The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Morby

Has anyone spotted any good deals on small electric lawnmowers?

My Dad is looking for a new one just to do the front of the garden, he's getting tired lugging the big one through the house all the time, so he's looking for something small, light and compact.

Ideally around €100 or less.

Anyone come across anything that might fit the bill?

Thanks!

deezell

soundman45 wrote: »

Seen that model and it does look good, €495 in b+q and being a Mountfield with Honda engine parts and repairs should be no problem.

Was it €495? Thought it was a bit less. Phone and check I suppose, but, there's one in stock in Screwfix Swords, only €413. It seems to be the newer model with the GCV170 engine, but at the price of the end of line GCV160 equipped model, which flew out of B&Q uk for £298 last year.
The Swords one a bargain, this will set you back €445 in B&Q Newry if you want to do a bit of Brexit smuggling.
https://www.screwfix.ie/p/mountfield-sp53h-51cm-167cc-self-propelled-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/976fy

Daz_

Hi folks

Could someone recommend a few front rider movers for approx 1.5 acres ? Slight slope but nothing major .
Switching from tractor mower as it’s too big for me now to collect so one that mulches well is important .
Max budget 4K .

Not seeing too many coming in under that . Have seen the Husky R214tc (t) are they decent ?

Thanks

celtic_oz

Morby wrote: »

Has anyone spotted any good deals on small electric lawnmowers?

My Dad is looking for a new one just to do the front of the garden, he's getting tired lugging the big one through the house all the time, so he's looking for something small, light and compact.

Ideally around €100 or less.

Anyone come across anything that might fit the bill?

Thanks!

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/7496428.htm

Daz_

Hi

Would welcome opinions on the below. looking at a zero turn machine, question is Snapper or Toro?

https://www.irishmowers.com/toro-zero-turn-mowers.html
https://gardenmachinery.ie/collections/snapper/products/zero-turn-tractor-ztx150

Notch000

soundman45 wrote: »

Seen that model and it does look good, €495 in b+q and being a Mountfield with Honda engine parts and repairs should be no problem.

E412 in screwfix ATM, i picked up one earlier, fingers crossed it a good one, i couldn't cough up 8-900 for the equivalent full fat 22" honda. No doubt il eat my words in the long run tho

kaiserrussel

Quote:
Originally Posted by deezell View Post
First check that the cable is sound at both ends, no frayed or broken strands, and that the lever is turning. If the blade is slipping in use then the friction plate is either worn out or baked and polished, or a bit of both, as in the video. Your man is a bit anal, but very precise and methodical. His 25 yr old Honda hasn't a scratch on it, like new, he must bring it to bed with him
Despite his almost OCD approach, there's a few things he shouldn't have done. His friction disk and pressure plate were highly polished from use, and slipping. He sanded these to give them a rough face. The friction disk was well within thickness spec, so he decided not to use his new one. This disk was very old, you could see by its brown colour that the friction pads were well roasted and compromised, hard as glass. They will be glazed and slipping again in no time. He shouldn't be so tight about a €26 once in a lifetime part. Also, you can get both disk and spring+plate for an extra €10, (probably not genuine Honda spares but then brake and clutch parts rarely are.)
Why replace the spring? Well if the clutch was slipping badly over time, the pressure plate in which the spring is recessed would have got very hot, maybe enough to change the temper of spring. If the spring is compromised, your new disk will be shot in no time.
Finally, DON'T wear open toed sandals when operating a mower, unless you like picking metal, wood and stone splinters out from under your toenails, and don't even imagine the consequences of sticking your foot under the deck rim by mistake. Ugh. Steel capped boots are cheap as chips.
I bought the cables to fix this so going to give it a shot searched around but couldn’t find anything specifically for the mower model but this is insightful Deezall

kaiserrussel wrote: »

I bought the cables to fix this so going to give it a shot searched around but couldn’t find anything specifically for the mower model but this is insightful Deezall

Hi deezal quick follow up here on your sound advice above. So hot this machine up and running with these cables eventually and it’s working like a charm except with power drive is not working. So took it to someone more experienced and wa advised a new/second hand gear box would be needed. Any advise on where to pick one up?

deezell

Start with the model number, then find the part no. Search Amazon, EBay, or just google the part no, you might get an affordable replacement. It won't be cheap though, for original honda. Don't forget to try Honda dealers for a possible used one. Try here for part diagram,
https://peparts.honda.com

fryup

calling deezell calling deezell

whats the story with these type of ride on's?

https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/lawnmower/27824424

i see a lot of them for sale on DD, come under the name Countax as well, are they professional greenkeeper type of machines?? seem very long & cumbersome

deezell

fryup wrote: »

calling deezell calling deezell

whats the story with these type of ride on's?

https://www.donedeal.ie/gardenequipment-for-sale/lawnmower/27824424

i see a lot of them for sale on DD, come under the name Countax as well, are they professional greenkeeper type of machines?? seem very long & cumbersome

I did read somewhere that they're not the most reliable. If you've the time and patience to be tweaking and fixing every season, plus trying to source parts, then it might be worth your while. That bag mechanism looks like a likely Achilles heel

fryup

but are they classed as a professional groundsman machine?

The Continental Op

fryup wrote: »

but are they classed as a professional groundsman machine?

Never ever have Westwood been professional machines! Back in the 80's they tried to sell their mowers as professional and got a lot of flak for being so crap.

There is a new company called Westwood that makes a very high end lawn ride on thats price puts it in the professional league.

The current Westwood owned by Ariens https://www.westwoodtractors.com/

kaiserrussel

deezell wrote: »

Start with the model number, then find the part no. Search Amazon, EBay, or just google the part no, you might get an affordable replacement. It won't be cheap though, for original honda. Don't forget to try Honda dealers for a possible used one. Try here for part diagram,
https://peparts.honda.com

Thanks deezal Ill take a look - everything seems so expensive on this machine. was originally helping a friend and ended up buying it form him. dad had one for years and years.

deezell

kaiserrussel wrote: »

Thanks deezal Ill take a look - everything seems so expensive on this machine. was originally helping a friend and ended up buying it form him. dad had one for years and years.

Whats the model number.

PuddingBreath

Anyone got a recommendation on a robot lawnmower? looking at the worx at the moment. Front and back garden with path to traverse in between. About 800m2 in total. Many thanks.

jmreire

PuddingBreath wrote: »

Anyone got a recommendation on a robot lawnmower? looking at the worx at the moment. Front and back garden with path to traverse in between. About 800m2 in total. Many thanks.

The SIL bought a Husqvarna robot about a month ago, and its doing a great job. TBH, I didnt have much faith in them before I saw this one in action, now I'm converted. You do need a level lawn though,,,otherwise it will get stuck. By this I mean if cattle broke in, and left hoof marks, you would need to fill them in. It even goes in under the trampoline, which was previously a no go zone.

lightspeed

Can anyone recommend a cordless lawn mower with decent battery?

I only have a small garden front and back but dont like the corded getting in the way when using a corded lawnmower.

Im debating whether to go battery operated or petrol. I feel petrol might be longer lasting but does come with hassle of servicing.


So battery powered might do but im weary of the running time living up to expectations. I see even some of the more expensive ones done seem to list their running time but from reviews they dont look great. I see some complain battery dont hold their charge and have awful trouble bringing it back etc. Spear and Jackson have one with decent reviews on Argos but i see a lot of complaints like the above on trustfinder.com.

Should i just go with a petrol mower?

jmreire

lightspeed wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a cordless lawn mower with decent battery?

I only have a small garden front and back but dont like the corded getting in the way when using a corded lawnmower.

Im debating whether to go battery operated or petrol. I feel petrol might be longer lasting but does come with hassle of servicing.


So battery powered might do but im weary of the running time living up to expectations. I see even some of the more expensive ones done seem to list their running time but from reviews they dont look great. I see some complain battery dont hold their charge and have awful trouble bringing it back etc. Spear and Jackson have one with decent reviews on Argos but i see a lot of complaints like the above on trustfinder.com.

Should i just go with a petrol mower?

Personally, I'd stick with the petrol enigine one...with a Briggs and Stratton engine ( unles you want to go a bit upmarket for a Honda or Stihl etc) Change the oil and plug once a year, at the end of the mowing season, drain the petrol, and park it in dry place. And thats it. I bought a Castlegarden back in 1984, and its still going strong. It has the hard plastic deck ( I'm not sure whats the righ name for it, but its rust free ) and the B&Q engine.
With the battery powered one, it will all depend on how long the battery lasts while mowing, and how long it will last in terms of time, before it becomes useless. But having said that, I've never had a battery powered one, and am just going on battery powered tools in general. I'm pretty sure that some one who has one will be along and will give you some advice on it

loyatemu

lightspeed wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a cordless lawn mower with decent battery?

I only have a small garden front and back but dont like the corded getting in the way when using a corded lawnmower.

Im debating whether to go battery operated or petrol. I feel petrol might be longer lasting but does come with hassle of servicing.


So battery powered might do but im weary of the running time living up to expectations. I see even some of the more expensive ones done seem to list their running time but from reviews they dont look great. I see some complain battery dont hold their charge and have awful trouble bringing it back etc. Spear and Jackson have one with decent reviews on Argos but i see a lot of complaints like the above on trustfinder.com.

Should i just go with a petrol mower?

how small is the garden?
I posted about my battery powered mower here

0lddog

deezell wrote: »

I seen this 20 inch cut Mountfield with a Honda GCV 170x engine in B&Q Naas yesterday as I walked past. I was impressed by how sturdy it looked and felt, for a fairly generic mower. Good value for that size and engine at a little over €400 iirc. Mountfield SP53H 160cc.....

I bought one of those late last year. Reckoned the Honda engine was a better bet than a B&S.

The lawnmower is an engineering design disgrace. One of the well known issues ( grass getting by the drive belt grass cover causing the belt to come off ) happened within the first 10Hrs of use.

No gearbox, so fixed walking speed ( conflicted about this - is it good 'cause its simple or is it bad 'cause there are times you need to go slow / fast ).

Bought in B&Q. At the time they gave discount on account of age of purchaser and it being a certain day of the week . I dont know if they will still do that.

After discount it came in at under 400.

I recall Woodies had a very similar Honda engined unit with a different brand name at the time. Woodies would have been cheaper if it were not for the B&Q discount. ( this was towards 'end of season' last year )

BTW I suspect that pricing across Irish B&Q stores is not always uniform

soundman45

0lddog wrote: »

I bought one of those late last year. Reckoned the Honda engine was a better bet than a B&S.

The lawnmower is an engineering design disgrace. One of the well known issues ( grass getting by the drive belt grass cover causing the belt to come off ) happened within the first 10Hrs of use.

No gearbox, so fixed walking speed ( conflicted about this - is it good 'cause its simple or is it bad 'cause there are times you need to go slow / fast ).

Bought in B&Q. At the time they gave discount on account of age of purchaser and it being a certain day of the week . I dont know if they will still do that.

After discount it came in at under 400.

I recall Woodies had a very similar Honda engined unit with a different brand name at the time. Woodies would have been cheaper if it were not for the B&Q discount. ( this was towards 'end of season' last year )

BTW I suspect that pricing across Irish B&Q stores is not always uniform

Was tempted to get one when I saw them but reading reviews on the mowers back up what you say, good engine but everthing else on it is crap.

Zardoz

recyclebin wrote: »

In the end I went for the Blackstone with Y196V engine for just under €300 with the €10 euro off. Only ordered it last night so waiting for it to arrive. Just note that if you use the Agrieuro.de website prices look lower than Agrieuro.co.uk but they will still add Irish VAT when you go to pay so prices end up the same on both websites.

The main reason I went with Agrieuro over the other options was for easier access for spare parts and price was slightly cheaper than Woodies. Everyone else looks more expensive. I even saw the Hyundai version with Y173V engine for sale in my local hardware store for €680!!!

How are you finding the machine so far ?
Would you recommend it ?

It looks similar to this Webb one I saw in Coopstores except for the engine
https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Petrol-Lawnmowers/Webb-Pro-21-Self--Propelled-Rotary-Lawnmower-1799600

recyclebin

Zardoz wrote: »

How are you finding the machine so far ?
Would you recommend it ?

It looks similar to this Webb one I saw in Coopstores except for the engine
https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Petrol-Lawnmowers/Webb-Pro-21-Self--Propelled-Rotary-Lawnmower-1799600

I have only used the Blackstone SP530 twice so far. I only have a small garden at the moment and not a lot of grass growth so it's not really being pushed to it's limits or anything. Build quality seems decent enough. It started on the first pull of the cord out the box too which is impressive for a no name engine. I also like the four forward speed gearbox. Gears are selected manually via lever. I tried cutting at the highest and lowest settings and it worked fine. For €300 you can't really go that wrong.

The Coop stores looks very similar except for engine and gearbox.

fryup

how come ride on deck's aren't made out of hard plastic or aluminium or cast iron or some other material/metal that doesn't rust?

deezell

fryup wrote: »

how come ride on deck's aren't made out of hard plastic or aluminium or cast iron or some other material/metal that doesn't rust?

Plastic only suitable for small format decks, 53cm max
Aluminium would cost too much.
Cast iron ditto, and would weigh as much as the rest of the mower.
Its all down to the steel thickness, quality, and the surface treatment and paint during manufacture.

The Continental Op

fryup wrote: »

how come ride on deck's aren't made out of hard plastic or aluminium or cast iron or some other material/metal that doesn't rust?

The size of them makes strength an issue. When you mow over a house brick and smash a hole in the side of a plastic deck you are exposing yourself to unnecessary danger which isn't good for the reputation of the manufactures. A steel deck may rust out but it happens slowly so the user is aware of any danger and its at their risk if they use a rusted out deck. Then of course you need a deck that will protect a blade moving at about 3000 rpm which you have to assume could potentially come flying off at full speed.

Of course there are materials that could do the job but why do cars rust out and why don't they galvanise all the bits that rust out? Alot is down to cost and the designed lifespan of the unit.

monkeynuz

deezell wrote: »

Plastic only suitable for small format decks, 53cm max
Aluminium would cost too much.
Cast iron ditto, and would weigh as much as the rest of the mower.
Its all down to the steel thickness, quality, and the surface treatment and paint during manufacture.

Also cast aluminium can shatter as well given enough force, I’ve seen a few 21inch Honda decks over the years with holes in them.

Zardoz

recyclebin wrote: »

I have only used the Blackstone SP530 twice so far. I only have a small garden at the moment and not a lot of grass growth so it's not really being pushed to it's limits or anything. Build quality seems decent enough. It started on the first pull of the cord out the box too which is impressive for a no name engine. I also like the four forward speed gearbox. Gears are selected manually via lever. I tried cutting at the highest and lowest settings and it worked fine. For €300 you can't really go that wrong.

The Coop stores looks very similar except for engine and gearbox.

Thanks for the review, it sounds like a good machine.

I had a look at the Web Pro in Coop stores it looks fairly solid.
Only issue I would be worried about is the 75mm highest cut setting, it might be a bit low for me.

I have ~1000 square metres of lawn.
I was also considering this Toro, its 550 euro locally, goes to 95mm height.
https://www.jdslawnmowers.ie/product/toro-21750-mulching-lawnmower/

The Continental Op

Zardoz wrote: »

Thanks for the review, it sounds like a good machine.

I had a look at the Web Pro in Coop stores it looks fairly solid.
Only issue I would be worried about is the 75mm highest cut setting, it might be a bit low for me.

I have ~1000 square metres of lawn.
I was also considering this Toro, its 550 euro locally, goes to 95mm height.
https://www.jdslawnmowers.ie/product/toro-21750-mulching-lawnmower/

I think there is some EU law regarding maximum height of cut. Years ago when I cut grass commercially highest cut on several mowers we used was over 100mm and very easy to get a foot underneath. The lower max heights being to try and stop that danger.

recyclebin

The Continental Op wrote: »

I think there is some EU law regarding maximum height of cut. Years ago when I cut grass commercially highest cut on several mowers we used was over 100mm and very easy to get a foot underneath. The lower max heights being to try and stop that danger.

I never knew that but I guess it makes sense. It wouldnt be to difficult to modify a mower if you needed extra height.