Ride-on mowers
Does anyone know where I can find some independent
reviews/comparisons/prices of available ride-on mowers? I'm looking for something to cut 2-3 acres of grass (not lawn!!) - ground a bit uneven and grass long. Strength, easy cutting, robustness and reliability are more important than price. All things being equal I would prefer an Australian made one. All suggestions/experiences welcome :-) ___________________ Graeme Challinor |
Ride-on mowers
I have a STIGA Compact which I would not recommend - not robust enough - not
sure if their bigger models are any better. I have a number of friends with Greenfields which seem to be indestructible. Geoff |
Ride-on mowers
I grew up west of Ipswich Qld I'm afraid I can't remember the mower my
mother bought for me to use but it was actually a very small tractor with the blades underneath. I can after working for six months several years back for the Gold Coast City Council in thier parks & gardens section suggest that it my be wise to have a chat to your local councils parks & gardens section for their opinions on something suitable. After all you do contribute to the maney they spend & earn. |
Ride-on mowers
g'day graeme,
i'd have to see your situation to be able to suggest any particular machine and as for independant reviews there is only possibly choice magazine and how the evaluate a thing like a mower without first hand experience in using many makes and models and without repairing many makes and models astounds me. i saw one of ther very erly reviews when i was still a mower mechanic to me it was laughable all they seemd to be doing was supporting someone who sponsered the review. anyway for the main ride on mowers are just that mowers you ride on they don't generally cut long grass on uneven rough ground. if you want to cut rough stuff you need some sort of slasher mower and they are generally walk behind models, unless there is something on the market that i am not aware of. might be you may ahe to get a person in with a slasher knock it into shape then look for a rider mower. when you do look for a rider mower it needs to be a model with a variable speed mechanism eg.,. gear box or the like. these single speed touch and go high maintenance models are not quiet as robust and the engines get over worked on them let alone their driving mechanisms imagine how long a car would alst with a similar drive. and the end of the day seek out a specialist shop where there is the experience to be able to offer good advice. the reliable models from my day where the snapper 5 speed, the deutscher 5 speed(?) and the rover rancher then had 6 speed. snipped With peace and brightest of blessings, len -- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand." http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1 |
Ride-on mowers
Hi,
two cents from me on the mower for you to put in your mix I have a two yrs old 18 hp MTD 42 inch deck 'yard tractor' 8 speed . i use it on about one acre or so of a little rough in places paddock and the house surrounds. so far am pretty happy with it overall. i have no other experience with rider mowers. its got a mulching attachment which just blocks the chute and deposits the clippings on the ground rather than send them flying out the side. it is less effective if the grass is thicker/ longer /wetter. i use it on the house surrounds if the grass is short, and never on the paddock. I have found that if you don't thrash it or go too fast for it to cut then it's pretty tough. there are a couple of guards over the belt pulleys which have had the bolts or screws fixing them to the deck vibrate off. I did screw one down but even that vibrated off. it also happened to a neighbour who had hers welded to the deck. I have found that i can get by with out them but you might want to look at the relative safety of this. there is also a cylindrical rubber cover for the brake clutch pedal which cracked quickly and slid off . i no longer use it. like any mower i reckon you have to be careful with running over rocks stones sticks etc. I have ruined three blades by running over hidden rocks. part of mowing i guess in some respects but to be avoided when a replacement is 30 plus dollars and there are two blades to the deck. I have also been through three deck belts from having the longer grass clog it up. if you get clogged at all you have zero time to disengage the blades and clear the blockage before the slipping belt heats up and disintegrates. also can be pricey. but i have found that using non genuine parts is much cheaper and so far they are as strong and reliable as the genuine. i have not replaced either blade or belt since i switched to non genuine, but of course i try harder to care for the equipment than i used. the engine is briggs and stratton seems good sound strong and reliable. i have run over one piece of stray fence wire and punctured the tyre but put a tube in and it's fine. seat adjusts for the shorter folk in yr household who want to see the snakes on the lawn more clearly by cutting the grass every five minutes, and it rides smoothly enough if a little loud (85 db rated), but muffs take care of that. so far so good over all and cost a little less than 4 grand two yrs ago. i can't see what else might go wrong with it but i reckon it will soon enough. just a summary of my rider mower adventures. most ppl i have spoken to all recommend / swear by different models so what does that tell you? think about how close yr dealer / spares place is to you. the fwd / reverse lever and the gears/ park brake are below the seat in between your legs which is awkward for rapid changes ( and very difficult if the seat is adjusted way forward) but if you sit for a bit at the same speed its not much of an issue. also has two always on headlights which i don't need and they seem to be just one more thing one might need to repair /replace anyway hope this is some help ask for more if you want love and peace SyrianPrince wrote in message ... Does anyone know where I can find some independent reviews/comparisons/prices of available ride-on mowers? I'm looking for something to cut 2-3 acres of grass (not lawn!!) - ground a bit uneven and grass long. Strength, easy cutting, robustness and reliability are more important than price. All things being equal I would prefer an Australian made one. All suggestions/experiences welcome :-) ___________________ Graeme Challinor |
Ride-on mowers
"SyrianPrince" wrote in message ... Hi, two cents from me on the mower for you to put in your mix I have a two yrs old 18 hp MTD 42 inch deck 'yard tractor' 8 speed . i use it on about one acre or so of a little rough in places paddock and the house surrounds. so far am pretty happy with it overall. i have no other experience with rider mowers. its got a mulching attachment which just blocks the chute and deposits the clippings on the ground rather than send them flying out the side. it is less effective if the grass is thicker/ longer /wetter. i use it on the house surrounds if the grass is short, and never on the paddock. I have found that if you don't thrash it or go too fast for it to cut then it's pretty tough. there are a couple of guards over the belt pulleys which have had the bolts or screws fixing them to the deck vibrate off. I did screw one down but even that vibrated off. it also happened to a neighbour who had hers welded to the deck. I have found that i can get by with out them but you might want to look at the relative safety of this. there is also a cylindrical rubber cover for the brake clutch pedal which cracked quickly and slid off . i no longer use it. like any mower i reckon you have to be careful with running over rocks stones sticks etc. I have ruined three blades by running over hidden rocks. part of mowing i guess in some respects but to be avoided when a replacement is 30 plus dollars and there are two blades to the deck. I have also been through three deck belts from having the longer grass clog it up. if you get clogged at all you have zero time to disengage the blades and clear the blockage before the slipping belt heats up and disintegrates. also can be pricey. but i have found that using non genuine parts is much cheaper and so far they are as strong and reliable as the genuine. i have not replaced either blade or belt since i switched to non genuine, but of course i try harder to care for the equipment than i used. the engine is briggs and stratton seems good sound strong and reliable. i have run over one piece of stray fence wire and punctured the tyre but put a tube in and it's fine. seat adjusts for the shorter folk in yr household who want to see the snakes on the lawn more clearly by cutting the grass every five minutes, and it rides smoothly enough if a little loud (85 db rated), but muffs take care of that. so far so good over all and cost a little less than 4 grand two yrs ago. i can't see what else might go wrong with it but i reckon it will soon enough. just a summary of my rider mower adventures. most ppl i have spoken to all recommend / swear by different models so what does that tell you? think about how close yr dealer / spares place is to you. the fwd / reverse lever and the gears/ park brake are below the seat in between your legs which is awkward for rapid changes ( and very difficult if the seat is adjusted way forward) but if you sit for a bit at the same speed its not much of an issue. also has two always on headlights which i don't need and they seem to be just one more thing one might need to repair /replace anyway hope this is some help ask for more if you want love and peace SyrianPrince We have an older MTD 38" just sharpened the blades (have the burn to prove it) and it is back to cutting great again SWMBO is not complaining yet. I don't get to ride it, she likes the outdoor stuff, hell the lounge needs looking after as well. Be prepared to fork out for batteries on a regular scale, unless they take a conversion to a proper 12v battery like from a car, motorbike batteries are not up to it. An old dude like Len was a mowing contractor here a few years ago and he would sharpen his blades each night. Mind you he used it all day every day as well. Well that is my 1/50th of a dollar worth. Jim wrote in message ... Does anyone know where I can find some independent reviews/comparisons/prices of available ride-on mowers? I'm looking for something to cut 2-3 acres of grass (not lawn!!) - ground a bit uneven and grass long. Strength, easy cutting, robustness and reliability are more important than price. All things being equal I would prefer an Australian made one. All suggestions/experiences welcome :-) ___________________ Graeme Challinor |
Ride-on mowers
Husqvarna make a superb product, unlike others they make their own, not a rebadged. They have a XP range which is commercial mower with twin piston engines and they also have single cylinder std range which is still better then most others Husky also have a range of front deck and also mid turn body riders, like i said easily the best range on the market Then there is the full bore front deck commercial range www.husqvarna.com.au Cheers Phil McDonald II wrote: Does anyone know where I can find some independent reviews/comparisons/prices of available ride-on mowers? I'm looking for something to cut 2-3 acres of grass (not lawn!!) - ground a bit uneven and grass long. Strength, easy cutting, robustness and reliability are more important than price. All things being equal I would prefer an Australian made one. All suggestions/experiences welcome :-) ___________________ Graeme Challinor |
Ride-on mowers
yes jim,
those compact made to fit in batteries are pretty hopeless, as soon as the first one wears out fit a car size battery. also in some cases a lot cheaper battery no good buying expensive for mowers. don't know MTD's or Deeres (what dothey say deere by nams and nature, lots of proffessional lawnmower people use them)? but go for models that are original badge models made by the original manufacturer, like murry you don't see many of their machines under their own label often used by other manufacturers as a badge model so they have a rider in their range, they weren't very nice machines then and doubt they would be any better now. MTD have varying fans non-fans in the US forums do some research, for me as i don't think snapper are around in aus' any more pity, deutscher is very robust, and maybe rover rancher can still cut the mustard hey? also look for the country of manufacture on the engine a b&s should be made in the USA or a Honda should be made in japan. snipped With peace and brightest of blessings, len -- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand." http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1 |
Ride-on mowers
yes m,
husquies are a top brand got plenty of home grown pride in them, not sure about their mowers but their chain saws and brushcutters are the dearer end of the price market, would be a good arguement for you are going to get what you apy for though and that is quality behind the husqvarna name. too true keep away from the badge makes. definately worth a look. snipped With peace and brightest of blessings, len -- "Be Content With What You Have And May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In A World That You May Not Understand." http://www.users.bigpond.com/gardenlen1 |
Ride-on mowers
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Ride-on mowers
M wrote:
Husqvarna make a superb product, unlike others they make their own, not a rebadged. They have a XP range which is commercial mower with twin piston engines and they also have single cylinder std range which is still better then most others Husky also have a range of front deck and also mid turn body riders, like i said easily the best range on the market Then there is the full bore front deck commercial range www.husqvarna.com.au Cheers Phil McDonald II wrote: Does anyone know where I can find some independent reviews/comparisons/prices of available ride-on mowers? I'm looking for something to cut 2-3 acres of grass (not lawn!!) - ground a bit uneven and grass long. Strength, easy cutting, robustness and reliability are more important than price. All things being equal I would prefer an Australian made one. All suggestions/experiences welcome :-) ___________________ Graeme Challinor Get some goats, and save money and time. Thyl'l clean up anything... |
Ride-on mowers
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