GardenKit
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Everything posted by GardenKit
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Yes, They are marketed in the UK by Danarm. They have 19" and 21" models with, and without Rollers. Standard and Pro spec machines. The 19" ones sport a Kawasaki engine, whilst the 21" have the Honda GXV160
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There are lots of stories and I expect very few know the true one, not that it really matters. The way I have been told, although it was so long ago I do not know who told me was thst Kaaz used to make the Honda mowers on contract for Honda but Honda decided that they wanted to start building them themselves and part of the agreement between Honda and Kaaz was that Kaaz could start producing their own products using the same design (probably a Kaaz design anyway) after they parted company. Whichever way you look at it, most users would agree that the older (Kaaz) mower is better than the newer Honda. But to be fair, the Honda is not too bad either.
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The lawnflite is made by Kaaz, the Honda is not. Asuka, Sarp and Shanks were all rebadged Kaaz mowers.
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Hope you make a swift recovery Rich.
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As far as I can see, the HRH is Honda's attempt to copy the Kaaz. There is nothing like the real thing.
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Engine numbers are required for engine spares Bob, but just try cleaning the carb first. I guess its a manual choke and a GCV 135 engine, if so thats enough info to source a carb.
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I agree, but as you and I both know, the old (good) Hondas, were made by Kaaz. When Honda decided to make their own mowers it all started to go downhill, but they carried on living on the Kaaz reputation.
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Ah, if its the Kawasaki, scratch the spark arrestor. The carb could need a clean. you could start by taking off the bowl. Try to keep whatever fuel is in the bowl, in the bowl, so you can have a look at it. If its clean then the carb probably is, but if the fuel is contaminated then the carb needs a deep clean. But equally possible, it could be low engine revs. anything less than 2800 is not going to perform, so it may want tweaking up a little. Anything over 2900 will not conform to CE regs, but the engine will be safe up to 3600. 3000-3100 is a good speed.
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This Stiga was in for service today. Its a 2012 model and needed no repairs over and above the service. I really can't fault these machines. Incredible build quality, the only fault I ever have with this model is occasional wear on the PTO engagement belt if overloaded. This is very easily replaced. The latest 3 bladed deck like this one are V belt driven, unlike the older 'timed' ones. The decks have very heavy gauge steel and heavy duty bearings, a vast improvement on the previous ones of 10 years ago which were, frankly, a little weak. My least favourite thing on this particular mower is the Honda GCV engine. 2014 models sport the Briggs Vanguard engine which is, in my opinion, the best twin cylinder engine available for machines of his nature.
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It is Dave, and its around £100 plus vat depending on the model.
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Yup, the belt looks tight enough in you pics, so make sure your cable is adjusted. If that does not cure it then its a new gearbox. A bit of a fiddle to replace it though.
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I had a surpise gift arrive in the post this morning. It was sent to me by a fellow Arbtalk member, and has now taken pride of place in front of my Aspen display in the shop. It is totally unique and we think its great. Thanks Dan!
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I would agree that the Honda GX engines are brilliant, almost as good as a Kawasaki. But the GCV engines found on most sub £800 machines are nowhere near as good. A Briggs quantum, or their OHV engines are far superior. And I do see rather a lot of engines!
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The belts on those machines are generally pretty good and last well. They can be tensioned with the allen screw adjuster under the gearbox which pushes the the gearbox pulley rearward. The internal clutch in the gearbox is prone to wear. This can initially be adjusted out by adjusting the cable at the handle end (lengthen the outer cable) But it is not at all uncommon to have to replace the gearbox on these machines. If its fully adjusted and the pulley rotates, but the roller does not go round under load then the box has had it.
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Make sure the carb is clean, also the air filter. The spark arrestor in the exhaust could be blocked, especially if its burning a bit of oil.
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Bob, the GCV engine is prone to carburation issues. It simply will not tolerate contaminated fuel. It is generally easily fixed though, by taking it off (bit of a fiddle) and removing the main jet and nozzle for cleaning. A good blast with an airline is good, but an ultrasonic clean is better. Clean the main jet hole and mixing nozzle holes with thin wire 'pics' . It will hopefully then be OK. If not a new carb may be the best bet. I do not have any pics in my file of this, but will try to take some next time I have one apart.
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I am not a fan of Hayter for the reasons you state, and more besides. But I am a fan of the Briggs engine, if it runs poorly it can easily be fixed. The Lawnflite pro mower is made by Kaaz and is also available from Danarm. It is, as you say, a very good choice for the pro user. Just make sure the engine revs are correct, they tend to be a little low 'out of the box' and will make it a very slow mower to use.
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The thing with Aspen is that all the dealers buy at the same price, whatever the quantity. And there is very little profit margin for the dealer, so very little chance for discounting. A purchase of 9 cans from an internet seller would have to be discounted by 13% just to cover the £20 delivery cost, otherwise it would be cheaper to buy from a dealers shop. And 13% is way too much to be discounting this product. So distance buying is only really suitable for those who do not have access to a local dealer or have a cost involved in getting there. As Eddie has said, there is really no reason why any dealer should not be happy to take the order and have it sent straight fro AAOil, we certainly are. Barrie
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and having input I hope!
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Following on from Spuds hugely successful 'whats on my bench' thread, which is primarily for small 2 stroke kit, I wonder if a similar thread for mowers may be of interest? It will include mowers, both walk behind and ride-on, and will cover common faults and repairs. By reporting on strengths, and weaknesses of various machines it could also act as a kind of review to assist potential buyers of any models featured. Is this going to be of interest to anyone, either techies, or users?
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Ha, I have only just seen this thread Dan. Some nice work here. Sort of gets me thinking, hmmmm ?
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I charge £70, that includes the plug and vat, so thats just about the same as you. Its just that most of my custom is domestic, so we quote VAT inclusive prices.
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Haha, its a 'copy and paste' from one I typed a while ago. It's quicker to do the service than type it up!
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As said, the presets are just a starting point. Be very careful, as a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
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Ye, it looks like it Dave. But it comes naturally and is mostly done intuitively, by sight and with a wiggle here and there whilst cleaning. its not as complicated as it looks.
