The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

rustynutz

MidlandsM wrote: »

a subtle sales pitch tbh from that dealer.

I thought the same at first, but he actually had a new 36" in stock for sale and I was looking for a second hand 42", which he didn't have.

Discodog

babyjames wrote: »

Anybody PLEASE

Surely all you have to do is release the tension on the blade belt, move the blades to the correct position & re-tighten the belt. If a blade has been bent then take it off & straighten it.


IMO anyone would be mad to buy a mower now. The dealers will still have stock & desperation will start to take effect as the season ends. Give the dealer a choice of doing a deal or keeping the machine over the winter.

Do your own research. Just because a dealer seems to be a nice person it does not mean that they will tell you the truth.

yop

MidlandsM wrote: »

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.

Thanks very much for the information, I appreciate that.
Thats great that I could get a near demo for that money, obviously if I can keep the price down it would be all the better as my strimmer is fecked now i think so need to invest in one of them also!!!!

Plenty of John Deers about, seem expensive though, then spotted a Honda on donedeal last nite but first time i have seen them! Its a mine field

If you were to buy yourself, say for 1200 euro, what would you keep your eye out for?

Thanks again

rustynutz wrote: »

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.

Thanks Rusty, that sounds like a good price for sure, 200 hours for 2 year old, does that not sound high? For 5 months cutting by 2 years, thats 10 months, 20 hours per month??
Not that i have a clue to be honest with you but what is "normal" hours for a 2 year old mower?


**Oh ya, is now a good time to buy or is it better to leave it until next March/April **

starfish30

thanks a mil babyjames, sounds like will need at least the 15 hp, and will check bout the oil pump.

thanks again, appreciate it

Discodog

yop wrote: »

obviously if I can keep the price down it would be all the better as my strimmer is fecked now i think so need to invest in one of them also!!!!

Use a free strimmer as the deal maker - get the dealer to give you a free strimmer.

Do not wait till next year - buy in the Autumn. I buy all my mowers Nov/Dec.

Don't rely on hour meters alone. Compare them to the condition of the tyres, seat etc.

yop

Discodog wrote: »

Use a free strimmer as the deal maker - get the dealer to give you a free strimmer.

Do not wait till next year - buy in the Autumn. I buy all my mowers Nov/Dec.

Don't rely on hour meters alone. Compare them to the condition of the tyres, seat etc.

Thats a good idea. I might try that. I have a 6.5hp Briggs and stratton but the carburetor is playing feck on me so I might try and trade that in against it and see if i can pull a deal.

Spotted this there on DoneDeal, local enough too.
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardening/1532798

It says Castlegarden, but the sticker says Castel...!

MidlandsM

yop wrote: »

Spotted this there on DoneDeal, local enough too.
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardening/1532798

It says Castlegarden, but the sticker says Castel...!

Castlegarden make the Castel brand, there just stickered up as Castel.
Castlegarden also make most of the petrol John Deere's you see, so if you splash out on a JD, you're basically buying a Castelgarden.;) Waste of money!
Castlegarden's a decent brand, parts a available everywhere and I'm on my 3rd, never had a issue.

MidlandsM

yop wrote: »

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/gardening/1532798

It says Castlegarden, but the sticker says Castel...!

I text this guy - he says its brand new and a geared model, it looks it too. Therefore, as dealer, you'll get 1 year warranty, but if you haggle for 18 months warranty, you'd get it I'd say, and that would get you over 2 growing seasons.
These are a great little mower, fills the bag well, and empties from the seat easily. @ that price, I recon its good value. A hydro model of this mower in the BOOM was €2600! Highly recommend one Yop.

yop

Thanks very much for that.
Lovely mower but about 500 euro over the budget I have (to) set But if thats new then there should be 2nd ones there somewhere around my budget

Stovepipe

Hello again,
My McCulloch M7053D 190cc mower is giving me gip.Twice, it's gone to a nearby repair guy and it's still not right.It's very hard to start and will rip the start-cord out of your hand.I checked the plug and airfilter and inlet and fuel supply and all are fine, which leaves ignition timing.Is it mechanical or electronic on these units? How do I check and adjust it?
regards
Stovepipe

BoutYe

Some advice please....

Im looking to buy a new walk behind mower. I have my own lawn to cut and my parents and it takes roughly an hour to do each. I had an electric flymo which gives a nice tidy cut but was just taking far too long. I have borrowed a friend's petrol mower the last few times and the time difference is amazing (thats brought it down to the roughly 1 hour mark per house).

So...... I have between £250 and £300 to spend max. I had been to B&Q and looked at their range of Mountfields. Was inclined to go for the SP536 which they had at £269.98. I then noticed their multiclip 501SP - a mulcher - and was intrigued. Have read up on them and it sounds good. Its going for £289.98. Thanks to my folks being OAPs I can avail of their 10% discount at B&Q also.

But then I came on here and read through this entire thread and there seems to a few bad opinions of the mountfield mowers in general and also against the mulching aspect, although that seemed to be in regards to ride on mulchers. So basically I am posting to see if anybody can provide their opinions or experiences on those two aspects.

I'm planning on taking a run around a few of the smaller local dealers tomorrow to see what they have to offer and maybe look for something decent second hand.

rocksimmo

Hi Yop
I currently have a husqvarna which I have for 2.5 years. Off hand it is a CT171 with a kohler engine. It has a large collection box and a mulcher. I am thinking of changing to a cylinder mower as I have a large garden. I need to get the deck belt replaced which I will get done in the next week or so. It is a fantastic mower and is trouble free. I would be looking around the 1400 mark for it. If you think you would be intrerested send me a PM with your email address and I will send you some pics. If interested I will have a full service carried out when I am getting the belt replaced.

yop

rocksimmo wrote: »

Hi Yop
I currently have a husqvarna which I have for 2.5 years. Off hand it is a CT171 with a kohler engine. It has a large collection box and a mulcher. I am thinking of changing to a cylinder mower as I have a large garden. I need to get the deck belt replaced which I will get done in the next week or so. It is a fantastic mower and is trouble free. I would be looking around the 1400 mark for it. If you think you would be intrerested send me a PM with your email address and I will send you some pics. If interested I will have a full service carried out when I am getting the belt replaced.

Thanks very much for the offer, to be honest its a good bit off for what I would be willing to pay for 2.5 yr old mower, that one in the link above is brand new for 1800 with 2 year service and warranty!

Thanks again,

Stovepipe

Hi all,
After consulting a few heads, we are of the opinion that the blade was removed and replaced at the wrong position, relative to TDC.Does anyone know how to reposition the blade? Are there marks?
regards
Stovepipe

blackharvester

to BoutYe, I have 4 years old mountfield lawnmower and is working perfect, sometimes is hard to say which lawnmower will be better, I am using couple of lawnmowers in my job : stiga, honda, mountfield, briggs and stratton, and all of them got some trouble, but nothing major. so everything is up to you, if you will care about lawnmower she will last longer,

to Stovepipe, I think you have to take the blade out and put him up side down

BoutYe

blackharvester wrote: »

to BoutYe, I have 4 years old mountfield lawnmower and is working perfect, sometimes is hard to say which lawnmower will be better, I am using couple of lawnmowers in my job : stiga, honda, mountfield, briggs and stratton, and all of them got some trouble, but nothing major. so everything is up to you, if you will care about lawnmower she will last longer,

Cheers for that. Have been looking around for different deals and reading reviews online and to be honest, somebody has something bad to say about every mower I've looked at. So i think I'll go ahead with the Mountfield and as you say, if you look after it will hopefully last longer.

Raiser

The Da has asked me what's the best Shelter option for his new Honda Ride-on-Mower. They just have a small Shed and are looking for an enclosure of some sort to stick behind this Shed to protect it from the elements.

If you found something that worked for you whether it was DIY or bought then please share

- I had thought of making a little Shed using Fencing Posts and a bit of roofing Felt?

MidlandsM

Raiser wrote: »

The Da has asked me what's the best Shelter option for his new Honda Ride-on-Mower. They just have a small Shed and are looking for an enclosure of some sort to stick behind this Shed to protect it from the elements.

If you found something that worked for you whether it was DIY or bought then please share

- I had thought of making a little Shed using Fencing Posts and a bit of roofing Felt?

As much enclosed from the element as possble and insulate as much as poss if possible too.
When putting the mower away for the winter,I wash the deck,chute and grass box down getting rid of any grass. Then I spray the whole cleaned deck,blades,grass box (metal structural parts) with WD40 or a can of the rust proof spray you can get in lidl. Then I give the deck a another spray the next day again Till I'm happy it's rust proofed etc.

ednwireland

seen a HUSQVARNA R 153SV for 560 euro 21 inch 6hp briggs and stratton mulch as well as cut variable speed

looks like a good price (using a 22inch blade mountfied which is about 15 years old and needs a good few parts (which i cant find)

cut quite a large area so need something robust

-Corkie-

A mate of mine is selling a Jonsered ride on 17hp. Its 3 years old but has little work done and has been looked after very well. How much is it worth do ye think..

MidlandsM

1150 or €1200

yop

Thats good money to get for a 3 year old lawnmower? What they like compared to the John Deere and Castlegarden?

MidlandsM

yop wrote: »

Thats good money to get for a 3 year old lawnmower? What they like compared to the John Deere and Castlegarden?

there's strong prices on second hand stuff currently due to new stuff not shifting.
JD and Castlegarden are the same, unless the JD's a diesel model.

Rousella

My friends always come to our house that's why I want my outdoor space become more enjoyable especially my patio. I'm planning to change the designs of my patio covers. I want to choose among open, roofed or enclosed designs. Can you help me with this matter?

I've seen this blog at http://patiocoversaustin.org

Somehow, it gave me an idea but I still want to consult an expert like you.Hope you can help me. Thanks in advance

Gophur

Where would one recommend selling a one year old JONSERED LT 2218. It's a 42 inch deck and is, in reality, too bog for me. It's OK for the acreage but all my trees and shrubs were planted for access by a much smaller, probably 38 inch machine. It cost me over €3,000 last year and has about 30 hours cutting done.

MidlandsM

Gophur wrote: »

Where would one recommend selling a one year old JONSERED LT 2218. It's a 42 inch deck and is, in reality, too bog for me. It's OK for the acreage but all my trees and shrubs were planted for access by a much smaller, probably 38 inch machine. It cost me over €3,000 last year and has about 30 hours cutting done.

Donedeal.

-Corkie-

MidlandsM wrote: »

Donedeal.

Or Adverts.ie. I might be intrested if its going at the right price. I looked at one allready for 1000 euros. They seem to be a good machine.

MidlandsM

-Corkie- wrote: »

Or Adverts.ie. I might be intrested if its going at the right price. I looked at one allready for 1000 euros. They seem to be a good machine.

you'll not get the exposure you need on adverts - sorry peeps , DD is the channel to flog a mower, I've sold a few on DD, phone always hops.I tried Adverts too, and nothing happened.

Gophur

I'm out of the country next week, I'll put it up on various places then.

Stovepipe

Hi all,
Whilst using a neighbour's Harry mower, which is a self-drive, B and S powered unit, it twice sheared the blade bolt when it encountered thick grass about 3-4 inches high.Is this unusual? the bolts are shear bolts, which are supposed to give way to save the engine.
regards
Stovepipe