Sit on mower recommendations
Discussion
I bought a machine a few months ago having spent half the summer looking.
I decided to risk the second hand route rather than new, so kept a close eye on what is/isn’t selling, depreciation etc.
I was amazed to find that ten year old Countax machines the equivalent of which would cost £3-4k today, were selling for between £1,000 and £1,500.
I was also amazed to find that an annual service will cost more than a service on a VW Golf! (hence I'll do my own annual oil change)
My neighbour has a Countax and a number of the add-ons which he offered to let me use if I happened to buy a similar machine.
That wasn’t what swung my decision in favour of Countax: it’s the fact that they have a “Powered Grass Collector” which is a glorified rotating comb that actively picks up grass etc rather than relying on the force of air to drive cuttings into the ‘net’.
The benefit has become clear during the last couple of weeks: wet leaves can be collected with no problem whatsoever – which has obviously saved a huge amount of time/effort with a rake.
I’ve since bought a chipper/shredder attachment (one of the only toys that my neighbour hasn’t already got) which is incredibly effective at generating mulch.
The only negative about Countax from my point of view, on every machine I looked at, is that their preparation of welds prior to painting is non existent, so almost every weld will be devoid of paint after a couple of years from new.
I decided to risk the second hand route rather than new, so kept a close eye on what is/isn’t selling, depreciation etc.
I was amazed to find that ten year old Countax machines the equivalent of which would cost £3-4k today, were selling for between £1,000 and £1,500.
I was also amazed to find that an annual service will cost more than a service on a VW Golf! (hence I'll do my own annual oil change)
My neighbour has a Countax and a number of the add-ons which he offered to let me use if I happened to buy a similar machine.
That wasn’t what swung my decision in favour of Countax: it’s the fact that they have a “Powered Grass Collector” which is a glorified rotating comb that actively picks up grass etc rather than relying on the force of air to drive cuttings into the ‘net’.
The benefit has become clear during the last couple of weeks: wet leaves can be collected with no problem whatsoever – which has obviously saved a huge amount of time/effort with a rake.
I’ve since bought a chipper/shredder attachment (one of the only toys that my neighbour hasn’t already got) which is incredibly effective at generating mulch.
The only negative about Countax from my point of view, on every machine I looked at, is that their preparation of welds prior to painting is non existent, so almost every weld will be devoid of paint after a couple of years from new.
Countax,Honda or John Deere.
I have a Countax Diesel,using red diesel makes it very economical to run,watched how the fellar serviced it the first year and done it myself ever since.
Totally agree about the collector,wonderful for leaf collection.
Disagree about the shredder though,found it a waste of time,forever blocked up and ate bearings,unless of course the later model is better.
I have a mate who works for the local council maintenance dept and he swears by Honda or John Deere,although solely JD now, and they really do get abused by the operators.
However for the size you are talking about I would seriously consider a small Kubota tractor.
I have a Countax Diesel,using red diesel makes it very economical to run,watched how the fellar serviced it the first year and done it myself ever since.
Totally agree about the collector,wonderful for leaf collection.
Disagree about the shredder though,found it a waste of time,forever blocked up and ate bearings,unless of course the later model is better.
I have a mate who works for the local council maintenance dept and he swears by Honda or John Deere,although solely JD now, and they really do get abused by the operators.
However for the size you are talking about I would seriously consider a small Kubota tractor.
Most mowers are copies of every other mower on the market and that includes all the house hold names.I have a 1.2 hectares of campsite to mow,which in April,May and June needs doing 3 times a week.I have a Viking(Stihl) with a 23hp Briggs and Stratton which is plenty powerful enough.
We sold our countax this year and replaced it with a 48" cut John deere , using the mulching plug which is excellent , no cuttings to dispose of . We have about an acre to deal with.
Also purchased a seperate leaf collector to tow behind when needed , had a first go of that yesterday and it is very good , with a huge capacity , as when I was collecting leaves with the countax I spent as much time driving back to the tipping area as I did collecting them.
JD also mulches leaves very well when there is only a smattering of them.
Also purchased a seperate leaf collector to tow behind when needed , had a first go of that yesterday and it is very good , with a huge capacity , as when I was collecting leaves with the countax I spent as much time driving back to the tipping area as I did collecting them.
JD also mulches leaves very well when there is only a smattering of them.
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