut by the lawn mower is best when using the side discharge. Mulching tends to blow the grass down but so did my 22 inch mower so no difference really there. You can crank up the speed and lett'er rip and for me at my height and typical walking speed that is awesome! The speed is variable based on how much you squeeze the cable. You also can slow the engine speed down if you don’t want to throw your clippings 8 feet into the road or bushes and it still has plenty of cutting power. If your lawn is bumpy you will want to slow down in those areas. The front wheels are your only adjustment for height and because of that the front edge of the mower does the initial cut. With that being said bumps will cause you to have raised areas of grass if you go to fast. Just something to think about.

Delivery was not what I expected. The speed at which I received the mower was great! The packing, great! But, the cable for the brake was broke (suspect manufacture defect) and the side discharge was held in an upright position with a large tie wrap and the spring that holds it in the down position had snapped through the plastic.
I called Ariens on the brake cable because with it broke you can even move the lawn mower. They overnighted a new cable. The side discharge deflector was via standard mail but I didn’t see that was broke until my first mowing where I saw it flopping up and down. The Ariens support was very good.

I was very excited to get this mower. I was tired of having to mow twice a week due to the seed of the grass growing. I also bought the mulching kit for the mower. This mower will give you a work out when using it but there are ways to reduce how much of work out you get. Turning right is easier than left. Also using the reverse and forward together will also help in how much effort goes into the mowing process. The cut by the lawn mower is best when using the side discharge. Mulching... more

I have had mine for nearly 4 years and every year, I have to take it in for repair. This year, I have taken it in 3 times now! The only way to control speed is by the clutch, and guess what, if the clutch is not fully depressed the belt is being worn and wont last. So to avoid this, there is no speed control!!!

The cables don't last.

You are better off saving more money and buying a Toro professional lawn mower.

Overall this is a quality mower... but it will not cut lower than about 3 to 3.5 inches. This is with the front casters set at their lowest level. When set low the deck will dig into the ground on all but level terrain. Now if you just want to cut tall grass or weeds, no problem. If you want a nice low cut manicured lawn, this is not for you.

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... 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... more

I used my mower for three full seasons, and part of a fourth. I bought it because I mow about 3/4 of and acre and at 58 my self propelled Lawn Boy just took too much time.

The ease of shifting from forward to reverse attracted me to the mower because I mow around many trees and planting areas.
The first year I had to replace both front wheels, as they separated from the hubs.

At the start of the second season I had to replace the front drive cable and both drive belts. About half way through the summer I had to replace one of the front wheels.

The third season I again replaced the front drive cable and both drive belts.

At the start of the fourth season, the drive cable had to be replaced again, and the belts were again slipping. Trying to finish my lawn one last time before taking it in for repair, the gears locked.
I returned the mower to the dealer, and traded it for a new Kubota zero turn. The principle of the mower is great, but it is a piece of crap.

I used my mower for three full seasons, and part of a fourth. I bought it because I mow about 3/4 of and acre and at 58 my self propelled Lawn Boy just took too much time.

The ease of shifting from forward to reverse attracted me to the mower because I mow around many trees and planting areas.
The first year I had to replace both front wheels, as they separated from the hubs.

At the start of the second season I had to replace the front drive cable and both drive belts. About half way... more

I've enjoyed this mower and am very glad I purchased it. Mow time went from 1.2 hours to approximately 20 min, it's awesome! If you have a lot of trees or need to make a lot of turns you may want to look at a unit with a hydro-drive vs this belt drive, it's simply going to hold up better but at a large price increase.

I would with out a doubt recommend this mower to someone.

The rings to lower the cutting height keep falling off.

It is difficult to adjust the drive wheels. The 5 12 by 8 12 manual is almost impossible to read and the directions are terrible. I would never buy another Ariens product again. My last wide mower was a Troy Built that ran flawless (and was much easier to run) for fourteen years.