The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Type 901

deezell wrote: »

Probably cheaper than carpet?
I presume you mean the cut price electric start for €319? It will certainly be big enough for the job, just be aware that a small plot involves a lot of turning, and with a big heavy mower this can be tiresome. If your 350m2 was a long narrow strip, then it's not an issue. Go in and give a good handling, wheel around the aisles etc.

Ye say will be over kill for my needs. Lawn is wider than it is long with good amount of flower beds intruding on the perimeter so not squared.

Only starting to search but will focus on smaller petrol or a decent battery powered.

Edit
Think this should suit my needs and looks a decent price, if any opinions? Cobra with B&S 450e engine and 40cm cut

https://www.lawnmowerworld.ie/product/cobra-m40b-16-petrol-lawnmower/

worlds goodest teecher

https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/lawn-and-pool-robots/lawn-mowing-robots?brand=worx&price=500-1000

Out of the robotic mowers which has the best battery?

deezell

Type 901 wrote: »

Ye say will be over kill for my needs. Lawn is wider than it is long with good amount of flower beds intruding on the perimeter so not squared.

Only starting to search but will focus on smaller petrol or a decent battery powered.

Edit
Think this should suit my needs and looks a decent price, if any opinions? Cobra with B&S 450e engine and 40cm cut

https://www.lawnmowerworld.ie/product/cobra-m40b-16-petrol-lawnmower/

Cuttng 350 m2 with a 40cm mower is about a 1 km walk, nice little bit of exercise. Cobra a decent brand. It's a push mower, in case you'd prefer self propelled, but an easy push tbh.

deezell

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/lawn-and-pool-robots/lawn-mowing-robots?brand=worx&price=500-1000

Out of the robotic mowers which has the best battery?

Multiply Ah of the battery by its voltage to get the nominal stored power. E.g, a 2.5Ah 40V battery has a power capacity of 0.1 Kwh, 3Ah 18V battery has 0.054 Kwh. The bigger the capacity the more it will cut between charges.

romaderwdcsax

Hi all. It’s probably been asked numerous times but I’m just looking for advice on a lawnmower. My petrol lawnmower is after packing it in, I’ve a fairly small back garden so I’m just wondering if an electric lawnmower would do the job?
Are they reliable enough?
Woodies have a Bosch electric lawnmower for under €100 and screw fix also have a different brand electric lawnmower for roughly the same price.

WiseOldOwl

WiseOldOwl wrote: »

Need help. New lawnmower delivered today. Pro lawn plus Hyundai. Not a clue abour lawnmowers , its taki g me hours to set it up. Frustration levels are high! Anyway, the engine brake cable and the drive cable won't reach to where they are supposed to attach to handle. Just slightly too short. What am I doing wrong?

I expect you got sorted but I had the same problem. Just had to be rough in the end. The electric start and battery on these Pro Lawn mowers....does it still have to be charged even if all you want to do is start the mower the old fashioned way? I notice there's no primer.

49801

romaderwdcsax wrote: »

Hi all. It’s probably been asked numerous times but I’m just looking for advice on a lawnmower. My petrol lawnmower is after packing it in, I’ve a fairly small back garden so I’m just wondering if an electric lawnmower would do the job?
Are they reliable enough?
Woodies have a Bosch electric lawnmower for under €100 and screw fix also have a different brand electric lawnmower for roughly the same price.

Corded electric pretty reliable indestructible really. No more having to have petrol or servicing engine is a big plus. They are much cheaper too. Downside being working around cable.

Plenty battery options available now too. Personally would go corded if you can though. Just less to go wrong IMO

deezell

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Hope somebody can help with this one.....
- when I engage the blades, they take at least 30 and sometimes more than 45 seconds to get up to speed and start turning .....

Just after this query I received my own replacement drive belt which I had ordered from Totally Belts in the UK, £7 for a belt which costs £60 for the manufacturers part numbered spare, and that's on Amazon. My mower was showing early signs of start up slippage, which can wear the pulleys if you don't attend to it. Just to give you an idea, heres the new belt and the 6 year old original. It's worn to about 70% of its original thickness.

kollegeknight

Hi all, first time poster here. I’ve about three quarters of an acre of a lawn that children play on. Grass grows quickly. I have a push lawn mower and it takes hours to do it.
One part I had about a 30degree slope.

I am also considering a trailed finishing mower behind an MF135

My budget is under €2000

Is this any good?:

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Rideon-Lawnmowers/Mcculloch-Bs-3115-Petrol-Ride-On-Mower-77cm-1776751

I am open to suggestions.
Many thanks in advance.

deezell

kollegeknight wrote: »

Hi all, first time poster here. I’ve about three quarters of an acre of a lawn that children play on. Grass grows quickly. I have a push lawn mower and it takes hours to do it.
One part I had about a 30degree slope.

I am also considering a trailed finishing mower behind an MF135

My budget is under €2000

Is this any good?:

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Rideon-Lawnmowers/Mcculloch-Bs-3115-Petrol-Ride-On-Mower-77cm-1776751

I am open to suggestions.
Many thanks in advance.

Assuming the Massey has agricultural arrow/ chevron treads on its rear tyres, furrow tyres on front, this may not be good for your lawn. It will over compact the soil, and tear up the turf on sharp corners. Turf tyres all round will be costly, before you even buy a trailer mower.
That Mccullough is basic but will do the job, certainly faster than a push mower. If you want a wide cut powered walk behind, your budget would cover the Toro Timemaster 30"/76cm mower, about €1400, a bit less if you buy from a NI dealer. Thats the same cut width almost as the sit on McCullough, and would leave a better finish.
Set your maximum budget, and have a look in that price range at Stiga, Alpina, Mountfield. Also have a look at the used offerings. Dealers have just reopened and will want to shift trade ins as well as new stock

kollegeknight

deezell wrote: »

Assuming the Massey has agricultural arrow/ chevron treads on its rear tyres, furrow tyres on front, this may not be good for your lawn. It will over compact the soil, and tear up the turf on sharp corners. Turf tyres all round will be costly, before you even buy a trailer mower.
That Mccullough is basic but will do the job, certainly faster than a push mower. If you want a wide cut powered walk behind, your budget would cover the Toro Timemaster 30"/76cm mower, about €1400, a bit less if you buy from a NI dealer. Thats the same cut width almost as the sit on McCullough, and would leave a better finish.
Set your maximum budget, and have a look in that price range at Stiga, Alpina, Mountfield. Also have a look at the used offerings. Dealers have just reopened and will want to shift trade ins as well as new stock

I have normal wheels on the front but wide (and bald) tyres on the back. Is €2000 sufficient for a mower for a lawn of this size?

deezell

kollegeknight wrote: »

Hi all, first time poster here. I’ve about three quarters of an acre of a lawn that children play on. Grass grows quickly. I have a push lawn mower and it takes hours to do it.
One part I had about a 30degree slope.

I am also considering a trailed finishing mower behind an MF135

My budget is under €2000

Is this any good?:

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Rideon-Lawnmowers/Mcculloch-Bs-3115-Petrol-Ride-On-Mower-77cm-1776751

I am open to suggestions.
Many thanks in advance.

kollegeknight wrote: »

I have normal wheels on the front but wide (and bald) tyres on the back. Is €2000 sufficient for a mower for a lawn of this size?

Still a heavy enough yoke to be wresting around 3/4 acre, though the bald tyres help, but a towed mower will leave you lots of missed bits near beds and obstacles.
If you want to push the budget a little, this mower represents decent value, 84cm cut, Briggs and Stratton engine and Hydrostatic drive, you'll get in and out of awkward bits at the touch of a pedal, About €2499 from here and other dealers, before haggling.
https://monaghanhire.com/products/castelgarden-xdc140hd-tractor-mower
http://tennysonlawnmowers.ie/castelgarden-xdc150

Manual transmission, €2350
https://monaghanhire.com/products/cg-xdc140-84cm-geared-b-s-p-b-avs-344cc

kollegeknight

deezell wrote: »

Still a heavy enough yoke to be wresting around 3/4 acre, though the bald tyres help, but a towed mower will leave you lots of missed bits near beds and obstacles.
If you want to push the budget a little, this mower represents decent value, 84cm cut, Briggs and Stratton engine and Hydrostatic drive, you'll get in and out of awkward bits at the touch of a pedal, About €2499 from here and other dealers, before haggling.
https://monaghanhire.com/products/castelgarden-xdc140hd-tractor-mower
http://tennysonlawnmowers.ie/castelgarden-xdc150

Manual transmission, €2350
https://monaghanhire.com/products/cg-xdc140-84cm-geared-b-s-p-b-avs-344cc

That’s great thanks.

Is the much of a difference between automatic and manual gearboxes in performance or maintainance?

deezell

kollegeknight wrote: »

That’s great thanks.

Is the much of a difference between automatic and manual gearboxes in performance or maintainance?

Exactly like a car. Manual cheaper, but can be tiresome in awkward sites. Simple enough to maintain but belt clutches tend to give out after a couple of seasons, gear box and differential can be damaged by rough operation.
Hydrostatic auto costs more, about €150+, a dream to operate, less likely to break down, and hard to abuse, but expensive if it does fail.

kollegeknight

deezell wrote: »

Exactly like a car. Manual cheaper, but can be tiresome in awkward sites. Simple enough to maintain but belt clutches tend to give out after a couple of seasons, gear box and differential can be damaged by rough operation.
Hydrostatic auto costs more, about €150+, a dream to operate, less likely to break down, and hard to abuse, but expensive if it does fail.

Brilliant thanks.

funnyname

jmreire wrote: »

Obviously, something is over heating, and it's cutting out to prevent damage. Have you checked the engine oil level? The oil performs a cooling function as well as lubrication. Check it while cold in the morning... If you are unsure how to do it, just google " how to check engine oil level on a Craftsman T2000 mower" Plenty of info on the net. Is it a Briggs & Stratton Engine in it?

Apologies for the late update but all well now

I had checked the oil previously and thought it was ok but that was after the engine had been running for a while.

So obviously when I checked it cold it was below the recommended level. I topped it up with the recommended 4 stroke oil from B&S and all is running well now.
So I checked

blackbox

deezell wrote: »

Just after this query I received my own replacement drive belt which I had ordered from Totally Belts in the UK, £7 for a belt which costs £60 for the manufacturers part numbered spare, and that's on Amazon. My mower was showing early signs of start up slippage, which can wear the pulleys if you don't attend to it. Just to give you an idea, heres the new belt and the 6 year old original. It's worn to about 70% of its original thickness.

I agree that the manufacturers are very expensive for belts. I haven't tried "Totally Belts", but have found "BeltingOnline.com" to have good quality belts at a fraction of the price.

deezell

blackbox wrote: »

I agree that the manufacturers are very expensive for belts. I haven't tried "Totally Belts", but have found "BeltingOnline.com" to have good quality belts at a fraction of the price.

I use this site to get an actual standard belt size from the manufacturer's machine model no.
https://www.ratioparts.com/ansicht/Ratioparts/index.php?mo=Shop&op=8714&UID=9852&__utma=73904913.902661495.1589627654.1589627654.1589627654.1&__utmz=73904913.1589627654.1.1.utmcsr%3D%28direct%29%7Cutmccn%3D%28direct%29%7Cutmcmd%3D%28none%29&Von=10
The belt for my machine, part no. 6170-704-2150, is given as an SPA 1507 lw, a specific wrapped type belt with a pitch diameter of 1507mm. I can now search using this generic size for best price.
Totally belts are great in that you can search by manufacturer part number also, hence my spare for a few pence over £7

worlds goodest teecher

I posted this on the autonomous lawnmower thread but got no feedback:

Lawn of the second hand house that I bought a few months back is in and around 520sq.m (front, back and one side). Front and back are separated by a timber fence along the side. Fairly level but a little bumpy. Heavy grass and needs a good weeding.

Advice on a robotic lawnmower appreciated.
With the likes of the Worx Landroid, how do add additional boundary wire? Where is the best place to locate the base unit? Can it be placed on a footpath along a wall? Are they safe around kids?

Bawnmore

For anyone who picked up the Pro Lawn in Woodies - hows it going? Looks like it'd suit us. Are they ever available in store to check out? Looks like no stock in the 5 closest stores to us currently.

dos29

Bawnmore wrote: »

For anyone who picked up the Pro Lawn in Woodies - hows it going? Looks like it'd suit us. Are they ever available in store to check out? Looks like no stock in the 5 closest stores to us currently.

I got one recently. Second cut with it today on 2/3rd acre. I may be picky coming from a dedicated mulching Husqvarna that packed in.
It's slow, even at highest speed. May try to adjust governer. Mulching is rough enough, not very fine clippings. It's heavy enough that the wheels leave significant tracks, collecting clippings.
This could all be specific to me though, coming from what I was used to.
Side discharge and bag worked well on small area I tested on. Push button start is a gift. Deck hose connection works well enough if I remember to use it, takes a few minutes of running.
Excellent value at €320.

Yeah I used it Monday for the first time. First proper attempt at buying a lawn mower for me. Noticed the slowness too but I can live with it. Had the side discharge on and it was a god send compared to what I was used to (previously would rent one out, I had no way of disposing of the grass so had to cut with the collector off and a stick holding the flap up. Used to be covered in grass at the end).

Still a bit suspicious considering the slightly dodgy English in the instruction manual, gimmicky stuff like the drinks holder and the fact you get a mulcher, regular grass cut and side discharge all for the low price. Also read somewhere that Hyundai mowers are made in China now. Let's see how long it lasts.

Bawnmore

Thanks folks - much appreciated. On to Woodies to see when they'll be restocking. We live quite close to 2 separate Woodies, so €40 shipping sours it a bit.

ClareMigrant

My Stiga 3398h was delivered yesterday, seems like a great mower and lawn was heavy in spots too from holding off for its delivery and managed them no problem, we also have quite a full hilly spots and again managed them no hassle.

Cheers for all the advise on this thread!

fryup

which battery walk behind has the widest cut??

monkeynuz

fryup wrote: »

which battery walk behind has the widest cut??

Pellenc raison 2.

Comerman

Hi folks, I'm in an estate with roughly 1/2 acres of separate green areas. We have a cub cadet rzts which is giving up hope after 3 years of heavy going, our local garage is recommending a Snapper ztx275 which costs e5050. Any suggestions or recommendations please?

Bawnmore

Bawnmore wrote: »

Thanks folks - much appreciated. On to Woodies to see when they'll be restocking. We live quite close to 2 separate Woodies, so €40 shipping sours it a bit.

Bought this - collecting tomorrow. Thanks again all.

deezell

Bawnmore wrote: »

Bought this - collecting tomorrow. Thanks again all.

Regarding the slow running of the variable speed drive, this could be due to insufficient tension on the cable. If there is no noticeable change in speed between the slowest setting and the next one or two, this means the variator pulley is not being expanded to reduce its belt diameter and increase speed, most likely because the first settings are only taking up slack. The adjustment for this may be under a deck cover.

dos29

deezell wrote: »

Regarding the slow running of the variable speed drive, this could be due to insufficient tension on the cable. If there is no noticeable change in speed between the slowest setting and the next one or two, this means the variator pulley is not being expanded to reduce its belt diameter and increase speed, most likely because the first settings are only taking up slack. The adjustment for this may be under a deck cover.

There's a noticeable difference between fastest and slowest but unfortunately it means that slowest is practically stopped. Anything below top speed completely unusable, to me at least.