The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Sorry for the mixup. If it is the transmission drive belt, and it is a Hydrostatic drive, then such a belt runs at a steady rate, no electric or jockey wheel clutch impact. What could be causing the damage is misaligned/damaged tensioner pulleys, or the belt may have been installed wrong side of a guide pin (designed to keep the belt from jumping a pulley due to backslap with sudden deceleration). Low tension due to a mis sized belt would cause slippage up at the engine pulley, which could prematurely wear the belt. Otherwise, a decent quality V belt of the correct size should last. Hydro drives are very easy on belts, all the sudden chucks and forces are absorbed by the transmission, so something is chewing the edge or inner surface of your belt. Max JD blames the guide pulleys flanking the main transmission pulley, though he doesn't say what was amiss, (pulley seized/loose/bent/ damaged? wrong path around a retention pin?) You'll have to get under and have a closer look at the belt path. You don't want to chew an expensive Kevlar belt, which I wouldn't deem necessary for a hydro drive.

Yes. Superior engine, Aluminium deck, pro quality transmission, solid wheels, robust height adjustment mechanism and premium push handle and controls all add up to a product that will last 20 years with little issue. Its how Stiga used to make their mowers when they were an independent Swedish company. Latterly they became indistinguishable from their Castelgarden parent, GGC, now rebranded as Stiga Group.

This Weibang more closely matches the Stiga for build.

https://www.fingalgardenmachinery.ie/shop?store-page=Weibang-Selfdrive-Pro-Variable-Speed-Mower-WB537SCV-3IN1-p359690869

Stock of either is the issue I think, just getting close to one to have a feel of it. Shanlys are a good dealer in Newcastle Dublin with both brands.

https://shanleymowers.net/products/lawnmowers/weibang-professional-lawnmowers/

If you have a grand to spend on a mower, consider also the Honda HRG536 VLE variant with electric start, well priced at €855 below, but out of stock, or the VYE variant with roto stop Blade Brake Clutch, €800. Shops with stock probably a lot more.

https://www.irishgrassmachinery.ie/honda-izy-hrg466pke-3.html

https://www.irishgrassmachinery.ie/honda-izy-hrg466pke-2.html

Depends on what area and use its getting, I have a weibang wb537scv and can only heap praise on it, It's build quality is hugely impressive but its a heavy piece of kit too, I cut grass in August that had not been cut all year and it took it down no problem, and if your cutting longer grass the side shoot is invaluable .

A pet hate of my mower is the weight and the fact that when I have to start cutting the grass in say March, the soil is still soft and I end up leaving tracks that then harden up and I end up having to stick to these then for every cut until the autumn, otherwise the mower is bouncing up and down on them.

Why can't heavy mowers come with wider, softer wheels?

Unless you had this zero turn, the you could mow once a year, mulching it into powder!

Watch the video. Savage.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fhcDs2BjWt-sMZnZuGi2KANVdOsRbmom/view?usp=drivesdk

Seems to be a few sales on at the moment. Should be a few decent 21" machines out there around your budget. You might need to trawl the sites or Donedeal, and phone for best price, some places don't put sale prices up on the net. Heres one that did, 21" varispeed Harry brand, €499, https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/harry-21-variable-speed-selfdrive-lawnmower/27650715

which is a generic or pattern mower, also know as Hercules, here for €399.

https://www.ecpratt.ie/shop/lawn-and-garden-equipment/lawn-mowers/herkules-21-self-propelled-lawn-mower/

I'd say yes to all those questions, the ability to mulch 2 week neglected rough ground will be a function of power and cut height, but I'd imagine even the entry level residential versions of these machines could cope with 2 weeks. Cut at high, then lower and redo, the grass will be powdered after a second run. Have a look at this video to see what commercial ZT mowers can cut, 3-4 feet high on places.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fhcDs2BjWt-sMZnZuGi2KANVdOsRbmom/view?usp=drivesdk

I'm been a fan of this thread for quite a while and especially the knowledgeable info from posters such as Deezell.

I'm hoping to be in a position to move up from a push mower to a ride-on/lawn tractor before next spring and looking for advice as to what would best suit our needs.

We have several lawns which would be about half acre in total, some of them have small but steepish sloping banks. We also have an area which is a wildflower meadow which requires mowing twice a year. Part of the garden is at a lower level which is accessed via a steepish gravel path. So we'd need something that can get back up that slope after mowing the lower garden.

I'd like something with the option of mulching on the lawns but collecting the cuttings on the wildflower meadow, as the experts say collecting is essential to encourage various species of wildflowers.

We cut our own firewood and this involves moving quantities of cut timber around the yard so something that can tow a small trailer of logs without much effort would be ideal

Any recommendations as to what machine would suit would be appreciated. Plenty of space in the sheds so size is not an issue. I'm prepared to spend up to €5k but if something that ticks all the boxes was available for less I'd be much happier. Thanks in advance.