Another ride-on mower recommendation please

[Tippin Alaybye]

Not wishing to hijack a thread or anything but got my ride on out last weekend. Thought I would be lazy and “mow” the snowberry trimmings rather than rake them up. A sizeable twig got in and jammed the drive belt and it snapped. Just changed it this pm and wished I hadn’t ran over all my dog’s turds before the twigs[emoji2961]

[Stubby]

I would strim round the tree stumps first so you can see them no matter what mower you get . 🙂

[DevonWoodlands]

22 hours ago, GardenKit said:

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.

 

 

Thanks so much Gardenkit, I'll add the 5092 onto my list of possibles. And great tip wrt timed decks and avoiding them.

 

Mulching - my work schedule simply doesn't allow more regular cuts, hence why I'm committed to collecting.

 

I think I'll try to give you a call over the weekend to discuss the options, thanks!

[DevonWoodlands]

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

I would strim round the tree stumps first so you can see them no matter what mower you get . 🙂

I do strim first, top tip, makes it all much easier.

 

Still weighing up the diesel options too as well as the Stiga & JD, and I have been sent some more info on the Iseki & Kubota options on the list, so they're still in the mix if anyone has any direct experience of them, I'd love to hear it. Cheers!

[Blake@waveney]

Had a stiga park pro rattled itself to bits. Replaced with a zero turn Ariens apex 52 far superior and within your budget. So quick and well made. Can fit a mulching kit also

[DevonWoodlands]

Interesting. Haven't really looked too hard at zero-turn, but their manoeuvrability could be great too. It would need to be a collector, have looked at the Kubota GZD15 briefly. Might have to throw that into the mix! I'll see if Ariens do a collector version

[Dawsons Groundcare]

11 minutes ago, DevonWoodlands said:

Interesting. Haven't really looked too hard at zero-turn, but their manoeuvrability could be great too. It would need to be a collector, have looked at the Kubota GZD15 briefly. Might have to throw that into the mix! I'll see if Ariens do a collector version

If you're thinking zero turn and set on collection then take a look at walker. The diesel machine will be way out of your price range but they do smaller petrol machines which might be. Not sure on dealers down there though. 

 

[Stubby]

36 minutes ago, DevonWoodlands said:

I do strim first, top tip, makes it all much easier.

 

Still weighing up the diesel options too as well as the Stiga & JD, and I have been sent some more info on the Iseki & Kubota options on the list, so they're still in the mix if anyone has any direct experience of them, I'd love to hear it. Cheers!

Have a look at the Etesia Hydro 124 .

[GardenKit]

2 hours ago, DevonWoodlands said:

Thanks so much Gardenkit, I'll add the 5092 onto my list of possibles. And great tip wrt timed decks and avoiding them.

 

Mulching - my work schedule simply doesn't allow more regular cuts, hence why I'm committed to collecting.

 

I think I'll try to give you a call over the weekend to discuss the options, thanks!

Pity about not wanting to mulch, it would save you so much time. And the Park is an incredibly well built machine. I have sold hundreds since 1989, many of which are still going strong. Hardly ever had a loose bolt, yet alone had one shake to bits. I would not use anything else.
Give me a call, I will be in the shop most of tomorrow, and even on Sunday!

[coppice cutter]

Personally I couldn't recommend the GR1600 highly enough.

 

Mine is approaching 16yr old with 1,000 odd hours on it and is still going like a train. Seems to defy the laws of physics by the amount of work it does on a ridiculously small amount of fuel, leaves a nice finish, and will cut and collect wet grass. Even at that age the deck is still as solid as a rock, I have a Major tractor mounted roller mower as well and I fight a continuous battle with rust on it every year whereas the Kubota just seems to be made a vastly superior stuff. "Japanese steel" as the saying goes I suppose. 

 

The top end of your budget should get you a new one with a bit of haggling and frankly I can't see why you'd even consider spending the money on anything else