The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

Let's see what side discharge/mulcher users out there think. They operate differently, different blades, often not contra rotating, so a different beast, but made for the job

Lads I’ve inherited a John Deere R43 any thoughts opinions things to look out for. I’ve a robot so I’ll be using it mainly for tidying up and the off once a month cut to level it all out. I miss the stripes now and then.

A four wheeled strimmer is a great way to sum it up. It’s been great to tidy up the garden. Any tips to maintaining the deck and mower. It came with the mulch plug and blades only downside was now throttle so one speed only. €700 new crikey you’d be mad to buy that.

thanks for the info dezzell

FYI, mowers with single speed throttle are that way to conform to emissions regulations, in California and maybe now EU. Preventing low speed running or higher speeds means engine is emissions optimised for a single speed.

Gentleman

Is the detector lever still intact, not bent, jammed or broken off? You should hear the microswitch click when you move it.

My Cobra MX515 electric start has the 675i engine, I've had the entire electric start system from motor to battery to push switch apart trying to trace a persistent starting disconnect which defied signal tracing, I solved it eventually, multiple push fit connectors were introducing a significant voltage on the ground return line when attempting to crank, which raised the starting ground signal to the Lipo battery internal relay and cut the starting current. Herself going nuts, mower going thunk, thunk in a series of short bursts of the starter mower. Really rubbish push fit connector the problem, I manually strapped the earth line. This info just a preamble, as I bought this mower precisely for your reasons. So, what would you need.

Starter assembly €95

Battery and charger €140

Mower Battery casing. €30?

Push switch €25?

Stop lever additional interlock relay ?

Top flywheel internal ring gear? €80?

You can see how this project cost could run away from you. At the minimum you'd need the starter assembly (more complex than just the motor, the bendix is separate, on a sub frame geared to the motor), possibly a ring gear or even a change of flywheel if the ring gear is moulded into it, and not a bolt on. After that you could rig a push switch and a small gel or €50 lead acid battery to spin it. The interlock relay is part of the ignition switch assembly, connected by the handle cable. Its purpose is to prevent you starting the mower without this lever pressed, but more importantly, without the engine brake disengaged. I broke one of the spade connectors to this microswitch ( it was constantly being pulled off by twigs when mowing next to hedges). The entire assembly was steep price to buy, so I drilled out the rivets and put a standard RS microswitch in its place, bending the lever to match. You could live without this part also.

I wouldn't consider it viable on a ten year old machine. There are a few electric start machines out there, Cobra have some economy models in 19" and 21" cut as well as the alloy deck MX515. https://www.irishmowers.com/cobra-lawnmowers.html

You have three choices outside if the diy route.

1. Buy a new electric start mower.

2. Buy a higher powered cordless battery mower, Ego, Cobra etc.

3. Buy an easy start mower. Some walk behind engines have a decompress mechanism built in which makes pulling easy, the full compression is restored when the engine spins up to speed. I can't say for certain which models may have this, some Honda engines are advertised as easy start, maybe some B&S. It's common in ride on engines and bigger pulls starts. It fails in many if them too, making starting difficult like if the battery is bad.

Possibly the widest deck out there. Electric start mowers seem to be in the 45-51 cm range, though castelgarden did one at 53, but with a steel deck. Holy grail to me was greater than 50cm, electric start and alloy deck. The Cobra materials quality is only average. Excellent engine and alloy deck, but wheels a little soggy, though with replaceable bearings, handle and levers are fairly generic, and I've replaced three cables to date.

Another option is a machine with a clutch drive, you might find a serviceable used Honda out there. You only have to start once, blade stops and engine ticks over while emptying the bag.

Hi all

Looking to trade in a ride on (PR170HD reasonably good condition) for a new one. Based in carlow but was looking for recommended dealers that take trade ins

pref in Carlow/Kilkenny/Kildare but anywhere in Leinster either

J

You needn't stay the close to home, I did a trade in with Monaghan Plant Hire and I'm in Waterford.

Your new machine comes on a pallet and you put your old one on the pallet and they get it picked up by the same delivery firm that delivered it.

Query for anyone with expertise out there. Stihl STIHL RT5112.1 (4300) or Honday HF2417?

Apart from €500 difference for the Honda, both are solid machines, Stihl has the build quality of its Viking predecessor. Stihl has an extra 8cm cut, the Honda claims an extra 0.7 kw, about 1 hp, from it's smaller displacement engine. Stihl has a comprehensive led display, the Honda has a colour version.

The Honda has an ace in the lever operated mulch function, no fitting of mulch plugs, but the Stihl comes with a towbar as standard. How to choose? Value for money, bang for your buck, residual value in ten years, it might come down to the armrests on the Honda, or the two beer can holders on the Stihl.

Hi all,

Sitting on an acre with about 1/2 of it lawn and looking to get something to reduce the time I have to spend cutting the grass. Ride on not an option due to weak wooden bridge to has to be crossed and the lawns are broken up into 5 separate areas so I wouldn't get the benefit from it.

I was thinking of a Toro Timemaster (pull start - not electric). The twin blades and wide decks really appeal to be and will surely reduce cutting time. The mulching ability is handy too. Can anyone recommend any other similar mowers (preferably cheaper!) or equivalent machinery with wide decks? Cheers.

As far as I remember the 5097 is a smaller engine.

Edit: Just checked there and 5112 is 23hp versus the 5097's 18hp. I need the bigger engine for mowing slopes and for some towing but you may not need that.

You can tow with a couple of horsepower. I used to tow massive trailers full of sand (about a tonne) with little old 8HP John Deere. What makes a bigger difference is tyre type/diameter and the weight of the lawn tractor. If towing on a slope hydrostatic as most lawn tractors are now is a massive improvement on gears. Try changing gear on a slope with a tonne of sand behind you :-(