what 21 inch 4 wheel collector mower?

[The Jackel]

I have a dozen Hondas ranging from the 537 hrx, 536hrh, 535hrd, all good mowers. Engine and deck should never let you down. However the drives go for a pastime and are very expensive to fix. Had a few gearboxes on them apart and they are fairly simple so can be fixed yourself. Etesia 51 with Kawasaki engine are also very good and cut well in the wet.

[IVECOKID]

I do like Hondas But There parts are now obscenely expensive now.

 

 

Ste

[Richard 1234]

What about the kaaz equivalent of the Honda you like the look of, I'm going for the kaaz pro roller this year I stead of the Honda pro roller. If you go pro spec on the kaaz the gearbox is supposed to be uprated now on the kaaz. Stronger and 25%faster so I've been told by the dealer. Worth looking at anyway

[The Jackel]

Will have a look. Getting a bit tired of gearbox probs on the Hondas even on the pro rollers. It does make me think about the tread over the last few days regarding day rates for a grounds maintenance crew compared to that of a surgeons team. I know training comes into it but you can get through a lot on repair bills with even just a few pedestrian mowers!

[mowandgo]

I think the 4 wheel mower gearboxes are much better than the roller types. I had a hrh 536 i found it ate gearboxes the roller was to small and it was to heavy. The old hayter 56 was miles better it was the cracks in the deck what let it down. I run a Honda HRX 476 for my roller mowing 90% fantastic 10% junk. The height adjust handle snaped off in my hand and a shear pin broke twice in the gearbox. All fixed under waranty as it was only new in June 2014. Its a smooth belt drive, light 45kg, grass box gets ramed full every time, good in wet, as fast as most 21 inch mowers, good quality cut, easy controlls & manoverbility and plastic deck easy to clean very forgiving too. Just in some places build quality p*** poor which is naughty on the most expensive 19 inch roller mower on the uk market! I think with the hydro drive and 4 wheels the HRX 537 might be allright.

[miker]

Those poly decks are bombproof,any of the aforementioned machines are great, but like others have said 65kg is lumpy, i have ramps up into the van for my sarp 19"

[GardenKit]

I think the 4 wheel mower gearboxes are much better than the roller types. I had a hrh 536 i found it ate gearboxes the roller was to small and it was to heavy. The old hayter 56 was miles better it was the cracks in the deck what let it down. I run a Honda HRX 476 for my roller mowing 90% fantastic 10% junk. The height adjust handle snaped off in my hand and a shear pin broke twice in the gearbox. All fixed under waranty as it was only new in June 2014. Its a smooth belt drive, light 45kg, grass box gets ramed full every time, good in wet, as fast as most 21 inch mowers, good quality cut, easy controlls & manoverbility and plastic deck easy to clean very forgiving too. Just in some places build quality p*** poor which is naughty on the most expensive 19 inch roller mower on the uk market! I think with the hydro drive and 4 wheels the HRX 537 might be allright.

The gearboxes of the big Honda mowers are very similar to those in the Kaaz machines. (Kaaz manufacture the Lawnflite pro, Shanks,Sarp, Kubota, Cobra, etc)

 

There have been many reports of gearbox failure, but many, many users have had no issues.

 

The gearbox is extremely well engineered which is what makes it so expensive to replace, but gearbox failure as such is rare. What is more common is that the engagement clutch plates wear, firstly causing a sort of clicking when taking up drive and eventually no drive at all.

 

The wear is caused by the high initial torque supplied to the clutch plates. The box is shaft driven, so there is no 'give' and the mower is heavy so it takes a bit of effort to get it moving. The clutch slips and wears a little more every time.

 

This wear can be substantially reduced by giving the mower a bit of a shove and engaging the drive after the mower is moving. Some of the operator books even state this as the correct method (It helps to extend the life of any self propelled mower)

 

To overcome this problem the newer model Kaaz machines have a torque limiter built into the drive shaft which slips first therefore taking the torque off the clutch plates. I do not know if Honda have taken this up.

 

So do not be put off buying the Kaaz, which is in my opinion the best heavy duty mower on the market. Just use it properly.

[mowandgo]

Well the other thing is I love belts they take all the stress ( torque limiter ) out the drive and you dont get a horrible clunk or ON/OFF drive with as with shaft. A belt you can feather slow or fast a greater amount of control and when its worn out its £20 to replace. Also weight is a big factor for me the only tool what I found to work better heavy is a rotavator al the over tools chainsaws, polesaws, strimmers, hedge cutters all work better for me light. Every one is different and different machines work better for different people. Where its at for me is light manoeuvrable, simple and forgiving. I do like a bit of power too.

[GA Groundcare]

I've got a Honda HRG536 self drive in our workshops which we need to get ready for sale.

 

£175 including a service.