Lawn Boy 10604 Review

(Rated: 3.5 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Cut Quality
Check Price
Related pages: Best Gas Lawn Mower, Best Lawn Mower, Gas Lawn Mower Buying Guide, Gas Lawn Mower Reviews, Lawn Boy, Lawn Boy Lawn Mowers, Lawn Mower Buying Guide, Lawn Mower Reviews, Walk-Behind Mower Buying Guide,

When you have a bigger lawn to keep looking great all summer long, you want a lawn mower that can provide reliable performance and enough power to get the job done every time. Bigger lawns – especially those that are planted with tougher varieties of grass like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass – require the kind of power you can count on to get the job done right. In this case, you almost certainly want a gas powered lawn mower. Combustion engines provide a lot more power than electric engines can. Not only that, but on bigger lawns you may also want a mower that is self propelled. A lawn mower that can drive itself takes a lot of the work out of the job and lets you just walk behind it and steer. This makes mowing bigger lawns a lot easier without requiring you to get a big, expensive riding mower.

The Lawn Boy 10604 has all of the advantages that other self propelled gas lawn mowers provide, and a few extra features of its own. It is equipped with a rear wheel drive, which means it will perform much better than self propelled lawn mowers with front wheel drives, especially on uneven ground or inclines. And it has a high quality engine manufactured by Kohler, which is one of the best names in the small engine industry. If you have a big lawn and you want to get the job done right every time, a self propelled lawn mower like the Lawn Boy 10604 might be just what you need.

Review Summary

The Lawn Boy 10604 is a gas powered, self-propelled lawn mower with overall dimensions of 42.1 x 21.9 x 24.3 inches and a cutting deck that is 20 inches wide. The cutting deck is wide enough to get your lawn cut in fewer passes – which will save you a lot of time – but the mower is also small enough that it will not be too difficult to find storage space for it in your garage or tool shed or get it into tight corners of the yard. This is the best kind of combination in terms of size: you want a mower that is big enough to get the job done efficiently but not so big that it is difficult to use or store.

The Lawn Boy 10604 has a Kohler engine that is 149 cubic centimeters and provides 6 1/2 torque, which is more than enough power to run the cutting blades at high speeds as well as power the rear wheel drive. That’s right: the mower’s self propulsion system has a rear wheel drive, which has a number of advantages over mowers with front wheel drives. It means the Lawn Boy 10604 will be better equipped to handle bumpy, uneven ground as well as most inclines. In addition to this, the mower has a number of other very convenient features. For example, there are three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase price, and the mower has a wide range of cutting heights. I will cover these features as well as a few other great aspects of the mower in the Pros section.

There are a few areas in which the Lawn Boy 10604 is not quite perfect, though. Even when you take the fact that it is a gas powered mower into consideration, it is still rather noisy, which may be limiting in terms of when you can use it. And it produces enough emissions that it is not compliant with California Air Resources Board standards, which means there are a handful of states in which you cannot buy or use it legally. The mower may struggle on steeper inclines, and may tend to get a bit bogged down in denser patches of grass. I do not think any of these issues is serious enough to outweigh all of the great other features the mower has. I’ll discuss them further in the Cons section.

I also provide a table that compares the product specs of the Lawn Boy 10604 with two similar gas powered lawn mowers, the Husqvarna 7021P, which is a manual push mower, and the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, which is a self propelled mower. This is intended to help you get a better picture of how the Lawn Boy 10604 compares to its competition. And I will discuss pricing at the end of the review.

Specifications

The Lawn Boy 10604 is a gas powered lawn mower with overall dimensions of 42.1 x 21.9 x 24.3 inches and a cutting deck that is 20 inches wide. It has a 149 cubic centimeter engine that is manufactured by Kohler, a leader in the industry. The engine produces 6 1/2 torque, which is more than enough to run the cutting deck at high speeds as well as run the drive system. The mower has a rear wheel drive system, which makes it better equipped to handle different types of terrain, as well as variable speeds, so you can pick the one that is best for your pace. The gas tank holds ¼ of a gallon, and the mower has a recoil starter system that does not require priming.

There are three grass clippings management options included on the Lawn Boy 10604: you can mulch clippings back into the soil for a healthier lawn that requires less fertilizer, collect them in a rear bag for later disposal or composting, or attach a side discharge chute to leave them in neat rows on the lawn. There are seven height adjustment options between one and four inches. They are controlled using a single lever for all four wheels. The front wheels are seven inches tall and the rear wheels are eight inches tall. The mower weighs just 79 pounds. It comes with a limited two year consumer warranty.

Description

The Lawn Boy 10604 is a self propelled gas powered lawn mower with a rear wheel drive system. That means that this lawn mower will outperform many others like it, especially those that are equipped with front wheel drive systems, especially on inclines or uneven ground. Having a self propelled lawn mower means that cutting the grass will be a whole lot easier, since all you have to do is start the Lawn Boy 10604 up, choose your speed, and steer it. Yep, you can choose your speed, since the mower has variable options, which means you won’t ever find yourself chasing after the mower, but instead can steer it around the yard at whatever pace you find most comfortable.

The cutting deck on the Lawn Boy 10604 is twenty inches wide, which is about average for a gas powered lawn mower. This size deck should allow you to finish cutting your lawn more efficiently and in less time, since it will need fewer passes to get the job done than a smaller lawn mower would. And the large cutting deck is packed into a fairly compact footprint. The Lawn Boy 10604 has overall dimensions of 42.1 x 21.9 x 24.3 inches, which makes it a medium sized mower. It also makes it easier to maneuver into tight corners of the lawn, as well as much easier to find storage space for in your garage or tool shed.

Those are not the only areas in which the Lawn Boy 10604 is very convenient. It has three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase price. You can discharge clippings right onto your lawn in neat rows, or you can engage the mulching kit and chop them into tiny pieces that will break down into the soil much faster. This all but eliminates the need for fertilizing. A rear bag attachment is also included so you can collect clippings for later disposal or addition to your compost bin.

The Lawn Boy 10604 has seven height adjustment options for the cutting deck, which is more than most lawn mowers provide. And the range of height options is between one and four inches, which is considerably wider than what is offered by many similar lawn mowers. A wider range of height options means you will always be able to give your lawn the best possible cut to keep it healthy and looking its best, even if you let it get long and shaggy every once in a while. The height adjustment is conveniently made using a single lever for all four wheels, so you can adjust it quickly and easily.

The Lawn Boy 10604 has the kind of power you need to get through any kind of grass, including tougher varieties such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. It tackles these varieties easily, which will be welcome news to readers in the Southern United States and the Southwest, where they are more common. It’s important to have a lawn mower you can depend on, especially when you have tougher grass in your yard. Too many lawn mowers do not have the power necessary to take care of these varieties, but the Lawn Boy 10604 does.

The Lawn Boy 10604 is a bit more expensive than other lawn mowers in its class, including other self propelled ones. Before you let that make up your mind for you, however, you should consider what you are getting for the added expense. The Lawn Boy 10604 is a well designed machine that is manufactured using quality components and durable parts. That means it is going to provide high quality performance over the long term. And this lawn mower is designed with convenience in mind. Because of that, it’s much easier to start up and use than other gas powered lawn mowers, and it does not require a whole lot of maintenance to keep it running smoothly. While this mower is a bit on the more expensive side, it’s in part because of the fact that it is a high quality machine.

Pros

There are plenty of reasons to purchase a gas powered lawn mower, and even more reasons to make it a self propelled mower. Gas powered lawn mowers have the kind of power that you need to keep bigger lawns looking great and they are able to tackle tougher varieties of grass such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass, which are common in the Southern and Southwestern United States. And a self propelled lawn mower takes a lot of the work out of keeping a big lawn or a lawn with uneven ground taken care of. There are several features that make the Lawn Boy 10604 one of the better self propelled gas mowers out there. The mower has a rear wheel drive, which makes it handle better. And it has convenient qualities like a wide range of height adjustments and three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase. It’s also very easy to use and maintain. Let’s examine each of these great qualities in a bit more detail.

1. The mower is self propelled with a rear wheel drive : One of the biggest draws for the Lawn Boy 10604 is the fact that it is not only self propelled with variable speeds but also that it has a rear wheel drive. The self propulsion and variable speeds allow you to find a comfortable pace and takes away much of the work associated with mowing the lawn. You will not have to push your lawn mower around your lawn anymore; you just start the Lawn Boy 10604 up, set the speed, and then steer it from one end of the lawn to the other. And the rear wheel drive means the mower will have the kind of driving power that allows it to handle uneven terrain much more easily and reliably perform well on larger lawns as well.
2. Three grass clippings management options included : The Lawn Boy 10604 comes standard with a mulching kit and rear bag assembly included in the initial purchase price, which sets it apart from many lawn mowers in its class. That means you can chop grass clippings into tiny pieces that will break down faster into the soil, which will all but eliminate the need for fertilizing or feeding the lawn, or collect grass clippings for later disposal or composting. For side discharge, you will have to contact the manufacturer for an additional part. But Lawn Boy includes a side discharge chute request form with the 1064, and they provide the chute for no additional charge. It is very common for manufacturers to charge extra for mulching or bagging accessories, which effectively adds a hidden price to their mowers. Lawn Boy includes all three options in the initial price.
3. Seven height options between one and four inches : Lawn care experts do not recommend that you cut your grass any shorter than 1/3 its initial height, as this can damage the lawn and leave it more susceptible to heat waves or droughts. It can also make the lawn more vulnerable to encroachment by weeds and crab grass as well as the effects of disease or blight. Because of this, you want your lawn mower to have as many height options as possible. The Lawn Boy 10604 provides seven options, which is more than many of its competitors, and it has a range of one to four inches. That is a much bigger range than many of its competitors provide as well, and those extra inches mean that even if you let your lawn go for a few weeks so that it is tall and shaggy, you can still give it the perfect cut to leave it feeling its best and looking great.
4. Powerful enough to cut through tougher varieties of grass : A lot of lawn mowers tend to cut finer varieties of grass with no problems but struggle when they are used to cut tougher varieties. This is not the case with the Lawn Boy 10604. It cuts all kinds of grass equally well, even tougher varieties such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. These varieties are more common in the Southern United States and the Southwest, where they are grown because they are resistant to heat waves and drought. If you live in one of these areas and have this kind of grass in your lawn, the Lawn Boy 10604 is an excellent choice. And if you are serious enough about your lawn that you over seed it in the winter months with other varieties of grass like fescue or rye grass, the Lawn Boy 10604 will have no trouble taking care of those varieties as well.
5. The mower is easy to start up, use, and maintain : A lot of homeowners do not like the fact that gas powered lawn mowers tend to be a bit difficult to start up, use or maintain. I have good news for them: the Lawn Boy 10604 is user friendly on all three fronts. You do not have to prime the engine to get it started; the recoil cord starts it up just fine every time. And because the mower is self propelled and fairly light for a mower with a drive system, it is very easy to maneuver it around your yard. And unlike some gas powered lawn mowers, the Lawn Boy 10604 does not need a lot of complex maintenance to keep it running well. Aside from the occasional spark plug or oil change, you won’t have to do a lot of work to keep it performing at its best.

If you have a yard that is on the bigger side, a lawn mower with a self propelled drive system can take a lot of the work out of keeping the grass looking great. And with its variable speeds and rear wheel drive, the Lawn Boy 10604 has one of the best propulsion systems on a lawn mower today. In addition, its multiple height settings and three in one grass clippings management options provide you with the kind of convenience that make cutting your grass a breeze. It provides all of this and is also powerful enough to tackle tougher varieties of grass, and it is very easy to start up, maneuver around the yard, and keep running well. Any one of these is a great feature to have on a gas lawn mower, but taken together, they make the Lawn Boy 10604 really shine.

Cons

Even with all of these great features, there are still a few areas in which the Lawn Boy 10604 does not perform quite as well as I would like, which is why it does not get a perfect star rating from me. The mower is a bit on the noisy side, even considering the fact that it is a gas mower. It produces a high amount of emissions, which makes it noncompliant with California Air Resources Board regulations. Even with its rear wheel drive system, the self propulsion mechanism may have difficulty with steeper inclines, in which case you may have to give it a little help. And although the cutting deck is powerful enough to deal with tougher varieties of grass like St. Augustine rather handily, it may encounter problems with wet or dense patches of grass. And finally, the Lawn Boy 10604 is a bit more expensive than similar lawn mowers. Let’s take a look at each one of these drawbacks in turn.

1. The mower is rather noisy : The simple fact is that gas powered lawn mowers tend to be noisy, which is the number one trade off we make in order to get more power. But the Lawn Boy 10604 is noisier than most, which you may find problematic. Especially if you are an early riser who likes to get lawn chores taken care of early in the morning, before the sun has gotten too hot to do yard work, and you have neighbors who like to sleep in, this could be an issue. The Lawn Boy 10604 is too loud to operate without disturbing anyone who is trying to get their beauty rest. This is in part due to the fact that the engine is exposed, but also because the Kohler is powering both the cutting deck and the rear wheel drive, which means it is doing more work than engines on manual push mowers.
2. It produces a high volume of emissions and is not CARB compliant : Another drawback that is common to all gas powered mowers is the fact that they produce emissions. Of course, this is not great for the environment, but again it is the price you pay to get the kind of power you want to take care of a big job or cut through tougher grass varieties. But not all gas powered lawn mowers produce the same amount of emissions, and the Lawn Boy 10604 falls on the higher end of this range as well. Because of this, it is not compliant with California Air Resources Board emissions standards. That means it will not be available for purchase in the handful of states that use these standards. There are fourteen, including California; check to see if yours is one before you purchase a mower that is not CARB compliant.
3. May struggle with steeper inclines : In spite of the fact that it has a rear wheel drive system, the self propulsion mechanism on the Lawn Boy 10604 may struggle to get up steeper inclines. If you live on a fairly steep hill, you should be prepared for the fact that this mower may need a bit of help from you to get up it. This takes away from the benefit of having a self propelled lawn mower somewhat, but you will find that the Lawn Boy 10604 does not need you to do all of the work on a steeper hill the way a self propelled lawn mower with a front wheel drive might. That said, it might have trouble on some hills, depending on the severity of the incline.
4. The mower may encounter problems with wet or thicker grass : While the Lawn Boy 10604 is able to cut through tougher varieties such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass with no trouble, it may have problems cutting denser patches of grass or grass that is wet from recent rainstorms or watering. In the latter case, the solution is fairly simple – just wait for the grass to dry out thoroughly before you cut it, and water the lawn after you mow it. In the former case, the solution is not quite so clear cut. This is not to say that the Lawn Boy 10604 will be unable to handle denser grass; it may just have to get through it a bit more slowly than it can with thinner patches. You may also consider making more than one pass on denser patches of the lawn to get all of it cut.
5. The mower is a bit on the expensive side : The Lawn Boy 10604 is priced a bit higher than a lot of other mowers of the same cutting deck size, as well as those that are also self-propelled. This fact may deter some consumers, but before you walk away from this mower in favor of a less expensive one, there are a few things you should consider. First, the Lawn Boy 10604 has a rear wheel drive, which will make it handle a lot better than those with a front wheel drive. This is part of the reason it’s more expensive than a lot of other self-propelled lawn mowers. Second, convenient features like the three grass clippings management options are included in the initial purchase price, which means everything you need is included up front. Other mowers may have you pay extra for these accessories. Finally, you do get what you pay for in most cases, and the Lawn Boy 10604 is more expensive because it is a high quality machine.

I do not consider any of these drawbacks to be terribly serious, although they are worth mentioning. The fact that the Lawn Boy 10604 is fairly noisy and produces a high volume of emissions is not atypical for a gas powered lawn mower with a rear wheel propulsion system, and it is frankly a fair trade off in my opinion. There is a limit to how steep an incline can be before any self propelled lawn mower begins to struggle with it. While it is somewhat problematic that the Lawn Boy 10604 struggles with denser patches of grass, it’s not impossible to cut them with this mower. And the price tag, while high, does reflect the fact that this is a high quality lawn mower.

Product Comparison

I always recommend that my readers shop around a bit before they settle on a particular lawn mower. This is for two reasons. First of all, comparing similar models will give you a better picture of what a particular type of lawn mower can offer, which makes you a better informed consumer of an overall market. Second of all, comparison shopping lets you get a good idea of how a particular lawn mower stacks up against other models – both those in it size class and those in its price range. This way, you get a good idea of whether you are spending your money in the right place. The following product comparison table looks at the specifications of the Lawn Boy 10604 as well as those of the Husqvarna 7021P, which is a manual push gas mower, and the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, a self propelled gas mower. Let’s take a look.

	Lawn Boy 10604	Husqvarna 7021P	Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP
Dimensions	42.1 x 21.9 x 24.3 inches	38.2 x 22.8 x 26.2 inches	40.2 x 20.8 x 25.2 inches
Power	Gas	Gas	Gas
Engine Manufacturer	Kohler	Honda	Briggs & Stratton
Engine Specs	6-1/2-Torque 149-cc Engine	GCV160 160-cc Engine	625e Series 190-cc Engine
Gas Tank	0.25 Galons	0.24 Galons	0.3 Galons
Starter	Recoil	Recoil	Electric key start
Deck Size (cutting swath)	20-inch	21-inch	22-inch
Mulch/Bag/Discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge
Drive System	Self-Propelled Motor	Manual Push	Self-Propelled Motor
Height Adjustment	Single lever (7 positions)	Individual (5 positions)	Single point (5 positions)
Height Settings	1- to 4-inch	1-1/4- to 3-1/2-inch	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch
Wheel Size	7-inch front / 8-inch rear	8-inch front / 12-inch rear	8-inch front / 12-inch rear
Weight	79 pounds	66 pounds	105 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, each mower has a different engine; the Lawn Boy 10604 has a Kohler engine that is 149 cubic centimeters, while the Husqvarna has a Honda engine that is 160 cubic centimeters, and the Poulan Pro has a 190 cubic centimeter Briggs & Stratton engine. Of the three, the Briggs & Stratton is the most powerful. The Poulan Pro also has the widest cutting deck, at 22 inches, and the biggest gas tank, at 1/3 of a gallon. All three lawn mowers have mulch, side discharge, and rear bagging options included. The Husqvarna is the lightest of the three mowers, but this is in part because it does not have a drive system. Of the two self-propelled mowers, the Lawn Boy 10604 is considerably lighter than the Poulan Pro. It also has the widest range of height options, with seven options between one and four inches.

Conclusion

All things considered, the Lawn Boy 10604 has a number of excellent features that combine to make it one of the better self propelled gas powered lawn mowers on the market today. While it does have a price tag that is on the higher end of the spectrum, this is in part due to the many great qualities the mower has. It is one of the few self propelled lawn mowers with a rear wheel drive, which will contribute to its overall performance across a wide range of terrain types. In addition to that, there are several other very convenient features that make it an excellent addition to any garage. Before we wrap up the review with a final word and discussion of the pricing options, let’s take another look at the Pros and Cons the Lawn Boy 10604 has.

Conclusion Pros

1. The mower is self propelled with a rear wheel drive.
2. Three grass clippings management options included.
3. Seven height options between one and four inches.
4. Powerful enough to cut through tougher varieties of grass.
5. The mower is easy to start up, use, and maintain.

Having a self propelled lawn mower takes a lot of the work out of keeping your lawn looking its best. If you do not have to push the mower around your lawn on your own power, the job is instantly that much easier. And a rear wheel drive allows the Lawn Boy 10604 to tackle uneven terrain and most inclines. The fact that the mower has multiple height adjustment options that are easy to switch between means you can let your lawn get shaggy and not have to worry about cutting it below the optimal height. And the fact that three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase price is very convenient. The mower has enough power to cut through all kinds of grass, even tougher kinds like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. And unlike a lot of gas powered mowers, the Lawn Boy 10604 is very easy to get started, use, and keep running well for a number of years to come.

Conclusion Cons

1. The mower is rather noisy.
2. It produces a high volume of emissions and is not CARB compliant.
3. May struggle with steeper inclines.
4. The mower may encounter problems with wet or thicker grass.
5. The mower is a bit on the expensive side.

Of course, the Lawn Boy 10604 is not perfect. It is fairly noisy, even for a gas powered lawn mower, which could present problems to early birds who want to get the lawn cut first thing in the morning – especially if they have neighbors who want to sleep in. And the mower produces a lot of emissions. That means it is not compliant with California Air Resources Board regulations, which means there are a handful of states where you can’t use it. Even with its rear wheel drive, the Lawn Boy 10604 may have difficulty negotiating steeper inclines and could need a little help from you to get up them. And the mower may struggle to deal with wet grass, and get slowed down by denser patches of grass on your lawn. The Lawn Boy 10604 is fairly expensive, even for a self propelled lawn mower, but at the same time it is worth the investment, especially if you have a fairly big lawn with tougher varieties of grass.

Final Word

If you have a fairly big lawn, you are going to need the kind of powerful lawn mower that can get the job done efficiently and consistently. This is especially true if you live in an area of the United States where you have to plant tougher varieties of grass like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. In these cases, you are almost certainly going to want to consider purchasing a gas powered lawn mower. Not only that, but if your yard is big enough, or if it is on uneven or sloping terrain, you are probably going to want a lawn mower that can drive itself. That way a lot of the work associated with keeping your lawn looking its best is taken right out of the equation.

The Lawn Boy 10604 is just such a lawn mower. Not only does it have a powerful engine that will perform reliably over the long term, it is a self propelled lawn mower with a rear wheel drive. That means it will be better equipped to handle different kinds of terrain than self propelled lawn mowers with front wheel drives. It has a number of convenient other features included as well, such as three grass clippings management options and a wide range of height adjustment options so you can give your lawn the perfect cut every time. All told, this is a very good lawn mower, especially for big lawns on uneven ground that need a mower that can get the job done right.

Best Price

As I have already mentioned a few times in this review, the Lawn Boy 10604 is a bit more expensive than similar lawn mowers, including self propelled ones. Less savvy consumers may find this to be an automatic turn-off, and look for more inexpensive lawn mowers. But the fact is that you often get what you pay for, and even though the initial price tag is a bit high, the Lawn Boy 10604 may well be worth it, depending on what you want from your lawn mower. This model has a rear wheel drive and a number of very convenient features that are included in the initial price. And it has the kind of design and parts that will allow it to provide consistent performance over the long term. While the Lawn Boy 10604 may be a bit on the expensive side, the extra cost is well worth it in my opinion.