 | Home > Off Topic > Another lawn mower thread... |
 
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| gabe3105 Member Since: 25 May 2015 Location: Grimsby Posts: 237  
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Rob - thanks, that looks a great deal at £350. Unfortunately it can only do up to 400m2 so hasn't got the capacity for me
Rashers - thanks for the mulching info - I was aware it would take a lot more work than normal mowing but as it would only be a secondary mower I could pick and choose when and where to use it. I like the thought of returning nutrients to the soil though - would save a fair bit on fertiliser  |
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12th Jul 2016 10:14am |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471 
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I have a 3 cylinder diesel Iseki hydro commercial grade lawn tractor which has front and rear PTO, 48" deck [may even be a bit wider than that] and generally makes short work of my lawns and occasionally around the edges of the paddocks, verges etc that I can't get the full size tractor and topper in. It's got side discharge, mulch or collector [although I have never used the collector] and does what it says on the tin - the only drawback being belts are expensive and anything other than service items are silly money but being commercial grade it's heavy duty, weldable etc and so has shrugged off the odd occasion where I've inadvertently run it into a ditch etc. The machine will also pull relatively substantial bits of kit and has the benefit of very light power steering so is very maneuverable.
Before grass season proper this year I bought a new 42" side discharge / mulching deck Stiga Tornado http://www.stigalawnmowers.co.uk/tornado-3...-tractor-1 just for lawn use. The machine is suitable for lawns up to 2.5 acres and so far so good. I initially tried both discharge and mulch options but with the wet and warm weather the grass is manic this year so have stuck to mulching and trimming often. Unfortunately it's petrol, I say unfortunately as I'd like to have stuck to something that I could run on red diesel] but this aside, and the fact the steering is manual so feels heavy compared to the Iseki, I have no complaints and the lawn finish is good too. I like the fact that there are water hose connectors each side of the deck so when you have finished mowing you can run the machine with the blades engaged and hosepipe connected and on and wash the underside of the deck and blades. Price was sub £2,000. I did not consider a robotic machine, they may be ok on the main part of the lawns but I also have interconnected grassed pathways alongside natural ponds, ditches and other obstacles and I would not feel 100% confident about letting it loose unsupervised. TBH I know very little about them and as I didn't bother to investigate my judgement may be somewhat lacking  Steve.
Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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12th Jul 2016 11:51am |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3497
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Happyoldgit, I have lawnmower envy
Nice set up
May I ask, where did you purchase the Stiga from?? |
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12th Jul 2016 12:21pm |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471
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Sure. I went to Hempnall Lawnmower Centre at Long Stratton to see what they had in stock. There were plenty of Countax machines and some American lever steer ones [who's name escapes me at the mo] that I considered but they did not have a Stiga to view at the time. I was shown the Countax equivalent to give some idea of size etc but was informed that some of the Stiga's components were different and chassis a bit heavier - although I have no idea if this is correct or not.
I came home, had a think then rang to order the Tornado and was told the machines come direct from Stiga via MowDirect and they assemble / PDI. Three days later the machine was delivered and demonstrated here FOC. TBH I also considered a commercial grade Stiga with an out front deck but decided that the conventional tractor type was more suited to my needs.
As an aside for my circumstances there is no way that I would contemplate a cuttings collecting machine. While the Iseki will take accept the pto powered suction / blower fan and box the attachment is enormous and seriously inhibits maneuverability / access and also means that you can only cut up close on one side of the deck. The huge collector still means fairly regular interruptions to trundle off to tip the cuttings - the ever increasing pile of which are just an additional faff to have to deal with. Steve. Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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12th Jul 2016 12:42pm |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471
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I don't think I will be trying that one thanks
 Steve.
Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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12th Jul 2016 2:12pm |
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| gabe3105 Member Since: 25 May 2015 Location: Grimsby Posts: 237
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Thanks for the info. It sounds like some people have got some serious grass cutting kit
It's also nice to know that I am not the only one who hates collecting grass cuttings with a passion - I think mulching may be the way to go. Interesting about the Stiga too - I had looked at mulching mowers on the Mowdirect website and a lot of theirs seemed to be Stiga but to be honest I'd never heard of them so was a bit wary. Good to know they are a well known brand |
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12th Jul 2016 3:48pm |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4206 
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Seeng as this has become a bit of a show-us-yer mower thread. I have this for keeping one acre trimmed.
 Click image to enlarge  Click image to enlarge Plus this for for round the tricky bits  Click image to enlarge Sorry for going further OT. Maybe we need a separate, show us your machinery thread  |
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12th Jul 2016 4:25pm |
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| Romadog Member Since: 07 Jul 2011 Location: Powys Posts: 1749 |
Forget about mulching - unless you are able to cut the grass at least once a week on a normal grwoing rate and more times when we have a large mix of hot and wet weather . You will also need to scarify the grass as the mulched debris does attract moss etc to grow and stops air getting to the roots. Then when walking on the grass it feels spongey as the grass grows laterally too.
Isekis are very good mowers. HOG yours is of the earlier type with side discharge deck collection system. They have had out for some time now the best rear discharge collector system. SXG15, SXG323 or SXG326. However if you can afford one then this is the mutts nuts of grass collecting mowers. http://info.amazone.de/tv/Default.aspx?pat...p;archiv=1 |
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12th Jul 2016 5:36pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20339
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Anyone tried a mower behind the Defender?
Obviously it'd need to be self powered though, unless anyone has a Defender with PTO kit which is about £2k IIRC and even then probably wouldn't be suitable. Think this thread should be a garden machinery thread for general chat, seems popular. |
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12th Jul 2016 8:39pm |
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| Happyoldgit Member Since: 14 Sep 2007 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3471
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All I can say is my lawns haven't looked or felt bad or been overrun with moss in the years that I have just used side discharge or mulched. I do pull a set of chain harrows over them when the fancy takes me - which isn't often
Steve.
Owned numerous Land Rover vehicles of all shapes and sizes over the decades. Current Defender: A non tarts hand-bagged Puma 110 XS USW. [Insert something impressive here such as extensive list of previous Land Rovers or examples of your prestigeous and expensive items, trinkets, houses, bikes, vehicles etc] http://forums.lr4x4.com I used to be Miserable ...but now I'm ecstatic. |
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13th Jul 2016 12:56pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 20339
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I was thinking about getting a small chain Harrow for the Defender one day, although can't really justify it.
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13th Jul 2016 12:58pm |
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| languedoc Member Since: 13 May 2016 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 283  
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Mine can be towed by the defender, I just don't because of the turning circle. I do chain harrow with it though but make sure you get a heavy one with drag weights. Logic is a great brand but pricey |
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13th Jul 2016 1:05pm |
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| gabe3105 Member Since: 25 May 2015 Location: Grimsby Posts: 237
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Just to update on this.....I decided to bite the bullet and go for a robotic lawnmower - it gets "installed" tomorrow and time will tell if it turns out to be a genius decision or a costly mistake!
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10th Aug 2016 8:23am |
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| Cupboard Member Since: 21 Mar 2014 Location: Suffolk Posts: 2971 
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We've just bought a Husqvarna electric ride on mower and my boss seems to be taking every opportunity to get out and mow.
Apparently it's lovely but he hasn't let anyone else have a go yet! It replaced a Westwood of about 16HP and is doing a better job more quickly, much more quietly and at a fraction of the cost. |
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10th Aug 2016 10:01am |
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