Lawnmower help

[Amateur]

Last year my Mountfield mower with Honda engine, rear roller and acceleration control died.
The local dealer showed me a similar model explaining that very few makers now supplied mowers with adjustable throttle.
So the one I have has a fixed rev.
Great but its useless. Grass over 25mm it cant cope with. slightest slope it cant get up and just sits there.
So I took it back.
They adjusted the idle speed so that there was move power when I engaged drive and told me that it was the maximum they could set it at. The dealer also told me that it was one reason rear roller machines were being replaced by many companies with big wheels....and I suppose environmental regs control the revs and noise....hence the fixed throttle speed.
It sort of worked.....but this year we are back to square one and Im looking to sell this on or PX it.



Can anyone recommend a mower?
Not too worried about the cut dia....but rear roller...tackle wet grass, rotary, petrol., and slight incline.

 

[Tris]

Do you mean adjustable engine speed or travel speed?
I look after a few acres and we use a Hayter harrier 56, rear roller and variable forward speed. The roller is slightly ridged which helps grip but ut will still spin on wet grass on a slope. We also use a Toro (bag-n-mulch or something) which has a variable speed drive, harder you push the faster it goes. It's a wheeled one but I think they do a roller version.
Points to note are that roller mowers have to work harder to lift the clippings over the roller, if the bag isn't really clean the air won't flow through enough to fill the bag properly, and if the grass is wet try dragging the lawn with a dew switch or piece of netting (or even use a leaf blower ) to get the worst of the wet off and make it easier for the machine.
HTH
Tris

 

[flying haggis]

I have a lawnflite 553 with rear metal roller and not had a problem. mind you it is a heavy beast so perhaps thats where the traction comes from

 

[clogs]

perhaps you should find an independant repairer.....
dealers are restricted to the makers ideals....plus they only want to sell orig parts......
prob could be easily modified for what you want......even using spares from junked machines out back.....
when in France I used to modify machines to what the owners wanted even on one occ making the power steering faster at lower rpm's for his wife to use easily......also modify to electric start......almost anything is poss if you know who to ask......
on another note, I was so inundated with work so I sent my wife to the parts shop for a new blade belt for my own mower.....
almost 3m long......she came back saying that the guy suggested she buy a new mower as that belt was no longer available....!!!!!.
bring your old mower in for part exchange against a new one.....price quoted was almost €4500 euro's.....hahaha.....
he lost all my business and I spent a lot of money there over the years......within 2 years he was gone.....
trust the French, never......
So after that experience all spares were bought from UK suppliers and shipped via couriers...........
that new belt from a power bearing supplier was just a 10ner.......

if that is the only prob with your mower look elsewhere for repairs.......

 

[Amateur]

Do you mean adjustabl

Thankyou
There is no adjustable speed or travel. They are both fixed

 

[Amateur]

perhaps you should find an independant repairer.....
dealers are restricted to the makers ideals....plus they only want to sell orig parts......
prob could be easily modified for what you want......even using spares from junked machines out back.....
when in France I used to modify machines to what the owners wanted even on one occ making the power steering faster at lower rpm's for his wife to use easily......also modify to electric start......almost anything is poss if you know who to ask......
on another note, I was so inundated with work so I sent my wife to the parts shop for a new blade belt for my own mower.....
almost 3m long......she came back saying that the guy suggested she buy a new mower as that belt was no longer available....!!!!!.
bring your old mower in for part exchange against a new one.....price quoted was almost €4500 euro's.....hahaha.....
he lost all my business and I spent a lot of money there over the years......within 2 years he was gone.....
trust the French, never......
So after that experience all spares were bought from UK suppliers and shipped via couriers...........
that new belt from a power bearing supplier was just a 10ner.......

if that is the only prob with your mower look elsewhere for repairs.......

Thats a good idea.
I could increase the RPM myself but afraid of going out of spec
That would cure the cutting speed and travel speed together which could improve its performance.
Just afraid I may over do it and blow the engine up..
So an independent may be a good way forward

 

[Cozzer]

Can anyone recommend a mower?
Not too worried about the cut dia....but rear roller...tackle wet grass, rotary, petrol., and slight incline.

Honda Izy...

 

[HappyHacker]

I have a John Deere rotary with a rear roller, it cost a fortune. I cannot recommend it. If I cut the grass twice a week - No issue. Let it grow a little bit long and I have to take a 1/2 inch at a time otherwise the output to the grass box blocks. It also tends to knock some longer bits flat so the next day it looks as if it has not been cut.

The front wheels also tend to fall off the older ones like mine as the stub axle had a sharp corner where the diameter reduced, the new stub axles are rounded there so hopefully a one off repair.

After i had bought it I was told not to hose the deck underneath to clean it as it causes the clutch on the blade to rust and stick.

Having said the above, it starts every time, has a speed control which varies it from walking pace to a very fast walking pace, has throttle but needs to be run at max to work well and has had no other problems.

 

[Spectric]

I think I have the same mower, Mountfield as they make good chassis and the Honda OHC as they make best engines. No throttle so fixed speed but engine controled by governor, idea is as load increases, RPM drops and so governor responds and increases RPM. What is wrong with a throttle and manual choke, also it can backfire on cold starting which wakes a few people up but is apparently normal with the auto choke system.

I much prefered mowers that you controlled even if they were a bit on the smoky side.

 

[Amateur]

Its all to do with noise polution from what I gather and EU rulings

 

[Alexam]

I used Mountfield rotary mowers for many years and they were first class, but at the last change in 2015 , moved to a COBRA, which has a Briggs & Stratton engine. Just as good, perhaps even better, so I can highly recommend either.