lawnmowers

[taylor]

I am buying a new petrol mower and have looked at a few.         I was going to buy the husqarvana? then noticed it has a brigg,s and Stratton engine in it,.              now there is nothing wrong with b +s ,  but the husky is £500.    and you can buy cheap models with the briggs and Stratton for,£ 150,,       do they make cheaper engines for cheaper models,      or will I just be paying for the husky badge,.       anyone got any experience with mowers.            sorry about the shit thread.

[Deefer666]

They are all made in China now, so it don't matter what you buy cos it'll be fucked in 3 years time.

[Nightfury]

My £170 Qualcast has the same Briggs and Stratton 450 e series engine in it as my neighbours £420 Atco mower....

[Tmation]

I have a Mountfield Lawn mower with a briggs and stratton engine.


I have had it about 6 years now and it has been as good as gold, service back up also good.


My back and front lawns total about 1/4 acre, so a fair bit of mowing.


I run a bit of fuel  stabilizer through before putting it away for the winter (same as the bike) and it starts first or second pull come the spring.


 

[Oldgit]

Buy a Qualcast with a Kawasaki engine --- a bit dearer- but will stand the test of time

[Mick-H]

Buy a Qualcast with a Kawasaki engine --- a bit dearer- but will stand the test of time

+1 had mine for years and plenty on ebay.

[chaz]

I've just put my Suffolk Punch mark VII away for the winter, gave it a 50 year service (it was bought by my father) repainted one or two parts, apart from a fuel tap, silencer and a few starter cords it's as it was bought, had to fix the starter recoil spring, it had snapped near the end where it hooks over a peg, heat the bit you have to bend to dull red to take the temper out of the spring steel or it will snap. I might replace the cutting cylinder bearings on the next service, (next year).

[Kosmic Kartman]

In my experience (I serviced and repaired mowers and other arb machinery for best part of six years) a mower with an ally deck will out live one with a steel deck. Also consider Viking (made by Stihl) or Etisia with a plactic deck. I've seen plenty steel mowers scrapped that still have good engines. Cheap mowers tend to fall apart. The B&S Quantum and Sprint engine mowers are basic industry standard and go for decades. Biggest starting problem is stale petrol. The Sprint (with the carb mounted on top the petrol tank) has a pump diaphragm between the carb and tank and may need changing if left with stale fuel in the tank or every few years depending on use. There is a correct procedure that needs to be followed when fitting this pump or the engine will hunt or not start.

Avoid anything with a Tecumseh engine. Engines are prone to falling apart from vibration, are a pain to self service and repair in terms of strip down and rebuild... They are pretty shit. Some of the smaller Honda engines (GCV models) have plastic cambelts. I have known these to jump. You won't smash valves up but they are a pain to re-time.

Mower wise depends on budget and how big your lawn is. Do you want stripes, width of cut etc?... Do want a hover? If you do get a steel deck clean the crap from the underneath before storing away. Masport and Honda branded mowers are some of the best steel deck mowers in terms of lasting but Honda are mostly good solid plastic or ally decks. I know lots of contractors that use Masport, Rover, Hayter and Lawnflite Pro. They are totally abused but the ones with the cheaper service and repair bills are the ones with the Masport and the Rover. Masports and Rovers have swing tip blades to stop damage to the crankshafts.

A cylinder mower will give a better cut than a rotary mower.

With Husqvarna, yes you are paying for the name but when I was in the workshop they rarely came in as breakdowns.

Hayter used to be very robust but are now over engineered. Some newer models have ally top deck with shit loads of plastic underneath. This will be reflected in your service costs when smashed plastic parts need replacing.

Not mentioning your cheep Argos, Tesco budget mower... too many to mention but remember you get what you pay for. If you want one that will last here's a few makes.
Briggs and Stratton Quantum Engine on...
Masport
Rover
Viking (Stihl)
Etisia
Honda with GXV, HR, HRX engine.
Briggs and Stratton Quantum Engine on...
anything that doesn't look like it's made of chocolate. If it feels cheep and flexible in build it is chocolate and will brake in a few seasons.

Do not buy anything with a Tecumseh engine and stay well away from the Lawnflight Pro 553HRS

[Exupnut]

What about these Kosmic ....could u recommend ?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kNWfqVWC2KI

[Kosmic Kartman]

 

That Flymo won't cut the grass.

[taylor]

cheers all thanks for the advice all taken on board,  theres a lot of crap about these days,.

[taylor]

the way my life is going I might not need one,