The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Variable sheave transmission, not seen one of those in donkeys years. Had a John Deere that had that arrangement.

Belt wear can be an issue but the pulleys can also wear.

The repair guy I used for parts sometimes has a similar setup with a chain hoist not totally sure how he uses it. Think its too far inside his shed for him to able to get to with his workshop being jammed full of stuff.

Another way of lifting is to lift the front wheels

So if you are lifting both wheels from underneath then and chock the rear wheels I don't see too much problem.

Your obvious problem is the mower slipping backwards and getting the lift from the right spot without bending the engine cover.

If you have the hoist you might also have an engine hoist spreader bar. That above the the engine cover with a couple of chains down to the front axle might do the job. Just depends on the mower. You'll just have to make a judgement call depending on how strong the axel looks and if you can get a suitable grip on it.

tbh I don't really like the idea of the hoist. There is nothing really that you can attach the hoist to without damaging plastic parts. The mud guards will be in the way of putting a strap around the wheel.

By the time you have bought a spreader bar and chains you wouldn't be far off buying a dedicated jacking tool that is safe and quick. This one is down to €65 https://www.amazon.co.uk/ACHATPRATIQUE-lifter-Telescopic-saving-compare/dp/B07BHFNTRG/

With the talk of lifts I thought I'd throw this up.

The mower is rock solid and isn't going anywhere. I've tried to tip it but is won't go over (think thats prevented by the upstand that is holding the left hand rear wheel on the stand) and pushing forwards and backwards does nothing to move it. To get it up takes 45-50 pumps of the built in hydraulic jack which is hidden by the tyre. You get it all the way up then put the safety support in (I don't always bother). There is another safety feature which you can't see a bar that drops in place when its nearly fully up and prevents it dropping down this is also hidden by the pump. This bar needs to be lifted when you release the hydraulics. There is also a strap provided that is supposed to go around the higher of the two tyres on the lift.

You obviously have less access to underneath the left hand side of the deck. Normally I can get to everything but if I need better access to that side I just drop it down and turn the mower around. On that mower there seems to be no major issue lifting either side.

You can also see the blower fan referred to earlier. The housing for it is plastic so may be retrofittable.

Tip for anyone removing the blades to sharpen or to replace them check the manual if the main blade bolts are left or right hand threaded (sorry probably teaching granny to suck eggs). Its not the same on every machine but on most two bladed center discharge mowers the right hand blade has a left hand thread the left hand is a normal thread. I remember it this way you untighten away from the cutting edge (the blades are also handed) and tighten into the cutting edge or that the thread is the opposite of the side the blade is on.

Because everything is handed on the on the blade parts (blade, bolt and the fan) I take them off and replace them one at a time. It just saves having to think which one goes on which way.

Edit> RE chain hoist to RSJ. Took a good look at my mower above and with a spreader bar and a couple of chains you could definitely lift the mower up on the front axle. If you set the spreader bar about a foot wider than the axle you wouldn't crush any of the plastic. Still not an idea I'm that taken with.

Hi everybody,

Just after building a house and up until now I have had only small semi-d back gardens less than 100m2 of lawns to be cut and tbh any auld electric lawnmower did the trick.... Problem now is I have an acre to cut!😪

Anyway I dont want this whole acre to be cut and I am planning to plant trees in a lot of it and leave the grass grow long in large areas as well. But I want it to look neat so that means cutting the boarders and paths through it so it look like it was planned (for the bees!)

So I don't need a ride on as I reckon I will only be really cutting about a 1/4 of it if not a lot less. I am shopping around and came across this for €560 Husqvarna LC 151S Lawn Mower | Husqvarna CA

Is it any good and would be a worthy investment? it doesn't have the B&S engine but Husqvarna would be a good brand I would have thought. Or is there a go to mower I should get.

Thanks for the help

I assume the half acre includes house and driveway. If that's the case you won't need a huge ride on machine. The smaller rear engine ride ons with a single blade are best suited, as these compacts will leave less missed bits that require tidying up with the hand mower. Single blade also means less to go wrong on the deck. My only reservation is that the power overhead for mower and driver is significant relative to the cutting power, so you'll use a bit more fuel than a large hand mower. I'd worry also about wheel marks especially if a large person, 100kg+ is sitting on top, though with the under seat engine, the bulk of the weight is on the rear wheels post mowing. Here's a starting point. https://mower.ie/product/mountfield-827m-ride-on-lawnmower-9hp-26

Or the larger version

https://mower.ie/product/mountfield-1328h-ride-on-lawnmower-13hp-28

At only 5 or 7 inches wider cut than a large walk behind, it may not be significantly faster to mow than a good 53cm self drive, as you might spend more time reversing and maneuvering the ride on, or cutting half less than full width. This little Alko is probably the smallest out there, almost €2k exactly,

https://www.dwtoolshop.com/ie/al-ko-r7-65-hd

but with only 25" cut I'd be inclined to invest that in a high end walk behind of maximum width,

" RE chain hoist to RSJ. Took a good look at my mower above and with a spreader bar and a couple of chains you could definitely lift the mower up on the front axle. If you set the spreader bar about a foot wider than the axle you wouldn't crush any of the plastic. Still not an idea I'm that taken with."

Yes, I've thought about the drawbacks you've pointed out and you have put me off the idea of using the hoist to access the underneath of the ride-on. Even if I did get a spreader bar to lift the front axle I would be accessing the cutting deck from the front between the wheels which just seems awkward the more I think about it. Looking at the photo you posted of the hydraulic jack, being able to get at the blades, etc from the side seems more practical.

I'm a fan of screwfix. Online prices, click and collect, bricks and mortar store for warranty and returns. The mower is in stock in some stores around the country, Dublin, Newbridge, Cork, Limerick etc, so you should be able to get one to collect. Concerning warranty, this is in their Q&A page;

Hello, Thank you for your question, I can confirm that this model does come with a 3 year warranty, subject to a service before the end of the 2nd year. We will ensure the website is updated, sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

3 years is great, two plus one if you get it serviced. Q&A also states it's self drive speed is 3.7km/h, nice and brisk.

If there's a b&q near you, you can go see the demo model mower on display. Then purchase in either b&q or screw fix.

are diesel ride on's good as in reliable?

is this good value...

There's a small number of whopping 56cm deck mowers, mostly economy brands such as Gardencare, Victor, and the Cobra M56spb (not sure who deals cobra here, Brodericks in Kilpedder have dropped them I think)

These comes with B&S engines, 675 or 625, and there's also an alloy deck model under the Proplus brand, same engine. Here's some suppliers. Bang for your buck.

https://www.linwood.ie/landscaping-and-garden/proplus-56cm-sp-lawnmower-bs https://www.motoworld.ie/product/pro-plus-aluminium/

I was looking at a few of these last week while in the Proplus distributors McLouglins in Finglas getting chainsaw parts, huge looking machine.

It would be under the dash, usually on the control board. What model/year is it.

The diagram given doesn't show cable colours, but you could trace from the back of switch 23 to the board 1 and check if the switch contacts are closing using a multimeter, at the switch and up at the board. The buzzer is a board component, not available as a numbered part but simple to obtain once you identify it on the board, and check if its receiving a voltage when all the other parameters are set (blades engaged, bag on, full lever depressed.) Alternatively you can probe in 12v to the high side of the buzzer and see if it operates. It may have permanent 12v on one side, and work by grounding from the board.

This would work as a replacement IF its faulty, but it could be cables, connectors, or a break in the board.

https://ie.rs-online.com/web/p/electronic-sounders/1882210

There may be an icon if your mower has a gui, tbh I've never noticed if mine has as I wouldn't be looking at the dash, it's probably there alright but I've no trouble hearing the buzzer. Your right though, if both are not indicating then its cables, connectors or board.

I've never worn earmuffs, the Viking twin is very quiet, as was my CG twin. Neighbours single cylinder would wake the dead though.

its handy to have the beeper, otherwise you'd forget yourself and have clumps of grass left behind or worse still the chute blocked up😐️

IMO thats the right level for full, however I remove the dipstick then redip it without screwing it back in which will give a lower reading meaning you put in more oil. Thats my way others may differ but in 40 years of grass cutting 20 commercially thats the way I've always done it.

Mower should have been completely dry - transport regulation. Was the box opened?

Here's the manual for GCV 145/170/200.

@Continental op is spot on. The top of the hash area is the full mark, IF you dip it without screwing the cap down. Otherwise it will read over. If you only added 200ml, but dipped with the cap screwed down then it appears to be at the top. Here's what the honda manual says.

Oil Level Check

See Figure 9, page A-3.

1. Remove the oil filler cap/dipstick and wipe it clean.

2. Insert the dipstick into the oil filler neck, but do not screw it in.

3. If the level is low, add the recommended oil to the upper limit on the dipstick.

4. Install the oil filler cap/dipstick.

So clean, dip without tightening cap and top up until it covers all the hash mark. Elsewhere in the honda manuals it also states that engines are filled then drained before shipping, so there will be residual oil.

It can be surprisingly hard to see clean oil on some dipsticks. Almost better to look at the side view (thin side of the dipstick) and look at the thickness of the oil sticking to the dipstick.

.....a min & max should be stamped on all dipsticks and also make it clear whether its dip and screw down or just dip

Thats what she's been saying for years...

I've done a bodge of moving the height lever rack by unscrewing and drilling a few new holes on a Cobra, I notice the height rack on that Mountfield are holes pressed into the deck. There may be room to fabricate an extra one, by bringing the lever up past the last one or end stop.

Nanny rules, for people who go out to mow in open toe sandals.

i am thinking of buying a second hand push lawnmower ,have been using a ride but having gearbox problems say its at end of the road now, looking at a warrior , cant seem to find much on line on this model, warrior any good?