The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Shefwedfan

my3cents wrote: »

Fairly high on a honda 2513 number 6 on the 1-7 scale which is about 50mm.

mine has 1-7....according to website it says
Cutting height: 30-100 mm

So should I be cutting at 50mm?

my3cents

Shefwedfan wrote: »

mine has 1-7....according to website it says
Cutting height: 30-100 mm

So should I be cutting at 50mm?

Depends on the mower, if I cut at a measured 50mm with a small rotary mower which is the middle of 5 settings its as near as I can get to setting 5-6 on the Honda ride on. But if I measure the height of the Honda on concrete its more like 70mm.

I've cut grass commercially for years and 50mm has always been the height I'd start with. Some really flat areas with good grass will take lower and some rougher areas need it a bit higher.

Basically you can't do too much harm at 50mm unless the grass has got really long between cuts.

TheShow

Honda HRG 465 - older model.
Running very loud when I move the gear down. can you get mufflers after market? or any idea why its so loud?

my3cents

TheShow wrote: »

Honda HRG 465 - older model.
Running very loud when I move the gear down. can you get mufflers after market? or any idea why its so loud?

They are fairly std fittings for the exhaust all the main components for honda engines have been copied in China so should be available relatively cheaply.

Edit> Is this what you need https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Genuine-Honda-GCV135-Lawnmower-Engine-GJAF-101508-A2G-Exhaust-Muffler/322551252021 ?

Edit again ... Could also be that the valves need adjusting they get very noisy and hard to start as the timing goes off if the valves need adjusting.

TheShow

my3cents wrote: »

They are fairly std fittings for the exhaust all the main components for honda engines have been copied in China so should be available relatively cheaply.

Edit> Is this what you need https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Genuine-Honda-GCV135-Lawnmower-Engine-GJAF-101508-A2G-Exhaust-Muffler/322551252021 ?

Edit again ... Could also be that the valves need adjusting they get very noisy and hard to start as the timing goes off if the valves need adjusting.

i'll have a looksee, thanks.

Sysmod

I've read the last few pages here and my3cents and deezell seem to be recommending mowers around 500 euro for a lawn 3/4 acre. I have two fields - an actual lawn, about 3/4 acre, and a similarly sized sloping rough field / firebreak where a high cut (70 - 100 mm) would be good enough. I have a GTM single-speed walk behind mower with a 190cc engine, cost c.600 euro ten years ago. Works but slow hard work. If I wanted to upgrade, but am not going to 6,000 euro professional mowers, what would you suggest? I don't think a wheeled strimmer would be good value as it would be too specific to the rough area.
As I see it I need a walk-behind (25% slope too steep for ride-on), variable speed preferred for going up the slope as well as down, high cut. Side discharge I suppose for the rough area, bag for the lawn. Any other features I should consider?

peasant

Sysmod wrote: »

Any other features I should consider?

cutting width...the wider, the better.
With that much area to cut every cm matters.
I upgraded from 53 to 65 cm...saved about 15 min per 3/4 acre

SCOL

I'm just after purchasing the Stiga combi 55 SQ B from AgriEuro today my old machine was 12 years old and the pull start was wearing.

Sysmod

That's a big one, peasant. The Stiga just mentioned is 55 cm.
My GTM has a blade 53cm long.
My first forum search for 65 didn't produce a result: I see a post from Aug 2010 "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."
But I now see your post from yesterday on the AS 65 - that must be what you meant. What did that cost, may I ask?

peadar76

Anyone know where I could get an 18 inch blade for a woodies lawn mower? How generic or not are blades?

peasant

Sysmod wrote: »

But I now see your post from yesterday on the AS 65 - that must be what you meant. What did that cost, may I ask?

The AS 65 was 2.5k plus my old AS mower ...expensive but worth it for me.
But I only cut meadow, not lawn. The AS 65 does mulch...but I suspect not well enough for a lawn, the cut bits are a good 5 to 10 cm long and can clump when wet. No issue on my "field", but a lawn might suffer. No possibility of bagging either.

If you are thinking about an AS mower...Southern machinery quite happily do demonstrations in your own garden (at least they did for me)

They have a new AS 63 (no reverse, but with a better mulching option) should be cheaper than the AS 65 and might suit you better

sorry...I only found vids in German

AS 63

Mulching kit

But then there is also this more conventional mower from TORO with 30"/76 cm deck..that might suit you better (depending how even the digger man left your fire break)

example price:
https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/product/toro-22205te-turfmaster-commercial-lawnmower

Zardoz

Shefwedfan wrote: »

Just wondering what most people are setting mower height to? I have been using 1 but I got lawn done last year so it was still growing. This year it is strong so even with 2 cuts a week the mower can be struggling so moving up the height

I'm finding this a big issue with modern lawnmowers,you cant seem to get the wheels up high enough to cut high grass.
I have had to cut the lawn lately with the front of the mower up in the air otherwise it scalps the grass.

my3cents

Zardoz wrote: »

I'm finding this a big issue with modern lawnmowers,you cant seem to get the wheels up high enough to cut high grass.
I have had to cut the lawn lately with the front of the mower up in the air otherwise it scalps the grass.

Sounds more of a problem with the mower?

What exactly do you mean by scalps, I take that to mean you are cutting into the soil?

Discodog

my3cents wrote: »

You can't get the stripes anything like as good as you can with a genuine cylinder mower where both the scissor cut of the cylinder and the roller align the grass in the same direction. Even a rough cut cylinder mower without a rear roller (used to be known as a side wheeler) gives a good striped finish just from the cut alone.

On a rotary mower the part of the blade on the right pushes the grass forward and on the left pushes it back, the roller then only gives a half arsed stripe where the left hand side looks good and the right fades out. You can also cut much much closer with a cylinder because it doesn't scalp in as many situations as a rotary with its much longer (front to back) cutting area.

The obvious problems are if you have to leave the grass for two long between cuts and if on a good lawn the bents go to seed. In both cases a cheap rotary mower can get you back on course.

Depends on the mower. My Honda Pro makes superb stripes - it's so heavy it irons the grass.

Wet weather grass collection depends on the path the grass has to take between the blade & the collector. Etesia ride ons & mowers are the best by a mile because they don't have a back axle to get in the way. I have cut foot high wet grass with an Etesia mower, in the rain & it collected every blade.
This is why they are the top choice for professionals. So much so that gardeners will buy a used Etesia for the same money as a new average mower.

Rover also have a good reputation for wet weather collection.

Zardoz

my3cents wrote: »

Sounds more of a problem with the mower?

What exactly do you mean by scalps, I take that to mean you are cutting into the soil?

With the wheels on the highest setting and the grass high ,the cut is too drastic ,it removes too much grass ,more than the third recommended .
My old machine on the highest setting meant I could cut the grass fine ,then recut it 3-4 days later and take the rest of the grass off without it yellowing.
With the new machines thats not feasible.
75cm seems to be the highest setting ,and that's too low,although the Toro a few pages back goes up to 95cm.
http://www.jdslawnmowers.ie/lawnmowers/self-propelled-lawnmowers?product_id=214

my3cents

Zardoz wrote: »

With the wheels on the highest setting and the grass high ,the cut is too drastic ,it removes too much grass ,more than the third recommended .
My old machine on the highest setting meant I could cut the grass fine ,then recut it 3-4 days later and take the rest of the grass off without it yellowing.
With the new machines thats not feasible.
75cm seems to be the highest setting ,and that's too low,although the Toro a few pages back goes up to 95cm.
http://www.jdslawnmowers.ie/lawnmowers/self-propelled-lawnmowers?product_id=214

You are right 75 as the highest setting is a bit low, on a lot of mowers 75 would be the 4 setting up with a 95-100mm as the top 5th setting.

Discodog

Discodog wrote: »

Rover also have a good reputation for wet weather collection.

The 22 inch rover pro with briggs 850 engine is excellent in wet grass. The 20 inch is good but the box will only half fill. Doesn't have the power to throw wet grass into the box properly.

peadar76

peadar76 wrote:

Anyone know where I could get an 18 inch blade for a woodies lawn mower? How generic or not are blades?

I just found the manual of my woodies lawnmower. It says to only use spare parts of the brand warrior. Anyone know of a supplier of warrior spares?

garv123

Bit the bullet last night and ordered a CastelGarden XS 55 BVWE4 off AgriEuro.. €634 delivered to the door

Sysmod

peasant wrote: »

But then there is also this more conventional mower from TORO with 30"/76 cm deck..that might suit you better (depending how even the digger man left your fire break)

Thanks peasant, 2.5K plus is beyond me but the Toro Timemaster looks good at about €1500 for a 76cm cut.

Discodog

Sysmod wrote: »

Thanks peasant, 2.5K plus is beyond me but the Toro Timemaster looks good at about €1500 for a 76cm cut.

It's supposed to be a good machine but the grassbox will be heavy. There are two models, The Timemaster & The Turfmaster. I have seen the Timemaster cheaper than 1500

deezell

peadar76 wrote: »

I just found the manual of my woodies lawnmower. It says to only use spare parts of the brand warrior. Anyone know of a supplier of warrior spares?

http://www.doylesgardenmachinery.ie/index.cfm?area=page&action=pageselect&menuid=243

These guys sell the 18" warrior, it may have the same blade. You'll need to measure the blade length, should be 18" or 45cm, and centre hole diameter, and whether the blade has any small holes either side of the centre. The image attached is for an 18" blade suitable for warrior, so if yours is like this then you're on the right track (45cm, 32mm centre hole, no boss locating holes)

peasant

Sysmod wrote: »

... the Toro Timemaster looks good at about €1500 for a 76cm cut.

Some reviews suggest that it has an issue with clogging and isn't the strongest on slopes. I'd say you'd want a test drive on your fire break before you commit.

Hi guys,

Bought our first house recently and will need to buy my first mower. I come from a family home with a big garden where we always took our lawns very seriously and am used to big, heavy mulchers but our new place is smaller and we have a relatively modest front and back garden (approx 1,000 sq feet). My wife wants a self propelled mower for when she needs to cut it (not sure I ever see this happening!).

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations? My budget is around 400-450e.

Pretty sure this is the one we looked at in our local garden centre today: https://www.atkins.ie/garden-machinery/new-garden-machinery/lawnmowers/husqvarna-lc247s.html

Thanks,

deezell

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Hi guys,

Bought our first house recently and will need to buy my first mower. I come from a family home with a big garden where we always took our lawns very seriously and am used to big, heavy mulchers but our new place is smaller and we have a relatively modest front and back garden (approx 1,000 sq feet). My wife wants a self propelled mower for when she needs to cut it (not sure I ever see this happening!).

I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations? My budget is around 400-450e.

Pretty sure this is the one we looked at in our local garden centre today: https://www.atkins.ie/garden-machinery/new-garden-machinery/lawnmowers/husqvarna-lc247s.html

Thanks,

The light composite deck of this mower is a good choice in a smaller garden with lots of too-ing and fro-ing. Pity about the high price policy of Husqvarna in Ireland, prices seem to be rigidly controlled. UK prices vary and are a €100 less for this machine. You'll get a lot of 18'-19" mower for €440, so check out other quality brands. Maybe a 3 in 1 or an electric start, or even a cordless lithium battery job as you have pnly 1000 sq ft.

deezell

deezell wrote: »

The light composite deck of this mower is a good choice in a smaller garden with lots of too-ing and fro-ing. Pity about the high price policy of Husqvarna in Ireland, prices seem to be rigidly controlled. UK prices vary and are a €100 less for this machine. You'll get a lot of 18'-19" mower for €440, so check out other quality brands. Maybe a 3 in 1 or an electric start, or even a cordless lithium battery job as you have pnly 1000 sq ft.

Thanks a million for the reply. Yeah, the price does seem a bit steep but I do like the look of it. I don't know why, but I would be very reluctant to move away from a petrol mower - I like using them and have always used them.

Out of interest, what would you make of this: https://www.diy.com/departments/mountfield-sp164-petrol-lawnmower/955596_BQ.prd

Seems to be on sale in B and Q for €280, which seems good.

deezell

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Thanks a million for the reply. Yeah, the price does seem a bit steep but I do like the look of it. I don't know why, but I would be very reluctant to move away from a petrol mower - I like using them and have always used them.

Out of interest, what would you make of this: https://www.diy.com/departments/mountfield-sp164-petrol-lawnmower/955596_BQ.prd

Seems to be on sale in B and Q for €280, which seems good.

Generic engine and less than 16" cut. Mountfield a decent brand though so blades and parts always available. You get what you pay for, and this might be more than enough for your needs.
This stiga is comparable size and quality to the husky, 100€ less.
https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/stiga-combi-48-self-propelled-petrol-lawn-mower-bs-550e-engine-mulching-system-p-10218.html

deezell

deezell wrote: »

Generic engine and less than 16" cut. Mountfield a decent brand though so blades and parts always available. You get what you pay for, and this might be more than enough for your needs.
This stiga is comparable size and quality to the husky, 100€ less.
https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/stiga-combi-48-self-propelled-petrol-lawn-mower-bs-550e-engine-mulching-system-p-10218.html

Thank you. That Stiga looks very good value alright.

thisyear

So just bought a house with a serious garden and avenue. Not many obstacles. Need to buy a mower and interested in suggestions. Used the auld lads castlegarden 42inch cut and took 2.5hrs to cut. Open to suggestions new or second-hand. Likely to need to be able cut wetish grass. Was even tempted to consider a second hand tee mower.

my3cents

thisyear wrote: »

So just bought a house with a serious garden and avenue. Not many obstacles. Need to buy a mower and interested in suggestions. Used the auld lads castlegarden 42inch cut and took 2.5hrs to cut. Open to suggestions new or second-hand. Likely to need to be able cut wetish grass. Was even tempted to consider a second hand tee mower.

How often can you cut and are you boxing off?

2.5hrs to cut isn't that long if it was long grass and you had a lot to box off as it would take a lot less time if it was shorter with less grass to dump.

Second hand tee mower? Triple rotary?