hi everybody, im looking for a new mower. i have, at present, a qualcast 38cm which cuts almost perfectly until you set it at a very low hieght when you then get "ripple" effect on the lawn.
im after a petrol free/electric free mower minimum of 8 blades in the cylinder and preferably a 20" cutting width and something that will go down to about quarter inch cut.

Is there any out there with this spec or will i have to get a blade manufactured for my qualcast?

im almost completely satisfied with the qualcast because of its extreme lightness in weight and the blade is easy to sharpen by using a cordless drill and lapping compound.

or can this qualcast be modified by replacing the gears inside the wheel???
im hoping to find here a clever old hand who may have altered an existing handpush lawnmower so it performs like the old classics that they dont seem to produce anymore, or is it i just cant find a one......

thanks to you all for reading this thread and look forward to your replies

On Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:43:24 +0000, lousund
wrote:

hi everybody, im looking for a new mower. i have, at present, a qualcast
38cm which cuts almost perfectly until you set it at a very low hieght
when you then get "ripple" effect on the lawn.
im after a petrol free/electric free mower minimum of 8 blades in the
cylinder and preferably a 20" cutting width and something that will go
down to about quarter inch cut.

Is there any out there with this spec or will i have to get a blade
manufactured for my qualcast?

I can recommend the Brill Razor Cut 38, only 5 blades and only goes down
to 14mm (about half inch) though.

Do you cut your lawn to a quarter inch?

Steven
--
You're a great friend, but if the zombies chase us I'm tripping you.

www.baldman.org.uk

hello steve, i dont cut my lawn to 1/4 inch but i would like to cut my lawn to a quarter of an inch if possible. i totally re-seeded the lawn 2 years ago with golf/bowling green seed and mixed in a good ratio of sand to the soil (about 70/30). at present its totally a lush green colour and weed free very healthy.
from your experience would the brill razorcut leave a ripple effect with 5 blades? or is the mower have a better gear system which gives it more rotations as you push it? thanks for your previous reply,

neil

Hi there,

Unfortunately they dont build them like they used to!!! You'd be better off finding a (restored) ransomes ajax or similar as there are people out there that recondition these old mowers but they are getting thin on the ground these days. All of the modern build Hand Opperated Mowers are 5 Blade Cutting Cylinder to have a wider opening between blades to cope with longer grass but will leave a worse finish on a lower cut then a higher populated cutting unit. You will also stuggle to find anything larger than 15" / 38cm cutting width as anything larger than this would make the mower almost immovable!

One of the best hand mowers on the market these days in my opinion is the AL-KO due to its german build quality and ease of use but similar to the brill, it will struggle to go below 14mm.... see following link

AL-KO 38HM Soft Touch - 15" Hand Push Cylinder Mower - Lawnmower World

hi *mechanic*, the al-ko looks a splendid bit of kit which i may put on my shopping list. i have been watching the ransomes on e-bay and the restored machines look as good as new. the only thing putting me off is the heavy roller at the back. but with it having more blades it tick more boxes than the newer more modern push mowers. decisions, decisions.....!

On Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:23:37 +0000, lousund
wrote:

'Steven Wayne[_2_ Wrote:
;891169']On Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:43:24 +0000, lousund
wrote:-

hi everybody, im looking for a new mower. i have, at present, a
qualcast
38cm which cuts almost perfectly until you set it at a very low hieght
when you then get "ripple" effect on the lawn.
im after a petrol free/electric free mower minimum of 8 blades in the
cylinder and preferably a 20" cutting width and something that will go
down to about quarter inch cut.

Is there any out there with this spec or will i have to get a blade
manufactured for my qualcast? -

I can recommend the Brill Razor Cut 38, only 5 blades and only goes
down
to 14mm (about half inch) though.

Do you cut your lawn to a quarter inch?

Steven

hello steve, i dont cut my lawn to 1/4 inch but i would like to cut my
lawn to a quarter of an inch if possible. i totally re-seeded the lawn 2
years ago with golf/bowling green seed and mixed in a good ratio of sand
to the soil (about 70/30). at present its totally a lush green colour
and weed free very healthy.
from your experience would the brill razorcut leave a ripple effect with
5 blades? or is the mower have a better gear system which gives it more
rotations as you push it? thanks for your previous reply,

neil

My Brill has never left a ripple effect on a lawn, but I don't get to use
it that often. I mostly use a Hayter rotary for the speed and grass
collection.

The Brill grass box is almost useless. It's faster to leave it off and
rake up the clippings after mowing.

Steven
--
You're a great friend, but if the zombies chase us I'm tripping you.

www.baldman.org.uk

The one thing you have to remember with the old Ransomes and similar, for all they were built to last and they perform brilliantly, they are obsolete.... parts will always be an issue should anything happen to it. And yes, as you say they are far heavier to push around but the finish (and stripe!) they leave is nothing short of perfect with the right lawn conditions