The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

MidlandsM

gcuan wrote: »

Hi all,

Have a stiga tracter mower (basically a castelgarden?) which has been cutting about a quarter acre over the summer (have just sowed a bigger lawn so she'll have more work next year)

She has started "screeching" for the first five or ten minutes of cutting and then stops screeching. It sounds like its coming from just over the deck on the right hand side.

she cuts fine, no problems there but I'm just wondering what's causing the noise and how do I stop it? I dont think its too serious but it is a bit worring in an almost new mower.

It sounded like a belt to me, I checked the two belts and they seemed a bit slack so I tightened the springs a bit. But she continued to screech. No smoke or smell, just the noise.

Any suggestions?
Thanks.

as you got warranty, send it on for that to be sorted, sounds like a belt or pully issue, it'll be sorted soon.

Then before you put her away from the winter, wash down the entire deck or grass and spray with wd40 or some other can of anti rust stuff (lidl does a nice cheap one:))
do the same for the gradd box and its steel frame.
leave if fairly empty of fuel, so to add nice fresh fuel in the spring.
Then, pop her in the shed :cool:

lkkev80

Hello,
have just moved into a house with just over 0.5 acre of a lawn. Was thinking of getting a second hand ride on but have no real idea about them. Went to two dealers today, one guy had a 5 yr old Husqvarna, 14.5hp, mulching deck, he is looking for €950, seemed to be in good nick. Another guy had a 4 hr old 8hp mower, can't remember the make but he said it was made by Husqvarna and had Briggs and Stratton engine, again in good nick. Any comments on these two?

In Limerick/Clare area, any rcommended dealers around?

Thanks

celticmicky

lkkev80 wrote: »

Hello,
have just moved into a house with just over 0.5 acre of a lawn. Was thinking of getting a second hand ride on but have no real idea about them. Went to two dealers today, one guy had a 5 yr old Husqvarna, 14.5hp, mulching deck, he is looking for €950, seemed to be in good nick. Another guy had a 4 hr old 8hp mower, can't remember the make but he said it was made by Husqvarna and had Briggs and Stratton engine, again in good nick. Any comments on these two?

In Limerick/Clare area, any rcommended dealers around?

Thanks

I would be inclined to stick with a European machine to be honest, Castelgarden or the likes. I find with a Husqvarna machine you are paying mainly for the name as the likes of the Rally lawnmower (both AYP machines) is essentially the same lawnmower only with a lower price tag. Be aware that with the mulching mower you wont have the option to bag if your grass gets too long or if it is particularly wet.

The other lawnmower you mention may be under powered - 8hp doesn't sound like alot - is the diameter of the deck very small? As a general rule of thumb, depending on condition etc, a secondhand lawnmower should be in around half price of the new machine.


PS - Gumtree tend to have a good amount of secondhand stuff on them at any given time.

lkkev80

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at Gumtree. I think the deck diameter was 24inches, I think that is not bad.

Anyone know anywhere in limerick/clare with Castlegarden mowers?

Discodog

lkkev80 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at Gumtree. I think the deck diameter was 24inches, I think that is not bad.

Anyone know anywhere in limerick/clare with Castlegarden mowers?

8hp with a 24 inch deck will struggle. My mower has a 21 inch & 7 hp but it doesn't have to carry me as well !

I prefer as much hp as possible as well as plenty of revs especially on wet grass.

leshogan

Anyone one have any thoughts on the CastelGargen PT170HD, opinions/reveiws much appreiciated

celticmicky

leshogan wrote: »

Anyone one have any thoughts on the CastelGargen PT170HD, opinions/reveiws much appreiciated

Castelgarden are a well made tractor. The PT170 seems to be a 40 inch lawnmower with the 16.5hp engine on the same chassis as the 36inch PG140 with the 13.5hp engine - with a 260l collection bag. It is easier to identify the smaller chassis as it always has the smaller bag and a hole in the back of the seat.

The TCX 102 is also in that price bracket at 2800.00 but has the larger XT190 chassis and a larger collection bag.

This year Castelgarden decided to fit the 40 inch cutting deck onto the smaller chassis to keep prices down in the PT range.

Theprogardener

Belts are lose or slipping.
I guess you have to engage a lever to start blades? If so with the engine off, open the bonnet and look for a cable running to main drive shaft from blade engage lever. You should see a pulley that presses against the belts to deck/ drive shaft. You may require 1-2 spanners to adjust cable, loosen the nut on underside. This is the lock nut, adjust by about 1-1.5 cm. now pull up the cable till the loosened lock-nut hits the plate and adjust nut on top side of plate down until it is tight, pinch nut on underside of plate. Now try mowing.
Mower is losing power (tank is full)
If mower shudders and then gains power again it is usually a sign of insufficient fuel supply. 1. Fuel filter is blocked. 2. Air filter is blocked.
1. When changing fuel filter, make sure you the filter is facing correct direction. Inline fuel filters will have an arrow on side, be sure this is facing the direction the fuel is flowing (that is towards the engine)

Tip: before taking the filter off get two clips on either side of filter on the fuel line and pinch them, this will stop fuel from spilling out of fuel lines and help prevent airlocks. Let filter fill with fuel before you put it on engine side of fuel line.

2. Find air filter & remove, if you don’t have access to your own air compressor use one at your local petrol station. It won’t be perfect but it will get you going again.
3. Grass is dragging, looks like it has white tips after cut: More than likely your blades are blunt.
It could also mean that the blades are slowing down cause belts are slipping (see above)

Tip- petrol mower, whenever you are accessing blades " AlWAYS,ALWAYS REMOVE COVER FROM SPARK PLUG" blades can engage by being turned by hand, also it will prevent any accidental engine starts.
With diesel mowers disengage the drive shaft from mower to deck.

Never ever work on mower blades with engine on.
With walk behind mowers, to access the blades: Remove spark plug cover. Raise the front of the mower by pushing handles down to the ground (helps if someone does this with you)
Don’t turn mower on its side, you will flood the engine or air filter.

dp639

Hi,
I have a Honda 2417HM and whilst doing the annual service/clean up and blade sharpen, I see that the two blades are no longer at 90 degrees to each other.

I have the deck off and I assume I need to disengage the 2 shalfs from the tooth belt in order to move the blades independantly to line them up. I can use a 15mm socket to remove the pulley on top of the deck in order to remove the plastic cover to give access to the belt.

2 questions,
- What torque do I retighten this bolt too when reassembling?
- Is it easily to take the belt off and put on again?

Many thanks!

Farls

dp639 wrote: »

Hi,
I have a Honda 2417HM and whilst doing the annual service/clean up and blade sharpen, I see that the two blades are no longer at 90 degrees to each other.

I have the deck off and I assume I need to disengage the 2 shalfs from the tooth belt in order to move the blades independantly to line them up. I can use a 15mm socket to remove the pulley on top of the deck in order to remove the plastic cover to give access to the belt.

2 questions,
- What torque do I retighten this bolt too when reassembling?
- Is it easily to take the belt off and put on again?

Many thanks!

I'd also be interested in the answers to this, I have the same mower and will be servicing it shortly...can't recommend the 2417 enough.

dp639

Got the blades shalfs realigned, took of the belt as mentioned above and did the adjustment. A good chance to wire brush the underside of the cutting deck also.

All put back together again. 1 blade sharpened and 1 to do.

Got new oil and filter to go into it also. Another couple of evenings and it'll be ready for storage - should have done this back in October/November.

Discodog

dp639 wrote: »

Got the blades shalfs realigned, took of the belt as mentioned above and did the adjustment. A good chance to wire brush the underside of the cutting deck also.

All put back together again. 1 blade sharpened and 1 to do.

Got new oil and filter to go into it also. Another couple of evenings and it'll be ready for storage - should have done this back in October/November.

Storage :eek:

I have cut several lawns since Christmas & if this weather continues we could be in for a very early Spring.

422452

Hi, looking to buy second hand ride on as my old one is bust. Budget is teh issue though c 1000 to spend. I've seen 2 X McCulloch 13.5Hp on donedeal for 1.2k 2-3 years old and a mountfield for 200 more. Both are rear discharge which is vital - Any experience of these machines with reliability and parts availability etc or would I be better off buying older castlegarden/husqvarna for this budget. I have half acre flat lawn.
Any other recommendations for sourcing s/h mowers appreciated.
Thanks!

munsterman32

Hi all

Im looking at one of last years stock of the husqvarna CTH 173. Has anyone bought one of these and would they recommend it??

One thing that has me thinking is the Kohler engine rather than a briggs and stratton. there was also a mention that there was some modification made to these machines after they were distibuted to dealers...something to do with the battery installation? Anyone heard anything about this??

snuggledrops

Chipbutty wrote: »

Hi best price on xt175 is €3200 and the Honda is €3495 both with mulcher and towbar. Apart from the larger bag (by 20 litres) is there anything else extra on the xt175?

Hi Chipbutty
New on here and this is my first post. I see you were considering buying the XT175 this time last year and wondered how you were getting on with it? I was also wondering where you purchased it as €3200 seems to be a good price for it. I have found the XT190 for €3089 however am told I would be better to go with twin engine... Would appreciate if you could give me your opinion if you did purchase it. Many thanks.

celticmicky

You will struggle to get an XT175HD for 3200 euro this year, they took a massive jump in price since last year.

The Honda HF2417 is a good price at the minute if you were to go for a twin cylinder machine.

http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/Honda-ride-on-lawnmower.htm

snuggledrops

celticmicky wrote: »

You will struggle to get an XT175HD for 3200 euro this year, they took a massive jump in price since last year.

The Honda HF2417 is a good price at the minute if you were to go for a twin cylinder machine.

http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/Honda-ride-on-lawnmower.htm

Thanks very much Celticmickey. I shall do some reading on it. This shall be my first ride on and quite an investment so want to get it 'right', or as right as I can. I had been looking at the XT190 originally however was then told that I would be better going with twin cylinder. How in your opinion would that compare to the Honda HF2417? Many thanks again. Any and all input is appreciated.

celticmicky

snuggledrops wrote: »

Thanks very much Celticmickey. I shall do some reading on it. This shall be my first ride on and quite an investment so want to get it 'right', or as right as I can. I had been looking at the XT190 originally however was then told that I would be better going with twin cylinder. How in your opinion would that compare to the Honda HF2417? Many thanks again. Any and all input is appreciated.

The Honda and XT190 are both good mowers. As far as I am aware the Honda and Castelgarden are out of the same factory. There are a few differences in them however.

As you mentioned the Honda has a twin cylinder Honda engine compared the the single cylinder B&S engine in the XT190HD. The twin cylinder will be useful if you have any inclines or a large area.

The Honda has fans under the deck that help with getting the grass up into the bag so they come in useful if the grass is damp.

The XT190 comes with a few extras not on the Honda, cruise control, LCD display and a mulch kit and tow bar as standard.

Kid Congo Power

I have about 3/4 of an acre of lawn (and another half an acre elsewhere that I have to cut) and I've been looking to buy a second hand 42" ride-on for a while now but without any luck tbh. A Husqvarna shop has just opened in the town here and they have a special offer on Saturday on the Husqvarna CT153 - €2289, normally retailing $2779. The spec here http://www.husqvarnacentregalway.ie/products/husqvarna-ct153 says it has an 8.1 kW engine which I reckon equates to less than 11 Hp. Could this be correct and if so am I wasting my time with a machine like this given the amount for lawn I have to cut? Also no hydrostatic gears. What are people's general opinions on this machine. Grateful for any advice.

tommycahir

Hi Guys

My brother in law is considering selling his John Deere 455 and I was hoping somebody here might be able to give a rough guide on what price he should be expecting to get for it.

The specs are here Link and it has the 48" deck on it but no collector bin. He also has another one that he uses for spares that he would be willing to put with it or sell separately

He is also considering doing a straight swap with some grass machinery centres in the South east for a newer smaller machine (approx 25-30" deck) so any advice\guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Tommy

celticmicky

Kid Congo Power wrote: »

I have about 3/4 of an acre of lawn (and another half an acre elsewhere that I have to cut) and I've been looking to buy a second hand 42" ride-on for a while now but without any luck tbh. A Husqvarna shop has just opened in the town here and they have a special offer on Saturday on the Husqvarna CT153 - €2289, normally retailing $2779. The spec here http://www.husqvarnacentregalway.ie/products/husqvarna-ct153 says it has an 8.1 kW engine which I reckon equates to less than 11 Hp. Could this be correct and if so am I wasting my time with a machine like this given the amount for lawn I have to cut? Also no hydrostatic gears. What are people's general opinions on this machine. Grateful for any advice.

That seems like a decent price. I would say it is closer to 15 horsepower, the model number usually is a sign of horse power without actually stating a horsepower.

(eg CTH174 is about 17hp)

One thing to note though the CT153 is last years model, this years new model is CT154 - also ensure it is fully assembled etc, the collection bag can be a bugger to build

Farls

celticmicky wrote: »

You will struggle to get an XT175HD for 3200 euro this year, they took a massive jump in price since last year.

The Honda HF2417 is a good price at the minute if you were to go for a twin cylinder machine.

http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/Honda-ride-on-lawnmower.htm

I have the 2417 can't recommend it enough, wet and dry it lifts with no clogging, had the 2315 before that and it wasn't half the mower. Also ring Clarkes in Cavan and they'll beat that price. I'm not affiliated with them but I got near 400 euro of the 2417 when I bought 2 seasons ago!

Pat Keeley

Kid Congo Power wrote: »

I have about 3/4 of an acre of lawn (and another half an acre elsewhere that I have to cut) and I've been looking to buy a second hand 42" ride-on for a while now but without any luck tbh. A Husqvarna shop has just opened in the town here and they have a special offer on Saturday on the Husqvarna CT153 - €2289, normally retailing $2779. The spec here http://www.husqvarnacentregalway.ie/products/husqvarna-ct153 says it has an 8.1 kW engine which I reckon equates to less than 11 Hp. Could this be correct and if so am I wasting my time with a machine like this given the amount for lawn I have to cut? Also no hydrostatic gears. What are people's general opinions on this machine. Grateful for any advice.

I had the same concerns about the engine spec, but because of some stupid EU law you have to show kw/HP when the engine is at idle or at least thats what my local dealer said!! Husqvarna seem to be the only crowd that do this though! I was leaning towards a CT153 because of the offer price, but was in Kellys of Borris and they let me try one of their front riders...I am now converted and was gonna hand over my money, but was told to wait until the 14th...they're on special!!!!!!!

Discodog

According to this link it's only 11hp (8.1KW) at 2500 rpm so your dealer is telling big porkies.

http://www.husqvarna.com/ie/products/garden-tractors/ct-153/

If you are buying at peak season/peak price there will always be a reason for any discount - buyer beware.

lomb

B and Q are doing the Mountfield sp555 with alu deck and honda engine with mulch and bag for 499 for anyone who is interested. They also might discount that a little if asked.

Paul Kiernan

I bought a Snapper ESPV21675 from celticmicky at AM Rentals last year. I recently had a problem with it and got in touch with them. They had someone at my door within 24 hours and problem was sorted out in double-quick time. Mower is now working perfectly again:). Thanks, lads. Excellent service.

progarden

Pat Keeley wrote: »

I had the same concerns about the engine spec, but because of some stupid EU law you have to show kw/HP when the engine is at idle or at least thats what my local dealer said!! Husqvarna seem to be the only crowd that do this though! I was leaning towards a CT153 because of the offer price, but was in Kellys of Borris and they let me try one of their front riders...I am now converted and was gonna hand over my money, but was told to wait until the 14th...they're on special!!!!!!!

the ct 15 stands for 15 hp

on husqvarna the ct means rear collector
the h if it follows means the hydrostatic
the first 2 following digits are the horsepower
the last digit meant the body style series
so ct
manual collector 15hp series 3 body style

progarden

Pat Keeley wrote: »

I had the same concerns about the engine spec, but because of some stupid EU law you have to show kw/HP when the engine is at idle or at least thats what my local dealer said!! Husqvarna seem to be the only crowd that do this though! I was leaning towards a CT153 because of the offer price, but was in Kellys of Borris and they let me try one of their front riders...I am now converted and was gonna hand over my money, but was told to wait until the 14th...they're on special!!!!!!!

lomb wrote: »

B and Q are doing the Mountfield sp555 with alu deck and honda engine with mulch and bag for 499 for anyone who is interested. They also might discount that a little if asked.

your husqvarna dealers is doing the r53sv with a honda engine for 489 which is a far better machine and at least you can go back to them

lomb

progarden wrote: »

your husqvarna dealers is doing the r53sv with a honda engine for 489 which is a far better machine and at least you can go back to them

I disagree looking at the specs. The Mountfield has an aluminium deck with 20 year warranty. They sold me one at 446 with a damaged outer box. Theres 2 left at clearance in B+Q Tallaght. It is a fab mower I have to say though.
Agree on service B+Q dont really have much. I struggled assembling mine after stripping a nut and luckily did not need help.

Technique

Can anyone advise me as to what would be wrong wth my mower?

Halfway through cutting the lawn it started to splutter and almost died out. It eventually got going, but after a few yards it spluttered again and died out. It wouldn't start again.

Is there anything simple I can check before taking it for repair? It seems like fuel starvation, is there a fuel filter on a petrol-engined mower?

It's a 20 year old Rover with a Briggs and Stratton 50cc engine. I know it's old, but it's really sturdy and usually reliable.

Thanks.