Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP Review

(Rated: 4 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Cut Quality
Check Price
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When you are a homeowner with a fairly large lawn, you need a lawn mower that can get the job done quickly and efficiently, and you want to be able to rely on it to provide quality performance over the long term. In almost every case, this is going to require a gas powered lawn mower. Mowers with gas powered engines are able to support much wider cutting decks than electric or manual reel mowers can. Wider cutting decks mean you can finish cutting the lawn in fewer passes and less time than you otherwise would and be finished with your yard chores faster and be back to enjoying the rest of your weekend with your family sooner.

Gas powered lawn mowers are also the best equipped to tackle the wide variety of lawn types out there, from thinly planted lawns with slender varieties of grass like Fine Fescue and Kentucky bluegrass to densely planted lawns with tougher varieties like St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. Many electric mowers tend to struggle with tougher grass, while gas powered lawn mowers are able to slice right through them without losing anything in terms of performance or the quality of the cut.

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has all of the advantages of a big, tough lawn mower as well as a number of special features of its own. Not only does it have one of the widest cutting decks you can find on a walk behind mower today, it also has a convenient self propelled front wheel drive system. Because the mower propels itself, it takes a lot of the work of mowing your lawn out of the equation, making it one of the more convenient lawn mowers you can find today.

Review Summary

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is a gas powered lawn mower with a 22 inch wide cutting deck and overall dimensions of 40.2 x 20.8 x 25.2 inches. It has a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine with a displacement of 190 cubic centimeters and 6.25 foot pounds of torque. The engine is powerful enough to drive not only the super wide cutting deck but also the self propelled front wheel drive system. The front wheel drive system is especially convenient, and particularly so if you happen to have a very large lawn, since most of the work associated with cutting the grass is centered on pushing the mower back and forth across the yard. With the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, all you have to do is start it up, point it in the right direction, engage the drive system, and steer. I will cover these and other great features of the mower in more detail in the Pros section.

After that I will discuss some of the areas in which the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is not quite perfect. Because it is such a big, powerful mower with a 190 cc engine and an integrated drive system, the mower is pretty heavy. And because it supports such a wide cutting deck, the mower has fairly large dimensions as well. Both of these factors could make it a bit difficult to maneuver the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP around your yard as well as find storage space for it in your garage or tool shed. The engine on the mower is fairly loud, and while this is to be expected, it may present issues around potentially disturbing your neighbors. Finally, the mower produces a lot of exhaust, and it is not CARB compliant.

Specifications

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is a gas powered walk behind mower with overall dimensions of 40.2 x 20.8 x 25.2 inches. It has a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine. The engine has an overall displacement of 190 cubic centimeters and provides 6.25 foot pounds of torque at 92 decibels. The engine is not compliant with California Air Resources Board emissions standards. The gas tank on the mower holds 0.3 gallons, which is more than enough to power the mower around large yards without requiring a refill. The mower has a convenient electric key start that guarantees reliable startups every time. It comes with three grass clippings management options included in the initial purchase price: side discharge, a mulching kit, and a rear bag for collecting clippings for later disposal or composting.

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a self propelled front wheel drive system with variable speeds that is designed to take a lot of the work out of maneuvering the mower around your yard. It has five convenient height options with a generous range of 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches so you can always be sure you are cutting your lawn at the optimal height. The height of the cutting deck is easily adjusted using a single lever for all four wheels. The front wheels are eight inches tall and the rear wheels are twelve inches tall, which makes them some of the largest out there. The front wheels on this mower are actually larger than the rear wheels on many comparably sized lawn mowers. The mower weighs 105 pounds. It comes with a limited 2 year consumer warranty.

Description

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is a gas powered walk behind lawn mower with a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine that has a displacement of 190 cubic centimeters and provides 6.25 foot pounds of torque to the machine. This is enough power to drive the cutting deck at the kind of high tip speeds necessary to get through dense patches of grass and tougher varieties of grass such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass without losing performance or slowing down. It’s also able to power the self propelled front wheel drive system at variable speeds.

That’s right: the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a convenient self propelled drive system that allows you to simply start up the mower, point it in the right direction, set your desired speed, and then simply steer it. This feature takes the vast majority of the work associated with cutting the lawn right out of the equation, since you barely have to push the mower. Of course, you will have to use some effort to turn corners with the mower, but that’s all.

The cutting deck on the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is a full 22 inches wide. That makes it one of the widest cutting decks you can find on any gas powered walk behind lawn mower, and it’s significantly wider than the average electric lawn mower’s cutting deck. A wider cutting deck is important because it allows you to cut the same area in fewer passes than you could with a smaller lawn mower, and fewer passes translates directly to less time spent working on the lawn and more time spent relaxing and enjoying the rest of your already short weekend.

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP was designed with convenience and ease of use in mind, and it shows. Not only does it have a super wide cutting deck and front wheel drive, it comes with extra accessories already included. Chief among them is the convenient three in one grass clippings management system. In addition to the side discharge, you can engage the mulching kit or attach the rear bag to collect clippings for later disposal or composting. The mulching kit will cause the cutting deck to chop clippings into finer pieces that can break down more quickly into the soil, where they will release important nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. Mulching grass clippings back into the soil is one of the best ways to keep the lawn looking great and feeling healthy without having to resort to chemical fertilizers.

Another important way to keep your lawn looking and feeling its best is to make sure you are always cutting it at the proper height, and with the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP that’s easy too. You should avoid cutting the grass any shorter than 1/3 its original height. Doing so can expose it to damage from drought or heat waves as well as make it vulnerable to diseases and invasions by weeds and crab grass. With the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, you can conveniently choose from one of five height options between 1 ½ and 3 ½ inches, which means you can always get the perfect height to keep your lawn as healthy as possible. And adjusting between heights is a snap: all four wheels’ height settings are controlled using a single convenient lever in the rear of the mower.

Of course, a mower with this kind of power and size is going to have some drawbacks. The Briggs & Stratton 160 cc engine is loud – at 92 decibels – and it produces enough exhaust that the lawn mower is not compliant with California Air Resources Board emissions standards. The big engine and the front wheel drive system add a lot of weight to the mower as well, so it’s fairly heavy. And the 22 inch wide cutting deck needs a big body to support it, so the mower has a fairly large footprint. But I think you will agree that these are all fair trade offs for such a high performance machine.

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is priced on the higher end of the range for walk behind gas powered lawn mowers, but I tend to think it’s worth the price. With this mower, you get a lot: a high quality engine, extra wide cutting deck, and convenient front wheel drive. This is a solid, high performance lawn mower.

Pros

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a number of excellent features which taken together make it one of the better walk behind gas powered lawn mowers you can find for your money today. It has a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e series engine, which you can count on to provide plenty of power and performance. The mower’s cutting deck is a full 22 inches wide, making it one of the biggest walk behind mowers available. It has a front wheel drive system that propels the mower under its own power, which takes a lot of the work associated with mowing the lawn out of the equation. The mower has convenient accessories such as three in one grass management options included in the initial purchase price. And it has massive rear wheels as well as extra big front wheels which help with stability and maneuverability, as well as solidly built parts all around. Let’s take a look at each of these great features in some more detail.

1. Powerful Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine : The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is equipped with a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine. The engine has a displacement of 190 cubic centimeters, which makes it one of the larger ones available for a walk behind lawn mower today. It produces 6.25 foot pounds of torque and provides the cutting deck with enough power to get through dense patches of grass easily as well as tackle tougher varieties of grass such as St. Augustine or Bermuda grass. Briggs & Stratton is a well known leader in the small engine manufacturing industry, and there are clear reasons why this company is so respected. They consistently produce high performance engines that provide the kind of reliable power you need for bigger and more difficult jobs. With this engine under the hood, you can be confident that the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP will be able to handle whatever you throw at it.
2. Extra wide 22 inch cutting deck : The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has an extra wide, 22 inch cutting deck that is equipped with a durable steel blade that will stand up to tougher jobs without needing to be sharpened as often. Its size makes the cutting deck on the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP one of the widest walk behind lawn mowers you can find on the market today. It’s well above the industry average for gas powered lawn mowers, and it blows away even the biggest electric lawn mowers. An extra wide cutting deck is one of the most important features you could ask for on a lawn mower, and it’s one of the best arguments you can make for sticking with gas powered lawn mowers. Wider cutting decks let you finish cutting the lawn in fewer passes, and this translates directly to less time spent on lawn chores and more time spent enjoying the rest of your already short weekend with your family.
3. Self propelled front wheel drive system : This is one of the best features the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has to offer. It has a powerful front wheel drive system that helps take a lot of the work out of cutting the grass. The drive system helps make it much easier to maneuver the mower around your yard: all you have to do is start it up, set your desired speed, and then steer it. The drive system does the rest. This is especially important if you have a fairly large lawn on your property, since pushing a mower back and forth over a half an acre or more will tire just about anyone out rather quickly. The front wheel drive system also is useful if your lawn happens to be on the slope of a hill or uneven terrain, because with it you do not have to struggle to get the mower up a steep grade.
4. Three grass clippings management options included : The three in one grass clippings management capabilities on the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is an excellent example of the kind of convenience and ease of use the mower is designed for. Often, manufacturers will either decide not to provide three grass management options at all or else classify them as optional accessories and charge extra for them. On the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, you get the standard side discharge as well as a mulching kit that allows you to chop grass clippings into very small pieces that will break down into the lawn more quickly. This is an excellent way to keep your lawn looking and feeling great without having to resort to chemical fertilizers. In addition to these options, you can also attach a rear bag assembly to collect clippings for later disposal or composting. It’s important to have options on your lawn mower because your lawn’s particular needs may change from one season to the next, and the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP provides plenty.
5. Large wheels and durable construction : Overall, the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is made of durable parts that are designed to stand up to wear and tear over the long term. It has a stamped steel body supporting the high quality Briggs & Stratton engine, a tough cutting blade made of hardened steel that will last longer without needing sharpening, and big, durable wheels. The front wheels on the mower are eight inches tall and the rear wheels are twelve inches tall. That makes the front wheels on this mower bigger than the rear wheels on many comparably sized mowers. Bigger wheels such as these ensure that you will not lose anything in terms of maneuverability or stability even when you are operating the mower on uneven, tough terrain. And the fact that the mower’s parts are very sturdy overall means you will be able to use it on difficult jobs for many years without losing anything in terms of performance or reliability.

Taken individually, any one of these features would be great to have on a lawn mower. The powerful engine means you can rely on it to perform optimally over the long term, and the extra wide cutting deck is designed to allow you to finish cutting your lawn in fewer passes and less time. Either of these features would be a great reason to give a mower a second look, but then the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP adds a front wheel drive system, which greatly reduces the amount of work you have to do to get your grass cut! In addition, it has convenient accessories like three in one mowing capabilities included in the initial purchase price. And on top of all of that, it’s constructed out of highly durable materials that will stand up to lots of wear and tear over the years. When you consider all of them together, it’s easy to see why these features make the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP one of the best lawn mowers of the year.

Cons

At the same time, even though the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has all of these excellent features, there are a few areas in which it is not quite perfect. The mower has a rather large footprint in order to allow it to support its massive deck and big engine, and in addition to that it weighs a lot. That may make it a bit difficult for some users to maneuver around the yard. It also produces a good deal of emissions, and it is not compliant with California Air Resources Board standards, which means there are a handful of states in which it will not be available for purchase. Even with its powerful engine and front wheel drive system, the mower can be difficult to maneuver through grass that is taller than about six inches. And the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is fairly loud, even for a gas powered mower, which could present problems for some users.

1. The mower has fairly large dimensions : The overall footprint of the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is 40.2 x 20.8 x 25.2 inches. This makes it one of the bigger walk behind mowers available today. While its size is mainly due to the fact that it is supporting one of the widest cutting decks you can find on a walk behind mower, it may still pose some difficulties for some users. A mower of that size may present hassles when you are trying to find adequate storage space for it in your garage or tool shed: you can’t just tuck it away into any corner. It may also be difficult to maneuver in tighter spots in your yard or get it between garden beds. Of course, this is a small price to pay for a mower that has the kind of massive cutting deck that can allow you to finish mowing your lawn much faster than a smaller lawn mower could, but it is important to be aware of the potential difficulties this may present.
2. At 105 pounds, the mower is quite heavy : 105 pounds is a lot of weight for a lawn mower, and it will probably make the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP a bit more difficult to maneuver than lighter lawn mowers. Of course, it should be said that the mower’s weight is mitigated somewhat by the fact that it has a self propelled front wheel drive system, which is going to make it a lot easier to push the mower around the yard. But it still may be a bit of a chore to get the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP in and out of the garage, before it’s running and the drive system is engaged. And some users may find it a bit difficult to turn corners with such a heavy lawn mower. This will be especially true for users who are older or do not have the kind of strength level necessary to maneuver this kind of bulk around with ease.
3. High emissions mean it’s not CARB compliant : All gas powered mowers produce emissions; there are no two ways around this fact. But some produce more emissions than others, and the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP unfortunately falls on the higher end of that spectrum. This means that you will have a bigger carbon footprint with this mower, but many consumers rightly feel that this is a small price to pay for the kind of power and performance they get from a big mower like this one. But because it does not run as clean as some gas powered mowers, it produces enough emissions to make it noncompliant with the California Air Resources Board standards. These standards were originally developed to curb pollution from small engines in California, as the name implies, but hey have since been adopted by fourteen other states scattered across the U.S. Before you consider purchasing a non-CARB compliant mower, you should check to see whether your state enforces these standards.
4. It may have difficulty with very tall grass : In spite of the fact that the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a powerful Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine and a self propelled front wheel drive system, it will not always be able to easily power through any lawn it encounters. This will be especially true if you try to use it to cut grass that is much taller than about six inches. The cutting deck generally does not have any problems cutting this king of tall grass, but you may find that you will have to give the mower’s front wheel drive system a bit of help in order to get the mower to push through it. For most readers, this should not be a problem they run into too often, as most of you probably do not let your grass get to be more than about four inches tall between cuttings. But if you do like to allow your lawn to get long and shaggy from time to time, you should be prepared for the fact that you may have to provide a little human power to get the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP through it.
5. The mower has a high noise level (92 dbA) : One of the common drawbacks of gas powered lawn mowers that they tend to be noisy. As with emissions, this is something we take for granted as the price we have to pay to get the kind of powerful engines and wide cutting decks that allow us to cut big lawns or tougher varieties of grass. However, even when you take under consideration the fact that it’s a gas powered lawn mower, the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP tends to be quite noisy. Its noise level measures at 92 decibels (A-weighted). That’s fairly loud, almost as loud as a jackhammer or subway train going by. While that will not be a cause for concern that you will damage your ears from using the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP, it may present problems if you prefer to mow your lawn early in the morning but have neighbors who like to sleep in.

I should stress that I do not think any of these drawbacks indicate a failing of design or manufacturing in the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP , but rather that they reflect the fact that this is a big, powerful mower intended to tackle tough jobs. The mower has an extra wide cutting deck, which means it is necessarily going to have bigger dimensions overall to support it. Its powerful Briggs & Stratton 160 cubic centimeter engine is going to be noisy, and combined with the front wheel drive system it is going to add a lot of weight to the mower. It will be difficult to find a mower with this kind of powerful engine that is compliant with California Air Resources Board Standards. And while it takes a little extra effort to get the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP through very tall grass in spite of its front wheel drive, it tackles dense patches and tougher grass with no problems.

Product Comparison

While Pros and Cons lists can tell us a lot about a particular lawn mower, by themselves they offer a fairly limited view of the overall quality of a particular machine, especially in terms of how it compares to what else is available on the market. I think it is always very important to do some thorough comparison shopping before you settle on any product, and this is doubly true for a big purchase like a new lawn mower. Looking at a number of different products gives you a better sense of what the market as a whole typically has to offer, and it also allows you to develop a clearer understanding of how a particular machine stacks up compared to similar models made by its competitors. The following table compares a number of important product specs on the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP with those on two mowers in its class, the Yard-Man 12A-B29Q701 and the Husqvarna 7021R. Let’s take a look.

	Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP	Yard-Man 12A-B29Q701	Husqvarna 7021R
Dimensions	40.2 x 20.8 x 25.2 inches	38.1 x 24.1 x 17.8 inches	40.2 x 23.8 x 25.2 inches
Power	Gas	Gas	Gas
Engine Manufacturer	Briggs & Stratton	Honda	Honda
Engine Specs	625e Series 190-cc Engine	GVC160 ARCS 160-cc Engine	GCV160 160-cc Engine
Gas Tank	0.3 Galons	0.25 Galons	0.24 Galons
Starter	Electric key start	Recoil	Recoil
Deck Size (cutting swath)	22-inch	21-inch	21-inch
Mulch/Bag/Discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge	Mulch, bag, and discharge
Drive System	Self-Propelled Motor	Self-Propelled Motor	Self-Propelled Motor
Height Adjustment	Single point (5 positions)	Single lever (5 positions)	Single lever (6 positions)
Height Settings	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch	1-1/4- to 3-3/4-inch	1-1/2- to 3-1/2-inch
Wheel Size	8-inch front / 12-inch rear	8-inch front / 11-inch rear	8-inch front / 8-inch rear
Weight	105 pounds	81 pounds	100 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has the largest overall dimensions of the three mowers, but it also has an engine with larger displacement as well as a wider cutting deck. The engine in the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is a high quality Briggs & Stratton model, while the other two mowers both have 160 cubic centimeter Honda engines. The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a larger gas tank than the other mowers, and it is the only one of the three with an electric key start, as opposed to a recoil starter cord. All three mowers provide three in one mowing capabilities. All three have single point height adjustment, and while the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP and the Husqvarna 7021R have the widest height ranges, the Husqvarna has one more setting than the Poulan Pro. The Yard-Man is the lightest of the three mowers, all of which have self propelled drive systems. All three mowers have two year warranties.

Conclusion

There are a number of features that are of particular importance when you are deciding which mower is best for your needs. The most universally important feature is the mower’s cutting deck size, as this is going to affect the overall efficiency and speed with which you can finish cutting your lawn. Particular to gas powered lawn mowers are the size and output of the engine, the mower’s fuel efficiency, noise level, and emissions output. After that, there are a number of other features that are fairly important as well, such as the number of accessories and convenience factors a mower provides, how bulky and big a mower is, and whether it can handle a wide variety of lawns. In the interest of making sure we thoroughly covered these points, let’s look at the Pros and Cons lists one more time before we wrap up the review.

Conclusion Pros

1. Powerful Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine.
2. Extra wide 22 inch cutting deck.
3. Self propelled front wheel drive system.
4. Three grass clippings management options included.
5. Large wheels and durable construction.

The engine on the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is one of the biggest and most powerful you can find on a gas powered lawn mower today: it has a best in class Briggs & Stratton 625e Series engine that has a displacement of 160 cubic centimeters and provides 6.25 foot pounds of torque. This is an engine you can rely on to provide high quality performance and reliable power over the long term. The mower also has a 22 inch wide cutting deck, which makes it one of the biggest walk behind lawn mowers you can find today. One of the most convenient features the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP provides is the self propelled front wheel drive system, which will take much of the work out of getting your lawn cut. In addition to that, it has convenient three in one grass clippings management options so you can always choose the right one for your lawn’s needs, and it has big, sturdy wheels and durable construction overall.

Conclusion Cons

1. The mower has fairly large dimensions.
2. At 105 pounds, the mower is quite heavy.
3. High emissions mean it’s not CARB compliant.
4. It may have difficulty with very tall grass.
5. The mower has a high noise level.

Of course, in order to get that kind of power and performance, you are necessarily going to lose in certain other areas. A mower with a 22 inch wide cutting deck is going to have to have large dimensions to support it, and the 160 cc engine and front wheel drive system are going to add a lot of weight to the mower as well. The engine is also going to be fairly noisy and produce a lot of emissions, so it’s almost expected that it will not be compliant with CARB standards. All of these drawbacks have more to do with the kind of lawn mower the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is, as opposed to any flaw in design or manufacturing. Finally, although the mower does need a bit of help to deal with very tall grass, most users probably won’t encounter this problem, and those that do will find that it still deals with it well.

Final Word

When you have a big yard with a wide lawn, you need a big, powerful lawn mower to get the job done. There are no two ways around it. And the best way to get the job done as quickly and efficiently is with a lawn mower that has an extra wide cutting deck and the kind of engine that can provide reliable power over the long term. The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is exactly the kind of mower big jobs require.

This mower has one of the widest cutting decks you can find on a walk behind mower today, at a full 22 inches. That is 20% wider than the industry average, and it is the kind of cutting deck that will allow you to finish the job in fewer passes and less time. In addition, the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a powerful Briggs & Stratton 160 cubic centimeter engine that provides 6.25 foot pounds of torque to the mower. And it has a self propelled drive system that will help take the majority of the work out of maneuvering the mower around a big area. Overall, the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP has a lot to offer, and it’s a very solid machine.

Best Price

The Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP falls on the higher end of the price range for gas powered walk behind mowers, although it certainly isn’t the most expensive one I’ve seen. While some readers may be more inclined to find a less expensive mower, there performance, cutting deck width, and convenient features this mower provides justify its price in my opinion. This mower will help you finish cutting your lawn faster and with less effort, and it will provide reliable performance over the long term. It has great features like the front wheel drive that take much of the work out of cutting your lawn, and it’s made of durable parts and high quality components. All things considered, I think the cost of the Poulan Pro PR625Y22RKP is well worth it.