V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
screwfix had some cheapish deals last year on 400mm cuts
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
that was one cheap JD Rubenhttps://www.screwfix.com/p/mountfield-sp53h-51cm-167cc-self-propelled-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/976fy
They sometimes have it at a discount too. Only mower my guys haven't managed to kill within a couple of seasons, and that includes Vikings (£700) and an Etesia which at £900 was the most overpriced pile of rubbish I ever owned. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) broke or fell off it. The dealer Richmonds Groundcare were a bunch of tossers, and parts for the wanky Kohler engine were 4 weeks plus leadtime. Make sure you get the exact mower in the link above. I don't care what anyone says, Briggs can't touch Honda for reliability. I'd sooner have a Chinese Honda copy than a cheap Briggs on a mower.
I have two of the mowers above, and cannot fault them in the slightest. Latest purchase (last week) was a mint John Deere ride on- X165. 94 hours on the clock- had to pull the transaxle and replace a seal , and I think he'd been cutting the drive rather than the grass judging by the bladesPaid £700, a day in the workshop and under £100 in parts and she was like a new machine on her first service.
I took it out on a job I normally just leave a guy on for a day- local church. Two of us had it bashed out in an hour and twenty minutes!! £160. Another hour at a local pub- offered whilst having a pint as I'd just bought it. £80 for two of us. Another 50 mins for us both at another church- £120. Swore I'd never be that old guy dragging a ride-on around behind a battered truck, but if you already have the contracts in place I think there might be money in it if you can bash it all out on one day. I've got two more hour long jobs for it also, plus it can do an hour of strimming in ten minutes so worth taking along in the back of the tipper just for twenty minutes. I've put ten hours on it this last week. I also have a less battered version of Rory’s, and a Scag flail awaiting some workshop time.
Looks like Gardeners World is back...
.... is that scag hydro or clutches and brakes .... newer sort of version of my old Ransomes Bobcat ... chew anything in its path
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
No, but it does deal with mole hills and palm leaves pretty well
Of course gardeners world needs a trailer for that ride on to take grannies down the cash points
now now Rory ... don't resurrect that one
..... for those wondering -- an old BCEF ongoing 'jibe' / craic
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
only in the non growing season
Now doesn’t someone on here have sheep as regular visitors
.... the fields around us are busily growing hay ATM ... no stock 'til September / October, depending on how well it grows .... and off again in March .... so it needs to be mowed 
TiltyShaun
Well-known member
My mowers have just got into the garden. Just past midnight and the Border Collie was happy to help put them back where they belong!! New gate latch required in the morning!!
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
OK .. here's .... the Great Dane Super Surfer
at rest
and taking a breather from the battle
looked for one for a good 18 months ..... bought this one and a second for spares two days 'fore Crimbo on Ebay .. for IIRC 523 quid ...... couldn't believe it ... usually make about 15-1800 quid ...... only issue was they were in Cornwall
so a few words were had with Lefty long reach .... and the kind soul went and collected 'em for me, so's I could grab 'em from his place after the season's festivities
Loaded yon van (courtesy of a mate) with white goods and furniture on the the 2nd January.......
and headed for Plymouth the following morning to empty said load at Josh's new house en route, then headed on down to Mount Hawke to meet Stuart (@Left hooker),collect me spoils and re-pay Stu, who'd forked out the wonga to the guy who wanted cash. .... got met with a very large pastie an' a brew ....
the dead one got towed into the van with the live one ... they both got tied down and I headed home
traffic was abysmal ...... for a lot of the Cornish leg
and 'twere late when i got back ..... good job there's no tacho in them vans
lumped the dead one out the following morning .... and hoisted it out the way with the 'Drema ... so's Pam could have try out ....
you'll notice in the first two pix that it now wears herring bone boots .... the turf tyres it arrived on were bloody lethal and I had it sideways down the bank a few times 'fore they got fitted .... that cured the problem
that was 2015/16 and it's been a bloody great mower ..... the new ignition switch a few weeks ago improved its temperament significantly ... had a habit of dying occasionally, 'til it got un-drive-able earlier in the year --- took a bit of sussing as it has so many kill switches it's unreal
I particularly wanted one of these, as bailing out off the back, is an easy exit if you get in the tish with it .... which i've managed a few times, 'til it got its new booties
Hydrostatic on the levers and will do 14 mph ... (think Stu managed that up a lane, when he collected 'em - said it was 'kin quick) .. turns on a pin head and is unstopable
it replaced my trusty Ransomes Bobcat I've had pushing twenty years ... ex authority and another one that massacres anything in its path .... great mower but used to walk bloody miles behind it ....
unlike the Dane, this was/is clutches and brakes ... let go of the Dane and it stops ... let go of this and you had to catch the bugger again did a hell of a good job though
so we come to the Countax .... have had it nine years and has been a damned good mower ... mulching deck and sweeper collector ... makes life easier .....
up on the bench for a good service...
had to have the trans-axle off it .... couldn't get it into high range .... hydrostatic on a lever ...
the jacks were a bit of overkill, but were the right height Charlie Hodna's finest in this .... Kwaka on the Dane and the Ransome .... try pull starting a 550cc engine on't Bobcat ..... bloody good job it was a second pull starter
damn .... I'm out of pic allowance again
at rest
and taking a breather from the battle
looked for one for a good 18 months ..... bought this one and a second for spares two days 'fore Crimbo on Ebay .. for IIRC 523 quid ...... couldn't believe it ... usually make about 15-1800 quid ...... only issue was they were in Cornwall
so a few words were had with Lefty long reach .... and the kind soul went and collected 'em for me, so's I could grab 'em from his place after the season's festivities
Loaded yon van (courtesy of a mate) with white goods and furniture on the the 2nd January.......
and headed for Plymouth the following morning to empty said load at Josh's new house en route, then headed on down to Mount Hawke to meet Stuart (@Left hooker),collect me spoils and re-pay Stu, who'd forked out the wonga to the guy who wanted cash. .... got met with a very large pastie an' a brew ....
the dead one got towed into the van with the live one ... they both got tied down and I headed home
traffic was abysmal ...... for a lot of the Cornish leg
and 'twere late when i got back ..... good job there's no tacho in them vans
lumped the dead one out the following morning .... and hoisted it out the way with the 'Drema ... so's Pam could have try out ....
you'll notice in the first two pix that it now wears herring bone boots .... the turf tyres it arrived on were bloody lethal and I had it sideways down the bank a few times 'fore they got fitted .... that cured the problem
that was 2015/16 and it's been a bloody great mower ..... the new ignition switch a few weeks ago improved its temperament significantly ... had a habit of dying occasionally, 'til it got un-drive-able earlier in the year --- took a bit of sussing as it has so many kill switches it's unreal
I particularly wanted one of these, as bailing out off the back, is an easy exit if you get in the tish with it .... which i've managed a few times, 'til it got its new booties
Hydrostatic on the levers and will do 14 mph ... (think Stu managed that up a lane, when he collected 'em - said it was 'kin quick)
.. turns on a pin head and is unstopable it replaced my trusty Ransomes Bobcat I've had pushing twenty years ... ex authority and another one that massacres anything in its path .... great mower but used to walk bloody miles behind it ....
unlike the Dane, this was/is clutches and brakes ... let go of the Dane and it stops
... let go of this and you had to catch the bugger again did a hell of a good job though so we come to the Countax .... have had it nine years and has been a damned good mower ... mulching deck and sweeper collector ... makes life easier
.....up on the bench for a good service...
had to have the trans-axle off it .... couldn't get it into high range .... hydrostatic on a lever ...
the jacks were a bit of overkill, but were the right height
Charlie Hodna's finest in this .... Kwaka on the Dane and the Ransome .... try pull starting a 550cc engine on't Bobcat ..... bloody good job it was a second pull starter damn .... I'm out of pic allowance again
Attachments
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
guess who, supervising the job .......
Clara loves sitting on the Countax and used to often insist on helping Grand dad mow the grass ..... on my lap
"I'll just take a nap here"
forgot this one ..... rarely has its cutting deck on ... more useful as a tug .....
where there's a mower ... you'll find Sparticus
last but not least is a little Mountfield 400mm cut, walk behind, for the little bits and the slightly hard to get at bits .... Bloody stupid plastic wheels on it soon lost what little tread they had ....... so .... enter one cam belt and a lot of really sticky sh1t
worked a treat and are still on there ........
....... two years later, with no sign of relinquishing their hold
Oh ..... and then of course ..... there's this
for the very hard to get at bits ....... takes no prisoners what so ever
and finally ...... i have to mention the trusty Husqy brush cutter/strimmer .... or it'll get offended ..... another one i've had nine plus years and gets some sort of use every year ...... highly recommend it as a motorised scythe ..... just keeps on going and going
Clara loves sitting on the Countax and used to often insist on helping Grand dad mow the grass ..... on my lap
"I'll just take a nap here"
forgot this one ..... rarely has its cutting deck on ... more useful as a tug .....
where there's a mower ... you'll find Sparticus
last but not least is a little Mountfield 400mm cut, walk behind, for the little bits and the slightly hard to get at bits .... Bloody stupid plastic wheels on it soon lost what little tread they had ....... so .... enter one cam belt and a lot of really sticky sh1t
worked a treat and are still on there ........
....... two years later, with no sign of relinquishing their hold
Oh ..... and then of course ..... there's this
for the very hard to get at bits
....... takes no prisoners what so ever and finally ...... i have to mention the trusty Husqy brush cutter/strimmer .... or it'll get offended
..... another one i've had nine plus years and gets some sort of use every year ...... highly recommend it as a motorised scythe ..... just keeps on going and going
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doobin
Well-known member
that was one cheap JD Ruben
Hydro. I think you set a forward speed, then squeeze either lever to slow one or both wheels and squeeze harder to reverse. I hope anyway. Needs to be quick to shunt, can’t stand using the bcs. Got a JD outfront on hire atm, nice machine to drive.
Mogman
What man as done, man can do, what never has,maybe
Here’s my machine
A john Deere 455 with a 4’ mulching deck bit over kill on my back garden took it as a part exchange on a machine
Needs to be sold really only done 1022 hrs power steering and hydrostatic drive cracking machine, for sale £1500 no VAT
A john Deere 455 with a 4’ mulching deck bit over kill on my back garden took it as a part exchange on a machine
Needs to be sold really only done 1022 hrs power steering and hydrostatic drive cracking machine, for sale £1500 no VAT
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Charlie
Well-known member
Interested Mog. The 455 is 4 wheel steer isn’t it? Where abouts are you?
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
tha's tidy Mog
...... pity there's no collector on it .... is it power deck lift on that ?? 
Powerfab
Well-known member
Here's mine, Yanmar RD 122
Actually it's not this one, but I couldn't find a pic of mine so lifted this off ebay.
It's a three cylinder diesel. I still marvel at the Japanese engineering and how they managed to shoehorn everything into this tiny bonnet.
The deck blows straight through to the collector at the back. The chute is massive, about 600 x 450 out the back. That and a huge collector means it carries some amount of grass. The hydro-static drive is up behind the seat and has two chain drives on drop legs down each side of the chute.
The fiberglass bodywork could be described as fragile, but I've managed to keep it all straight and in one piece for the past 5-6 yrs. It all lifts off remarkably easily to provide complete exposure to just about everything. That said, clearances for belts and driveshafts are minimal. There is no spare space under there.
Actually it's not this one, but I couldn't find a pic of mine so lifted this off ebay.
It's a three cylinder diesel. I still marvel at the Japanese engineering and how they managed to shoehorn everything into this tiny bonnet.
The deck blows straight through to the collector at the back. The chute is massive, about 600 x 450 out the back. That and a huge collector means it carries some amount of grass. The hydro-static drive is up behind the seat and has two chain drives on drop legs down each side of the chute.
The fiberglass bodywork could be described as fragile, but I've managed to keep it all straight and in one piece for the past 5-6 yrs. It all lifts off remarkably easily to provide complete exposure to just about everything. That said, clearances for belts and driveshafts are minimal. There is no spare space under there.
Mogman
What man as done, man can do, what never has,maybe
No just power steering on the front
Hydraulic deck lift a breeze to operate
I’m based in Cheshire CW9 6DA
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
I assume that's diesel is it Mog?
maz
Well-known member
This is the single best item I have ever bought, after the digger of course. Not because of anything particularly fancy about the mower, but because the wife loves using it so much I don't need to mow the grass anymore! Yeeha!
Quick clean at the start of spring.
Missus clogged the chute again cutting wet grass, out with the jack....
She wanted it under a protective cover
Quick clean at the start of spring.
Missus clogged the chute again cutting wet grass, out with the jack....
She wanted it under a protective cover
Mogman
What man as done, man can do, what never has,maybe
Yes 3 pot kubota runs like a sowing machine
wee_gus
Well-known member
I got a Hyundai petrol push mover of amazon in 2015, never changed the oil, prime the fuel and pull she starts first pop every time! Sharpened the blades last year, best £149 I’ve spent on a mower
Only thing I dislike is to adjust the height you need to unbolt the wheels and then rebolt they to what ever position suits.
https://hyundaipowerequipment.co.uk/hyundai-hym400p-79cc-400mm-push-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
tha's no good mate
..... needs to cut grass not sew yer new blue jeans bargain Charlie ... you lucky fella ..... would've been too tall for me/my application and no collectorYes please @Mogman I’ll have it. Will pm you tomorrow
... very nice mower Footer block 1