Looking for a ride on mower that will pick up damp grass if necessary. We
have a Yardman at the moment and it is O.K. in good conditions but it keeps
going wrong and we need to change.

thanks

kate

I apologise peeps, I have just done a newsgroup search and I see that I have
been here before with the same question, that was before we bought the
Yardman. The info is still as good as ever, so I will reread all the
postings, sorry again

kate


..
Looking for a ride on mower that will pick up damp grass if necessary. We
have a Yardman at the moment and it is O.K. in good conditions but it
keeps going wrong and we need to change.

thanks

kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
I apologise peeps, I have just done a newsgroup search and I see that I
have
been here before with the same question, that was before we bought the
Yardman. The info is still as good as ever, so I will reread all the
postings, sorry again

I purchased a Toro a few months back after looking at many others. It's a
direct collect (eg not a sweeper) and has a reasonably wide grass chute.
I've been using it to cut a paddock and a new lawn. Seems fine so far. I
ordered a 19HP model and one delivered was a 22HP but I'm not complaining.
It's got cruise control.

What swung it for me was the foot operated lever that allows you to change
from collecting to mulching without getting off the mower. That's great
because I can collect the grass off the lawn and mulch the paddock without
having to stop and fit a deflector plate or mess about. If the grass box
fills up when you are miles from the compost heap you can switch to mulching
and continue cutting as you drive back to the heap. Saves a bit of time.

The dealer I found was run by a chap who's been in the business for many
years and he seemed happy to tell me about problems he'd had with the
various makes he'd sold I can't remember them now but the only problem they
had the Toro was with the plastic running boards. The bit you step on to
climb onto the mower. Apparently if you stand on the edge it can crack after
a year or two. Looking underneath I can see the metal support doesn't go
right to the edge which may explain the cause. I'll be careful not to stand
right on the edge.

Otherwise the only things I've noticed a

The height adjuster lever. It works fine but sometimes it's not obvious
which setting (1 to 7) the lever is on (eg is it 3 or 4). Not a big deal
once you get used to it. I normally cut the lawn on setting 3 and the padock
on 5. Setting 1 must be quite short!.

I did the first oil change myself and it was very easy. Access to the engine
for that is good.

The metal front bumper gets quite hot. I found that out when looking for a
way to chain the machine up temporarily.

The keys seem a bit crude but then I've not compared them to other makes and
they work ok. A second key operates a switch under the seat to allow cutting
in reverse (a safety over-ride mandatory in the USA?).

Very happy so far.

Thank you very much for all that information re. Toro mower, its not a make
I know but I have printed it all off and passed it on to Himself, we want it
for cutting lawns and paddock same as you, our problem with the yardman is
damp grass and clogging up underneath. I have just done a search on Toro
and have found a lawn Mower dealer not far from us I didn't know existed so
you have helped me more that you knew :-)

kate

snipped all info.
Very happy so far.

"Kate Morgan" wrote in message
...
Thank you very much for all that information re. Toro mower, its not a
make
I know but I have printed it all off and passed it on to Himself, we want
it
for cutting lawns and paddock same as you, our problem with the yardman is
damp grass and clogging up underneath. I have just done a search on Toro
and have found a lawn Mower dealer not far from us I didn't know existed
so
you have helped me more that you knew :-)

kate

I don't think there are that many Toro dealers in the UK- the nearest to me
is this one. Seems a good chap...

http://www.bri-ag.co.uk/

They also sell Husqvarna ride on mowers which also look quite good but don't
have a lever to switch between mulch and collect.

Is the yardman a center or side chute? The concensus seems to be that center
chute is less prone to blocking better than side chute.

Many dealers will arrange a test drive for you. Might be worth doing that.
If you are anywhere near Huntingdon you could come see mine if you like.
Send me an email... colin.watters at turnersoak.plus.com

snip
Is the yardman a center or side chute? The concensus seems to be that
center
chute is less prone to blocking better than side chute.

Many dealers will arrange a test drive for you. Might be worth doing that.
If you are anywhere near Huntingdon you could come see mine if you like.
Send me an email... colin.watters at turnersoak.plus.com


The yardman has a side chute and the cuttings go into a container under the
drivers seat, it is first class for lawns and good conditions but just not
man enough for the paddock which is old ley and grows like mad :-)

Thank you for your kind offer to come and see yours but we are in
Gloucestershire, we have however been in contact with a dealer not too far
from us who sell lots of different makes including the Toro, I will let you
know how we get on. Himself is looking at a Hayter catalogue that came in
the post this morning, goodness knows what we will end up with :-)

regards

kate