Lets talk lawn mowers.

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JBaz
guess thats an OK machine combo if u've around £150,000 to spend on grass cutting......
My old Massey 399 worked well with just a 3m wide deck.....earnt a lot o money with it......
 
I can cut a 7 acre fairly flat field in 2.5hrs, but it has to be a cold day other wise the Kubota will over heat, thats running flat out with no turns just round and round.
Originally it took me 4 hrs so I have refined it somewhat, but I need a bigger machine, I have a 54" cut at present but need a compact tractor with 7-8ft mower on the back.
Tractor mowers are just mental money for decent stuff, £15-£20k for a top end Kubota or Iseki new. Even decent second hand is £8k plus.
 
I have to say that my 30 hp Shire 330c has been very good to date (I'm touching wood) and has never baulked at a full a days work. I bought it new, but Shire went out of business, so getting anybody to service it could be a bit problematic. However, I'm pretty sure the basic machine is a Jinma and they are still around. For the money I can't fault it and with no barn or cover, it withstands the weather OK.

The flail is a Danelander and whilst it will cut the grass OK, my problem is handling the cut grass. The Danelander collection bin is designed for topping so it is very small. I can set it to throw the grass out the back, but then I've no way of picking it up. The field is too small to get a local farmer or contractor in to bale it and I can't justify buying a used small baler, even if my 30hp could drive it. At the moment I run up and down the field with a spring-tine harrow which picks up most of the (dry) stuff, but it takes forever.
 
Artie,
Husky's are ok, they are made on the same production line as many other ride ons.....painted diff colours and sticker name plates....
the plastics are a slightly diff shape and other cosmetic changes......
mostly all the bearings and blade towers are the same as a mower made on the prod line but up to and inc a £1000 cheaper....
My experience was a couple of years ago tho...they were all made in the states.......
for heavens sake make sure it DOES NOT have a Briggs n Stratton lump under the bonnet...
Because the new engines unless you get the proff type are just rubbish......looking for a prof type engine IT MUST HAVE an oil filter...
but then thats not 100%.....
I was offer'd a container load of brand new rides on from America...they all had B/Strattons.....
over there, warrenty claims went thru the roof and word got around and nobody would buy them.......
So now, over there they mostly have Honda or Kawasaki engines.....although Kohler is still good....
sorry to be a pessamist but this comes from 15 years experience.....
I used to buy up running ride on's just for the engines.....
also the main diff to a mulcher is just the blade style....I used to fit only mulcher blade to the machines I repaired.....
Def buyer beware....
 
If you are considering a Kubota or similar don't forget the Massey Ferguson 35 or 135 tractor and a 6ft topper. Many for sale, will be on top of the job and will appreciate in value.
 
Artie

I've had a Stiga Park Royal (very similar to the Husqvarna) with 122cm triple deck for 20 years. Brilliant machine, but if I was to buy a new one it would be the 4WD version. Reversing up anything more than a few degrees of incline with my 2WD and the driving wheels slip on the grass leaving scrape marks, especially if the grass is wet. Admittedly it could be tyre wear, plus the few pounds I've gained since I've had it!

Also, the 122cm deck needs the ground to be pretty flat otherwise it bounces as the wheels go over a bump. A narrower deck may be better.

Other than that, I'm on my second deck shroud and second set of cutter spindles, which I don't think is bad for the work it has done. BTW, I use JapG for spares now as the Stiga OEM parts are prohibitively expensive.
 
My wife and I once visited a friend and as we walked past his garage the door was open and it was crammed full of old lawnmowers. "I used to have a thing about old lawnmowers" he said rather defensively. "You still do" I replied "they're still there..."
 
I have a paddock <> a half acre. I have been cutting it with a iseki 323 48 inch cut.
/snip/
I'm not worried about having a bowling green, just reasonably presentable grass areas between the wild flowers etc.

Would I be better served with a cutter which mulches rather than picking the grass up?

Yes. I've never picked our grass up (1/2 acre lawn). I use a Husqvarna robot mower, which does tiny cuts each day and the pieces are so small they "vanish".

I also have a Kubota with flail and Wheelhorse ride-on with normal blades as backup. The flail will mulch the grass happily, the Wheelhorse doesn't, but it still gets absorbed into the ground in time.

The robot mower is the easiest option, but the good quality models aren't cheap. You can get mulching blades for almost any lawnmower, or you can just leave it on the grass and it will get absorbed in time. The real question is whether you prefer to use a robot, a ride-on, a zero-turn, a small tractor + flail?
 
I have a paddock <> a half acre. I have been cutting it with a iseki 323 48 inch cut.

I have decided to reduce the area of grass and have some wild flower and veg areas.

I got a good offer for the Iseki today so I let it go.

I'm wondering what would be best to replace it with.

I'm not worried about having a bowling green, just reasonably presentable grass areas between the wild flowers etc.

Would I be better served with a cutter which mulches rather than picking the grass up?
I think your idea of mulch makes sense.
The wild flower meadow likes poorer soil so mulching the rest of the grass will feed it and keep the wild flowers from spreading. Wild flower meadows are hard work to establish - you need to kill the grasses and wild flowers can be a bit fickle. You may get the wild effect by just letting the grass grow with a just a of wilding, or plan some more ornamental grasses. Veg areas are also hard work especially May time, about 40% of the garden growths during the month of May!

The iseki seems ott for 1/2 acre and certainly for 1/4 acre, you could use a normal mower with self power, but not need to sit on. The meadow you want will look most effective if surrounded by cut grass and cut paths through it, otherwise they tend to look like unkept rough ground.

My father has the full works with Webb/Atco cylinder for his billiard table lawn, but I find a largish 20 inch Mountfield rotatory mower (honda engine) that has mulch and collection box, works for me, and I can do 1/4 to 1/2 acre without need to sit on. The key thing to get mulch to work, is to not let the grass get long, but regular cuts. if it gets long either cut and collect, or lower the grass in 2 short goes. Especially if your live in damp Irish climate. Having the ability to pick up is handy, you can get ones with attachments that allow for both, although its important to have a good mulch designed if say you have a party or the kids do, and you dont want the grass. However if you finely chop the mulch it goes in a couple of days.
You will want to mow the meadow once a year or so and maybe collect the hay of it. You could potentially hire a mower for that one of job.

When I first made a vegetable garden from an old paddock/orchard, I used a hired rotavator to do the initial digging. one day and its saved a huge amount of back ache. Go loads of horse manure delivered each spring for first few seasons to get the soil going.
 
Artie,
Husky's are ok, they are made on the same production line as many other ride ons.....painted diff colours and sticker name plates....
the plastics are a slightly diff shape and other cosmetic changes......
mostly all the bearings and blade towers are the same as a mower made on the prod line but up to and inc a £1000 cheaper...
Guy came this morning and demo'ed the husky r112c, I must say I was quite impressed with it. He's talking around £2200
Any idea what would be comparable at a better price.
 
I just checked online. It has a Briggs and Stratton engine.

I've had a few B&S engines before they were bullet proof and lasted for years.

Have they gone down hill, or just certain models?
 
My experience with B&S engines is that they last for years but are extremely noisy compared to, say, a Honda.
 

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