Snapper (21") 190cc Hi-Vac Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

Mower arrived a couple days ago. I immediately got to work on putting it together out of the box. The unit looks good. Now I am a strictly by the book guy, so I'm meticulous in following the instructions for setup, etc. Everything was going great until I came to the point of adding on the throttle and shifter plastic housing.

When I tried to apply and tighten the 4 x 30mm box nuts, they would not tighten down. Weird! After inspection I noticed that all 4 hole receptacles were not threaded. You can imagine my dismay and disbelief. How on earth can the manufacturer allow this machine get through quality control without it being perfect for use out-of-the-box???

I thought about the problem, and quickly realized that I was not about to repackage and send the mower back to MowersDirect.com if I could solve the problem myself, which I did. I re-engineered a solution with 4 new flathead 8mm 1/4" & 3/4" tapped screws, with spring washers and nuts. It was awkward at first to get at the nut to hold it in place, but with patience I was able to get the job done.

And if I don't say so myself, it's a better solution than what the manufacturer provided. I've been very busy over the past two evenings, but plan to continue where I left off in finishing off the assembly process. And, I promise to add my finishing comments on the performance of the mower once done (assuming I can add those comments after these initial comments). In the meantime, Jose, please reach out to the manufacturer and alert them that there is an issue, which they quickly need to address. They should not let simple things like this pass Quality Control unaddressed.

Until later...

Mower arrived a couple days ago. I immediately got to work on putting it together out of the box. The unit looks good. Now I am a strictly by the book guy, so I'm meticulous in following the instructions for setup, etc. Everything was going great until I came to the point of adding on the throttle and shifter plastic housing.

When I tried to apply and tighten the 4 x 30mm box nuts, they would not tighten down. Weird! After inspection I noticed that all 4 hole receptacles were not threaded.... more

I purchased this mower 10 months ago and have put it through the paces this season. My initial impression was good, especially the drive system, it works flawlessly. HOWEVER,

I have broken two started cords due to the unbelievably stupid design the engineers came up with for routing the pull cord to the upper handle. It binds. Everything is dependent upon the nylon pulley mounted on the grass chute. If it stops spinning freely you have a broken pull cord with 10 to 20 pulls. That's one broken cord. If the small steel guide mounted in the fly wheel cover fails... snap cord number 2. I have had to change the location of the pull cord by shorting it all the way back to the fly wheel cover.

I purchased this mower 10 months ago and have put it through the paces this season. My initial impression was good, especially the drive system, it works flawlessly. HOWEVER,

I have broken two started cords due to the unbelievably stupid design the engineers came up with for routing the pull cord to the upper handle. It binds. Everything is dependent upon the nylon pulley mounted on the grass chute. If it stops spinning freely you have a broken pull cord with 10 to 20 pulls. That's one... more

I've been using Snapper Hi-vacs since the mid 80's when I had a lawn maint side gig... have been using them on my home property ever since.

Now that I have a place at the lake, I tried using another brand just to have something there. Just couldn't get into cutting grass with a crappy mower. Bought a new Hi-Vac for the house and now I have my old one (going on 20 yrs now!) for lake duty.

Aggressive self propelled and excellent bagging is what I am used to with the Hi-Vacs. Don't settle for anything less.

I've been using Snapper Hi-vacs since the mid 80's when I had a lawn maint side gig... have been using them on my home property ever since.

Now that I have a place at the lake, I tried using another brand just to have something there. Just couldn't get into cutting grass with a crappy mower. Bought a new Hi-Vac for the house and now I have my old one (going on 20 yrs now!) for lake duty.

Aggressive self propelled and excellent bagging is what I am used to with the Hi-Vacs. Don't settle... more

We were looking for a dependable mower, and because we were owners of a snapper walk behind and also a riding one, we decided to stay with Snapper and give the Hi Vac series a try, big mistake. We purchased the 875 series Briggs & Stratton with ready start (7800980) 21" on April 04,2016 for $599.99.

The bag was $22.00 and the mulching blade was $39.99, so with tax $727.09 only to be disappointed 3 months later on July 18, 2016. The mower wouldn't start, the string wouldn't move. I took it back to place of purchase Chalmette True Value was told that I needed to leave a $30 deposit before they would look at it.

I complied, and needless to say they charged me the $30 for labor and 5.99 repair $2 repair deposit whatever that means. I had to give them 8.79 more before I could get my mower. On October 06, 2016 the mower wouldn't start again. I returned it to chalmette True Value and had to leave another $30 dollars deposit. Don't know what it will cost this time. I do know we're very disappointed. Could there be a defect in this mower?

We were looking for a dependable mower, and because we were owners of a snapper walk behind and also a riding one, we decided to stay with Snapper and give the Hi Vac series a try, big mistake. We purchased the 875 series Briggs & Stratton with ready start (7800980) 21" on April 04,2016 for $599.99.

The bag was $22.00 and the mulching blade was $39.99, so with tax $727.09 only to be disappointed 3 months later on July 18, 2016. The mower wouldn't start, the string wouldn't move. I... more

Purchasing this was a breeze. Ordered online and received in 2 days. That's about all the good I have to say about this mower. I used this mower once...let me repeat that...I used this mower once in my average sized backyard. Worked pretty well but each time I tried to restart after emptying the bag, it took several tries. Put he lawn mower away and the following weekend took out to mow again. Well, it wouldn't start. Tried and tried, still wouldn't start. Fresh gas (from a well known reputable gas brand), checked oil, etc. and all good. Gave up and figured I'd just bring into the local Snapper authorized service center and hey fix it since it was under warranty and only a few weeks own. Guess what...not the case.

First off, the service center gave me grief because I didn't buy it there. Since I bought online, it would take weeks, possibly a month or more since they didn't have the sales invoice on site (I provided them with my receipt, but that wasn't good enough). Before I could even get through my whole story, I was told that Briggs and Stratton (mind you, I purchased a snapper lawn mower not Briggs and steaton) wouldn't cover any engine problems because I did not use "their brand" of gas to break in the engine. After going back and forth, realized it was a battle I wasn't going to win. After getting home I did lots of research (my fault, probably should have taken this step before buying)....what were the main themes of the reviews I read:

1) Briggs and Stratton motors seem to have lots of issues (one being not starting)
2) snapper/Briggs and Stratton do not honor their warranty
3) don't buy snapper, not what they use to be

Well, of course the service center came back and told me their was a forgeign substance causing a blockage and warranty will not cover (suprise surprise..who would have guessed that!). $80 later and I get to try my mower for the second time. And fingers crossed maybe even a third.

For the record, dealing with mowers direct was nice and easy, however, I just don't know if I could ever order again (or any mower/yard equipment) online since you don't get the same level of warranty service as you do buying in store.

Purchasing this was a breeze. Ordered online and received in 2 days. That's about all the good I have to say about this mower. I used this mower once...let me repeat that...I used this mower once in my average sized backyard. Worked pretty well but each time I tried to restart after emptying the bag, it took several tries. Put he lawn mower away and the following weekend took out to mow again. Well, it wouldn't start. Tried and tried, still wouldn't start. Fresh gas (from a well known... more

The vacuum is good on the mower. After the mower runs for a short period of time if you stop using the mower it is difficult to start until the mower cools down. It's very frustrating when you have to mow a medium size area.

Bought this mower based on reputation of snapper and Briggs motors. Horribly disappointed. Mower was hard to start (3-4) pulls from day one. Then mower exploded 3 months after purchase with piston flying out side of engine after only using 6-7 times. Called mowers direct, snapper, Briggs all to get sent to a dealer 35 miles away after blaming us for the failure. Dealer said he had one exactly like ours, even newer that Briggs would not repair for the exact same issue.

Blamed both on owners not changing oil. Sorry if a motor needs a oil change after that little usage then something is way wrong with the motor. We even used the press measured oil that came with the mower so we know it had exactly the amount needed in it. Now we are stuck with this piece of junk with a hole in the engine that is useless. Thanks for nothing snapper and your junk mowers.

Bought this mower based on reputation of snapper and Briggs motors. Horribly disappointed. Mower was hard to start (3-4) pulls from day one. Then mower exploded 3 months after purchase with piston flying out side of engine after only using 6-7 times. Called mowers direct, snapper, Briggs all to get sent to a dealer 35 miles away after blaming us for the failure. Dealer said he had one exactly like ours, even newer that Briggs would not repair for the exact same issue.

Blamed both on... more

Have purchased several snappers from this site. The performance of the deck and assemblies are good but the Briggs and Stratton Ready Start engines that come on these units are a nightmare. Easy starting the first time but if you have to shut it off to empty or move to a new area, it will not start again. Had to take to my small engine mechanic for carbureater adjustments. He informed me that the way the engine is built for easy starting is also why it is hard to start the next time if you have been using it. It is not a Snapper deck problem but a Briggs and Stratton engine problem that is used on these mower decks. Need different engine on unit.

Have purchased several snappers from this site. The performance of the deck and assemblies are good but the Briggs and Stratton Ready Start engines that come on these units are a nightmare. Easy starting the first time but if you have to shut it off to empty or move to a new area, it will not start again. Had to take to my small engine mechanic for carbureater adjustments. He informed me that the way the engine is built for easy starting is also why it is hard to start the next time if you have... more

The Snapper right out of the box would not turn over. The blade hit the mower deck., The Snapper QA dept. Must be none exsistant. When I called for warranty work repairs, I was told it would be 6 to 8 weeks. My lawn would have been 4' tall in 8wks. I made the repairs myself. I had owned my previous Snapper for 20 yrs. It used to be the best one to buy. I don't believe that is the case anymore. The craftsmanship is not there. The B&S motor is as good as my old mower. Starts on 1 pull

I have owned Snapper products for decades. These are good items to own. Versatile, highly functional and user friendly!

This was my third Snapper and l love this one better than the other two l had. l'm tall and the bar is setting just right for me. It is easy to adjust to the speed you want and the height also.