Which lawnmower?

I have spent hours looking into lawnmowers now this weekend. It would appear Hayter’s reputation has fallen off a cliff in recent years and while they had the edge for me during the early period of research, I feel they’re now not even in the running. I was attracted by the metal body & variable speed but the reviews speak for themselves. The only positive reviews I could find were from owners of models purchased 8-10 years ago!

The Honda HRX is plastic bodied so probably not the best for longevity. It’s single speed too. While still a possibility, it’s not my first choice now.

This choice now falls down to two models not previously considered. The Mountfield SP505RV or it’s bigger brother the SP555RV. The only difference being the cutting size and the engine is slightly larger. The positives being that it’s has a metal bodied, variable speed, Honda engine, 5 year warranty and a twin cutting system (possibly a gimmick). Prices are about £750 up to £899 for the larger machine so it’s cheaper than comparable models from other manufacturers. I’ll be popping into the local dealer this week to hear their advice and will let you know what I opt for. If anyone has any experience with Mountfield, I’d be happy to hear your opinions.

 

Personally I would not touch a Mountfield.
Look at what most contractors and gardeners use, it tends to be Hayter, Honda, and some of the Honda copies that are designed on the slighter older Honda designs.
Don’t knock the decks on the Honda, many a good mower uses a poly deck and they are hard wearing decks.
There are lots of rear roller mowers on the market, John Deere, the Honda copies which there are a few , Viking, Hayter and a few others.
While Hayter rear rollers may not be perfect many a contractor uses the 48 Pro or it’s larger brother. Parts are easy to come by and the Pro is a single speed, one piece roller.
Honda are well used mowers too and again easy to find parts if needed.
Viking do a range of rear rollers but offer the chance of a plastic grass box which is easy to keep clean unlike cloth bags. Most are poly body designs.
There’s also the Etesia 46 range which is 4 wheel but they do a rear roller kit that attaches to the mower. Again poly body and most dealers should offer a demo.
A well kept lawn that’s cut weekly will be easy with any of the above mowers.

It really depends on what you want to spend, what features you want and what dealers you have local.
If it’s serviced yearly which is required on the longer running warranty mowers then it should give you a good life span.

 

As per my reply to your same thread on gardeners world... a 16" Honda engined mountfield will be perfect. You're talking a 20 min cut. And a machine that will get 200 uses in it's lifetime doesn't need to be made for commercial use. Get the lightest one you can. A 536 machine is mad for a small lawn.

 

How about the Viking 545 VR, lighter than the Honda 476, easy to look after, plastic and poly body and grass bag is plastic rather than cloth and a Briggs engine.
John Deere R43RVE, I’ve this one as a back up machine, Briggs engine, metal body, variable speed which is too quick at max, cloth bag, key and pull start and uses a small impeller system to aid grass collection.

 

@Liz the pot what is your opinion of the John Deere mowers? Especially the walk behind mulchers.

 

John Deere are mostly Sabo walk behinds. A German based manufacturer who are a sister company of Deere.

SABO Elektro-Rasenmäher

They are ok, the handle design on mine could do with some work and they need to provide a better Briggs engine on mine for price point but construction is very good and they have a good drive and one of the quickest I’ve used. Too quick to be honest.
The cloth bags tend to use a light fabric cover to show when the bags full, it fails as the bag clogs up so the airflow is not enough to lift the marker.
They tend to use an impeller assembly above the blade shaft to aid collection, it’s ok and hassle free design and it’s up to debate on how much difference it makes.
My blade assembly is a bit strange, it’s not like most where you need to screw on hard, it’s a washer system and makes me feel a bit uneasy as I’m use to a good tighten up but it’s been fine. Not sure if it’s the same on other machines.
There was a few issues on front wheels a number of years back but was soon rectified.
I do think they are a bit pricey but Deere has very good back up and you kind of pay for that service.
Their commercial machines which I’ve not tried come across as an after thought in some ways. Grommet joints to cut vibration levels and stress bars. Don’t see many used either.
Dealerships are not as plentiful as other makes and my local one closed down a few years back so it’s a longer trip if I want to use Deere for servicing and parts.
Worth noting mine has a smooth one piece roller and not ribbed like my Hayter. It can spin at times if it’s wet and on a slope.

Ive never used their mulch machines so I have no idea what they perform like to be honest.

 

Just plucking out a few salient points.

My current mower is very similar to the John Deere JS63VC. The biggest difference being that the JD has a 4,2 horse B&S, in comparison to the 7hp B&S on the one I have now. So, on that point, I would agree. They should provide a better engine for the price point.

The impeller assembly mentioned sunds similar to the four armed blade the mulchers have. Whether or not it works, is, as stated debatable. My suspicion is that with a better engine, it could be more efficient.

Regarding price. They are getting on for £4-500 more expensive than similar models here. Their back up (for me) is good locally but I'm not sure its that good.

 

I had a JS63V and it turned out to be one of the worst mowers I've had! It basically rattled itself to bits way too soon. I've also had a JD "Pro" scarifier which was horrid so I now avoid the brand at all costs.

 

Frazer, have a look at the range of Eliet scarifiers which are very good. The Deere is aimed more at fine turf hence the set blade setup and number of blades, it’s not a machine for commercial use as such.
The Eliet has serveral blade setups which can be changed to suit the lawn and a better blade design that keeps its edge.

 

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