The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

deezell

harr wrote: »

Hi
Looking for recommendations or suggestions, our back garden has gotten considerable smaller the last year. New shed and patio was seen lawn size half.
So currently it’s only 30f by 20f and our old lawnmower is banjaxed have it over 20 years.
I am considering buying a cheap flymo or similar Electric mower, good idea or should I stick to petrol. Any huge disadvantages to Electric over petrol ?
We have outside power so that’s not an issue.

Treat yourself to a rechargeable. With that small a space it will be ideal. Online prices here from €176 upward.
https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/swift-eb132c-electric-lawn-mower-32-cm-cutting-width-3-in-1-self-propelled-lawn-mower-40v-2ah-p-13141.html

Discodog

harr wrote: »

Hi
Looking for recommendations or suggestions, our back garden has gotten considerable smaller the last year. New shed and patio was seen lawn size half.
So currently it’s only 30f by 20f and our old lawnmower is banjaxed have it over 20 years.
I am considering buying a cheap flymo or similar Electric mower, good idea or should I stick to petrol. Any huge disadvantages to Electric over petrol ?
We have outside power so that’s not an issue.

I got an Aldi rechargeable mower & I am very impressed.

MidMan25

harr wrote: »

Hi
Looking for recommendations or suggestions, our back garden has gotten considerable smaller the last year. New shed and patio was seen lawn size half.
So currently it’s only 30f by 20f and our old lawnmower is banjaxed have it over 20 years.
I am considering buying a cheap flymo or similar Electric mower, good idea or should I stick to petrol. Any huge disadvantages to Electric over petrol ?
We have outside power so that’s not an issue.

My garden isn't much smaller than that. I've had Fiskars StaySharp Plus Reel Mower since Spring and my grass has never looked better only takes me 5-10 mins and that's doing two passes in opposite directions to make sure it gets as even a cut as possible. No noise either and the grass cuttings are scattered evenly across the lawn.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiskars-StaySharp-Cylinder-Lawnmower-Blade-Free/dp/B00PAU7RCO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536089172&sr=8-2&keywords=fiskars+staysharp

Picture from half an hour ago after cutting it.

Audioslaven

Hi,

My lawnmower John Deere LR135 seems to not engage sometimes when I pull the lever to engage the blades. I can hear it trying to engage but it doesn't kick in. I then try it a few times and eventually it kicks in. I know it could be the switch or the clutch but is there anything else?

fissureseal

Hi i have 2 acres to cut , bit hilly in parts and v mossy ( as i live in the Wesht!! ), was thinking of buying this Honda HF417 https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/honda-hf2417-ride-on-tractor-mower/19742614
What do people think ? Or else i was thinking of new Castelgarden PTX 200 ?

Any opinions/ advise would be greatly appreciated .thanks

my3cents

fissureseal wrote: »

Hi i have 2 acres to cut , bit hilly in parts and v mossy ( as i live in the Wesht!! ), was thinking of buying this Honda HF417 https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/honda-hf2417-ride-on-tractor-mower/19742614
What do people think ? Or else i was thinking of new Castelgarden PTX 200 ?

Any opinions/ advise would be greatly appreciated .thanks

Don't really think that mower (Honda) is suitable for 2 acres unless you remove the grass box and get a rear discharge guard for it.

MascotDec85

fissureseal wrote: »

Hi i have 2 acres to cut , bit hilly in parts and v mossy ( as i live in the Wesht!! ), was thinking of buying this Honda HF417 https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/honda-hf2417-ride-on-tractor-mower/19742614
What do people think ? Or else i was thinking of new Castelgarden PTX 200 ?

Any opinions/ advise would be greatly appreciated .thanks

17hp would be very light for that size of garden. You’d want 22+ I’d imagine

my3cents

MascotDec85 wrote: »

17hp would be very light for that size of garden. You’d want 22+ I’d imagine

The mower would cut it and more power would be great but boxing off 2 acres is bad enough but add in a few hilly bits where you have to drive a bit slower and its will be a real chore.

With that size of site (and I've looked after bigger) I would suggest cutting a neat bagged off area around the house and perhaps a football/play area for the kids (so they don't drag grass in the house) leaving the rest to a higher cut with the grass left on.

There is a discharge chute that goes on those Castlegarden Honda's but you don't see it very often, any dealer would be able to get one.

enricoh

fissureseal wrote: »

Hi i have 2 acres to cut , bit hilly in parts and v mossy ( as i live in the Wesht!! ), was thinking of buying this Honda HF417 https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/honda-hf2417-ride-on-tractor-mower/19742614
What do people think ? Or else i was thinking of new Castelgarden PTX 200 ?

Any opinions/ advise would be greatly appreciated .thanks

Massey 35, turf tyres, 6' rollermower - half an hour to mow and last a lifetime!

blackbox

Audioslaven wrote: »

Hi,

My lawnmower John Deere LR135 seems to not engage sometimes when I pull the lever to engage the blades. I can hear it trying to engage but it doesn't kick in. I then try it a few times and eventually it kicks in. I know it could be the switch or the clutch but is there anything else?

Yes - it could be something else in the safety circuit, possibly the seat switch or a bad connection.

enricoh

blackbox wrote: »

Yes - it could be something else in the safety circuit, possibly the seat switch or a bad connection.

I've a John Deere ride on n it had the same problem, the wire rope had frayed a bit n lost some tension. The spring on the deck can stretch a bit too.

blackbox

fissureseal wrote: »

Hi i have 2 acres to cut , bit hilly in parts and v mossy ( as i live in the Wesht!! ), was thinking of buying this Honda HF417 https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/honda-hf2417-ride-on-tractor-mower/19742614
What do people think ? Or else i was thinking of new Castelgarden PTX 200 ?

Any opinions/ advise would be greatly appreciated .thanks

I have a hilly garden and I found that with a heavy grass box there is not enough weight on the front wheels to steer it properly. Also, if it's any way wet it can be a struggle to reverse uphill. I went for a Husqvarna 4WD Rider - mulching only. (I think they make a collecting model now)

SCOL

I bought a Sigma lawnmower this year when it is lying up for a week or so when I go and start it there is a big puff of smoke out
of it.

Is this normal ?

fungijay

SCOL wrote: »

I bought a Sigma lawnmower this year when it is lying up for a week or so when I go and start it there is a big puff of smoke out
of it.

Is this normal ?

Check the oil level, often times there is too much oil, just drain it to correct level, also if your mower has an air filter it may be clogged with excess oil, this can be cleaned with a little petrol.

Kencollins

Hi all,

Great thread so far!

I have a house with about an acre of garden. It is mostly flat with a slight incline. The land can be soft when its wet. Money is tight so I don't think I can afford a ride on at the moment.

At the moment the grass is taking me two hours with an old woodies pro lawn with a B+S engine, but it needs to be replaced.

Is the Toro Timemaster regarded as a good machine? I like the extra width and twin blades but have never tried something like that.

If the budget was 1000 what would anyone recommend?

MascotDec85

Kencollins wrote: »

Hi all,

Great thread so far!

I have a house with about an acre of garden. It is mostly flat with a slight incline. The land can be soft when its wet. Money is tight so I don't think I can afford a ride on at the moment.

At the moment the grass is taking me two hours with an old woodies pro lawn with a B+S engine, but it needs to be replaced.

Is the Toro Timemaster regarded as a good machine? I like the extra width and twin blades but have never tried something like that.

If the budget was 1000 what would anyone recommend?

I bought a really good 2nd hand Castelgarden ride on from DoneDeal for about €1100. The only thing I’ve had to replace was the deck belt. The first mower I bought was a €300 Snapper ride on from a hire shop. I got 2 seasons out of it, serviced it, replaced all the belts and got my money back. If you shop wisely you’ll get a decent ride on for that money.

Kencollins

Kencollins wrote: »

Hi all,

Great thread so far!

I have a house with about an acre of garden. It is mostly flat with a slight incline. The land can be soft when its wet. Money is tight so I don't think I can afford a ride on at the moment.

At the moment the grass is taking me two hours with an old woodies pro lawn with a B+S engine, but it needs to be replaced.

Is the Toro Timemaster regarded as a good machine? I like the extra width and twin blades but have never tried something like that.

If the budget was 1000 what would anyone recommend?

The time master has had its engine improved and got to use one last week. Pretty good now That's about 1500 new though. 2hours for an acre is a good time for that lawn mower you are using so my guess is it's an acre but the house and drive is taken out of that. I use a Honda hrx 537 vye. You will get one during the winter for €1000.An hour mulching half an acre easy if you cut it regularly.

If its flat and open then a rise on will be quicker but you will be lucky to get a good one on that budget and you will also need a trailer or big van to bring it anywhere such as for a service etc.

Kencollins

Thanks for the replies!

You are right, there is about .75 of an acre when you take out the house and driveway.

I could get the timemaster without electric start delivered for 1050 from lawnmowersdirect.co.uk and I am very tempted!

A ride on is still an option but I would probably need to get a trailer to transport it, and I guess maintenance costs will be more over the years. I also kind of like the walk behind aspect, a bit of physical activity cant be a bad thing.

The Honda hrx 537 VYE looks like a lovely mower too. It is almost the same price as the timemaster, would it be worth getting the wider deck for speed?

deezell

Kencollins wrote: »

Thanks for the replies!

You are right, there is about .75 of an acre when you take out the house and driveway.

I could get the timemaster without electric start delivered for 1050 from lawnmowersdirect.co.uk and I am very tempted!

A ride on is still an option but I would probably need to get a trailer to transport it, and I guess maintenance costs will be more over the years. I also kind of like the walk behind aspect, a bit of physical activity cant be a bad thing.

The Honda hrx 537 VYE looks like a lovely mower too. It is almost the same price as the timemaster, would it be worth getting the wider deck for speed?

.75 acre is 3000 sg metres. To cut this with the .75m wide cut of the toro you will have to walk 3000/.75. Which is 4Km. Allowing 20% for overlap, turning and bag emptying, and moving briskly at 5Km/h , it should take 1 hour exactly. The Toro can go at 8Km/h max, but thats almost running.

Kencollins

Kencollins wrote: »

Thanks for the replies!

You are right, there is about .75 of an acre when you take out the house and driveway.

I could get the timemaster without electric start delivered for 1050 from lawnmowersdirect.co.uk and I am very tempted!

A ride on is still an option but I would probably need to get a trailer to transport it, and I guess maintenance costs will be more over the years. I also kind of like the walk behind aspect, a bit of physical activity cant be a bad thing.

The Honda hrx 537 VYE looks like a lovely mower too. It is almost the same price as the timemaster, would it be worth getting the wider deck for speed?

I would be tempted too at the price. Whatever you do keep the place Mowed regularly. I used to maintain an acre at my house. If you can mow every week do it. That way you can mulch and it will save a lot of time. Or maybe divide it into sections and cut one every few days.

You will also need a person to maintain your mower if you can't do it yourself. They have a three year warranty on that machine as long as it's serviced so ask them what dealer you should use.

deezell

Deleted User wrote: »

I would be tempted too at the price......
.......You will also need a person to maintain your mower if you can't do it yourself. They have a three year warranty on that machine as long as it's serviced so ask them what dealer you should use.

On the maintenance side of things, theres a bit more going on in the Toro as its a twin blade, a full ride on deck mechanism in fact, so down the road there's belts and pulleys and bearings to wear that are not present in a single blade walk behind. As you're buying new though, much less risk than €1000 on a used rideon. If you buy online, its not clear who covers the warranty, unless they have agents here appointed. There's one online dealer who delivers to your local real shop, I can't remember the name, but it's in the thread somewhere.

deezell

deezell wrote: »

On the maintenance side of things, theres a bit more going on in the Toro as its a twin blade, a full ride on deck mechanism in fact, so down the road there's belts and pulleys and bearings to wear that are not present in a single blade walk behind. As you're buying new though, much less risk than €1000 on a used rideon. If you buy online, its not clear who covers the warranty, unless they have agents here appointed. There's one online dealer who delivers to your local real shop, I can't remember the name, but it's in the thread somewhere.

6.4. If goods that you purchase from us develop a fault within the warranty period, we will refer you to your local dealership where the product will be examined by their qualified technicians and repaired as per the warranty details. From 30 days to 6 months of delivery, we will have one chance to repair or replace and rectify any problems. If we are unable to repair or replace, and the fault is a genuine manufacturing issue rather than something caused through operator error, you have the right to a full refund or a price reduction if you would like to keep the product. This will need to be assessed on a case by case basis.
6.5. If it is not possible to take products to a local dealership, we will collect the boxed product from you, carry out required works in our own workshop, and return the goods to you.
6.6. As Lawnmaster is our own brand, no dealership network is available. Any Lawnmaster machinery found to have a genuine manufacturing fault within the warranty period will be collected from its original delivery address for repair and returned at no cost to you.
6.7. Lawnmowers Direct will not be liable for any additional costs incurred whilst goods are away for warranty repairs .

That's what they say about warranty. The problem I would have is if I had to bring it to my local dealer for service or repair what are they going to say when they have one there in stock.

It's probably a few hundred cheaper online and there are plenty of videos online for all sorts of repairs. I would be asking where I need to get it serviced for warranty and then talking to that dealer about how it will work.

deezell

Deleted User wrote: »

That's what they say about warranty. The problem I would have is if I had to bring it to my local dealer for service or repair what are they going to say when they have one there in stock.

It's probably a few hundred cheaper online and there are plenty of videos online for all sorts of repairs. I would be asking where I need to get it serviced for warranty and then talking to that dealer about how it will work.

On the other hand the dealer will only see you for uts first service required to avail of the extended warranty, assuming it works fine for its first year. He's quids in for the next one also, so he should be alright to do the warranty stuff if required.

deezell

deezell wrote: »

On the other hand the dealer will only see you for uts first service required to avail of the extended warranty, assuming it works fine for its first year. He's quids in for the next one also, so he should be alright to do the warranty stuff if required.

I have sent them a message asking where I would have to get it serviced. I am really interested in this machine yet the dealer where I buy all my stihl equipment is €500 dearer and not budging

um7y1h83ge06nx

Need to do some troubleshooting.

Got a Stiga Estate 5092H delivered from AgriEuro yesterday.

Popped in oil and petrol yesterday evening and connected the battery charger for 24 hours. Tried starting it this evening and it started but cut out after a few seconds. I had the throttle pushed as far forward as possible until it went into a groove near the hare symbol.

After it cut out I couldn't start it again.

Should I be charging it for more than 24 hours on the first use? I couldn't push the throttle further forward although it looks like it can go further past the hare and towards the choke/throttle symbol.

deezell

Lorelei Breezy Table wrote: »

Need to do some troubleshooting.

Got a Stiga Estate 5092H delivered from AgriEuro yesterday.

Popped in oil and petrol yesterday evening and connected the battery charger for 24 hours. Tried starting it this evening and it started but cut out after a few seconds. I had the throttle pushed as far forward as possible until it went into a groove near the hare symbol.

After it cut out I couldn't start it again.

Should I be charging it for more than 24 hours on the first use? I couldn't push the throttle further forward although it looks like it can go further past the hare and towards the choke/throttle symbol.

Does it have a seperate choke pull out in front of the throttle. On some models the choke is separate. This is referred to in the manual in illustration. 4.1 2A. Did you make sure the fuel line valve if fitted is open, illustration 5.7, turned so the top grip is in line with the pipe.
If you have a combined throttle and choke setup, in the event that the engine cuts out when starting on the choke setting, you should pull the lever back to halfway between slow and fast, then turn it over to start.
24 hours should be sufficient to charge, as long as the engine is turning over at a reasonable rate it should start, but theres a caution in the instructions about a control cutout if attemping to start on an insufficiently charged battery, see 3.5. Finally, check that the spark plug connection is solid, it may not have been pressed fully home during assembly.
Heres the online manual I referred to.

https://www.libble.eu/stiga-estate-5092-h/online-manual-717766/?page=0065

deezell

Also, there might be an indent on the throttle to stop it at the Hare symbol, you mentioned a groove, and it might be necessary to flex the throttle lever to one side to progress to the choke setting beyond the Hare.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Thanks for the responses. From doing some more reading of the manual after I posted I figured out that it cut out because I got off the seat. I thought getting off the seat would just disengage the blades if they were on (they were off). I probably only then had it running for about 10 seconds as I got off to open the garage doors, which probably didn't help a first time run.

deezell wrote: »

Does it have a seperate choke pull out in front of the throttle.....

I checked the fuel line valve before hand and it was already in the open position.

It's a combined choke and throttle setup I didn't put the choke back towards slow and this probably didn't help either as engine was revving hard with a decent amount of bluish exhaust smoke (that why I went to open the garage door quickly).

deezell wrote: »

Also, there might be an indent on the throttle...

Yeah, at the hare position it has a notch that it settles into. I can flex the throttle lever to one side and push it further forward but it will not stay in that position itself, I need to keep forward force on it. Is this normal I wonder.

I found the throttle wire beside the engine and moving the throttle handle between slow and fast causes the wire to push/pull a plastic part to run along a metal runner track. Pushing it beyond the hare by flexing and forcing it forward does not cause it to move further along the track, it is already at the end, the wire just becomes even more taut.

I just found a still image from Google search that I have attached here from a Youtube video, different B&S engine but same throttle linkage link

The plastic part that fella has his thumb on is what the throttle wire is attached to and it moves to the right as you move the throttle to the fast position, stopping at the end of that metal track at the hare position.

This makes me think it's not meant to go beyond the notch maybe.

I left it charging again overnight and hope to give it another go this evening when I'm home.

deezell

Lorelei Breezy Table wrote: »

Thanks for the responses. From doing some more reading of the manual after I posted I figured out that it cut out because I got off the seat. I thought getting off the seat would just disengage the blades if they were on (they were off). I probably only then had it running for about 10 seconds as I got off to open the garage doors, which probably didn't help a first time run.



I checked the fuel line valve before hand and it was already in the open position.

It's a combined choke and throttle setup I didn't put the choke back towards slow and this probably didn't help either as engine was revving hard with a decent amount of bluish exhaust smoke (that why I went to open the garage door quickly).



Yeah, at the hare position it has a notch that it settles into. I can flex the throttle lever to one side and push it further forward but it will not stay in that position itself, I need to keep forward force on it. Is this normal I wonder.

I found the throttle wire beside the engine and moving the throttle handle between slow and fast causes the wire to push/pull a plastic part to run along a metal runner track. Pushing it beyond the hare by flexing and forcing it forward does not cause it to move further along the track, it is already at the end, the wire just becomes even more taut.

I just found a still image from Google search that I have attached here from a Youtube video, different B&S engine but same throttle linkage link

The plastic part that fella has his thumb on is what the throttle wire is attached to and it moves to the right as you move the throttle to the fast position, stopping at the end of that metal track at the hare position.

This makes me think it's not meant to go beyond the notch maybe.

I left it charging again overnight and hope to give it another go this evening when I'm home.

As they say, RTFM! Many mowers will cut out if you dismount , even if the blades are disengaged and it's in neutral, unless you put on the parking brake. I suppose it's to stop it rolling away. On some the seat interlock is active only if you are in motion or if the blades are engaged, or if the bag is not fitted. Most won't start unless the handbrake is on anyway.
The choke may be of the automatic type, or it may be that the cable needs to be reset. Get it started again, if you have to pull the throttle back from Max Hare, (good name for a band) to get it to run normally without choke, then it would seem that that the cable needs to be reclamped, if this is possible, so that max speed is happening at the indent before the last bit of travel to the choke setting. On many engines choke is automatic, so the top speed and choke symbols woukd be together, but if the graphic explicitly shows the choke symbol further on then it would be a manual choke activated in the last bit of the lever travel, and the cable should be installed such that this requires moving past the groove or indent so you are not putting the choke on during normal use.

I got a reply from lawnmowers direct about buying the timemaster. The said it's an extra £ 105 to deliver to Ireland so £1055 delivery which is €1180

As for servicing and warranty they said they put my address details into the toro website which I did to to confirm and the closest place to get a service is in England. So it seems to me the warranty is unavailable here.

https://www.toro.com/en/locator