new mover with aluminium deck - advice needed

gooner99

Hi.My old (12 year) mower has given up the ghost. Drive is gone and the part is €140 plus vat. Thinking I might as well bite the bullet and replace instead. This is the model I have https://www.doyles.ie/index/products/product/Castelgarden+TDAM534TR3S+Petrol+Lawnmower/?productId=82 (probably an older version, but pretty much the same deck). I think it would be described as a cast aluminium deck.It was a good sturdy mower and gave very little bother. It's not the lightest, so that can be a bit of a downside on rougher ground. I see my local gardener using the same one, so they must be classed as durable and nearer to commercial grade. I have quite a big area and it's not all flat, good mixture of terrain.

Just wondering if I should just go for another of these or if there are other/better models in the price range or less! (think they are €700+) I should be looking at?

Thanks.

gooner99

Hi.Just bumping up this thread. I managed through last season with an old steel deck mover. Now I need to replace the castelgarden alu deck one I posted in the 1st post, which I found to be a good fit for my needs, sturdy mower if if not a little on the heavy side. Budget would about €800. So looking for pretty much a similar size cut as I have a fairly large area to cut,well build,sturdy as it can take knocks,reliable,easily maneuverable and not heavy as the terrain is pretty mixed. I usually service it myself, so I guess readily available parts would be great. Any recommendations on what to look at, as I've only ever used Castelgarden.

Roselm

I have a castle garden too and find it heavy but otherwise great.
You might be as well to go to a dealer that sells a selection and see what they suggest!

Sgt Pepper 64

you know your own garden so get the most powerful one you can afford, as that helps with even a small uneven garden

gooner99

gooner99 wrote: »

Hi.Just bumping up this thread. I managed through last season with an old steel deck mover. Now I need to replace the castelgarden alu deck one I posted in the 1st post, which I found to be a good fit for my needs, sturdy mower if if not a little on the heavy side. Budget would about €800. So looking for pretty much a similar size cut as I have a fairly large area to cut,well build,sturdy as it can take knocks,reliable,easily maneuverable and not heavy as the terrain is pretty mixed. I usually service it myself, so I guess readily available parts would be great. Any recommendations on what to look at, as I've only ever used Castelgarden.

If you are spending 800 get a rover. Not a fan of that 675 engine but it it is as well to be on a rover

fryup

Rovers are great,,,but heavy to manoeuvre

Mitch Buchannon

Ive been using a Honda HRS 536 for just over a year now. Its the best decision I have ever made. I have a large garden (It takes 1.5 hrs to cut on a good day) so collecting grass isn't an option for me. I wanted a mulcher & side discharge only. This mower is also self propelled so it takes most of the effort out of the cutting. Compared to my old mower (Masport - a push petrol) it feels like im just out for a stroll.:)

I ended up getting my in Enniskillen as I couldnt locate one in the South.

http://www.honda.co.uk/lawn-and-garden/products/lawnmowers/hrs-2015/overview.html

gooner99

Thanks for the replies, keep the recommendations coming.

My lawn, well if you'd call it that is pretty mixed. There is a flat area, but also many hills, bumps and generally rough enough terrain. So sturdy, good self drive, adjustment and not too heavy is the order of the day. I'm in Donegal, so the North is an option if there is value to be had.

gooner99

gooner99 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, keep the recommendations coming.

My lawn, well if you'd call it that is pretty mixed. There is a flat area, but also many hills, bumps and generally rough enough terrain. So sturdy, good self drive, adjustment and not too heavy is the order of the day. I'm in Donegal, so the North is an option if there is value to be had.

I just posted in the Lawnmower thread about my 12 year old Rover lawnmower. I used it last summer with the self-drive broken and it was difficult to manoeuvre due to the weight and because I cut the grass low.

It's fixed now and working great but you really need a specialist lawnmower repair company who are dedicated to all things lawnmower and all makes and who know how to adapt and make do with other materials. My Rover is working great but doesn't necessarily have all Rover parts but that was the skill of the guys who repaired it.

They're great lawnmowers though. I had a CastleGarden- engine was fine but body rusted through completely over 10 years. If I had to replace my Rover, I'd buy one again or a Honda with aluminium body.

gooner99

Thanks for the reply. Yeah hearing good things about the rovers and hondas. Is your rover a alu deck.

Anyone experience with the honda xenoy decks?

gooner99

gooner99 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Yeah hearing good things about the rovers and hondas. Is your rover a alu deck.

Anyone experience with the honda xenoy decks?

Yes, it's aluminium. 12 years old and not a problem at all. It was my previous lawnmower (all metal) that rusted away even though the engine started first time, every time (Briggs/Stratton)

Sorry ,I don't have experience of them, (there are reviews online though) but just to say, next time I'm buying a new lawnmower, I'll be buying it from an established dealer, looking at the guarantee closely, registering that guarantee online if required with manufacturer, and most importantly, I'll be ensuring that when it comes to a service, that i have some sort of back-up from the shop/company that sold it to me.

If it's "lifetime" guarantee, or 20 year guarantee, then I'll want to see how that is implemented and met. Personally I'd steer clear of composite materials and stick to aluminium shells as I've had neighbours who haven't done well with similar, but i don't know the make and model of these so the Honda version could be fine.