The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

jingojonson

Thanks for the advice, was thinking that was the best idea
I was quoted 2400 for 13.5 Castelgarden hydro however
there was a deal on husqvarna 17.5 (CT 173) for 2650 that was tempting me.

MidlandsM

jingojonson wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, was thinking that was the best idea
I was quoted 2400 for 13.5 Castelgarden hydro however
there was a deal on husqvarna 17.5 (CT 173) for 2650 that was tempting me.

its always good to have the extra couple of ponies all the same

eiei0

Hi All

what the advantage of Hydrostatic over normal gears.

I have a old twincut that has gears and will be looking to change it after next season just wondering which is better.

Thanks

Discodog

eiei0 wrote: »

Hi All

what the advantage of Hydrostatic over normal gears.

I have a old twincut that has gears and will be looking to change it after next season just wondering which is better.

Thanks

Chalk & cheese. Hydro gives you smooth seamless motion & it is far less likely to go wrong.

MidlandsM

Hydro will make the job of mowing quicker too!

jimmyw

MidlandsM wrote: »

Hydro will make the job of mowing quicker too!

Ya sure about that? Not a John Deere anyhow with the 48 inch cut.A bloody slow machine.Ok on the machine that I know of it has to cut a pitch!:rolleyes: but still its a slow mower.Probably wouldn't notice so much if doing a house lawn.

MidlandsM

I don't mean quicker to mow, more like with any mower you got to set the deck right, the revs right, the speed right all to the heavyness of the grass - but a hydro box make maneuvering around in general a lot quicker.

DAZOD

I'd strongly recommend a 15hp plus machine with hydrostatic, its much smoother to drive will give more power to blades to help maintain blade speed which is what you need to get less blockages etc. also if your garden is in any sloped ensure your engine has an oil filter, which will mean that the engine is pressure lubricated and will last much longer particularly on a sloped lawn.
a 13 hp will be fine but only if the engine is v twin something like a kawasaki 13hp v twin put out nearly as much as briggs 17hp single and will be lighter on fuel and smoother.
if your budget is in the 2600-2800 mark look at a viking t5 13hp v twin you might get a dealer whos very keen who will com edown to that or alternatively a husqvarna or jonsered will be an excellent machine in the 17hp hydro range and will have mulch as well.
depending on where you are you'll find some very good dealers,

best of luck

micky93

we have a castel garden ride on mower. the starter ring went on the starter and engine so we replaced the both of them. and now the engine wont rev up enough to put it in to pto. any ideas of the cause?

Technique

fryup

i wish my dog could do that

Sonnenblumen

....he probably uses a flushing toilet as well?;)

MidlandsM

wha!??!?

gerrybbb

Hi Has any one got an automwer. I have mine for 4yrs now. Best thing i ever bought. It is starting to have a few problemns though and was looking for reccomendations on service of one.

fryup

Question - are ride on batterys like car batterys do they recharge as use drive the mower?

is there alternators on ride ons ?

Melanoma

fryup wrote: »

Question - are ride on batterys like car batterys do they recharge as use drive the mower?

is there alternators on ride ons ?

Hi,

It does charge itself. We had to get it charged once after a winter so I guess you need to turn it over every few weeks or so.

jprboy

gerrybbb wrote: »

Hi Has any one got an automwer. I have mine for 4yrs now. Best thing i ever bought. It is starting to have a few problemns though and was looking for reccomendations on service of one.

No, but I'd like one
Tell us more, Gerry. How much did you pay for it, who did you buy it from, what area of grass do you have, how long does the mower take to cut it?
Re the service, did you buy in Ireland or import it? If you Google you should be able to find Irish suppliers who could advise you on your service options.

Stoner

fryup wrote: »

Question - are ride on batterys like car batterys do they recharge as use drive the mower?

is there alternators on ride ons ?

something like this over the winter might be of use to you if you park it near a window

http://cpc.farnell.com/dz-energy/dz-170/charger-solar-170ma-dz-energy/dp/BT04722

Stiofain2006

I have a medium sized garden. Not too big but big enough that I feel like I need to empty my regular mower too many times (every 2 lengths). So I bought one of these at the weekend for €1399 new => http://www.partner.biz/int/products/tractors/p11577rb/

Sean Hennessy was having a stock clearance - it was the last one. Does anybody have any experience?

Wish me luck!

philstar

My 10 yr old ride on is becoming very thirsty of late...usually a full tank would be more than enough to finish my two lawns (1/2 acre)..but now i find i have to give her more drink before i'm finished:o

Anyway to remedy this? or is it just to be expected.

MidlandsM

philstar wrote: »

My 10 yr old ride on is becoming very thirsty of late...usually a full tank would be more than enough to finish my two lawns (1/2 acre)..but now i find i have to give her more drink before i'm finished:o

Anyway to remedy this? or is it just to be expected.

change the spark plug & air filter and oil filter if it has one and give her an oil service may help, only use SAE30 oil.

poxette

Hi Guys, just wondering if anybody has an opinion on this mower. We have about .7 acres and we're looking for a reliable self propelled mower, aluminium deck, rear ejector. Is this a good buy or a false economy? Wont be mulching btw.

Thanks.

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/39563/ProPlus-Self-Propelled-Petrol-Mower-6hp-22

big fellow

If you can afford it, get a ride on. always dreaded having to take 2 hours to cut the grass. Ride on will cut it without hassle in 30-40 minutes. Got a castlegarden from croom cycles (after much haggling) works well.

poxette

Thanks, but a ride-on is not in the budget at the moment. Dont want to spend too much on a walk behind jobby as it would be harder to justify buying a ride-on down the line.

Melanoma

poxette wrote: »

Hi Guys, just wondering if anybody has an opinion on this mower. We have about .7 acres and we're looking for a reliable self propelled mower, aluminium deck, rear ejector. Is this a good buy or a false economy? Wont be mulching btw.

Thanks.

http://www.handyhardware.ie/product/39563/ProPlus-Self-Propelled-Petrol-Mower-6hp-22

I recently bought a 19 inch blade honda. It cost 749. This was reduced for around 999. It has a plastic deck which is very long lasting. The reason why I think it was worth a bit more is the fact it starts very well, when you let go of the propelling forward mechanism you can change the bag and the blades have stopped. Then you can also move forward without the blades spinning if you wish. I have about 0.5 acre of grass and it takes a fair while to cut. I planted grass at Easter and have only just cut it this week, so I cut it to the highest cut and since have cut it quite low.

It helps a lot to not have the mower shutting off and having to restart it. I reckon this mower will last a long time so its kinda an investment there.

The smaller blade is an issue but it behaves so well it makes up for it. Maybe the proplus can do these things too but I doubt it.

The place I bought it from is near ballinasloe.

Melanoma

poxette wrote: »

Thanks, but a ride-on is not in the budget at the moment. Dont want to spend too much on a walk behind jobby as it would be harder to justify buying a ride-on down the line.

That's a good point but in the meanwhile you won't want the hassle of heading to shops for maintenance outside of servicing.

Melanoma

big fellow wrote: »

If you can afford it, get a ride on. always dreaded having to take 2 hours to cut the grass. Ride on will cut it without hassle in 30-40 minutes. Got a castlegarden from croom cycles (after much haggling) works well.

Reckon castle garden would be great, hope to buy one myself at some point but I'd advise against getting a cheap model that needs constant trips to the shop.

Discodog

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-21-HRG536SD-SELF-DRIVEN-IZY-LAWNMOWER-MOWER-/380350851458?pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA&hash=item588ead6982

I have bought from this supplier & they were excellent. You get a full, proper Honda 3 year warranty. This model does not have a blade clutch but having used both I don't really miss it. It will start first pull every time & is lightweight & easy to manoeuvre. If you could make do or wait till Sept the prices will start dropping. By November they will be way below the summer price.

It's easy to adjust the engine to increase the mowing speed - mine is very fast.

Melanoma

Discodog wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-21-HRG536SD-SELF-DRIVEN-IZY-LAWNMOWER-MOWER-/380350851458?pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA&hash=item588ead6982

I have bought from this supplier & they were excellent. You get a full, proper Honda 3 year warranty. This model does not have a blade clutch but having used both I don't really miss it. It will start first pull every time & is lightweight & easy to manoeuvre. If you could make do or wait till Sept the prices will start dropping. By November they will be way below the summer price.

It's easy to adjust the engine to increase the mowing speed - mine is very fast.

That is a lightweight izy model which is cheaper. Reckon most honda dealers will do the 21 inch model for about 600 or 650 euros. It gets great reviews, its easy to manoeuvre, but the engine on the one I mentioned should be better in terms of overall power and performance. Its more in league with Honda's top range. Checkout honda.ie also there is a seller in Newry that you might be interested in. If you google it you'd find them.

Discodog

Melanoma wrote: »

but the engine on the one I mentioned should be better in terms of overall power and performance. Its more in league with Honda's top range. Checkout honda.ie also there is a seller in Newry that you might be interested in. If you google it you'd find them.

I have been using Hondas for many years. The blade clutch mowers have just become too expensive - the 21inch is twice the price of the IZY. It does offer hydro but it's just too dear.

Many of my pro gardening contacts are switching to Izys.

The best mower for Ireland is an Etesia - will collect perfectly in pouring rain but costs a fortune. Rover & Masport are also good wet collectors.