The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

westsidestory

westsidestory wrote: »

Hi lawnmower experts.

Have 2.5 acre grass area may be required to cut in next few weeks on a contract basis. If get go-ahead will need a ride on mower.

Another smaller sloped area elsewhere 1,000 sq. m. will be done if get the call!

Would something like Castlegarden PTX220HD 48"cut, Briggs & Stratton Intek Series 7220, 656cc Twin Cycliner €4,295

http://www.hanlysgardenmachinery.ie/product-information/ptx220hd-castelgarden

Or

Husqvarva TC 352 T. 42" cut with 726cc Kawaski twin cylinder engine. €3,900 delivered.
http://www.hanlysgardenmachinery.ie/product-information/ptx220hd-castelgarden
http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/husqvarna-tc342t.htm

Be good options?

I'll be mulch cutting both areas.

Are dedicated mulcher ride ons a thing?

Will use hitch also to pull small chipper occasionally.

I'll echo getting a commercial machine as well. Get as many cuts as possible into the contract. The more often you cut the place the better it will look.

monkeynuz

deezell wrote: »

Sounds like you're doing this commercially? If you're going to mow 2.5 acres, plus another .25 acre on a slope, and maybe any other work that comes your way, you might find the castelgarden a bit domestic. This Stihl/Viking dwarfs that mower for a few hundred more.
http://www.donegan.ie/product_info.php?cPath=275_72&products_id=2653

You should also check out dedicated mulchers for that size plot, 3 in ones are a compromise, unless they are fitted with dedicated mulch blades and deflectors.

Viking aren’t really commercial more good homeowner.

Also I would never have a dedicated mulch machine, I wouldn’t mulch at all, it’s a horrible way of mowing and not everyone wants it, I don’t have a single customer that would be happy with mulching.

A true commercial machine would be a kubota or etesia machine to name two, but not the kubota gr1600 as that is sold as a domestic machine.

my3cents

BnB wrote: »

Has anyone here ever uesd an Al-Ko ride on mower. I am looking at buying the one below from a local supplier. To be fair to the supplier I do trust his opinion and he thinks they are good mowers but I just wanted to see if anyone used him.

http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/al-ko-t-16-105-hd-v2-powerline-hydrostatic-rear-collect-lawn-tractor

...

deezell wrote: »

Sounds like you're doing this commercially? If you're going to mow 2.5 acres, plus another .25 acre on a slope, and maybe any other work that comes your way, you might find the castelgarden a bit domestic. This Stihl/Viking dwarfs that mower for a few hundred more.
http://www.donegan.ie/product_info.php?cPath=275_72&products_id=2653

...

Does anyone want to compare the look of decks on those two and comment? They look very similar to me?

westsidestory

deezell wrote: »

westsidestory wrote: »

Hi lawnmower experts.

Have 2.5 acre grass area may be required to cut in next few weeks on a contract basis. If get go-ahead will need a ride on mower.

Another smaller sloped area elsewhere 1,000 sq. m. will be done if get the call!

Would something like Castlegarden PTX220HD 48"cut, Briggs & Stratton Intek Series 7220, 656cc Twin Cycliner €4,295

http://www.hanlysgardenmachinery.ie/product-information/ptx220hd-castelgarden

Or

Husqvarva TC 352 T. 42" cut with 726cc Kawaski twin cylinder engine. €3,900 delivered.
http://www.hanlysgardenmachinery.ie/product-information/ptx220hd-castelgarden
http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/husqvarna-tc342t.htm

Be good options?

I'll be mulch cutting both areas.

Are dedicated mulcher ride ons a thing?

Will use hitch also to pull small chipper occasionally.

Sounds like you're doing this commercially? If you're going to mow 2.5 acres, plus another .25 acre on a slope, and maybe any other work that comes your way, you might find the castelgarden a bit domestic. This Stihl/Viking dwarfs that mower for a few hundred more.
http://www.donegan.ie/product_info.php?cPath=275_72&products_id=2653

You should also check out dedicated mulchers for that size plot, 3 in ones are a compromise, unless they are fitted with dedicated mulch blades and deflectors.

Thanks for that, have Stihl chainsaw, hedgetrimmers etc. which are market leaders but never considered their lawnmowers to be honest, looks a nice machine. Would it be a good reliable mulcher or can you/ others recommend another mower in that price range.

Have been looking online at loads of mowers, easy to go up in thousands of €€€ very quickly as some real nice machines available.

What you think of this machine...messed up link in original post.
http://www.amrentals.ie/Ride_on_Lawnmowers/husqvarna-tc342t.htm

westsidestory

monkeynuz wrote: »

deezell wrote: »

Sounds like you're doing this commercially? If you're going to mow 2.5 acres, plus another .25 acre on a slope, and maybe any other work that comes your way, you might find the castelgarden a bit domestic. This Stihl/Viking dwarfs that mower for a few hundred more.
http://www.donegan.ie/product_info.php?cPath=275_72&products_id=2653

You should also check out dedicated mulchers for that size plot, 3 in ones are a compromise, unless they are fitted with dedicated mulch blades and deflectors.

Viking aren’t really commercial more good homeowner.

Also I would never have a dedicated mulch machine, I wouldn’t mulch at all, it’s a horrible way of mowing and not everyone wants it, I don’t have a single customer that would be happy with mulching.

A true commercial machine would be a kubota or etesia machine to name two, but not the kubota gr1600 as that is sold as a domestic machine.

Have 2.5 acres to cut if get the nod and client requested not to collect grass. This is a very tight budget with them unwilling to pay for grass disposal and unwilling to have clippings disposed of on site (even though no shortage of possible locations)

The Kubota GR 1600 III 42"cut comes in at €8,000 with Atkins.ie (know you are saying is a good domestic machine).

The Stihl above is €4,800.

What price should I expect to pay for a similar commercial machine? Very few online prices on websites.

Shaunoc

westsidestory wrote: »

Have 2.5 acres to cut if get the nod and client requested not to collect grass. This is a very tight budget with them unwilling to pay for grass disposal and unwilling to have clippings disposed of on site (even though no shortage of possible locations)

how long would it take cut, how frequent as it would be mulched and what does it work out at to cut it (just out of curiousness / nosiness )

westsidestory

Shaunoc wrote: »

westsidestory wrote: »

Have 2.5 acres to cut if get the nod and client requested not to collect grass. This is a very tight budget with them unwilling to pay for grass disposal and unwilling to have clippings disposed of on site (even though no shortage of possible locations)

how long would it take cut, how frequent as it would be mulched and what does it work out at to cut it (just out of curiousness / nosiness )

Length of time taken to cut depends on machine bought so price will reflect that, I've not put in a set price. I'd be cutting the grass weekly, cutting long grass with mulcher not fun.

deezell

Maybe this Snapper zero turn would fit the bill.
https://www.gardenmachinery.ie/snapper-ztx250.html
Same price as the Stihl, same big series 8 engine, primarily side discharge, but mulch and collector capable fir other customers.

monkeynuz

westsidestory wrote: »

Have 2.5 acres to cut if get the nod and client requested not to collect grass. This is a very tight budget with them unwilling to pay for grass disposal and unwilling to have clippings disposed of on site (even though no shortage of possible locations)

The Kubota GR 1600 III 42"cut comes in at €8,000 with Atkins.ie (know you are saying is a good domestic machine).

The Stihl above is €4,800.

What price should I expect to pay for a similar commercial machine? Very few online prices on websites.

Etesia Hydro 100 is about 10-11k ish their prices are on the etesia Uk website.

Etesia Hydro 80 is about 6.5k bloody good machine, I bought one just before Christmas.

Mulching is only good if you’re cutting every 5-7 days and you mustn’t take more than a third off in one go.

deezell

my3cents wrote: »

Does anyone want to compare the look of decks on those two and comment? They look very similar to me?

The Viking/Stihl deck is a synchronous deck with timed overlapping blades driven by a toothed timing belt.
From what I can see on the Al-Ko site, it's machine uses a serpentine v belt driving the blades non synchronously, with the blades offset one slightly behind the other, allowing one blade to overlap the cutting width of the other without striking.

Curly head

monkeynuz wrote: »

Viking aren’t really commercial more good homeowner.

Also I would never have a dedicated mulch machine, I wouldn’t mulch at all, it’s a horrible way of mowing and not everyone wants it, I don’t have a single customer that would be happy with mulching.

A true commercial machine would be a kubota or etesia machine to name two, but not the kubota gr1600 as that is sold as a domestic machine.

Mulching is the only way to go

monkeynuz

Curly head wrote: »

Mulching is the only way to go

Not for me, I still value quality.

Mulching is lazy and a poor finish.

Curly head

monkeynuz wrote: »

Not for me, I still value quality.

Mulching is lazy and a poor finish.

you obviously must have a bad mulcher, ive been using a Husqvarna front rider for years and im frequently complimented on the richness and appearance of my lawns. don't know where you get the lazy bit:pac::pac::pac::pac:

monkeynuz

Curly head wrote: »

you obviously must have a bad mulcher, ive been using a Husqvarna front rider for years and im frequently complimented on the richness and appearance of my lawns. don't know where you get the lazy bit:pac::pac::pac::pac:

I don’t have a bad mulcher, I just don’t appreciate the appearance of a mulched lawn.

And it is lazy not to put the effort in to do it properly.

NIMAN

I mulched for maybe 4 or 5 years with a Husq ride-on. Didn't collect cuttings once.

Nearly every visitor to the house commented on how nice my lawn was.

deezell

Dedicated mulcher with multi clip blades and proper downdraught delectors to force fine clippings into the butt of the lawn is the ideal. If the grass is too long, wet or coarse, it will sit on top, stick to tyres, clog deck etc. You have to mow more often and it's extra work on the mower as it has to cut each blade of grass multiple times.
Some ride ons offer mulching blades as well as the recycling mulch plug as options. Blades are specifically designed to turbulate the grass under the deck so it gets well chopped. Ordinary blades just fling it at the (plugged) bag exit and hope the plug throws it back through the blades for another bite or two. If you mow frequently and only take a light cut, mulching is good. I can't see a customer ponying up for twice weekly cuts when the grass is hopping out of it in peak growing season.

monkeynuz

NIMAN wrote: »

I mulched for maybe 4 or 5 years with a Husq ride-on. Didn't collect cuttings once.

Nearly every visitor to the house commented on how nice my lawn was.

But then not everyone is fussy or even knows what they’re looking at, same with anything, I’ve known people to be happy with a decorator who is cheap but throws paint all over the place, other people are happy to pay for or take the effort to have do/have a proper high quality finish.

It’s all about what you’re content to put up with, I won’t suffer anything less than a perfect lawn.

Shaunoc

monkeynuz wrote: »

It’s all about what you’re content to put up with, I won’t suffer anything less than a perfect lawn.

Picture of your lawn please

Curly head

Your comment that mulching is lazy and a bad finish is really funny.
Mulching done properly needs to be done at least every 4 days when growth is good. If twice as much work makes you lazy I just don't know.
The lawn is constantly being fed nitrogen from the cuttings hence the lush rich green appearance.
Obviously people who pay to get there lawns cut want the cheapest option so mulching is not for them. Indeed the vast majority of people choose to collect the grass and good for them
But for those prepared to put in the time n effort its the best option in my opinion and a properly mulched lawn is a lovely sight surely
Anyhow happy cutting to all, its great to have the health to be able to do it
:pac::pac::pac::pac:

monkeynuz

Curly head wrote: »

Your comment that mulching is lazy and a bad finish is really funny.
Mulching done properly needs to be done at least every 4 days when growth is good. If twice as much work makes you lazy I just don't know.
The lawn is constantly being fed nitrogen from the cuttings hence the lush rich green appearance.
Obviously people who pay to get there lawns cut want the cheapest option so mulching is not for them. Indeed the vast majority of people choose to collect the grass and good for them
But for those prepared to put in the time n effort its the best option in my opinion and a properly mulched lawn is a lovely sight surely
Anyhow happy cutting to all, its great to have the health to be able to do it
:pac::pac::pac::pac:

Absolute rubbish, all of the cowboy gardeners round here choose to mulch because it’s quick and they can sit on their fat backsides on a ride on.

Most people who mulch don’t do it twice a week, and even if they did, they’re just sitting on a mower twice a week.

To suggest that people who pay to have their grass collected are looking for the cheap Orion is just naive on your part as those sort of people ask me to mulch which is why if anyone asks me to mulch I tell them to find someone else.

monkeynuz

Shaunoc wrote: »

Picture of your lawn please

I don’t need to post a picture to know I’m right.

Curly head

monkeynuz wrote: »

Absolute rubbish, all of the cowboy gardeners round here choose to mulch because it’s quick and they can sit on their fat backsides on a ride on.

Most people who mulch don’t do it twice a week, and even if they did, they’re just sitting on a mower twice a week.

To suggest that people who pay to have their grass collected are looking for the cheap Orion is just naive on your part as those sort of people ask me to mulch which is why if anyone asks me to mulch I tell them to find someone else.[/
How do you know size of my backside?

deezell

I've seen some huge arses on tiny ride on mowers, I feel sorry for the little 7HP engine, most of the power goes to hauling Your Man (or Your Wan) around.

Curly head

Theres a comedian lost in you

deezell

Curly head wrote: »

Theres a comedian lost in you

A fellow Agri contract driver (rip) way back in the 70s once described a huge (24 stone) farmboy on a little Ferguson 20 as "An Elephant on a Rubber Duck". That's an image that sticks.

ustari

Does anyone have a supplier of Iseki parts that they could recommend?

Struggling to find many online with decent sites/list of stock.

deezell

ustari wrote: »

Does anyone have a supplier of Iseki parts that they could recommend?

Struggling to find many online with decent sites/list of stock.

I know nothing about Iseki, except that Iseki ireland are Broderick.ie, but their link to manuals is dead, their parts site for Iseki shows a total of 4 parts!
https://www.turfparts.ie/product-category/iseki-spare-parts/.
Getting the parts manual for your model is the key, many manuals are on the UK site.
https://iseki.co.uk/manuals1/index
Armed with this get the part no. say this solenoid, 6281-910-013-00.
Run this part no in a search, see what you get.

Heres one outfit in France which have a stock
https://www.m-jardin.fr/shop/recherche?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=iseki&submit_search=

That random part no. I used cost €227 !! For a solenoid? Ouch.
https://www.m-jardin.fr/shop/iseki/195988-solenoide-d-arret-moteur-iseki-ref-6281-910-013-00.html

Some Iseki are Landinis, others built by Massey Ferguson, the trade repair guys would be wise to common parts and perhaps cheaper sources of these. I tend not to worry about parts until I need them, then go on the trail, but if you're a commercial operator, time is money, you might not have the luxury of scouring the Net.

vanman99

any one got any advice on a decent mower for rough grass. Have roughly half acre of a back garden which was a field and we didn't landscape or do much with. Just lots of rough grass. Budget of roughly €1000.....

deezell

vanman99 wrote: »

any one got any advice on a decent mower for rough grass. Have roughly half acre of a back garden which was a field and we didn't landscape or do much with. Just lots of rough grass. Budget of roughly €1000.....

Enough cash there for a robust and powerful mower. Plenty of choice, Stiga, Castelgarden, Honda, or some of the tougher pedigrees like snapper, Oleo Mac. What I would suggest is a mower with the highest adjustable cut height, so you can cut clear of rough overgrown patches, which will eventually be tamed from frequent cutting. You'll benefit from 3 speed or variable speed to get over the unruly bits, and large wheels will also help. This one from Agrieuro is a lot of mower, 52cm, stainless deck, big wheels, 3 speed, Honda engine, 80mm top height, all for under your budget.
https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/marina-systems-5500-sh-vv-bbc-stainless-steel-professional-lawn-mower-p-4205.html

red bull

Is a mountfield 1530H a good mower ?