Lawnmower advice needed

Hey there all,

My trusty Rover has broken down once too often over the last 18 months to justify fixing so I am in the market for a newy.

Have been onto choice mag and found some info, but their test was for straight mowers.
Wondering if anyone has a mulching mower out their or have experienced one.
What are they like?
I know they are a bit more expensive than normal mowers, but do the benefits outway this? I am kind of sick of throwing away clippings in the bin - compost will never be big enough to deal with the amount of clippings. I thought this might be worth it in environmental terms, but maybe there are pitfalls I don't know about, like do they work OK in long grass??

Thanks in advance.

used to use a mulching mower at work years ago (mtd maybe? cant remember exactly...), was pretty good and left little evidence that there was no catcher used. They have to work a bit harder to mulch though so usually need to go a bit slow on thick grass. Sometimes need to go back over twice in areas too. Good for yards where you dont want to have grass clippings in piles everywhere, or in garden sacks.

I had to mow wet bracky with it that was a couple of feet high or more in the wet season and it worked ok, going slowly, so they can handle high stuff if they've got a decent enough motor.

best results are mowing regularly to keep the mulch layer to a minimum.

I only have a normal pushie at the moment, and HATE emptying the catcher all the time!!

They seem to be OK if you mow regularly just skimming off the top. The grounds guys where I work have one but they then have to rake up the unsightly windrows of mulched grass. Why don't you consider growing some basic veges and use your clippings for that? Or, when rotted down, use as mulch for trees, shrubs and the like? With a tumbler type composter, you get useable compost in a fairly short time.

Cheers,
Keith

I prefer to do the same, great source of mulch and compost. I got sick of the amount left behind with the mulcher type.

Could always get a sheep or two, no need to empy as they do it themselves? But therein that does become a problem, plus you get visitors from across the Tasman........................

A good mulch mower doesn't leave rows of cut grass, unless the lawn has bare patches. The advantages of mulch mowing are that you don't have to empty the catcher, and the layer of mulch helps retain moisture in the topsoil (therefore less watering needed). The disadvantages are that you really need to mow regularly for the best results (but that's the same for catcher mowers), and that if you have a shady or damp area in the lawn, the mulch can make the grass stems rot and prevent the soil from aerating - I'm from NZ where that is a consideration (therefore mulch mow regularly in summer, catch the clippings monthly over winter), but can't imaging that being much of a problem in NSW. A lot of mulch mowers for home use have a plate that can be fitted or removed to convert it from mulcing to catching. Good luck

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Originally Posted by channa

A good mulch mower doesn't leave rows of cut grass, unless the lawn has bare patches.

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It does if the grass is too long to start with. And this occurs weekly in the summer months. Its a walk-behind Toro so its not a crap machine.

Having said that, I haven't used one personally. It may also be the operator??

I must admit to being a bit biased towards composting. I live on one & a half acres and use a catcher on my Greenfield all the time. Makes for a lot of clippings though. My compost heaps are better than one cubic meter each. Then again, we've got a lot of gardens to put it on. But with only limited water, composting is the only way to go...:)

Honda 4 stroke. Honda 4 stroke. Honda 4 stroke.

Did I tell you that the pro lawnmowers around here use a Honda 4 stroke.

My advice is get a Honda 4 stroke.

Honda 4 stroke? 500cc, two wheels? and knobbies to rip the grass out?

The old Brigs and Straton motors just seem to go on and on and on and on............

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Originally Posted by Termite

Honda 4 stroke. Honda 4 stroke. Honda 4 stroke.

Did I tell you that the pro lawnmowers around here use a Honda 4 stroke.

My advice is get a Honda 4 stroke.

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I agree.

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Originally Posted by bennylaird

The old Brigs and Straton motors just seem to go on and on and on and on............

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Yeh to the workshop. :p

Nah, they are better than they used to be, and Honda may not be as good, but our 18 year old Honds starts first pull everytime, or hornets have built a nest in the exhaust. :D

I am on 1/3 acre and have a Victa Corvette mulching mower with a Briggs & Stratton donk.

The guide with the mower said that for best results, only cut a maximum of 1/3 off the length of the grass. My experience with it is that you can cut maybe over 2/3 of the length, without it leaving excessive grass everywhere.

I find that if I mow every weekend during summer (which I would do anyway with the catcher attached) then I (and 2 landscaper mates) can't tell that it was done with a mulcher mower. If the grass if a little longer, I just throw the catcher on, or go over twice.

The upside is that there is no longer the need to stop, remove the catcher, empty it, replace it etc..... Just keep on walking. I guess in the end I prefer it to my old mower with just the catcher.

I avoided a mulcher mower when my old Rover with a B&S motor gave up after 20 years. Acuatlly, the cast casing broke, not the motor. :D

Anyway, the mulchers need to be done regularly as everyone has said BUT you tend to let it go sometimes (we all do) and the grass is a bit long and the mulcher struggles. I got a normal catcher mower and if I do it regularly it isn't too much of a problem stacking the grass in a corner. It doesn't leave clippings all over the lawn that way and I get a few since we have a 1/4 acre block. The mulch on the lawn also makes it grow quicker 'cos it's feeding itself. I don't like that - it grows quick enough now. If I don't want to use the catcher, I just mow it and then spend a few minutes with the blower-vac and blast the clippings around. Same result as a mulcher but the option of the catcher is still there.

Termite said, (almost) Honda,Honda,Honda. I have one and would never buy anything else in future . It is a mulching mower, and comes with a catcher supplied. My catcher has never been on the mower. Think very carefully if you are tempted to get the 4 stroke whipper snipper, the honda I have is a little too heavy Doug

I got tired of emptying the catcher so often and the enormous pile of clippings that grew and grew. SWMBO wanted me to put the clippings in the wheelie bin but I couldn't see the point in buying fertiliser, have it go through the plant once and then throw it away. Bought a mulch n catch (convertible) Victa and used it for over a year before SWMBO asked where I was putting the clippings! The only time it leaves a mess is when I let it go too long between mows and the grass is 5 or 6 inches long. That hasn't been a problem with the water restrictions in Sydney, the lawn (? yard) needed mowing once last year.
Cheers
Graeme

without running the risk of repeating everyone, they a great keep the grass short and all is good, I have had one for 2yrs now and would not have anything else, bought a Victa Commando (blue), easy to start.

I bought a Victa Razor about a year ago. It's mulch or catch, you take the catcher off & put a plastic thing in the back & it makes it a mulcher. It's been great & the few times I've let the lawn grow to long, just put the catcher back on for that week.

Redgy

How does a mulcher work on the dog mines? Not the easy to shovel up ones, the ones they love to embed into the grass?

Using and old victa without the catcher and have done for 30 plus years. The trick is not to let it get to six or eight inches. Its really good and saves wasting energy, our own form of fertilizer.

Regards Mike.;) ;)

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Originally Posted by bennylaird

How does a mulcher work on the dog mines? Not the easy to shovel up ones, the ones they love to embed into the grass?

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Who cares .. I'm watching someone called Nigella on ABC tv cooking. She is a goddess...what a body....:o:o:o

I've sometimes noticed the stuff she cooks isn't bad either???????

Used to have a Bolens dedicated mulching mower that worked well, got a (forgot name, red thing) 3 in 1 which was nowhere near as good, now we just let the horses in, pity about the exhaust though.
Got a Viking ride on with a mulching plate but never get to use it so can't comment on that.

Mine's a Honda 4 stroke mulch/mower. Had it 3 years, starts 1st time everytime (even for SWMBO). Wouldn't have anything else. Vroooommmm!!

OK, so I wasn't at work today so I thought I'd check it all out. I have decided on a mulch n catch type mower as you get the best of both worlds as some have said - if I let the lawn get too long, just put the catcher on.

This morning it was a choice between a rover and a victa.
This arvo it looks like a masport.
I will tell you tomorrow the outcome as I will not procrastinate over this decision....... but let me just think about that:rolleyes:

The honda's are a nice bit of gear, but I am strecting the budget at $600 and the hondas are a couple of hundred past this point, so I won't go the extra mile for them.
Masport seems good though, 6HP, alloy chasis, metal catch flap, mag wheels, lowered, spoilers yada yada yada;)

thankyou all for the food for thought and opinions it helped a lot.

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Originally Posted by Shannon

Masport seems good though, 6HP, alloy chasis, metal catch flap, mag wheels, lowered, spoilers yada yada yada;)
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Ahh, but do they have twin overhead reverse cam foxtails?

Richard

You wouldn't believe it, I went ahead and bought the Masport, opened the box and the foxtail was only a SINGLE overhead cam:D :D .... needless to say I took the whole thing back for a refund:)

First impressions are good, couldn't use the mulch function as the grass was a bit out of control, I get to try that out this weekend.
Pretty heavy machine though, stepping up to 6hp from 3 and a bit means quite a bit of weight, but hopefully with the mulch function means no weight of catcher and grass clippings and this will even it out a little.

Cheerio.

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Originally Posted by Shannon

You wouldn't believe it, I went ahead and bought the Masport, opened the box and the foxtail was only a SINGLE overhead cam:D :D .... needless to say I took the whole thing back for a refund:)

First impressions are good, couldn't use the mulch function as the grass was a bit out of control, I get to try that out this weekend.
Pretty heavy machine though, stepping up to 6hp from 3 and a bit means quite a bit of weight, but hopefully with the mulch function means no weight of catcher and grass clippings and this will even it out a little.

Cheerio.

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whats a bit of weight ya wuss! :D I miss the good old days of dragging the old mulcher up and down very steep banks to give them a cleaner cut than the whipper snipper...builds the forearms, biceps, shoulders and back! :D

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Originally Posted by Shannon

I went ahead and bought the Masport,...

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Which model did you buy Shannon? ... and how's it going?

I've got to buy a new mower next week and am having trouble deciding ... Honda, Masport, Rover... :confused:

Does your Masport have the feature called "Smart Chute" where it sprays it out the side?

I really want a self propelled model - it's a hilly block and knocks the s*** out of me every time I mow the lawn. But the SP models seem too heavy - there's lot of trees to manoevre around - and they lack features like mulching... :confused:

Davo

Over here the grass grows through your boots while your
stood there
John Dere. powerfull.
but do not hit a bit of railway line like the wife did !!!!
they take a bit of getting used to.
only one speed no throttle.

G'day there Davo,

I have found the Masport to be quite good. Much bigger fuel tank than the old Rover, it has a primer button which you give 3 squirts and one pull of the cord and away she goes, mulches well, good wheels.Not having to throw bucket loads of clippings away each week is high on my bonus list. This was the big advantage of a mulch n catch style mower, mulch for the most part to put the nutrients back in the ground, not having to increase landfill all the time, but on the occasions where you let the grass get out of hand, or if it has been too wet, you can throw the catcher on and still mow.
The masport does not have the side shoot though. I know that some did but from memory they were a bit more expnsive and usually did not have a "catch" option (I could be wrong though)

On the down side - It has as much vibration as my 15 y.o. Rover, being double the horsepower it is a little on the heavy side (that is in comparison to the 3hp rover though, I think most of the 5 - 6 h.p mowers are much the same). I guess for me the biggest down side has been that the cutting diameter is not in line with the wheels - meaning that when mowing to retainer walls (which I have a lot of) the cut is a wheel width away from the edge - this was my error in not seeing before I bought, and it is only a minor thing as are all of the negatives here. I also have a feeling that to buy a motor that had a cutting diameter the same width as the outside of the wheels, I would have been jumping up a fair bit in price and I was on my limit as it was. It might be something to look out for as it would be fairly handy not having to get the whipper snipper out every time you mow.

On the whole try to go to a mower place where you don't get the feeling they are peddling a certain brand, and also that they seem as though they know what they are talking about. I does make a difference. If you ask a question and they go to the mower and read the answer off the swing tag, think twice before trusting (the fact is you could have done that, and chances are you have done some prelim work like asking around on a forum, and know the basics, what you need is some knowledge that doesn't come from the box, you need experience from someone who has sold hundreds of these suckers and has had feedback, good or bad)

Brand wise - well you've read the thread, if you have the cash, I don't think anyone would disagree with me saying that Honda is the way to go, but it is quite the jump in price, my near top of the range Masport, did not even get me to entry level in Honda. You will need to look at 2 or 4 stroke, as well as 2 or 4 blade. Both personal choices, I went 4 stroke as I didn't want to stuff around with mixing oil and fuel (and also I woulld for sure mix up the 2 and 4 stroke fules and add 4 stroke to the lawnmower one day :rolleyes: ) also 2 stroke does not have as much speed variation (basically, idle or full noise). 2 or 4 blade - I went 4 blade and I think most mulch mowers are the same as they need to be able to chop the grass finely.

Man I can ramble when I want to. This has got too be my longest post yet :rolleyes:

Ramble off - hope it helped though, let us know on the decision.

Thanks for the detailed comments Shannon - very useful first-hand info - hard to come by.

We have 3 mower shops in the town where I live - only one sells all the main brands Honda, Masport, Victa, Rover, MTD etc. Top of my list (based on specs) was the Masport self propelled model. When I got there, he didn't have a single Masport in stock. Said they only get them in by special order as they'd had a few problems with the blade bar. He showed me the bar which is about 18" long and goes right across the cutting deck. In the middle there's a special alloy connecting piece which is designed to break if you hit a rock so the motor isn't damaged. He said not all Masports use this design and that it does work well on smooth lawns. But they'd had a few problems with customers hitting rocks.

I live on a gravel road and rocks get thrown onto the grass all the time. I didn't know what type of blade design the Masport self propelled model uses but I didn't want any dramas. So that left the Hondas. I chose a 19" one with the GSV190 motor (6.5hp). They make the same model with the GXV160 motor (5.5hp) - a legendary motor apparently.

But I took my bathroom scales and weighed the two and the 5.5hp was 3kg heavier - that's the weight of the catcher with a bit of grass in it. As I couldn't have a self propelled model, I went for the lighter machine in a mulch version so I can mow catcherless and save pushing that extra weight up the hills. (The self propelled Honda is a dream machine - 3 speed gearbox - but it's big and heavy - would sink like a stone on my sandy soil.)

Getting back to your Masport, I wonder whether yours has the blade bar design and whether it could be contributing to the vibration you've noticed? It's a substantial piece of steel spinning on the motor - if it was out of balance, it might add a bit of vibration? Maybe it could be balanced with a few finely drilled holes?

Re the problem of not cutting close to walls, I was reading in the Masport manual that one side is designed to cut close to walls - don't remember which side it was, but you'd soon find out if you mowed in the other direction.

Anyway, I'm yet to give this new Honda a run. I'm going to let the grass grow a bit and try to find the upper limit of where this mulching thing works - ie the maximum time I can let the lawn go and not have to use the catcher. :)

Thanks for the detailed comments Shannon - this first-hand kind of info is hard to come by.

We have 3 mower shops in the town where I live - only one sells all the main brands Honda, Masport, Victa, Rover, MTD etc. Top of my list (based on specs) was the Masport self propelled model. When I got there, he didn't have a single Masport in stock. Said they only get them in by special order as they'd had a few problems with the blade bar. He showed me the bar which is about 18" long and goes right across the cutting deck. In the middle there's a special alloy connecting piece which is designed to break if you hit a rock so the motor isn't damaged. He said not all Masports use this design and that it does work well on smooth lawns. But they'd had a few problems with customers hitting rocks.

I live on a gravel road and rocks get thrown onto the grass all the time. I didn't know what type of blade design the Masport self propelled model uses but I didn't want any dramas. So that left the Hondas. I chose a 19" one with the GSV190 motor (6.5hp). They make the same model with the GXV160 motor (5.5hp) - a legendary motor apparently.

But I took my bathroom scales and weighed the two and the 5.5hp was 3kg heavier - that's the weight of the catcher with a bit of grass in it. As I couldn't have a self propelled model, I went for the lighter machine in a mulch version so I can mow catcherless and save pushing that extra weight up the hills. (The self propelled Honda is a dream machine - 3 speed gearbox - but it's big and heavy - would sink like a stone on my sandy soil.)

Getting back to your Masport, I wonder whether yours has the blade bar design and whether it could be contributing to the vibration you've noticed? It's a substantial piece of steel spinning on the motor - if it was out of balance, it might add a bit of vibration? Maybe it could be balanced with a few finely drilled holes?

Re the problem of not cutting close to walls, I was reading in the Masport manual that one side is designed to cut close to walls - don't remember which side it was, but you'd soon find out if you mowed in the other direction.

Anyway, I'm yet to give this new Honda a run but I'm looking forward to not doing heavy exercise in the middle of a cloud of two stroke fumes! I'm going to let the grass grow a bit and try to find the upper limit of where this mulching thing works - ie the maximum time I can let the lawn go and not have to use the catcher. :)

Glad to be of service Davo,

I don't think you will really go wrong with the Honda. As for max length before mulch doesn't work, I think the only down side you will find will be that when grass is too long, or wet instead of the mower sprerading the clippings evenly through the lawn, you will start to get clumping of clippings (sort of like the trail you start getting when a catcher is overly full) In the wet this will be far more noticable.

Thanks for the tip regarding the blade, I will look into it.

I bought the Honda 19D 3 yrs ago. Just simply excellent. More power than you'd ever need. Mulches, catches, and chucks it out (with an optional ocky strp on the flap). very hard to fault. http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ons/icon14.gif

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...with an optional ocky strp on the flap

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Can you elaborate on how this works a little more please?

Hi,
I too have a Honda push and ride -on mowers, along with 4 Honda powered firefighters (stock water bore pumps). All are very reliable with very little trouble since I started using themm about 13 or 14 years ago.

If anyone's lawnmower is vibrating NOTICEABLY then get it checked straight away. I ignored the vibration when I got my Honda back from the serviceman and nearly lost my foot when a blade was flung off the plate at full throttle. :eek: Landed in the next door neighbor's driveway. :eek: They neglected to tighten the retaining bolt. :mad:

If you hit a stone, even a slight chip in a blade will cause a vibration which transfers to the driveshaft and can cause problems in the motor.
Cheers

I have an ocky strapwrapped a couple of times around the handle, and down to the flaps' handle, with some tension on it. This opens the flap about half way, and spreads the grass out to the side about 1m or so, but still deflects sticksnstones away from the nether regions. Good idea to wear long trou though - I wear my hiking leg thingoes.

The lawnmower safety pointy heads owuld hate me.

Hi Guys,

I am in the same situation trying to decide between a Masport at $600 and the Honda at $700. I know that everyone says that the Honda is the better mower, but how good are the Masports? The Masport I am looking at is the MSV President 5000. It has a 6HP Briggs and Stratton motor versus the 5.5 HP Honda mower. The Masport looks solid and it has some nice features like the Smart Chute and the snorkel air filter, while the Honda looks like a basic mower with legendary reliability. $600 is already a bit of a stretch on the budget, but is it worth spending that extra $100?

Thanks for any help.

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...trying to decide between a Masport at $600 and the Honda at $700.

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Fozzy, which model Honda is that?

Hi Davo,

Its the HRU19R1 Buffalo Buck, which is their residential model.

I think it helps if you can put the $100 price difference aside for a moment and view the purchase over say 10 years. That $100 might come down to something like 20 cents a week or 40-80 cents per lawn mow. What we really want to achieve is an easier or more satisfying lawn mowing experience rather than saving 40c - 80c each time.

What seems important is to address your main needs, otherwise you end up like me who couldn’t stand using a perfectly good 7 year old Victa 2 stroke that started first go every time - simply because I bought on price and not performance.

What I didn’t like about the Victa was mowing in a cloud of fumes and the effort required to push it (with the catcher full of clippings) around my sloping block. The noise was a turn off too but I always wear ear muffs.

My list of priorities was

Making it easier to push around
Mowing in a clean atmosphere
Quieter would be nice
Utter reliability highly desirable.

The Masport self propelled looked attractive - Masport do a very good job of marketing – everything from appearance of their mowers to their web site - and so many models to choose from.

But when I went to see one, the local Masport dealer didn’t stock Masports (!) He said he’d get them in if anyone especially wanted one, but they’d struck a few little problems and in his words “preferred to sell things that don’t give them trouble”.

When I asked what kind of trouble he gave me an example which I mentioned in an earlier post but will repeat here…,

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… they'd had a few problems with the blade bar. He showed me the bar which is about 18" long and goes right across the cutting deck. In the middle there's a special alloy connecting piece which is designed to break if you hit a rock so the motor isn't damaged. He said not all Masports use this design and that it does work well on smooth lawns. But they'd had a few problems with customers hitting rocks.

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So this sounded like a design issue where the machine was designed for one kind of mowing environment and it didn’t fare so well in another.

They had Victas, MTD and some other machines there – but in the Hondas, they had every single model in the range. Looking at the Hondas again, I think I began to grasp their design philosophy. They seem to be designed to be a rugged, reliable machine that does a good job, but without much styling - things like mag wheels and some features like Smart chutes.

When it came to choosing which Honda, the self propelled models are big heavy mothers, designed for the wide open spaces. So it was back to the push 19” models.

I studied the different engines in great detail – there’s three of them - GCV160, GSV190, GXV160.

It’s worth reading up on these engines so you know what you’re buying – manuals are downloadable. But in summary, the GXV160 is the most rugged engine of the three. The GCV160 is a lighter built model and the GSV190 is “a blend of the two designs” as Honda says. You can do the same exercise for the Masports and Briggs and Stratton engines.

Interestingly, the guy serving me in the shop was also the mechanic and said they’d never had to pull a Honda engine down for repairs. I was surprised to hear that, as they’ve been in the business at least 10 years – probably more - and are the major mowing shop in town.

As far as making it easier to push, I had to rely on getting the overall weight down. This meant mowing without a catcher. So mulching capability was essential. I took the bathroom scales into the mower dealer, hopped on and weighed each model.

What I found was the Buffalo Classic – Mulch & Catch mower with the GXV160 engine was about 31kgs while the Buffalo Bull – Mulch and Catch with the GSV190 engine was about 27kgs. The GXV160 engine seems to be a little heavier built and the Classic has steel in places where the Bull has plastic. I think the GXV160 engine has quite a following amongst the pro mowers and that's why Honda offer it across the range.

The 3-4kgs, doesn’t sound a big difference but it’s about equivalent to having a two thirds full catcher attached. The old Victa was also 27kgs without catcher – but unusable in that mode unless the grass was really short.

So that pretty much left me with one option - the Buffalo Bull – Mulch and Catch with the GSV190 engine.

When I got home and read the service manual, the difference in engines also became apparent when you look at the service intervals. See attached.

Then a couple of days ago, I mowed the lawn with it for the first time. Everything about it felt quite stiff – wheeling it around, the controls, starting it etc – but I guess that’s how it should feel when new.

Pushing it around the lawn is definitely easier than the Victa (with catcher) - though still a little stiff in the wheel bearings. It also seems to fit under trees better (which I have a lot of). The cleanliness is stunning – barely a fume to be sniffed.

But there were two really big differences. First - I mowed all the lawns in one go. Usually it takes me two sessions over two days, sometimes three days. I didn’t really notice I was doing it until I’d finished and realized – wow – I just did all that in one go. I think the weight and lack of fumes made the difference.

The second was the quality of the mowing job. I’d let the lawn grow so it was 50mm – 100mm and even 150mm in places to see how the mulching option worked and whether there would be any clumping.

The grass was dry was when mowed and the finish was the best I’ve ever seen it – like a pile carpet. The Honda uses 4 blades – two low lift ones and two high lift ones – I think the high lift tosses the cuttings up in the air (under the mower) - forget exactly what the low lift ones do - maybe more of a cutting blade - but gee, they work well in combination. You can vary the setup and go all high lift or low lift - something I need to find out about.

My lawn is probably best described as “mowed grass” rather than a super smooth high quality lawn. But still it looked pretty damn good and not a bit of clumping even in the longer sections. I should also mention that I cut the grass on the long side - not super short.

So early indications are that this mower will do what I wanted. I would have liked a self propelled model but with my hilly, sandy soiled block and lots of trees to work in and around, I may have had difficulty maneuvering it.

My main suggestion when buying is to take your time. Try not to rush out and buy one because the grass is long. Work out your main requirements, download all the manuals so you're familair with the different engines, ask the shop guy to tip the mower up and explain the cutting actions for you - how the blade design and underbody work, what are the most common repairs with each model, what would we he choose if he could have any model for free ... and why. If you can get them to start one up so you can feel it - all the better. Then say, thanks very much and go home and think about it.

I reckon one of the reasons we hate mowing the lawn so much, is coz we tend to rush out and buy what's on special. Then have to spend 10-15 years living with the monster.

Davo