The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

MidlandsM

Isaacunt wrote: »

What`s a service? No I did`nt, it cost me an arm and a leg....Mountfield seem to be the only make I see that`s good, any other`s I should check out?

Cnut,:)

There lies you're problem - you've never carried out preventative maintenance ( a service) on your machine in the 5 years you have it. How can you expect it to be OK for ever?
and re; costing an arms and a leg, you can do ity yourself or go to a local guy (not a main dealer) and have it serviced for a decent hourly labour rate. Ask around, there's usually some guy local who someone knows of.

secman

Learned something the other day... just sharing it. Had booked my ride on in for its annual service, it has been driving me mad over the last few weeks. It was not collecting the grass in the box at all, the shute was constantly clogging up. Grass could not be drier than it is , just put it down to the fact that the annual service was due. explained this to the guy collecting the ride on and he asked to see the box, " there's your problem " he said whilst we both stared into an empty box ! Where ? . He then explained why 3 sides of the box are made of a mesh material, the air in the box has to be able to escape whilst the box is filling with grass. A clogged up mesh will not allow air to escape, hence the shute cloggs up !

Out with the power washer, I could read a book through the mesh now !

Interesting to see what its like when i get the ride on back.


Secman

MidlandsM

secman wrote: »

Learned something the other day... just sharing it. Had booked my ride on in for its annual service, it has been driving me mad over the last few weeks. It was not collecting the grass in the box at all, the shute was constantly clogging up. Grass could not be drier than it is , just put it down to the fact that the annual service was due. explained this to the guy collecting the ride on and he asked to see the box, " there's your problem " he said whilst we both stared into an empty box ! Where ? . He then explained why 3 sides of the box are made of a mesh material, the air in the box has to be able to escape whilst the box is filling with grass. A clogged up mesh will not allow air to escape, hence the shute cloggs up !

Out with the power washer, I could read a book through the mesh now !

Interesting to see what its like when i get the ride on back.


Secman

Yep, good post......and another tip is to make sure you have good sharp blades.

eamonngilroy

Last Year I bought a new Mountfield 725M ride on (got it reduced because the shop was shutting down). Finally have lawns done and need to use the mower for the first time. I can get the mower started and it all drives ok but the blade will not engage at all.
Am I missing something simple? Any Suggestions? Thanks.

MidlandsM

eamonngilroy wrote: »

Last Year I bought a new Mountfield 725M ride on (got it reduced because the shop was shutting down). Finally have lawns done and need to use the mower for the first time. I can get the mower started and it all drives ok but the blade will not engage at all.
Am I missing something simple? Any Suggestions? Thanks.

there's a safety switch stopping you I'd say, the blade will not engage if ;
- the grass box is open (ajar)
- if you are not on the seat
- if the handbrake if engaged (on some models)

check all of these and more.

thekooman

MidlandsM wrote: »

there's a safety switch stopping you I'd say, the blade will not engage if ;
- the grass box is open (ajar)
- if you are not on the seat
- if the handbrake if engaged (on some models)

check all of these and more.

also look under the mower with someone on and see if the belts are tightening when you engage so as to get the mower blades rotating....

Leatherman

Hi all,

I must say I've learned more about lawns and lawn mowers in my search than I ever thought possible and yet I didn't find the answer to my question.

Living in south Dublin where could I go to get the blades of a push mower sharpened? I've seen how its done on YouTube but not up to that job myself. Also how much would one expect to pay?

I've only started giving the garden any attention and having recently grown new grass I am taking a bit more pride in its upkeep. I have an old push lawn mower. I've noticed the mower is tearing rather than cutting the grass and as the new grass is still weak it gets pulled at more than is healthy.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

MidlandsM

€20.

shakin

Anyone know where i can get parts for a honda orec, need a new drive shaft and bearings, im based in tyhe west,

thanks.

Kashkai

I visited a few lawnmower salesmen today and got the following quotes:

Castlegarden with Briggs and Stratton 15hp engine, 36 inch deck and hydrostatic tranny for €2300
Same tractor with a 40 inch deck for €2,600

Funny that the three different salesmen located many miles apart in Co. Kildare all quoted the same prices with no one willing to budge on price :rolleyes:

Is this a good price or can I do better?

MidlandsM

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I visited a few lawnmower salesmen today and got the following quotes:

Castlegarden with Briggs and Stratton 15hp engine, 36 inch deck and hydrostatic tranny for €2300
Same tractor with a 40 inch deck for €2,600

Funny that the three different salesmen located many miles apart in Co. Kildare all quoted the same prices with no one willing to budge on price :rolleyes:

Is this a good price or can I do better?

well, the prices you were quoted are better than back in the Boom. For €2600, you'd only get 13.5hp with a 36"deck....for with 15horses,a 40"deck and if you can squeez a 18 to 24 month warranty to get you over 2 seasons, you might get some valued that way.

Discodog

I would compare with a few dealers in the North as most are happy to deliver. B&Q etc have started clearing their garden stock & the buying season is coming to the end. In a couple of months dealers will have to decide whether to sell cheap or keep stock over the winter.

Stovepipe

Hi all,
I have a McCulloch M7053D which has started misbehaving.It snatches the start rope out of my hand when I go for a start.I was told that it was the "blade boss".What is happening within and what is a blade boss?
regards
Stovepipe

cavanman3000

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I visited a few lawnmower salesmen today and got the following quotes:

Castlegarden with Briggs and Stratton 15hp engine, 36 inch deck and hydrostatic tranny for €2300
Same tractor with a 40 inch deck for €2,600

Funny that the three different salesmen located many miles apart in Co. Kildare all quoted the same prices with no one willing to budge on price :rolleyes:

Is this a good price or can I do better?

you should get one cheaper than that, in bailieboro co cavan the hydro is €2180 and the geared one is €1900.

Discodog

I am not surprised by this. The garden machinery dealers seem oblivious to the recession. I noticed last autumn that many preferred to hang on to old stock for the Winter rather than reducing it.

A new dealer opened locally to me. I have a blower that needed servicing so I gave the new dealer a try. One week later & I haven't even had a phone call so I will need to chase them - so much for service !

Ilyushin76

Are these any good and do the use petrol?

Discodog

They are all electric & a "good" one is very expensive.

greenpeter

Had a few on demo in work, the husky ones very expensive and they were solar powered if i remember right

MidlandsM

yep, solar powered so its to be left outdoors in the sun, so the knackers can steal it too.

Waste of time them yokes.

Poulgorm

Is 22 inches wide cut the maximum you can get with a walk behind mower? I have a 21 inch Toro, excellent machine, but I would like to spend less time mowing. I don't wish to go down the ride-on route yet.

Is there such a thing as a 26 inch (or more) wide walk behind rotary mower, with a rear discharge? Can't see them on the web. All those zero turn things are either mulchers or side discharge (which I am told are hopeless at collecting the grass).

Advice appreciated - thanks

Discodog

22 is the maximum. Anything bigger would be too heavy to use. The only way to reduce the mowing time is to speed up the mower - mine run at 4mph which is a very brisk walk.

Amtmann

After misplacing the petrol cap for a Lawnflite 604. Any suggestions where I could get another one?

babyjames

Hi all does anyone know how to resync the blades on a ride on lawn mower please, I was cutting the grass and because it was so high a bag got wrapped around them and it started to bollow smoke I assume from the drive belt I stopped the blades within 4 seconds, Now they are rattling or hitting of each other.It is a Castelgarden 2002 twincut plus 17/102 manual 17hp. I only had it serviced and all the belts replaced so I can'y afford to give back into the shop

Thank you in advance
BabyJames

yop

All interesting advice so far folks, now i am on the march to buy a lawnmower.

I have near over 1/2 acre which I currently cut with my push lawnmower, this takes over 3hrs per go, which at this stage is tiring

So I am going to look out for a lawnmower, a ride on. My brother lent me his 13.5 bhp rideon last week, was magic, finished the lawn in 45 mins!
His is a castlegarden, not sure of the exact model but it has "no front", only a small mower.

He said to me that I needed a bigger one as there is a nice drag up the lawn, but I am not 100% certain what I should be buying with regards hp.

Is 21hp too much, they are pricey as hell.

Also i have read that the mulchers aren't required as they will cause moss?

The main problem is my budget, due to little one on the way i cant be spending 2k, much as I know I probably should to get a right mower, so looking at 1500.

Also is it a good time to buy? Should I leave it until next year?

I am based down in Mayo so for servicing its probably best to buy down around here is it? In saying that I service my own mower and strimmer and so does my Dad.

If I buy 2nd hand, what should I be looking out for? What hours are reasonable for a 2/3/4 year old mower?

Thanks

MidlandsM

yop wrote: »

All interesting advice so far folks, now i am on the march to buy a lawnmower.

I have near over 1/2 acre which I currently cut with my push lawnmower, this takes over 3hrs per go, which at this stage is tiring

So I am going to look out for a lawnmower, a ride on. My brother lent me his 13.5 bhp rideon last week, was magic, finished the lawn in 45 mins!
His is a castlegarden, not sure of the exact model but it has "no front", only a small mower.

He said to me that I needed a bigger one as there is a nice drag up the lawn, but I am not 100% certain what I should be buying with regards hp.

Is 21hp too much, they are pricey as hell.

Also i have read that the mulchers aren't required as they will cause moss?

The main problem is my budget, due to little one on the way i cant be spending 2k, much as I know I probably should to get a right mower, so looking at 1500.

Also is it a good time to buy? Should I leave it until next year?

I am based down in Mayo so for servicing its probably best to buy down around here is it? In saying that I service my own mower and strimmer and so does my Dad.

If I buy 2nd hand, what should I be looking out for? What hours are reasonable for a 2/3/4 year old mower?

Thanks

ok yop, in short,Castlegarden is a decent brand, I've had a few.
For 1/2 an acre, 13.5hp should suffice with a grass box, I would'nt bother mulching.
€1500 will not get you a new machine but might get you a near new demo or a good secondhand machine. You'd get a decent mower for €1100 or €1200 - if buying private, it don't really matter when you buy. Re;hours, yeah, try and get one with an hour meter, low as poss hours - but you'll spot a yoke thats been used commercially a mile off - anything over pimped/powerwashed/prepped covering up its age and real condition, just walk away.
Servicing is easy, belts from €12 up and only use SAE30 oil when servicing. Mow with whatever you view before you buy to make sure it work, no smoke, fills the bag well,easy to dump the grassbox, etc etc.

rustynutz

yop wrote: »

All interesting advice so far folks, now i am on the march to buy a lawnmower.

I have near over 1/2 acre which I currently cut with my push lawnmower, this takes over 3hrs per go, which at this stage is tiring

So I am going to look out for a lawnmower, a ride on. My brother lent me his 13.5 bhp rideon last week, was magic, finished the lawn in 45 mins!
His is a castlegarden, not sure of the exact model but it has "no front", only a small mower.

He said to me that I needed a bigger one as there is a nice drag up the lawn, but I am not 100% certain what I should be buying with regards hp.

Is 21hp too much, they are pricey as hell.

Also i have read that the mulchers aren't required as they will cause moss?

The main problem is my budget, due to little one on the way i cant be spending 2k, much as I know I probably should to get a right mower, so looking at 1500.

Also is it a good time to buy? Should I leave it until next year?

I am based down in Mayo so for servicing its probably best to buy down around here is it? In saying that I service my own mower and strimmer and so does my Dad.

If I buy 2nd hand, what should I be looking out for? What hours are reasonable for a 2/3/4 year old mower?

Thanks

I'm living in Mayo too, I spent six months trawling the classifieds etc. looking for a ride on in good condition, had 1500 to spend. Most private sales were sh#t heaps so I tried Daveys tool hire in Ballina, got a 2 year old 17.5hp castlegarden with 42" deck for 1550 plus seasons warranty, very clean with only 200hrs on it. He was very easy to deal with, always has second hand machines for sale, if you are nearby you should call in.

BTW was told by another dealer (don't know how true this is) that the 36" castlegarden is a lot softer than the 42", plus belts were a lot more expensive, they seemed reasonable to buy though at 1750 new.

starfish30

We just sowed our lawn - 1 acre on a hill, and after two days of hard slog with push petrol mower, we are going to get a ride on. Money is tight enough, but we are looking at two different ones, and just don't know which to pick, so looking for advice...

1. a 15.5 hp, briggs and stratton engine with attachment for mulcher (Sp??), for €1800.

2. Alpine mower 13.5 hp, but the mulcer part of the mower i.e. cannot be taken off. but only €1290

Do we need that much horse power because we're on a hill? Is the mulcher being part of the cheaper mower a downside because we can't take it off? Is the more expensive one worth it?

MidlandsM

rustynutz wrote: »

I

BTW was told by another dealer (don't know how true this is) that the 36" castlegarden is a lot softer than the 42", plus belts were a lot more expensive, they seemed reasonable to buy though at 1750 new.

a subtle sales pitch tbh from that dealer.

babyjames

Hi Starfish was it the same position a while ago the only advice I got was to make sure it had an oil pump because of the slope on our garden the first machine I got was a 16hp V Twin castelgarden manual and it was slugish going up the slope. Just changed it a while ago for a 17hp single cylinder, A little better!. But I but the blades out of sync, Hope this is of help to you, As for a mulching kit I just taped the swicth down an blew the grass out the back


Rgds.
Babyjames.

P.S. we have fust over an acre

babyjames

Anybody PLEASE

babyjames wrote: »

Hi all does anyone know how to resync the blades on a ride on lawn mower please, I was cutting the grass and because it was so high a bag got wrapped around them and it started to bollow smoke I assume from the drive belt I stopped the blades within 4 seconds, Now they are rattling or hitting of each other.It is a Castelgarden 2002 twincut plus 17/102 manual 17hp. I only had it serviced and all the belts replaced so I can'y afford to give back into the shop

Thank you in advance
BabyJames