Another ride-on mower recommendation please

[DevonWoodlands]

Hello all!

 

I’ve finally joined this excellent forum, after much research on here into potential ride-on mowers for my property, and this seems like the perfect place to ask! Apologies for the long post, but hopefully the details will help with the advice.

 

The property –

Total 6.5 acres of well-established (60+ years) woodland garden, made up of English oak, American red oak, beech, birch, ash, chestnut, cherry, acer, and quite a few others – approx 200+ trees in total! Also, being Devon, many, many rhododendrons!

 

Approx 2-2.5 acres of flat lawn with a couple of gentle slopes, in 4 different sections, and the woodland is intersected by paths throughout, some fairly narrow in places. Most paths are fairly smooth, but some are a little bumpy with tree roots.

 

Previous mower inherited from last owner – Honda HF1211. I know that will cause some surprise, given the size of the garden, but the little Honda lasted for around 8/9 years in the garden, with me working it pretty hard since I bought the place 4 years ago. It has finally died however, so the time has come to replace it.

 

Requirements –

• ·      Capable of mowing that size of lawn & paths with ease.
•        I usually mow for approx 8-10hrs every 2 weeks - either in one go or 2 x 4/5hr sessions (on the little Honda, only had a 28" deck and 170lt capacity - I'm hoping the new mower will cut that time a fair bit!)
• ·      Given my mowing every 2 weeks, and given the sheer amount of rain Devon gets, a pure mulching mower is not really for me – I’m looking for a collecting mower (I have multiple compost heaps to drop it all off)
• ·      Not too wide, so it can still fit down most of the paths as well – 48” absolute max, but probably prefer around the 42” deck size. And as part of that, the side discharge & collection types aren’t what I’m looking for, I think they’ll be too wide, so rear collection I think.
• ·      Able to collect wet grass without blocking is a big requirement.
• ·      And the ability to collect leaves (wet and dry), given just how many trees we have!
• ·      Some of the lawns have trees/beds in the middle of them, so manoeuvrability is also part of the equation. As is the height of mower for overhanging branches, and I don’t need high-tip
• ·      Ideally, I would like ability to tow a small trailer once or twice a year (I don’t own one right now, but for shifting logs around it would really help.)

 

In summary, I need –

1. ·         Durable, for the size of garden
2.        Rear collection, probably low tip, easy to empty from the seat
3. ·        42”/48” max deck
4. ·         Mow wet grass without blocking (ok finish, but not looking for bowling green perfection, or stripes etc)
5. ·        Collect leaves (wet & dry) without blocking, it must do this

 

Would like –

1.        Manoeuvrable
2.        Very occasional towing capability
3. ·         Reasonable servicing costs

 

Budget £5,000 - £6,000 total (inc VAT)

 

Machines in the mix –

 

John Deere

• X350R (new/ ex-demo)

 

Kubota

• ·      GR1600 MK11 (used)
• ·      GR2120 (used)
• ·      Not sure I’ll get any other models that are in good shape in my budget

 

Iseki

• ·      SGX216 (used/ ex-demo) – I don’t think this model has a tow hitch option?
• ·      SGX19 (used, not sure a decent one will be in my budget….)

 

Etesia (used)

• ·      Hard to find, and really expensive, so not sure which model would do what I need!

 

I feel a little lost, having started with a new Westwood T60 being recommended by a local dealer, only to read a lot of extremely poor reviews around reliability, servicing/repair costs, and differing views on whether the powered collector actually works in the wet…. With the new summer season fast approaching, I am keen to make the purchase in the next few weeks, so I’ve turned to the experts!

 

Thanks so much for any help/advice!

Edited March 4, 2021 by DevonWoodlands
Formatting & spelling

[doobin]

The dealer only wants you to buy the Westwood because they sell them...

 

You're almost certainly going to want a diesel model for that amount of mowing.

[Stihl123]

don't get a Westwood!

 

defo a diesel Kubota 👍

[harvey b davison]

You could speak to Barry on here, known as@Gardenkit. He runs a business in Devon. I know he's a big believer in stiga gear.

[Dawsons Groundcare]

You won't find a garden tractor type mower that will collect wet grass. Sounds like you're trying to find one machine to do two jobs which rarely works well.

We use Walkers which imo are the best collection machines out there. They are zero turn so levers rather than steering wheel. No good for towing a trailer and pricey. 

 

Depending on size could go with a decent pedestrian machine for the collection bits then a compact tractor with a finishing mower for the rest then you can drop the mower and tow the trailer when needed plus loads of other attachments for other jobs.

 

Personally unless you particularly love mowing the lawn the best option is to get someone to do the mowing for you. With the right kit it would only take an hour, 2 tops. No hassle with anything breaking down or servicing costs. Buy a little compact tractor to do the other little jobs yourself. 

[DevonWoodlands]

1 hour ago, harvey b davison said:

You could speak to Barry on here, known as@Gardenkit. He runs a business in Devon. I know he's a big believer in stiga gear.

I've read a lot of his excellent replies to threads, so will definitely be chatting to him, thanks! I believe he only deals with petrol mowers (mainly Stiga), and from everything I've read (such as the first 2 replies, thanks guys) I'm leaning towards diesel, but I'm still open to both.

[DevonWoodlands]

59 minutes ago, Dawsons Groundcare said:

Personally unless you particularly love mowing the lawn the best option is to get someone to do the mowing for you. With the right kit it would only take an hour, 2 tops. No hassle with anything breaking down or servicing costs. Buy a little compact tractor to do the other little jobs yourself. 

Thanks Dawsons, really appreciate the advice. Actually, mowing this garden is one of the greatest pleasures I know, so I actually want to keep doing it myself

 

And yes, I'm looking for one machine to do a few jobs, but I accept elements will be a compromise (for example, I'm not fussed about perfect finish to the grass cutting). At this stage, and with my budget (we've both been hit HARD by Covid in our jobs), I'm seeking the most optimal single option to fit as much of the bill as possible. I'm hoping one of those machines I've mentioned offers the ability to 90%+ of what I'm after (for example Iseka make great claims about collecting in the wet - I'd love to know if someone has one - and I've watched Youtube videos of the X350R collecting leaves quite impressively) and maybe someone has used one of the list to do similar work, or has experience of another machine in my budget that can.... Fingers crossed! Thanks all, please do keep the advice coming, I really appreciate it!

[GardenKit]

Hi DevonWoodlands, welcome to the forum. And a thank you for the 'shout out' from @harvey b davison.
Firstly, to put things into perspective, the Honda HF1211 which has given you such great service was actually produced by Stiga for Honda and fitted with a Honda engine. I have just this evening delivered a new Stiga version, the 2072H.
The fact that yours has done so much work is testament to the quality of Stiga machines and as it is one of the cheapest at £1799, and one of the smallest, you can be assured that bigger and more expensive Stiga models will be better still.

You are correct that Stiga do not offer the larger and heavier duty Diesel machines such as the Iseki and Kubota, but based on the service your Stiga built Honda has given you something like the Italian built  92cm Stiga Estate 5092HW at £2799 will give you sterling service and with the 290litre collector will go further between emptying than the 170litre box on your Honda.

The 92 cm machine has a V belt drive to the blades unlike the 42" and 48" versions which have a timed deck, and with your tree roots I would keep clear of timed decks as you will inevitably have timing belt failure. So if you would prefer to only spend £2799 one of these would do the job fine.

 

Stiga Estate 5092 HW

But to be honest I would not contemplate cutting the amount you do with a collection mower. I would go for the super high quality Stiga Park 740PWX with 110 Combi Pro deck.

 

  Stiga Park 740 PWX

I know its a mulcher, but its a joy to drive and excellent around trees and paths. It leaves an excellent mulch finish although it has to be said that the best finish will be had on more frequent cuts so you may want to do your fine lawns areas a little more regularly in the fastest growing season. Your wooded areas will grow slowly and so will be fine fortnightly.
I am confident that with the increase in size and power, and without the need to stop and empty,  you could cut your mowing time to about 3 hrs a fortnight  allowing you to maybe cut a little more often in high season.

Please feel free to give me a call if you wish to discuss further

[spudulike]

Not being funny but Garden kit is based in Devon and not sure exactly where the OP is based but it may be worth popping in to Gardenkits business (just Google "Gardenkit") and get an honest opinion from a fella that knows his business and isn't just trying to flog you the mower he makes most on or has the most stock of. 

I have known Barrie for a long while and is a decent honest bloke.....think we call it "Old School" not many of them around now!!

[youngsbury]

Use a husqavana ride on at work (R316 TX ) and can recommend . They seem to also do a model that collects although can’t comment as never used or seen.