tractor mower

chiefwiggum

ok so thinking of getting a tractor mower as i spent most of the day mowing our lawns and the folks in law lawns next door(big lawns)im getting a bit fed up with it to be honest as its very time consuming..i was advised to stay away from second hand mowers as they are usually someone elses problem..could anyone advise any good makes for a budget of around 2 grand and what ones to stay away from
thanks:)

gary29428

Just a taught but what we did was get together about 6 or 7 people who want to get new mowers and get them from the states. We all bought John Deere's. Mine was a 100 series and at the time (exchange rate was 1.50 I think) it cost me 1890euro all in. Same mower was here for over 3000euro. We got them from a dealer in New York.

tinofapples

gary29428 wrote: »

Just a taught but what we did was get together about 6 or 7 people who want to get new mowers and get them from the states. We all bought John Deere's. Mine was a 100 series and at the time (exchange rate was 1.50 I think) it cost me 1890euro all in. Same mower was here for over 3000euro. We got them from a dealer in New York.

Good idea, how much was the container ?

chiefwiggum

it is actually a very good idea but all the neighbours have one so i dont think that idea is a go-er...thanks for the tip though

fryup

chiefwiggum wrote: »

ok so thinking of getting a tractor mower i was advised to stay away from second hand mowers as they are usually someone elses problem..

not necessarily, got a second hand-one last year no probs

just check it out when viewing it > see it working, make sure there's no major rust underneath etc

BeeDI

chiefwiggum wrote: »

ok so thinking of getting a tractor mower as i spent most of the day mowing our lawns and the folks in law lawns next door(big lawns)im getting a bit fed up with it to be honest as its very time consuming..i was advised to stay away from second hand mowers as they are usually someone elses problem..could anyone advise any good makes for a budget of around 2 grand and what ones to stay away from
thanks:)

For crying out loud, it's good exercise for you ............. good for the heart, keeps you fit, easy on the pocket :) . Stay with what you have, and forget the neighbours.

gary29428

This is the way the cost worked out.

Mower cost (New) $1649
Transpost to dock $18.75
Shipping ffrom NY $594
VAT in NI (shipped to Belfast $175
Import duty into South $60
Total USD $2496.50
Rate at time was 1.55 1610.65euro

We had 8 lads in the group, saved a fortune, dealer in NewYork said 20% of his trade was into the UK and Ireland at that time (May 2008).

bbam

BeeDI wrote: »

For crying out loud, it's good exercise for you ............. good for the heart, keeps you fit, easy on the pocket :) . Stay with what you have, and forget the neighbours.

I'd agree with that but..
If you have a large garden it can be time consuming with a walk behind.. Getting the weather just right to spend a few hours mowing can be hard.
If the grass gets ahead of you it doesn't dry properly and then getting it cut with a conventional mower is near impossible..
I resisted as much as possible on the "exercise" basis but gave in a few years ago..

I bought a Castle Garden 13HP with 36 inch cut, manual gearbox. Great little mower for what I have (3/4 acre of grass). was about €2K

There are lots of other ways in the garden to get exercise...

chiefwiggum

ok fryup thanks for that...what make did you end up going for
@beedi...im not worried about the neighbours but what im saying is the fact that they already have them would rule out them coming in on a group buy
@beedi and bbam..yes its great exercise but as bbam said time is a huge issue..our site is nearly 3 acres at least half of that is lawned its the same situation next door so i'd say we're talking 2 1/2 acres of lawns...the grass was so thick aswell as bbam rightly pointed out that it kept stopping the push mower...i have very large flower beds now which require a lot of time aswell so something has to give(hopefully not my back)
@bbam would you recommend the castlegarden? any probs with it?
thanks for the replies/ suggestions

bbam

chiefwiggum wrote: »

@bbam would you recommend the castlegarden? any probs with it?

I suppose I would... Have it 4 or 5 years and not a bother since the day it was delivered. It's my second castlegarden as I also still have the original self propelled 19 inch mower which is rented along with my other house, again it never failed and it's about 12 years old from new..

fryup

chiefwiggum wrote: »

ok fryup thanks for that...what make did you end up going for

got one similar to this...

was going to get a tractor type, but went for the more compact buggy type cause they are more manoeuvrable around bushes & shrubs etc

make sure the engine size is at least 10hp

chiefwiggum

bbam wrote: »

I suppose I would... Have it 4 or 5 years and not a bother since the day it was delivered. It's my second castlegarden as I also still have the original self propelled 19 inch mower which is rented along with my other house, again it never failed and it's about 12 years old from new..

thats good to know...i'll check the castlegardens out...thanks

yop

How big is your lawn?

Would it be more like min of 13hp? Brother has a 10hp and find it week on his large lawn.

There seems to be husqvarna, castlegarden and johndeere as the main products.

Could do a boards group buy could we as I am looking to get on myself

nerophis

I got a 17hp tractor mower and the difference between that and the 13hp is significant- compared to someone I know with a similar (3/4 acre garden). All depends on your garden size and how much you love mowing grass. If you love doing it more (and do it often) then a smaller engine with less power works well. If as often happens in the west a week or more goes by without a cut I can still cut low. My friend has to do two cuts to get "back" the lawn from on growth and it looks very patchy from the first one. We both paid about the same price for the mowers. Bigger engine also often means a bigger box so you can cut the lawn quicker without emptying and you'll be less likely to get clogged because it has more power to throw back the cuttings.

Rust is something you should look out for though- it indicates an unloved mower. Check the blades are not clunking/touching either as it'll cost a few hundred euro to get new ones if they meet. Any mower you buy you should give a test run cutting grass. Tyres are an issue too- slow punctures are a big thing with tractor mowers. If you can get ones with a tube so you can repair them yourself all the better. My father-in-law is constantly puncturing his and they cost about forty euro each. Not all branded mowers will have a branded engine- check to make sure- the branded one may or may not be better quality but you've a better chance of getting parts. You'd be better buying from a dealer than from a private seller- at least you can go back if you have issues later. I reckon 2k would get you a very decent one thats a couple of years old- if my own experience was anything to go by.

Foleyart

Howdy folks. I'm looking to buy this http://www.cheapmowers.com/acatalog/CACG12.5_90.html and am wondering has anyone any experience of them, and also would this mower be able for my 3/4 - 1 acre lawn.

Randyleprechaun

Price of tractor mowers seems to be down a good bit from 3/4/5 years ago.

Most or alot of tractor mowers come from the same factory. Seems alot are made by Electrolux ie. Husqvarna, Jonsered, McCulloch, Partner etc. Think Partner might be gone by the wayside now but not 100%

I got a Jonsered LT2115CM about 4 to 5 years ago and has given no bother. It has a 15HP Kohler engine and a 36" cut as far as I know. Engine has pressurised oil system which is an advantage I'm told if you have slopes etc.

I would agree with the previous poster who said to go for a new one. If you buy new and do simple maintenance every winter then the machine should last a long long long time. Maintenance is very simple.

Incidentally, the Jonsered machine is the identical same in every way as the Husqvarna except for the colour and at the time the price.

chiefwiggum

ok so update....looks like the ride on is a no go-er due to impending wedding:rolleyes: but i have been looking at getting a self drive mower instead pref with an aluminium deck,any recommendations and prices before i go wasting a shop asistants time and energy:p can you get mulching mowers.also what would i be looking at for a decent brushcutter(stihl,honda,husky etc)
thanks people;)

AC130

I agree 100% bbam

LK_Dave

nerophis wrote: »

If you can get ones with a tube so you can repair them yourself all the better. My father-in-law is constantly puncturing his and they cost about forty euro each.

fix tubeless tyres punctures with a Repair Cord. Its a sticky cord that you thread through a screwdriver-like tool, insert into the puncture as far as it will go and then pull back and cut. I have used these to fix teleporter, tractor, lawnmower and even a friends car to get him out of trouble!! See http://www.tyre-rite.co.uk/searchresulttyreRepair.aspx?CategoryID=10 You can get them at any good motor factors. The cords cast about a euro each.