The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

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.

kizzyr · 12-07-2009 5:52pm

Thanks for all the replies. Will get onto my Dad and let him know his choices.

dp639 · 14-07-2009 10:54am

E39MSport wrote: »

I got a Simplicty Regent XL 18.5HP 40" mulching deck from Abbey garden sales in the UK for £1999.99 plus 200 delivery. I just saw one for 3300 here in Ireland. The thing is pretty amazing. I have a raised perculator bed which is about 2' high with 45 degree slopes and the tractor climbs it while cutting with ease. I'm very happy with it. Nice price too.

Just ordered one of these http://ww1.honda.co.uk/power/garden/detail.html?code=HF2417HM in the north and collecting it on Saturday. 2700 pounds, plus getting the mulcher thrown in. Looked at one locally and the price started at 4000 euro and after 45mins was down to 3500 euro, thats still 350 euro more than up north.

Geezer1000 · 14-07-2009 12:00pm

dp639 wrote: »

Just ordered one of these http://ww1.honda.co.uk/power/garden/detail.html?code=HF2417HM in the north and collecting it on Saturday. 2700 pounds, plus getting the mulcher thrown in. Looked at one locally and the price started at 4000 euro and after 45mins was down to 3500 euro, thats still 350 euro more than up north.

Equvilant(spelling??) in a Massey Ferguson is €2900. Briggs & Stratton engine is the main difference. All comes out of the castelgarden factory. Id say that v-twin engine is nice and quiet though.

danjo · 18-07-2009 7:48pm

Could anybody recommend a ride-on mower which would be capable of clearing briars, blackberry bushes etc.?

The garden was cut back but there are a lot of roots sticking up and some dead wood covered by grass. The roots about 8 - 10 millimetres in diameter.

Would this damage a ride-on mower or would it be able to deal with them?

Thanks,

danjo

Carlow52 · 18-07-2009 8:45pm

danjo wrote: »

Could anybody recommend a ride-on mower which would be capable of clearing briars, blackberry bushes etc.?

The garden was cut back but there are a lot of roots sticking up and some dead wood covered by grass. The roots about 8 - 10 millimetres in diameter.

Would this damage a ride-on mower or would it be able to deal with them?

Thanks,

danjo

u would wreck it: u need to dig them out

CJhaughey · 18-07-2009 9:14pm

There is a mower that would deal with them but it is not a ride-on, they are called rough terrain mowers and you have to drive them.
This is an example.

danjo · 19-07-2009 7:04pm

Thanks Carlow and CJ. That definitely rules out the ride-on mower.
The rough terrain machine looks interesting but since it will be a one off job I guess I will go for digging.

Thanks again for the replies,

danjo

Dr Galen · 19-07-2009 7:17pm

why don't you see about renting one? Most of the decent hire shops do these things. I've rented one before alog with a rotivator. Forget how much it cost though, but it wasn't huge money as I only had them for a day

dp639 · 20-07-2009 2:23pm

Geezer1000 wrote: »

Equvilant(spelling??) in a Massey Ferguson is €2900. Briggs & Stratton engine is the main difference. All comes out of the castelgarden factory. Id say that v-twin engine is nice and quiet though.

Picked up the mower on Saturday, could not believe the job it done, not a bit of grass left behind. And yes the v-twin is quiet, brought out my old push mower to cut a bit of slope I have (too steep for the ride on) and only then realized out quiet the Honda was.

Any one on here that sells/services Honda mowers. I've got a question regarding the manual, there's a part of it I don't quite get.

Geezer1000 · 20-07-2009 2:24pm

dp639 wrote: »

Picked up the mower on Saturday, could not believe the job it done, not a bit of grass left behind. And yes the v-twin is quiet, brought out my old push mower to cut a bit of slope I have (too steep for the ride on) and only then realized out quiet the Honda was.

Any one on here that sells/services Honda mowers. I've got a question regarding the manual, there's a part of it I don't quite get.

Whats the question? I may be able to help.

dp639 · 20-07-2009 2:30pm

Page 39-41 in the manual which is "6.2.1 MAINTENANCE AND GENERAL LUBRICATION",

Part a) "Periodic maintenance" shows a diagram and points to all the grease/oil points. But can't really work out which is grease and which is oil.

Part B on the next page shows this quite clearly - I am missing something here??

Thanks

Geezer1000 · 20-07-2009 4:46pm

dp639 wrote: »

Page 39-41 in the manual which is "6.2.1 MAINTENANCE AND GENERAL LUBRICATION",

Part a) "Periodic maintenance" shows a diagram and points to all the grease/oil points. But can't really work out which is grease and which is oil.

Part B on the next page shows this quite clearly - I am missing something here??

Thanks

Grease points will have grease nipples on them. (Probably one on both sides of the axle). Not sure about the oiling. Maybe the cables? To be honest I dont know of anyone who oils cables anyway. If you could scan the pages Id be able to tell you better

dp639 · 21-07-2009 10:50am

Thanks Geezer,
Here is a link to the actual manual http://ww1.honda.co.uk/power/owner/manuals/lg/HF2315_2417_2620.pdf.

Might make more sense to you than me.

Geezer1000 · 21-07-2009 1:04pm

dp639 wrote: »

Thanks Geezer,
Here is a link to the actual manual http://ww1.honda.co.uk/power/owner/manuals/lg/HF2315_2417_2620.pdf.

Might make more sense to you than me.

On page 42 of that pdf it shows all the grease & oil points on the mower. Ive never known anyone to do all this on a regular basis. Probably be a good idea before winter storage and before the season starts.
A squirt of wd40 in all those joints that move will do the trick and get a grease gun for the front axle.

Those pictures are like an overhead view of the machine. The square blak thing signifies oil and the one with the lever on it is grease. Hope that makes sense

dp639 · 21-07-2009 1:08pm

Cheers,
Yeah page 42 makes sense to me, but its 41 that doesn't. It shows a bunch of points but doesn't say if it is grease or oil.

thanks again!

Geezer1000 · 21-07-2009 2:01pm

dp639 wrote: »

Cheers,
Yeah page 42 makes sense to me, but its 41 that doesn't. It shows a bunch of points but doesn't say if it is grease or oil.

thanks again!

Seems to just show all the areas where maintenence is required, not necessarily oil/greasing. Eg check blades for sharpness, cracks on belts, engine oil level, battery condition etc.
Not sure about the numbers 1.2 etc

dp639 · 21-07-2009 3:05pm

Thanks for the help Geezer, much appreciated.

Most of it is probably overkill. Was surprised when reading through the manual that the blades should be replaced after 100 hours!!

Prenderb · 21-07-2009 7:49pm

The battery-powered machines seemed quite expensive. So I bit the bullet.

I've just done my first cut with the Homelite this evening, and all is well! It's nice and light, so it's easily pushable, and it's got 7 height settings as well as the grass collector (which is maybe a little small...). Initial impressions are good, it feels solid so far and well put together, but we'll see how that works out as time goes by. Also, it's red and shiny.

Anyone else who's looking to buy one, they're 160 in the diy stores at the moment, and you should factor in another 20 quid or so to buy some engine oil (10W30) and petrol and can.

noonand · 22-07-2009 10:17pm

Spotted this for sale on eBay - anyone know anything about them?

Prenderb · 22-07-2009 10:40pm

Gah - lesson - don't look at other places that sell mowers, not after you've bought one anyway. Argos are selling this one for 150, with a Briggs and Stratton engine (I've at least heard of them before!). Seems a good deal, except it's not red or shiny...:) Just thought I'd kick that out there, for anyone else's benefit.

CJhaughey · 24-07-2009 5:07am

Chinese mower by the looks, B+S engine good but the rest of the mower will probably go before the engine.
Parts may be a problem.
I would either buy cheaper or a little more expensive, you can get good quality mowers from about 400 now, especially if you don't need a powered mower.

Liz Adams · 24-07-2009 3:50pm

Hi

My husband has a Husqvana ride on mower and would like a trailer for it. The ones made by Husqvana seem to be very expensive in Ireland. I wonder if we could get another make, would it fit? Is there any where we can buy one cheaper?

cormywormy · 26-07-2009 1:43pm

it depends what he wants it for, if he is going to put soil or a few weeds and branches in it.Have a look on ebay.co.uk they is loads to choose from, you can get a small one or a heavy-duty one. Just ask the seller how much to send it over. I think when i asked last it was 50 euro.

niceirishfella · 26-07-2009 1:52pm

yeah, they tend to be flimsey, but if all he wants to do to haul rounds so tools and light stuff, it'll be grand.
Ebays good as per cormy.......haggle with the vendor for a decent price on carriage.

gaz wac · 27-07-2009 12:10pm

Hi all,

Looking to buy a new lawn mower and im just looking for your suggestions. I have a medium sized garden and when we got it done ( 1 year ago) the gardener suggest a cylinder over a rotery. Just looking at the following two mowers http://www.qualcast.co.uk/cylinder/elan32.html (cylinder ) or http://www.qualcast.co.uk/rotary/powertrak34.html ( rotary ).

Just wondering how level does the garden have to be for a cylinder? will i have problems with the cylinder with sunken granite stepping stones? anyone had any problem with their Qualcast ?

Thanks for any info you can give ( hope i attached pix correct

)

Cheers

cid:9YSP5SOxIr

gaz wac · 28-07-2009 9:16am

Anyone got any views on lawn mowers ? Maybe if people dont know, they could point me in the right direction of a web site that reviews them with customer feedback..cant find any myself. Also Woodies and Atlantic dont sell the lawnmowers im looking at...where else do people go

Thanks again

Joey the lips · 28-07-2009 11:23am

Cylinder mower I can see blade sharpening! Is this not the case???

I have a flymo hover mover 1900/ Its a pce of sh1te stay away from them. Make sure what ever you get has 4 wheels. I think mine is bad cause the weight of the grass slows it down and it cuts very bad when the grass is damp. I know this is normal but its very bad!

kenon · 28-07-2009 8:34pm

gaz wac wrote: »

Hi all,

Looking to buy a new lawn mower and im just looking for your suggestions. I have a medium sized garden and when we got it done ( 1 year ago) the gardener suggest a cylinder over a rotery. Just looking at the following two mowers http://www.qualcast.co.uk/cylinder/elan32.html (cylinder ) or http://www.qualcast.co.uk/rotary/powertrak34.html ( rotary ).

Just wondering how level does the garden have to be for a cylinder? will i have problems with the cylinder with sunken granite stepping stones? anyone had any problem with their Qualcast ?

Thanks for any info you can give ( hope i attached pix correct )

Cheers

I was going to get a cylinder mower because they are highly recommended but decided against it. I looked at that elan one but it seems to get quite a few bad reviews. Check here.

nicky28 · 29-07-2009 11:21am

Hi,
Looking to get a ride on lawnmower either new or second hand. I reckon there may be better value in the north. Can anyone recommend anywhere in particular that I could contact?
Thanks!:)

niceirishfella · 29-07-2009 11:25am

If you buy secondhand private, then you don't have to worry about warranty.
If you buy new,then consider warranty etc. If you live close to the border fine,but if you have to travel loads to get your faulty mower to the place you bought it, it could be a false economy.
Truth is,there is good value here. Let no dealer tell you he's busy, new stuff is NOT SELLING! List prices mean nothing right now.

The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

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