Petrol Mower Help / Advice

Had a couple of Sabo's before John deere bought them out, didn't think much of them then wouldn't have a john deere now build quality isn't as good as they used to be unfortunately. It were a old John deere sx14 which has had its day , still use a highly modified JX85 now.

 

They have issues, the good news is they are good on spares, Ive a Deere 43rve and the Briggs engine is not the best and the handle design is damn right poor. It feels very heavy in the hand so it’s a back up mower.
I’m afraid most mowers have gone down hill and only one I know of that listens to it’s users and acts on it.
It’s why the commercial lads just throw them about. The smaller chaps like me tend to hang on till they give up the ghost. I’m tempted to get another Etesia as they have listened again and produced a cracking little mower like the one I have at the moment. Etesia are a sister company of Wolf and was setup in France to work around some restrictions in place for imports.

 

I am after a little Etesia 46 for wet / damp cutting but probably the older shape, had a look at the newer ones duocut with the single height adjuster ( not keen on Single height adjuster ) at the dealers they seem quite large physically for a 18inch mower.

I use a Etesia Pro 51K sometimes but I am not a fan , I brilliant with the wet grass best I've ever seen , but other machines leave it for dead when the grass isn't wet, its heavy - worst height adjuster I've ever seen - drive slips even after adjusting / replacing and when it does drives its slow. I don't think I'll have most of these problems with the older Pro 46 with honda engine plus speed up, the plastic deck a worry though.

 

they have just released a honda version the same as my old etesia 46 the handle is different, single or push and looks like a larger grass box but thats it. Height adjustment is the same as mine, great to gain that bit more collection on long wet grass.
They do a replacement pulley system that speeds the drive up but my old one is variable speed and plenty fast enough so I've never asked for the other pulley system.
Mines a 2006 model ex demo and the decking is not a problem, mine gets a good thrashing and just keeps going but I use a local Etesia dealership who are great and my machine looks like new when its serviced. Not cheap but they go through everything.
The rubber strip at the rear is replaced yearly, Blade replaced, Ive had a new pulley system installed and some work done on the handle section but thats it in 10 years of use.

Etesia Launch Two New Professional Pedestrian Mowers - Etesia UK

Im not sure if the rear roller accessory will fit but I'm not a fan of that.

The 51 is a heavy beast, its why i went with the 46 after speaking to other users on a different forum way back.

You should be able to demo one or any machine from an Etesia dealership. They were also very active on the other forum and really wanted to work on getting their machines just right.

 

Looks good the new Pro 46 Liz , 80 litre box impressive on a smallish mower.

 

I was surprised too, I think it’s also got a larger fuel tank. Next time I’m over at RTM I’ll ask the guys in the work shop their thoughts.

 

A bit of an update on the new mower. @Perki The handles are slightly long as you said but being easily adjustable up or down means its not a real issue to me.

The machine is a little heavier than my last mower but not unmanageably heavy. The extra weight means it doesn't bounce about on my less than flat lawns.

The honda engine is a huge improvement from the B&S engine I was used to. It sounds much more refined and doesn't struggle, even with the long grass after the recent rain.

The grass box is a bit weird. It seems that to make it simple to fit the grass box, they made it more awkward than it should be.

The twincut blade has done a great job with the long grass today. Grass didn't clog in the back of the mower and it filled the grass box.

Overall, I'm happy. It isn't the perfect mower but for my needs of 90 mins mowing a week, it doesn't need to be.

 

Shame about the plug in box design they have made it much more difficult than what most other mowers have. You may have to glue the rubber things on the grass box what the grass box sits on ( they slide in things ) one got lost and the box were very difficult to put on.

Its a pretty good mow for the price , 21inch / 53cm pro machines are around £1500 now which is ridiculous price. I wouldn't say it a pro mow more like a semi pro but more than good enough for domestic users

I used the MFeild on the very small front lawn yesterday started it up cold but though I play with the handle height , after starting again it back fired didn't have make me jump neighbours probably thought someone got shot