Show us your......lawnmower !
Discussion
rxe said:
I've just bought a Kubota G26 High Dump. Bloody marvellous thing. The guy who delivered it was at pains to point out the radiator screen - "if you do nothing else in terms of maintenance, pull this out every day and knock the crud out". I've never spotted material crud in it, but I check it all the same.
In terms of the cut - that's all about setting the scalping wheels correctly and not trying to razor cut a lumpy lawn. Ours is modelled on the Somme, and with the scalping wheels set, it does a perfect job.
Note that when the kubota over heats, there is the buzzer AND the whole instrument panel starts flashing.
Nice - that's a beast!In terms of the cut - that's all about setting the scalping wheels correctly and not trying to razor cut a lumpy lawn. Ours is modelled on the Somme, and with the scalping wheels set, it does a perfect job.
Note that when the kubota over heats, there is the buzzer AND the whole instrument panel starts flashing.
Got any pictures?
Yes agreed, scalping is down to having the deck too low and the wheels set wrong, so I fail to see how the scalping and engine failure (sounds like you'd have to be not only deaf but also blind for that to happen
) could be the fault of the manufacturer.Edited by Timbuktu on Sunday 3rd May 19:28
Not great pictures, as it is arsing down with rain. Here it is in its rather crowded shed. The workbench at the back was last weeks project, so the place is a mess.
Oh yes, it has cruise control, but I've not used it yet. But then I don't use it in the car either....!
Oh yes, it has cruise control, but I've not used it yet. But then I don't use it in the car either....!
Edited by rxe on Tuesday 28th April 19:01
V8Lover84 said:
sparkythecat said:
My 1980's Atco 12/36 with custom manifold and BSA Bantam pipe
Moto-Lita steering wheel mod
And the best bit - the tired and wheezy old B&S motor replaced with this rascal
Hi Sparky the Cat!Moto-Lita steering wheel mod
And the best bit - the tired and wheezy old B&S motor replaced with this rascal
Im hoping you may be able to help me!
My late grandads Atco 12 36 mower has just thrown its conrod through the engine housing and after being told to scrap it and actually getting somewhat upset at the prospect, I took to the internet to try and find a replacement B&S 12HP block.
I came across your post on here about you swapping the engine but the images you posted are no longer viewable.
Would you be willing to let me know which engine you retrofitted so I can get some life back into the old girl? Really dont want her to go up there with my grandad (as much as he'd love to jump on it and cut gods paddocks)!!!!
You can get me on 07908080195 if its easier.
Best regards
Benedict
Hi Benedict,
Wow, that post is a blast from the past!
I struck really lucky at the time and came across a brand new Honda GXV390 13hp electric start engine in an eBay auction with only a couple of bidders. I got it for about £250, when in reality it was worth well more than double that.
It was an easy swap, even the mounting holes lined up with those of the old B&S unit. I just had to make up a suitable exhaust and manifold.I ran the mower for a few years after that and only sold it when I reduced the size of my garden.
I'll see if I can find the photos - they are probably on an old hard drive. They dropped off PH when I closed my photobucket account as they had started charging exorbitantly for hosting.
If I were you I'd would keep the old boys ATCO going if you can. They don't build them like that any more ! The cutting deck has no curves and can easily be repaired if you're handy with a welder, or you can even do as I did and make a new deck fairly easily. The only expensive bits are the bearings. Curiously old imperial sizes of bearing are much dearer than metric sized ones.
I'll try and find some photos for you, but if you've any more questions, ask away.
Good luck and kind regards
Sparky The Car
Timbuktu said:
dsl2 said:
Purchased a new Kubota diesel ride on about 6 years ago, turned out to be the biggest pile of do-do I've ever bought.
Terrible cut, scalping all over the place, forever blocking up the internal grass chute whenever it was the tiniest bit damp then the pulley spring tightening mount ripped out of the deck in the second year. Final nail in the coffin was when my deaf gardener who'd not heard the alarm going as it was overheating due to a pussy willow fluff build up on the rad intake scrapped the engine........
Very glad I wrote a letter of compliant to Kubota a month prior to the engine issue, to their credit very concerned about my comments really looked after me fitting a brand new engine for £600.
Thankfully, my experience of Kubota has been the exact opposite.Terrible cut, scalping all over the place, forever blocking up the internal grass chute whenever it was the tiniest bit damp then the pulley spring tightening mount ripped out of the deck in the second year. Final nail in the coffin was when my deaf gardener who'd not heard the alarm going as it was overheating due to a pussy willow fluff build up on the rad intake scrapped the engine........
Very glad I wrote a letter of compliant to Kubota a month prior to the engine issue, to their credit very concerned about my comments really looked after me fitting a brand new engine for £600.
My lawn is flatish but also has a lot of bumps and mounds. No scalping, can mow at full speed even when the grass is wet and it rarely blocks and when it does, a few shakes of the lever clears it.
I don't think you can really blame the engine blowing on Kubota when it clearly says in the manual to clear out the air intake grill after every use and it was allowed to build up to the point of engine failure? I'm glad for your sake that you got a cheap new engine but it sounds like that particular problem was caused by user error.
I inherited a Castel Garden ride on 21hp from my Dad and although it was in fairly good nick, I've managed to see the deck rusted right through and it's terrible at clogging up and uneven cut on sloping parts of the lawn. I've over 6 acres of overgrown garden and forest. I really need something to gather up all the fallen branches in the winter and lug the logs around.
A back hoe would be nice too.
So its Kubota or John Deere I suppose. Gonna cost me a fortune I'm sure.
Mower currently in for service, whi are currently closed due to Covid. It's been there 4 weeks and likely to be there another 4 weeks by the sounds of it, which is a bit of a pain.
Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
Hobo said:
Mower currently in for service, whi are currently closed due to Covid. It's been there 4 weeks and likely to be there another 4 weeks by the sounds of it, which is a bit of a pain.
Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
As an ex golf course greenkeeper, I appreciate the lines.Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
My garden is too rough for a cylinder mower, I just use a mountfield 480R rotary with a rear roller(or a small snapper ride on if I feel like making a racket!) , stripes aren't as nice as yours but they're stripes nonetheless.
I posted mine before but they got eaten by the great Photobucket money-grab a few years ago, so here they are again!
A rag tag collection of old equipment, but they get the job done. My beloved 35 year old Japanese 3 cylinder diesel 4x4 Yanmar rice paddy tractor drags an unbranded rusty 4’, 3-blade finishing mower to do the big bits. The engineering quality of the Yanmar is something else, it’s really just a full size farm tractor shrunk down. It should last me forever, it only had something like 650 hours on it when I got it and only put 50 to 100 hours on every year.
A US made DR wheeled trimmer with a nice 152cc Kawasaki engine gets round the edges and in the trees. The engine has a popper oil pump and spin on filter, unlike cheaper machines that just have splash lubrications, so it should have a long life. It’s about 20 years old and I got it for free when we moved in because the previous owner of our house thought the engine was knackered. It turned out it was just so full of engine oil it had leaked past the piston and filled the cylinder up. Runs beautifully with right amount of oil in it.
Finally, the Lidl special push mower. I bought it to tide me over, not expecting it to last long. But it has decent 125cc Briggs engine which has kept going with just an annual oil change and a new pair of front wheels. I might treat it to a spark plug next year.
A rag tag collection of old equipment, but they get the job done. My beloved 35 year old Japanese 3 cylinder diesel 4x4 Yanmar rice paddy tractor drags an unbranded rusty 4’, 3-blade finishing mower to do the big bits. The engineering quality of the Yanmar is something else, it’s really just a full size farm tractor shrunk down. It should last me forever, it only had something like 650 hours on it when I got it and only put 50 to 100 hours on every year.
A US made DR wheeled trimmer with a nice 152cc Kawasaki engine gets round the edges and in the trees. The engine has a popper oil pump and spin on filter, unlike cheaper machines that just have splash lubrications, so it should have a long life. It’s about 20 years old and I got it for free when we moved in because the previous owner of our house thought the engine was knackered. It turned out it was just so full of engine oil it had leaked past the piston and filled the cylinder up. Runs beautifully with right amount of oil in it.
Finally, the Lidl special push mower. I bought it to tide me over, not expecting it to last long. But it has decent 125cc Briggs engine which has kept going with just an annual oil change and a new pair of front wheels. I might treat it to a spark plug next year.
NDA said:
What's the wheeled strimmer like? I was temped by one a few years ago....
It is fun, like a mediaeval flail, you need some PPE on when using it! Would I buy one if it were my money? Probably not. Most of what I use it for could be done nearly as with a good commercial grade strimmer for a lot less money, but a little slower. Mine isn’t self propelled to its a heavy lump to push on slopes. If you need to do a lot of overgrown land clearance I could imagine it would be very handy.Hobo said:
Mower currently in for service, whi are currently closed due to Covid. It's been there 4 weeks and likely to be there another 4 weeks by the sounds of it, which is a bit of a pain.
Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
Wow what a thing of beauty! I've been looking at getting a new mower for a while and would love an Allett. My budget wouldn't stretch to the Kensington models but the Sandringham may just be in reach if I talk the wife around! My garden is 980sq ft so not large and is flat too so a cylinder mower would be ok.Main mower, Allett Kensington 17 with 6 blade, 10 blade, scarifier, verticut & aerator cartridges;
Also just bought this Webb push mower for the smaller lawns as the Allett is pretty heavy, and I like stripes so an electric rotary is doing it for me;
Do you know much about the Sandringham model and how good they are compared to the Kensington?
GTO-3R said:
Wow what a thing of beauty! I've been looking at getting a new mower for a while and would love an Allett. My budget wouldn't stretch to the Kensington models but the Sandringham may just be in reach if I talk the wife around! My garden is 980sq ft so not large and is flat too so a cylinder mower would be ok.
Do you know much about the Sandringham model and how good they are compared to the Kensington?
Also very keen to hear the answers to this! The Liberty 43 looks to be the cordless version of the Kensington and has all the additional attachments. The smaller <17 units only seem to have a Scarifier attachment accessory. So my guess is they have a couple of versions of domestic mower and they are all based off of that? Above 17 means all the attachments? Classic 17 looks like better value but again unsure if it has all the attachment options! Do you know much about the Sandringham model and how good they are compared to the Kensington?
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