The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

deezell

Thanks for that, are the 2 links the same?

Correct, which of course is incorrect, so I have corrected my error. Second link updated to image from here
https://images.app.goo.gl/o5fapha7Uh7958i89

deezell

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Thanks for that, are the 2 links the same?

Here's another link to a user manual, it might be similar in many areas.
https://www.myefco.com/media/filer_public/4f/b9/4fb967fd-1265-43f1-a2f3-33e6a3e55e40/om-ef105j-106-1064x4-110-124deriv_2016_7l.pdf

You can directly request from this page, if there is a closer version of the manual for your machine, maybe a parts list.
https://www.myefco.com/int/request-manuals/

deezell

And finally, Doyle's in Castlecomber (through Carlow hire) are the only Efco agents listed. Doyles online shop have some Efco parts, the retail outlet here is a starting point. Many spares are common across a myriad of brands from this era, still are. Oleo Mac machine was also identical to this. I'm guessing it a 2002 era machine.

CARLOW HIRE & SALES LTD

Country: IRELAND

Address: SHAMROCK COMMERCIAL PARK - DUBLIN ROAD

CO. KILKENNY

CASTLECOMER

Telephone: 00353 (56)4441988

Fax: 00353 (56)4441978

Email: rbutler@doylesw.ie

SCOOP 64

I cut my neighbours grass for him as hes getting on a bit, i use his machine, his is like a Rolls Royce compared to my rubbish, but one thing which is annoying all i have to do is look behind when im reversing and it goes to cut out, sometimes i just turn my head and cuts out,now i take it it must the movement on the seat doing this, must be to sensitive,is there any adjustment i could do on it?

opinionated3

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

I cut my neighbours grass for him as hes getting on a bit, i use his machine, his is like a Rolls Royce compared to my rubbish, but one thing which is annoying all i have to do is look behind when im reversing and it goes to cut out, sometimes i just turn my head and cuts out,now i take it it must the movement on the seat doing this, must be to sensitive,is there any adjustment i could do on it?

That's a safety feature, I have it on my own husqvarna. On my husqie that feature works when I turn the ignition key fully to the right to turn in the machine AND leave it in that position. To disable it I need to turn the key back two notches to the left and the machine runs as normal, just without the annoying cutting out when I engage reverse. Check your machine and see if there is something similar in the ignition dial .....

GinSoaked

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

I cut my neighbours grass for him as hes getting on a bit, i use his machine, his is like a Rolls Royce compared to my rubbish, but one thing which is annoying all i have to do is look behind when im reversing and it goes to cut out, sometimes i just turn my head and cuts out,now i take it it must the movement on the seat doing this, must be to sensitive,is there any adjustment i could do on it?

Its the seat, the pressure switch for the cut out is at the back on one side. Look backwards on the other side and the weight of your arse moves over to one side of the seat but not over the pressure switch.

Can happen more on an older machine as the seat mounting hinges wear and allow more movement in the seat.

SCOOP 64

GinSoaked wrote: »

Its the seat, the pressure switch for the cut out is at the back on one side. Look backwards on the other side and the weight of your arse moves over to one side of the seat but not over the pressure switch.

Can happen more on an older machine as the seat mounting hinges wear and allow more movement in the seat.

This one is what i would call fairly new,2/3 yrs old, i remember him telling me it cost nearly €4000 it was brand new, more then i would pay for a car!
anyway to adjust it or disconnect it, if he will let me of course.

deezell

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

This one is what i would call fairly new,2/3 yrs old, i remember him telling me it cost nearly €4000 it was brand new, more then i would pay for a car!
anyway to adjust it or disconnect it, if he will let me of course.

If its cutting only when you engage reverse, it is generally possible to disable this as suggested, some mowers with reverse disengage have a floor button you can press to keep it one-off engaged while reversing.
If on the other hand it is cutting when you shift your weight on the seat, then it is most likely the seat sensor, and as its unlikely to be due to wear given the newness of the machine, it's probably because either the seat hing is loose or broken, or the sprung finger which presses the sensor switch is displaced, possibly loose or bent. I've experienced that issue on an old machine with a broken seat hinge bracket. Even lifting your leg for 'pressure relief' would cut the engine, so you had to be quick.

SCOOP 64

deezell wrote: »

If its cutting only when you engage reverse, it is generally possible to disable this as suggested, some mowers with reverse disengage have a floor button you can press to keep it one-off engaged while reversing.
If on the other hand it is cutting when you shift your weight on the seat, then it is most likely the seat sensor, and as its unlikely to be due to wear given the newness of the machine, it's probably because either the seat hing is loose or broken, or the sprung finger which presses the sensor switch is displaced, possibly loose or bent. I've experienced that issue on an old machine with a broken seat hinge bracket. Even lifting your leg for 'pressure relief' would cut the engine, so you had to be quick.

The latter im thinking,It cuts fine , but if i move slightly on the seat the safety switch cuts in as if i got off, will look at seat again, can it be disconnected altogether?

deezell

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

The latter im thinking,It cuts fine , but if i move slightly on the seat the safety switch cuts in as if i got off, will look at seat again, can it be disconnected altogether?

Not the safest thing to do. On older Castelgardens, it was as easy as unplugging a small ground wire from an engine block attached spade connector. Then you could mow without bag, while standing up, or engage the blade standing beside it. Lift the seat. There should be a seat attached metal flat finger spring to depress the safety switch. That might be bent or loose.

howyegettinon1

looking for a new mower
- only cutting the front atm about 300m2
- next year will probably have another 200m2 out the back
- and eventually 3-5years I "might" cut another part of the back that the neighbours horse is taking care of atm(maybe another 500m2)

no hills/slopes, don’t mind a pull start, self-propelled walking mower, not a steel deck, easy to obtain parts and will hopefully last(10 years maybe:rolleyes:)

Initially started looking at the hondas - liked the hrx 537 and the idea of being able to bag some and mulch some(not sure if it's just a gimmick?) but I don’t think I want(or need) to drop 1200 quid on a mower

reading this thread I see there seems to be a few much more reasonably priced options, and kind of like the cobra with the aluminium deck deezel has been mentioning

budget being reasonable and not going for the best of the best just for the sake of it is probably about 500-700 but might consider above if justified

also regrading buying online, what happens with warranty and how it works with mowers? do you bring it somewhere or ship it back

Tun_80

Looking for a bit of advice, I have my heart set on an Al-ko ride on but am torn weather it's worth the extra €800 for the bigger model, the t16 can be got from the north for €3200 it has about a 15 hp briggs v-twin, it's probably plenty for our yard but for an extra 800 I can go to the t20 which has 17.5hp adds a front bumper, electric tip box and cast iron axles, is it worth the extra or just overkill for our yard size, I have about .6 of an acre that needs allot of regular maintenance, gets heavy with debris and moss and will look to make use of available attachments. Tia

deezell

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

looking for a new mower
- only cutting the front atm about 300m2
- next year will probably have another 200m2 out the back
- and eventually 3-5years I "might" cut another part of the back that the neighbours horse is taking care of atm(maybe another 500m2)

no hills/slopes, don’t mind a pull start, self-propelled walking mower, not a steel deck, easy to obtain parts and will hopefully last(10 years maybe:rolleyes:)

Initially started looking at the hondas - liked the hrx 537 and the idea of being able to bag some and mulch some(not sure if it's just a gimmick?) but I don’t think I want(or need) to drop 1200 quid on a mower

reading this thread I see there seems to be a few much more reasonably priced options, and kind of like the cobra with the aluminium deck deezel has been mentioning

budget being reasonable and not going for the best of the best just for the sake of it is probably about 500-700 but might consider above if justified

also regrading buying online, what happens with warranty and how it works with mowers? do you bring it somewhere or ship it back

Check out the Stihl RM650T alloy deck mower, and also the composite deck 51cm Husqvarna 353v. They husky doesn't mulch though.
This Gsrdencare lm53spa is probably the best value in a large alloy deck combi.
http://www.neilans.ie/product/lm53spa/

jmreire

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

This one is what i would call fairly new,2/3 yrs old, i remember him telling me it cost nearly €4000 it was brand new, more then i would pay for a car!
anyway to adjust it or disconnect it, if he will let me of course.

Depending on the make of the machine, ( it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer) But on the Honda, its on the left hand side of the seat frame.....lift up the seat, and you will see the switch trigger attached to the frame. When the seat is lowered, and sat upon, the trigger turns on the power to the electrics. You have to be a certain weight to activate the trigger, when my 11 year old Grandson was driving it, every bump he went over cause the trigger to disengage, and the engine was continually stopping, or even half stopping and recovering when the seat recovered from the "bounce". I solved it by ( A) adjusting the trigger switch, and (B) I put some elasticated bungee cables from the top of the seat back to the lifting bar on the grass catcher. Work's fine, but if I wanted to, and it continued to cause a problem I can remove the switch and by pass it completely.

shanec1928

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

looking for a new mower
- only cutting the front atm about 300m2
- next year will probably have another 200m2 out the back
- and eventually 3-5years I "might" cut another part of the back that the neighbours horse is taking care of atm(maybe another 500m2)

no hills/slopes, don’t mind a pull start, self-propelled walking mower, not a steel deck, easy to obtain parts and will hopefully last(10 years maybe:rolleyes:)

Initially started looking at the hondas - liked the hrx 537 and the idea of being able to bag some and mulch some(not sure if it's just a gimmick?) but I don’t think I want(or need) to drop 1200 quid on a mower

reading this thread I see there seems to be a few much more reasonably priced options, and kind of like the cobra with the aluminium deck deezel has been mentioning

budget being reasonable and not going for the best of the best just for the sake of it is probably about 500-700 but might consider above if justified

also regrading buying online, what happens with warranty and how it works with mowers? do you bring it somewhere or ship it back

Picked up a hrx earlier in the year. It’s a great job mulching. Mulches it very fine. It replaced a hrx or d 536 that was 20 years old. So didn’t mind dropping a large enough chunk of change if I can manage to get anywhere close to that.

howyegettinon1

shanec1928 wrote: »

Picked up a hrx earlier in the year. It’s a great job mulching. Mulches it very fine. It replaced a hrx or d 536 that was 20 years old. So didn’t mind dropping a large enough chunk of change if I can manage to get anywhere close to that.

thats the other reason i am tempted by the hrx, 1200 over even 15 years is only 80 quid a year for a machine that will just work. which model did you go for hye or vye

shanec1928

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

thats the other reason i am tempted by the hrx, 1200 over even 15 years is only 80 quid a year for a machine that will just work. which model did you go for hye or vye

hye although the later can be found cheaper.

howyegettinon1

deezell wrote: »

Check out the Stihl RM650T alloy deck mower, and also the composite deck 51cm Husqvarna 353v. They husky doesn't mulch though.
This Gsrdencare lm53spa is probably the best value in a large alloy deck combi.
http://www.neilans.ie/product/lm53spa/

thanks, any experience with the stihl? what engine does it have and how many years do you recon you would get out of it, also see it's a single blade, does that make much difference vs double blade? the plastic box seems to make a big difference on what you can collect too


The gardencare one looks good and great value but cant seem to find much about it on the internet

GinSoaked

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

thanks, any experience with the stihl? what engine does it have and how many years do you recon you would get out of it, also see it's a single blade, does that make much difference vs double blade? the plastic box seems to make a big difference on what you can collect too


The gardencare one looks good and great value but cant seem to find much about it on the internet

The double blade is a Honda specialty, give it a couple of years and I suspect every machine out of china will sport a double blade but for the time being afaik only Honda have it.

If you are cutting long rough grass I see the second blade as a disadvantage but for a decent lawn its a real plus. Neighbor has one (can't say which version) and it has the percentage mulch/bag feature which does seem to work.

On smaller well kept areas I don't see the point of mulching if say 4 bags emptied does the job then you might as well take the grass off the lawn, unless you have no where to put it.

In your case you could bag off the "good" areas and if you end up cutting the paddock you the mulch feature.

deezell

Stihl mowers are formerly Viking, very good quality. I have the 50" Viking tractor mower, a beast of a mower. I was tempted by the viking/stihl 650T when looking for a walk behind, but I wanted alloy deck, electric start and variable speed, the Cobra ticked all the boxes. I imagine the Kohler engines are as good as any.

deezell

Gardencare are a better quality generic, or pattern mower. quality deck and wheels, b&s engine, stocked in lots of outlets. Fwiw, Cobra also have a 4 tip swing blade accessory, which I presume is for rough cut mowing. I think they replace 48 or 53 cm mower, not sure about the alloy deck 51cm.

howyegettinon1

GinSoaked wrote: »

The double blade is a Honda specialty, give it a couple of years and I suspect every machine out of china will sport a double blade but for the time being afaik only Honda have it.

If you are cutting long rough grass I see the second blade as a disadvantage but for a decent lawn its a real plus. Neighbor has one (can't say which version) and it has the percentage mulch/bag feature which does seem to work.

On smaller well kept areas I don't see the point of mulching if say 4 bags emptied does the job then you might as well take the grass off the lawn, unless you have no where to put it.

In your case you could bag off the "good" areas and if you end up cutting the paddock you the mulch feature.

that expalains why i didnt see it on nay other mower when looking, yeah I've one of those 200l barrows too that gets dumped in with the chickens so no issue getting rid of the grass, but i think if the likes of stihl can do a very good job for 700 it's hard to justify an extra 500quid for the honda features

howyegettinon1

deezell wrote: »

Stihl mowers are formerly Viking, very good quality. I have the 50" Viking tractor mower, a beast of a mower. I was tempted by the viking/stihl 650T when looking for a walk behind, but I wanted alloy deck, electric start and variable speed, the Cobra ticked all the boxes. I imagine the Kohler engines are as good as any.

the vaariable speed, is that just for better control around beds etc? For me the quicker it goes the better, any difference between the full speed or variable and single speeds?

Also the mechanic that was fixing my current 150 brigs lidl version was saying alot of plastic parts are used on the cheaper models, I presume at 700 quid that isnt the case?
is there any noticable difference in 19" and 21" deck/blade? id imagine it will only save you 2-3 extra passes on a reletavli large lawn? or is there any other benefits of goin bigger/smaller?

howyegettinon1

deezell wrote: »

Gardencare are a better quality generic, or pattern mower. quality deck and wheels, b&s engine, stocked in lots of outlets. Fwiw, Cobra also have a 4 tip swing blade accessory, which I presume is for rough cut mowing. I think they replace 48 or 53 cm mower, not sure about the alloy deck 51cm.

seen they are designed to hit stones, the blade will bounce out of the way rather than smashing through a stone causing damage to the blade and everytrhing above it in a worst case scenario

deezell

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

seen they are designed to hit stones, the blade will bounce out of the way rather than smashing through a stone causing damage to the blade and everytrhing above it in a worst case scenario

Exactly like drum agricultural mowers, but the bit that interests me is double the cutting edge per engine revolution. I imagine this would contribute to a finer, evener cut.

deezell

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

the vaariable speed, is that just for better control around beds etc? For me the quicker it goes the better, any difference between the full speed or variable and single speeds?

Also the mechanic that was fixing my current 150 brigs lidl version was saying alot of plastic parts are used on the cheaper models, I presume at 700 quid that isnt the case?
is there any noticable difference in 19" and 21" deck/blade? id imagine it will only save you 2-3 extra passes on a reletavli large lawn? or is there any other benefits of goin bigger/smaller?

Variable speed is great for patchy lawns, with heavy and light growth. You can creep through thick rough or damp areas, then horse across thin burnt areas with only a few weeds poking up.
Given that many mowers with up to 2 to 1 price difference use the same engine, say a B&S 625 series, what you are paying extra for is alloy, or thicker steel deck, properly primed, maybe galvanised. Ball bearing wheels, possibly metal. Forged suspension/axle shafts, quality wheel drive transmission, engineered height mechanism, a step up in handle, levers and controls. Looking at the shop floor Woodie's Prolawn whopping 56cm cut for €399 yesterday, I noticed one of the wheels turned in, where the light steel axle offset plate had bent like a spoon. This is what you avoid with Honda, Hayter, other high and highish price brands.
The difference in 19" and 21" is 2", or about 5% quicker cutting time. Size matters, as the actress said to the bishop.

GinSoaked

deezell wrote: »

Exactly like drum agricultural mowers, but the bit that interests me is double the cutting edge per engine revolution. I imagine this would contribute to a finer event cut.

The Honda has two blades at different heights one above each other not at 90 degrees.

If anyone wants to check you can see enough from this video how they go to together.

howyegettinon1

deezell wrote: »

Variable speed is great for patchy lawns, with heavy and light growth. You can creep through thick rough or damp areas, then horse across thin burnt areas with only a few weeds poking up.
Given that many mowers with up to 2 to 1 price difference use the same engine, say a B&S 625 series, what you are paying extra for is alloy, or thicker steel deck, properly primed, maybe galvanised. Ball bearing wheels, possibly metal. Forged suspension/axle shafts, quality wheel drive transmission, engineered height mechanism, a step up in handle, levers and controls. Looking at the shop floor Woodie's Prolawn whopping 56cm cut for €399 yesterday, I noticed one of the wheels turned in, where the light steel axle offset plate had bent like a spoon. This is what you avoid with Honda, Hayter, other high and highish price brands.
The difference in 19" and 21" is 2", or about 5% quicker cutting time. Size matters, as the actress said to the bishop.

thanks for that yeah makes sense all those higher quality parts add up quick. I rang a dealer in portlaoise there about the stihl and it's only 2 year warranty in Ireand! UK gets a 5 year one, is it worth getting one over from the north?

deezell

howyegettinon1 wrote: »

thanks for that yeah makes sense all those higher quality parts add up quick. I rang a dealer in portlaoise there about the stihl and it's only 2 year warranty in Ireand! UK gets a 5 year one, is it worth getting one over from the north?

If you get 5 years, then why not. Easy packing into a car if anything major happens. Extra 3 years may be limited though to Engine and gearbox. It might not cover cables, fabric bags, plastic levers, drive belts, wheel breakage or wheel wear if they are not ball bearing, or any failure due to normal wear or rough working. You may also have to submit and pay for an annual service and inspection, and comply with the findings, (replace cables, replace belt, replace blade, plus cost of oil, plug, and air filter element. I've no idea what a walk behind mower (or any mower) service costs, only the price of parts when I'm doing it myself. Some brands might recommend a change of blades annually say, which no one does, but imagine the bill for a main dealer supplied and fitted genuine spare part blade, just to hang on to a warranty.

howyegettinon1

deezell wrote: »

If you get 5 years, then why not. Easy packing into a car if anything major happens. Extra 3 years may be limited though to Engine and gearbox. It might not cover cables, fabric bags, plastic levers, drive belts, wheel breakage or wheel wear if they are not ball bearing, or any failure due to normal wear or rough working. You may also have to submit and pay for an annual service and inspection, and comply with the findings, (replace cables, replace belt, replace blade, plus cost of oil, plug, and air filter element. I've no idea what a walk behind mower (or any mower) service costs, only the price of parts when I'm doing it myself. Some brands might recommend a change of blades annually say, which no one does, but imagine the bill for a main dealer supplied and fitted genuine spare part blade, just to hang on to a warranty.

your right, the uk one mentions annual servicing to avail of the 5yr warranty, labour is at £40 p/h - so could be looking at best part of 80euro by the time parts, oil etc is added at dealer prices
* Subject to product registration and annual servicing (otherwise 2 years)


think i'll just buy from the lad up the road and save myself the head ache