The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

um7y1h83ge06nx

I hooked a trickle charger to my mower last Wednesday morning and couldn't get it started on Saturday afternoon - I reckon there could have been some old fuel somewhere along the line even though I drained it before the winter and added fresh fuel. Stuck it on the charger again and tried Sunday but no joy. In the end I jump started it off the car and drove it around and let it run for a good 20-30 minutes. But even when jump starting it took a fair few goes, and it started with a puff of black smoke. Once it got going though it seemed to run fine, sounded fine and no smoke.

Stuck it back on the charger again afterwards, be interesting to see if It'll start easily next time.

Dohvolle

Some suggestions , going forward. Batteries don't like cold. Going forward it may be worthwhile in winter removing the battery and bringing it indoors until new season. Alternatively, if you have a power source, invest in something like Optimate (trickle charger/battery keeper) which will do a health check while plugged in charging. Some even give you a socket to hardwire so you can charge battery onboard without disconnecting.
While sheds are great, for keeping the weather and wildlife off your mower, depending on where you are winter temps can drop low enough to kill a battery. Even my utility room gets so cold, in winter we keep the alcohol there, so as not to take up fridge space. In my Parents utility room, it was not uncommon for cooked meat to be kept in the utility room, which in winter would see temp down to the same as an average coldroom. (below 6degC)
Personally I keep the battery (in winter) either in the under stairs storage or wherever the coats are kept, out of the way of accidental shorting.

tombrown

I normally take the battery out for the winter anyway, but leave it on a shelf in the shed - maybe I could put it somewhere a bit warmer
.

tombrown

Needles73 wrote: »

Yeah, starting a mower takes a fair bit from a small battery and the charging circuits on typical mowers are marginal at times. A good run ideally cutting the grass is the job. Do check the voltage with battery in place and engine running. I’m assuming it’s a briggs engine. Just confirm you are getting a healthy charging voltage. The stator winding or voltage regulator can go faulty but it sounds like all your mower needs is tall grass and a sunny day.

Thanks - any idea on how I can arrange for the "sunny day" part?

Needles73

tombrown wrote: »

Thanks - any idea on how I can arrange for the "sunny day" part?

Afraid it would involve travel to a sunnier climate but even that’s not possible with Covid !!

tombrown

Needles73 wrote: »

Afraid it would involve travel to a sunnier climate but even that’s not possible with Covid !!

Yeah and, even if it was, I couldn't afford the excess luggage for the mower

farmchoice

im looking for a bit of advise.
i going to purchase a new lawnmower. not ride on but a good quality self drive. im replacing 15 year old honda. i bought it second and for a great price it would be 1500 euro new.
now much as i would like to i cant afford to pay that for a new one.
i have narrowed it down to a honda hrg536 which is about €850 or a weibang 535scv about €880. the main advantage to the Honda is that A. it is a Honda and B. it still runs when the cutting blade is disengaged (blade break system) so it doesn't knock off when you are emptying it. this might seem like a small thing but it is on the present mower and i know it will annoy me not to have it on the new one.
on the other hand the weibang is on paper a highers spec, it has more cutting options and it is shaft driven with a 3 speed gear box. its only negative is it doesn't have the blade break system to get that id have to go for the version that is 1050 euro.


so in summery should i go for the Honda with the lower spec but its a Honda had has the blade break
or the weibang higher speck shaft driven but no blade break

CodeJACK

Its hard to justify the Honda prices IMO. Honda motors yes, but the rest of the mower is low spec, no?
Blade brake is a nice option but is it really that much of a pain to let the motor stop and then pull the cord when you're set to go again? I've a zip tie on my existing heap of a mower that does this but I understand the danger of doing it.

Any modern motor would restart super easy if maintained so restarting for a bag change shouldn't be an issue??
Do you cross lots of gravel or whats the other advantage of the blade stop?

farmchoice

thanks for the reply, no i dont cross gravel or anything although i have 3 kids so there are always loads of footballs and toys to be moved i just seem to be in the habit of stopping and starting a lot although i think its just habit really.

buzzing147

Hi just wondering, can't find key anywhere to my castlegarden ride on mower, older mower twin cut plus, do I need to get keys cut to fit ignition or are they all similar fit and can order one online?

tombrown

buzzing147 wrote: »

Hi just wondering, can't find key anywhere to my castlegarden ride on mower, older mower twin cut plus, do I need to get keys cut to fit ignition or are they all similar fit and can order one online?

I have taken my Castelgarden Hydro 102 mower to the shop for a service in the past and forgotten the keys, and its never a problem - they use spare ones they have. So I dont think you would need to cut them

In fact with mine, I reckon I could start it with a paper clip ...

BrianD3

I might be in the market for a new walk behind lawnmower. I should say that I have a fetish for Honda and Honda clones with aluminium decks, rotostop and GXV engines. This stems from my parents owning one that gave no trouble for nearly 40 years. In that time friends and neighbours went through multiple mowers each with regular breakdowns and repairs needed and rusty decks. The likes of Snapper brand mowers with Briggs & Stratton engines

Have times changed much. I was looking at a Honda clone which is a heavy beast and its max speed is 1.4 m/sec. Many "lesser" mowers are lighter with bigger engines and considerably faster. The Toro Timemaster is one such mower and it also has a huge 30 inch cutting width. I'm not even sure what my question is but suppose I'm asking - are domestic mowers better than they used to be and good for large gardens. What are the pros and cons of the more commercial models these days. Am I even right about them being slower. I would have thought that speed would be a big consideration for something that was aimed at a contractor.

cena

looking for a second-hand honda mower with mulcher

tombrown

Follow on questions from my ones above about my ride on

When I charge the battery I always disconnect it & remove it from the mower and charge it on a workbench. Getting it in & out is a bit awkward - so is there any reason I should not charge the battery in situ wile it is fully connected up?

chases0102

Hi all,

My Flymo EasiGlide has stopped working - completely dead when I press the levers to go.

Changed the fuse, checked the external wall socket but no joy.

Might be starter but I’m not sure, nor am I handy with electrical stuff.

Anyone any ideas?

deezell

chases0102 wrote: »

Hi all,

My Flymo EasiGlide has stopped working - completely dead when I press the levers to go.

Changed the fuse, checked the external wall socket but no joy.

Might be starter but I’m not sure, nor am I handy with electrical stuff.

Anyone any ideas?

Youll need to check that the juice is getting to the lever switch. If no live at this point, its likely theres a break internally in the cable at the plug end or at the mower entry, caused by accumulated cable flexing. Same problem you get on vacuum cleaners or power tools after years of use. If it shows live at the switch, tge break could be in the neutral cable, so this needs to be checked for continuity back to the plug. Check the switch for continuity. Next you would check between the load side of the switch for some resistance of the motor circuit. If this is high or open circuit, then either a connection to the motor is broken, unlikely, or a motor coil has gone open circuit. End of mower, not worth replacing.
I don't think these mowers have a trip cut out, they may have a thermal switch which wil reset when cool.

yadayadaya

I'm looking to buy a petrol lawnmower, small garden is awkward for our ride on mower. I saw a legacy lawnmower for sale at a good price. Are they any good?/reliable?

Or would I be better off going for a Webb/Murray something like that. I don't want a crazy big powerful lawnmower

https://www.beattys.ie/products/10105674?variant=34847243305004

Needles73

tombrown wrote: »

Follow on questions from my ones above about my ride on

When I charge the battery I always disconnect it & remove it from the mower and charge it on a workbench. Getting it in & out is a bit awkward - so is there any reason I should not charge the battery in situ wile it is fully connected up?

I think it’s generally safer if battery is removed particularly if battery is well discharged. I do use a trickle charger on mine in situ as my mower has a connection point for one. A lot I imagine depends also if you are using an intelligent charger. Older chargers designed for cars can deliver a lot of amps to a small lawn mower battery.
I’m by no means an expert but a mower has typically the battery in close proximity to loads of plastic and dry grass deposits along with a fairly basic petrol tank so I’d be cautious .

deezell

yadayadaya wrote: »

I'm looking to buy a petrol lawnmower, small garden is awkward for our ride on mower. I saw a legacy lawnmower for sale at a good price. Are they any good?/reliable?

Or would I be better off going for a Webb/Murray something like that. I don't want a crazy big powerful lawnmower

https://www.beattys.ie/products/10105674?variant=34847243305004

This is a fairly generic or pattern mower, bang for your buck, 139cc engine is in millions of mowers, washers etc. Keep the oil topped, the petrol clean, dont leave out in the rain, and it will last. Clean under deck at years end, a lick of oxide paint after, or even when it's new and unused, to keep the rust at bay. Check the quality of the wheels, I've seen some toy wheels on these cheap mowers, wouldn't like slopes or rough ground, but in a small flat garden, should last for years. Re tighten any small bolts on handles and axles after a bit of use, nothing severe, in case they were a bit slack on assembly. I presume your'e not replacing the ride on workload with this, just a particular bit of garden.

taz801

Hi

has anyone any advise on cub cadet vs castlegarden ride ons?? shop has advised cub cadet is over all a better ride on but looking for advise from maybe someone that has cub cadet as we don't know anything about them.......Thanks in advance

taz801

Hi did u purchase cub cadet??

taz801

just wondering did you purchase
cub cadet???
quote="Bonesofit;108678257"]I’ve been quoted 3900 stg for the cub cadet ( mulch plug and mulch blades included) and was told that the mower is made in Germany The tight turning circle and the Kawasaki engine was what caught my eye in the Cub Cadet I just have no info on how good a mower they are The AM Rentals price you’ve shown seems to be the best price available for the Honda, i know a couple Honda owners, it’s meant to be a good machine and also holds its value There are so many makes/models out there it’s hard to pick between them but it does seem that prices are better in the North[/quote]

maxamillius

Would anyone recommend the below?

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/mountfield-hp164-39cm-123cc-hand-propelled-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/853fy

cosanostra

Looking at the Honda HRH536 HXE Professional Lawnmower anyone have any other recommendations along the same lines, moneys not really an obstacle but can't go to a ride on as i don't have the storage for one and some of the lawn areas would be inaccessible for a ride on anyway so would still require a walk behind, so really i'm looking for the best walk behind thats available

BrianD3

cosanostra wrote: »

Looking at the Honda HRH536 HXE Professional Lawnmower anyone have any other recommendations along the same lines, moneys not really an obstacle but can't go to a ride on as i don't have the storage for one and some of the lawn areas would be inaccessible for a ride on anyway so would still require a walk behind, so really i'm looking for the best walk behind thats available

Does that have a GCV or GXV engine, Honda's brochure says GXV but websites of several Irish supplier say GCV?

I'm also in the market for a heavy duty self propelled and am looking at Hondas and Honda clones like Kaaz and Kubota.

My parents had a GXV engined Honda for nearly 40 years which got a fair amount of rough treatment and was great.

monkeynuz

BrianD3 wrote: »

Does that have a GCV or GXV engine, Honda's brochure says GXV but websites of several Irish supplier say GCV?

I'm also in the market for a heavy duty self propelled and am looking at Hondas and Honda clones like Kaaz and Kubota.

My parents had a GXV engined Honda for nearly 40 years which got a fair amount of rough treatment and was great.

It’s the gxv pro engine, or rather should still be, always has been.

monkeynuz

cosanostra wrote: »

Looking at the Honda HRH536 HXE Professional Lawnmower anyone have any other recommendations along the same lines, moneys not really an obstacle but can't go to a ride on as i don't have the storage for one and some of the lawn areas would be inaccessible for a ride on anyway so would still require a walk behind, so really i'm looking for the best walk behind thats available

Honda is basically the best you’ll get although there is Etesia, they also do an 80cm ride on if that helps.

deezell

cosanostra wrote: »

Looking at the Honda HRH536 HXE Professional Lawnmower anyone have any other recommendations along the same lines, moneys not really an obstacle but can't go to a ride on as i don't have the storage for one and some of the lawn areas would be inaccessible for a ride on anyway so would still require a walk behind, so really i'm looking for the best walk behind thats available

Pro mower, you do know it's 61kg with an empty grass bag? Full it would be like walking behind a small ride on.

monkeynuz

deezell wrote: »

Pro mower, you do know it's 61kg with an empty grass bag? Full it would be like walking behind a small ride on.

Really?

I’ve managed it for many years with no problem, the qxe as well.

The Etesias can be even heavier iirc.

deezell

monkeynuz wrote: »

Really?

I’ve managed it for many years with no problem, the qxe as well.

The Etesias can be even heavier iirc.

I mention it in case the main and inaccessible areas are awkwardly shaped, slopes, etc. If you have to do a lot a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on corners, around beds, trees, edges etc, you don't need to be wrestling that much weight. There's no steering or reverse on a big walk behind (though Toro have it on US models).