The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

This Pro Plus 43cc strimmer with straight shaft and geared head and double handle (not to be confused with woodies Pro Lawn brand) is available in most real hardware / builders stores, and is backed up by a distributors with full parts stock, McLoughlinsRS, https://mcl.ie/

Price varies, the link is one if the better prices offered.

I've no doubt they're mechanically identical to a point. Such tools are often referred to as Generic or Pattern parts designs, made in multiple guises in multiple places. It or it's components could be made in China, India, anywhere, from a sophisticated factory to a back street workshop. Final assembly and quality control will to some extent depend on the brand badge, who may pay more attention to quality control if they're trying to build a brand reputation.

If backup is important, the Proplus does have a real depot. I've no idea who actually makes either or where, they are most likely a global commodity product which a distributor can order in batches of 1000s with whatever name you want stickered on it, and with perhaps some choice in quality of manufacture and life expectancy reflected in the ex-works price.

I recall my 'Industrial studies' college lectures from 50 years ago, when it was explained how you might purchase huge lots of equipment with a given % of failure built in depending on price. You distributed them straight out to the retailers and had sufficient stock to replace warranty fails under your % fail margin. Parts and repairs? Phht. The disposable tech era is far from new. If you want something with a multiple year warranty, and parts availability from a real manufacturer for the next 20 years, be prepared to pay big bucks. The proplus is overpriced imo, but they've build a following over the years, so they can charge what the customer is willing to pay for a nominally budget item, and not what it's really worth. Capitalism, you gotta love it!

I bought a new bar and chain and a bar oil gasket for my heavily used proplus chainsaw. I went up to the depot to the spares counter, not to Chadwicks where I bought it many many years ago. It was considerably cheaper also than buying the parts at random on the Internet, I probably got trade price, I sort of look the part, dusty and grubby. They won't chase you out if you ever needed to get parts.

I have a generic version of that strimmer, straight pole, geared head, 43cc, I think it was badged McCullogh, its yellow anyway. I have it maybe 15 years or more, can't remember. I've went through 100s of metres of cord. Its hammering away still, only ever broke the guard, which I glued 'n screwed, and replaced the petrol flow and return tubes, which perished with age. I'm strimming around a 3.5 acre site in total, 1 acre is a small forest, plenty of work for it, but I dislike the brushcutter blade, rarely use it. I'll use a petrol hedgetrimmer bar for thick stuff, and the chainsaw for the bigger bits. I'd say you won't go wrong with Worx one, ask them who the distributors are for parts. For that little money it will owe you nothing after 3 or 4 years.

Edit: I never buy parts for my Viking (now Stihl) tractor mower from Stihl, prices are eye watering.

I find these good for parts. €60 delivered, still pricey for what it is (Stihl pricey?)

https://eurosmallengineparts.ie/stihl-fs89-fs90-fs91-fs94-fs111-fs130-fs131-trimmer-gearbox

Fwiw, the parts list itemised individual parts for the head, so if you have the original, it could be repairable (though only if a cheap part broken), casing alone £80 odd.

good catch I should have clarified I checked that out already

Thank you for this - interesting to note I felt that the brake pedal seems off someway and not operating properly when I tried earlier so I guess that’s the issue some how and that aligns with your guidance above

will take a closer look at it tomorrow

cheers for the advice

I'd recommend smallengineparts.ie, it's an Irish company, it's less likely to be total Chinese shyte, they would sell these to people with serious price strimmers like yourself, and you would have a warranty as a non commercial use customer. Other respected Irish parts sellers like Atkins, Forest & Garde, sell these as specific Stihl replacements, (though it fits other brands), and charge around €90+, so the one I linked is well priced. Amazon doesn't necessarily mean quality, many products are just 'drop mail' suppliers for Ali sources.

I've read about your issues before with strimmer gearheads. I've done masses of work with all sorts of strimmers and never damaged the bevel gears. I have had issue with the casing on one, but that is a well know fault and mostly fixed with a jubilee clip. I did several weeks really rough work last year with a bramble head https://www.amazon.co.uk/295504-0-Universal-Mulching-Brushcutter-Husqvarna/dp/B00RZH0V4G/ on a cheap 5yo chinese 43cc machine and did it no harm.

So what exactly are you doing to damage them? I assume you aren't running it with material wrapped around the top of the head (tends to melt the head in bad cases rather than damage the bevel gears but can burn up the grease quickly) and top the gear grease up occasionally?

Great conversation. It would seem to reinforce my belief that that gearheads on the cheaper strimmers, or maybe I should say cheap replacement gearheads, are definitely at risk from an impact strike. The energy stored when the blade is spinning at full revs unloaded is considerable, stopping this blade dead against a root or a thick branch transfers all this to the casing and gears, which will spilt a poorly manufactured product. Perhaps your Stihl spun the blade on the shaft a few times from impact, until it loosened the grip of the bolt and thrust plate/washer. Good news anyway.

Hi all

Appreciate some advice about a replacement blade adaptor.

So I’ve a ‘pro lawn’ 51cm petrol lawnmower - a woodies special from 10 years ago. B&S 675EX engine. They no longer sell them and woodies have been less than helpful, no reply from the company

It’s been through the wars and owes me nothing. But I’ve hit the blade off something and caused the nipples on the blade adaptor to be damaged so I need a new blade adaptor and while I’m at it I was hoping for one that would suit a common blade type (Oregon or something similar).

I contacted a lawnmower parts shop and the (very helpful) chap I was dealing with said that they blade adaptors are lawnmower specific. I’m not sure why I’m finding this hard to accept. I know there’s different types but I would’ve thought there’d be one I could find that would work.

It fits into a 21.8mm (⅞ inch) crankshaft and has a 4.7mm flywheel key. Pictures attached.

Really appreciate any help or guidance. Seems an awful shame not to be able to repair this and I really don’t have the money for another lawnmower. Thanks all.

That exact holder with the oval retainer lugs is often imaged in searches for Hecht mowers, a clone of Cobra mowers. Frustratingly, parts seem confined to sales in the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, as I had been trying to obtain well priced parts for a Cobra, and they wouldn't deliver here. Delivery from UK sources for Cobra also rare since brexit.

Can I suggest that the holder is not so badly damaged that you couldn't repair it. A decent application of a cold chisel and hammer will reform the lug protrusions to mate with the blade holes. Fix the holder to the blade off the mower with a suitable nut and bolt and tighten down with the blade holes aligned over the holder nipples. Place on the jaws of a vice and whack the ovals edges with a 10-15 mm cold chisel to reform the metal down into the blade holes. A mm or two protrusion is all you need. The holder plate is mild steel, so will take a good whack without splitting. I'd assumed the plate had came away from the shaft in the first photo, my bad, but it appears to be still all in one piece?

I see several entries on the Woodies site for that holder, same picture for different mowers sizes, I'm guessing its the same. Delivery only, €10 +€5 postage

https://www.woodies.ie/catalogsearch/results?query=Blade+adapter

Do people think it is worth staying clear of multi-tools like this? I used this exact one over the weekend and found it to be surprisingly good as a strimmer, albeit a bit heavy.

https://www.corebuild.ie/proplus-5pce-33cc-multi-function-petrol-garden-tool

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/mountfield-hp185-46cm-139cc-hand-propelled-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/340rj

For anyone in the know would that be a decent lawnmower for a small front and back garden? Old Harry lawnmower I was using gave up the ghost a few weeks ago and my heart (and back) is broken from using a strimmer to do the job in lieu. Alternatively if the lawn is small enough (35-40m2 roughly probably) would I be as well off to look at a battery mower to do the job and if so would anyone have any reccs for a budget between 200-300 quid.

Otherwise the ego equipment is really good. Ego battery powered lawn mower.