The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Qwerty? · 06-07-2009 8:24pm

I bought a Castel Garden XT190HD 40" a few weeks ago for €3000. I had tried a non hydrostatic from a neighbour, and its definitely worth spending the €400 extra on the hydro.

Just on a side note, on 1.5acres (same as me) I would advice getting the 40" cut as it :-

is a wider cut
has a 320 litre grass box,
and comes with the mulching plug and hitch free atm.

hope this helps.

mwexford · 06-07-2009 8:31pm

Hi Qwerty?
I hear what you're saying re hydrostatic vs manual.
The 190HD is actually one we looked at today - it's just it's €1000 dearer than the one described above. I think I'd go round the garden a few extra times to save that kind of money!
Or am I missing something here re the 13 1/2 hp cutting 1 1/2 flat acres?

Qwerty? · 06-07-2009 8:41pm

Mine is quite sloped so thats why I went 18hp. I'd imagine 13.5 would be fine on a flat lawn.

I see Croom are doing the 18hp for 2995 at the moment.

Its the grassbox size (250l v 320l) and the mulching plug (check price) that I would think about in your case.

mwexford · 06-07-2009 8:47pm

Thanks Qwerty? Will think further re your advice.
It's a confusing field, pardon the pun!

niceirishfella · 06-07-2009 8:56pm

Looks ok, decent discount on the price.
The craic with these is this; they are a disposable item, after a few years of mowing, you toss it. It'll not last you say;10 years. Like all the small parts will give way and those small parts will be hard gotten (going into woodies for them will be waste of time as will any warranty they give you)
But if you buy it with your eyes open, mind it, use it properly, mix the petrol with the 2 stroke oil properly to fuel it etc etc, it could do you fine.
maybe explore buying one for similar moeny or more from a garden care equip place locally, better dedicated service, warranty etc.

niceirishfella · 06-07-2009 9:05pm

Hi MWexford,

I got a Castel (castlegarden) 13.5hp Briggs and Stratton powered hydro - and it ROCKS!
Easy on fuel, fills the bags well, easy to operate from the seat, easy to service, does it all!
Good brand,easy to get parts for etc etc.
Re; Gearbox, HYDRO all the way.

now, re; buying and doing a deal. The craic is this. New mower sales are on the FLOOR! The game is dead. Secondhand stuff is selling, new stuff is'nt.
So, this is what I'd do. Ask for 20% of list price for cash and 18months warranty and the machine PDI'd and delived to your door ready to mow.
18 month warranty to see you past this and next summer - easily, and not just this years mowing season and a bit of next. You are buying in the middle of the year, so haggle hard, they'll want your business. Look around. I know of a dealer in Wexford selling the exact machine I have for €1900! I paid €2700 new for it last year.
Haggle hard.
PM me if you want.

mwexford · 06-07-2009 9:38pm

I haven't done that sort of haggling since I was in Egypt 20 years ago - could be fun - and equally productive. I PM'd you.
Please excuse my ignorance but what does PDI'd mean?

blackbox · 06-07-2009 9:50pm

I don't know anything about the Castlegarden brand, but I would definitely recommend the hydrostatic gearbox, particularly because your lawn in interspersed with trees.

Fixed gears only work when you don't need to change speed to manoeuvre at all, such as on a football field.

mwexford · 06-07-2009 10:25pm

blackbox wrote: »

I don't know anything about the Castlegarden brand, but I would definitely recommend the hydrostatic gearbox, particularly because your lawn in interspersed with trees.

Fixed gears only work when you don't need to change speed to manoeuvre at all, such as on a football field.

Thanks for that Blackbox. Now I understand why hydro is better, it makes sense in our case.

Kashkai · 08-07-2009 1:37pm

Petrol mowers are really for larger gardens and you'd be better off with a good sized electric mower for a 3 bed semi.

I'd agree that the cheap petrol mowers available from the large DIY outlets are junk and will barely last you a couple of years, even if you look after them. And you won't get parts for them anywhere - I know all this as I'm the not so proud owner of a Mountfield bought from B & Q - this is a collectors edition, i.e. you collect the bits that fall off!!!!

CJhaughey · 08-07-2009 1:58pm

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Mountfield bought from B & Q - this is a collectors edition, i.e. you collect the bits that fall off!!!!

Funny you say that Dave, I asked my local lawnmower repair man about Mountfield mowers and he reckons parts are no problem!
OP that mower is not self propelled and probably the better for it, Stainless deck won't rust or corrode and should be good for the life of the Machine, I don't know about the engine but it looks like a Chinese engine, which are surprisingly good.
As long as you look after it and don't leave it out in the elements it should be OK, especially for that price.

Kashkai · 09-07-2009 5:44pm

CJ,

Where in hell do you get parts for a Mountfield in this country. I've tried 5 separate lawnmower sales/service centres and none of them do the parts. Several phone calls to Mountifield stockists in the UK ended up with a point blank refusal to post them over here. At this point, my mower is held together with cable ties and a metal rod to attach the handle to the deck.

Redsoxfan · 09-07-2009 5:49pm

Can anyone recommend a decent lawnmower for a 4-bed semi-small lawn area front and back?

I had a 'rotary' push mower that cut the grass fine, but kept falling apart.

We bought a cheap Flymo, but it's next to useless.

Probably makes sense to go with electric, but which one?

kizzyr · 09-07-2009 8:43pm

My Dad (69 years old) is keen on getting a self propelled lawn mower. He loves his garden so much and has devoted endless hours to his lawn, flowers, etc. However, he is now finding the lawn mower he has is taking a lot out of him and feels that the self propelled would be best especially as his lawn is pretty big.

Can any of you recommend a good self propelled mower that won't cost the earth, 18" -20" would suit him best.

Prenderb · 09-07-2009 9:45pm

Thanks all, seems as I suspected that like with everything, if you buy the cheapest you will end up replacing or repairing it sooner! Just don't like trailing the cables around, though I'm sure spending that money on an electric mower would get quite a good mower.

Niceirishfella, any suggestions on the garden care equipment suppliers?

CJhaughey · 09-07-2009 9:48pm

kizzyr wrote: »

My Dad (69 years old) is keen on getting a self propelled lawn mower. He loves his garden so much and has devoted endless hours to his lawn, flowers, etc. However, he is now finding the lawn mower he has is taking a lot out of him and feels that the self propelled would be best especially as his lawn is pretty big.

Can any of you recommend a good self propelled mower that won't cost the earth, 18" -20" would suit him best.

Masport or Rover are the best I have seen.

fryup · 09-07-2009 10:26pm

at 69 yrs of age i think a ride on would be best esp a small buggy type, you can get them fairly cheap second-hand on the web.

PS go for one with at least 10 hp

kizzyr · 10-07-2009 9:08am

fryup wrote: »

at 69 yrs of age i think a ride on would be best esp a small buggy type, you can get them fairly cheap second-hand on the web.

PS go for one with at least 10 hp

I suggested a ride on but he point blank refused. I think it was enough for him to admit that he needed a self propelled.............he is my Dad and I love him but he can be as stubborn as the day is long.

kizzyr · 10-07-2009 9:09am

CJhaughey wrote: »

Masport or Rover are the best I have seen.

Do you have a ball park price range?

fryup · 10-07-2009 9:59am

well if he insists on a self propelled, get one with ignition start > key start a little bit more expensive but well worth it

CJhaughey · 10-07-2009 10:38am

If your father feels that he wants a selfpropelled mower, more power to him.
He doesn't need a keystart because they are an expensive gimmick IMO.
They rarely work without trouble because batteries need to be charged all the time, and they also make the mower unnecessarily complex and heavy.
If your dad is keeping active and enjoys using a mower then good for him.
Masport and Rover can be bought from around 400 I think, not sure of selfpropelled mower prices but they will be more expensive.
The drive systems in these machines are far superior in design and durability to most european machines which tend to be made in the same factory and painted different colours.
The distributor for Masport is in Dublin

Distributor: John McKenna Lawnmower Spares Limited
Phone: +353 1 8309379
Fax: +353 1 830 9690
They should be able to find you a dealer.

Rover are reasonable from this crowd.

kizzyr · 10-07-2009 11:43am

CJhaughey wrote: »

If your father feels that he wants a selfpropelled mower, more power to him.
He doesn't need a keystart because they are an expensive gimmick IMO.
They rarely work without trouble because batteries need to be charged all the time, and they also make the mower unnecessarily complex and heavy.
If your dad is keeping active and enjoys using a mower then good for him.
Masport and Rover can be bought from around 400 I think, not sure of selfpropelled mower prices but they will be more expensive.
The drive systems in these machines are far superior in design and durability to most european machines which tend to be made in the same factory and painted different colours.
The distributor for Masport is in Dublin

Distributor: John McKenna Lawnmower Spares Limited
Phone: +353 1 8309379
Fax: +353 1 830 9690
They should be able to find you a dealer.

Rover are reasonable from this crowd.

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. My Dad is great, plays 18 holes of golf twice a week (more if he can persuade my mum to give him a day release:D), is always out in the garden doing lots of hard work, helps teach local kids to play pitch & putt and the like. I love that at 69 he is so active, interested in so much and wants to keep going. My feeling on the ride on mower was that it would make things easier but as I said before there is no moving him from this!
I'll check out the prices and stock in the places you gave me, thanks again.

niceirishfella · 10-07-2009 12:00pm

Where are you based Pren?

Kashkai · 10-07-2009 1:14pm

Theres a new mower on the market from Bosch that runs on a lithium ion battery that will last an hour on charge.

http://www.bosch-pt.com/productspecials/garden/li-ion/uk/en/rotak/index.htm

Thus you get an electric mower without the cable and you don't have to worry about storing petrol, changing oil/spark plus etc.

niceirishfella · 10-07-2009 1:32pm

Cool piece of kit that!

fryup · 10-07-2009 10:15pm

CJhaughey wrote: »

He doesn't need a keystart because they are an expensive gimmick IMO.
They rarely work without trouble because batteries need to be charged all the time, and they also make the mower unnecessarily complex and heavy
.

Well, thats not my experience:cool:

Prenderb · 11-07-2009 1:42am

Kildare direction, nice. That battery powered mower looks ideal. Must go hunting for an irish stockist of those too, unless anyone here knows?

Kashkai · 11-07-2009 10:32am

I've seen the battery powered mowers in the larger DIY outlets like B & Q in Naas, Woodies etc. You can read reviews of them here (mostly positive) on Amazon.co.uk.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Rotak-34-Li-Cordless/dp/B001P3NV4S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=garden&qid=1247304814&sr=8-7

I usually buy Bosch power tools as they last imo. My Bosch drill recently blew up but then again, I did buy it in 1994 (when I got my first house) so 15 years of drilling is my money's worth.

Mark6 · 11-07-2009 11:35pm

+1

My mother is 82 and still insists on mowing her own lawn but starting the old Honda was causing her problems. She now has an electric start/ self propelled John Deere - 19" cut. No problems starting/restarting after emptying the bag - so far! - got it last year. Not very heavy. It was a bit expensive - around €800 iirc - but worth it if it helps to keep her active and happy b- I think it keeps her happy!!!!

bigaid1 · 12-07-2009 1:46pm

i have recently bought a new mower after doing a lot of research.

a 22in toro 3 1n 1 mower cost only £460stg.
it has an easy start function which lets it start with 1 pull and no priming or choke,
if you travel north and take a vat number from a friend or family member you will get this mower for £400stg. all of the dealers along the border will offer a good exchange rate on the euro.

The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

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