Are mulching mowers time savers?

[mowandgo]

I have two mowers this year Etesia pro 46 & Kubota 21 Roller. Both are great. The Etesia mulching realy impressed me so good at mulching and everthing else.

 

I have some big lawns that are too rutty for roller & to big for the 460mm cutting width of Etesia. I was considering a fast 4 wheel mower to clear thtough ground where finish is not esential. Also I hate stopping to empty grass box every couple of minutes & just want to keep going.

 

I realy want the big 53 Etesia mulcher but its to expensive for my mowing budget this year. I was looking at either a Stiga pro multiclip 53 or Husqvarna Biocut 53. The viking I have heard sucks. I thought I would post on here to here word on the street.

[tractorboy1]

Toro time master is a good mulcher use mine on a couple of large lawns and sports fields.

[IVECOKID]

Mulching mowers are Weather dependent, they all work well in a dry spell on well Maintained lawns regardless of make but if you are asking a Mulching on a fortnightly basis lawn that's tall then most will struggle to leave a decent finish. I have tried a few and its the same script with them all , I have in past put a few clips ups on my Toro Turf master and Viking an both work well for me and has you say they do save heaps of time .

 

Ste

[Shaunpaul]

As above, if grass is wet or just that bit too long you don't get a great finish. I have the Viking for a few jobs where it doesn't matter so sometimes just follow operator with the blower if it starts clumping up. Great for the dry weekly jobs though. Had the Husky which looks great but only single speed....fast, ended up shearing the blade boss bolt on long grass on its first outing, so returned it for the Viking which I've had no issues with.

[Burgess]

As said previous useless in anything but dry short grass.

 

I carry the Stiga you listed with me along with my other mower (which is a mulch or collect but isn't any where near as good at mulching) would never have one as my sole machine but when it can be used it is a time saver and well worth having.

[mowandgo]

The Kubota Roller I use for premium mowing on lawns close to the house. Far out paddock areas & rough rutty paddocks where roller can not do it & etesia does it well but is just a little slow as 460mm blade feels small. I am so pleased with the mulching abilty of the etesia I wonder if the Stiga 53 was as good & faster as 70mm wider. I have used the Honda versa mow it was good in bone dry late summer grass however the etesia made it look terrible & the heavy twin blade system sapped power. The over alternative is a ride on but there expensive, pain to load, thirsty & maintenance hungry. I also considerd toro turfmaster but heard there only good in bone dry too. Damp & duey etesia still cuts the mustard but in wet you can forget mulching the grass becomes to heavy & does not flow round the mulching system plus sticks like glue to everything.

[scbk]

Just recently got the Kaaz pro 21" 4 wheel mower, it will be similar to your roller Kubota. Fitted the mulching kit, not put much use on it yet but very happy so far

[GardenKit]

The John Deere JS63V mulches surprisingly well, even in long grass. It outperforms even the Stiga in long damp grass, though the Stiga leaves a finer finish in short grass.

A 6.5 HP B&S drives a 21" blade and rear wheel drive.

The only weakness are the rear wheels and gears, but even they are fine if regularly greased.

It also has side discharge.

 

All for around £740 at a JD dealer near you.