In praise of cheap mowers.

[Trailoftears]

Just for anyone looking for a decent pro backup mower.Theres a lot to like about the stihl 253 t s.propelled mower.Light as a feather with a tin/steel deck,20+"  cut,also a brisk forward speed.Theoretically at least it can be found for a sub £400 price which I  find acceptable.Also has single point height and a readystart engine.box has full indicator-which works. (thankfully no longer a b&s.'engine').Ideal for domestic use too+useful for biz use where steps/narrow access is a problem.Its 27 odd kgs-compared to my kubota kazz mower of 63kgs its like using a childs pram!

One or 2 faults-the solid box @50l is undersized,also the clip together box needs a couple of.s.tapping screws to keep it strong.

Overall tho,its decent value for a budget mower.Just change the engine oil@5 hours/then 10 hours and you should get a few years out of it!

 

[Stere]

Just got a cheap-ish stiga/ (Its near the same mower as the honda mountfields, the spares parts have the same part number codes)

 

Stiga Combi 53 SVQ H Petrol 51cm Self-Propelled Lawn Mower | Charlies

WWW.CHARLIES.CO.UK

 

Wanted the side discharge option.

 

On paper a better spec  Honda GCVx170 engine with more HP  versus than stihls own brand engine....?

 

 

 

Was tempted with this GCV 200 honda engined one  but chickened out as spares only seem to exist in italy:

 

 

Ama TRX 531H petrol lawn mower with Honda engine

WWW.EBAY.CO.UK

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Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Ama TRX 531H petrol lawn mower with Honda engine at the...

 

 

Imo a 53cm deck needs a decent engine esp  if grass is long wet etc many mowers seem to have have engines abit to weak for the width  of deck...

 

 

Oil change after 5hrs then 10hrs didn't realize that that, but seem its what they recommend.

 

Never have done  that before with previous mowers.....

[doobin]

The Honda mountfields are great mowers- much more reliable than my £1000 Etesia or the £700 Viking.

[Trailoftears]

I fully agree having a honda unit bolted on your mower is a great basis for longevity.You will tend not to find the GX ohv unit on any but the top price mowers.But the domestic gcv ohc unit is tried and tested on an innumerable amount of mowers of all brands.while its always a good plan to regulary oil change,I believe the GCV engine has an internal belt bathed in oil-so v.important to watch your oil level/qualityI would imagine. 

[pleasant]

The GX engine range you will only find on the 'top price mowers' because the GX is a pro user engine, so only fitted to pro spec machines.

 

The GCV range engines are domestic product, now made in China to Hondas spec. Yes, a good engine (now superceeded by the GCVX range) that runs on less oil that a briggs engine with a neoprene timing belt running in the sump lubed by the sump oil.so oil level is critical.

 

Yes, oil change after first 5 hours...using 10/40 10/30 15/30 or 15/40....any of those grades are fine in the uk with our temp range. Dont use briggs sae30 single grade oil though...must be a multi grade.

 

Unlike a briggs engine, oil level is checked by dipping the dipstick, not screwing it back in to check. So unscrew it, wipe clean then dip it back it but dont screw it in. If you do you will get a false reading.

 

Only big issue with these engines is the carbs...both earlier manual choke and later auto choke. They hate anything but fresh fuel....preferably aspen 4 or pump e5. They are notorious for needing carbs for machines that have had fuel left in them.....pilot jets gum up really easy and are a pig to get right ....and the carbs are a pain to remove and replace unlike a briggs.

 

Run your engines dry of fuel when storing longer than a month and if you can, get a 10mm spanner and loosen the float bowl screw to drain it down. You will be doing yourself a favour if you do.

Edited April 5, 2023 by pleasant

[Trailoftears]

Yep,the gx engine in my book is one of the finest small engine units money can buy,If you ever bought a generator-thats the engine you want to see on it.Q..shocked Honda are withdrawing in the U.S.A.,where their engines/mowers sold pretty well-environmental issues/fines I guess?

[Trailoftears]

Interesting looking 'up' into the nxt series of stihl mowers-series 4-same engine/plastic decks+a smaller cut too.Interesting 'upgrade'!

[Trailoftears]

Basically, these 'new' stihl branded mowers are simply re-branded versions of their old sister company/subsidiary viking range which were marketed as 'high-end' domestic mowers.They at least seem to have learnt one important lesson-you can (possibly),rebrand/sell much the same mower range as you did 5 years ago but DITCH THE SHITE B&S motors.

[Stere]

 Kawasaki engines on there pro models & own brand or kohler engines on the homeowner mowers?

 

Seems alot less about of thoose 2  than the B&S ones.

 

 

[pleasant]

13 hours ago, Stere said:

 Kawasaki engines on there pro models & own brand or kohler engines on the homeowner mowers?

 

Seems alot less about of thoose 2  than the B&S ones.

 

 

The 'own brand' engines are what they refer to as the EVC200 and EVC300 series, which are rebadged chinese Loncin engines. They decided to fit these engines as they are a lot cheaper than the Briggs equivalents these engines are the same series that are fitted to a multitude of entry level mowers.....such as b&q mountfields,  a lot of the aldi crap offerings and other budget names. There are some differences in terms of choke operation etc, but they are essentially the same none the less. Would still have a Briggs engine compared to a Loncin anyday......at least if you do need to repair it, you can at least get briggs parts.

Edited April 16, 2023 by pleasant