Ride on mower

[Harl0]

Hi

Recently moved to a new property which has about 2 acres of land. This includes an acre paddock, .8 acre lawn and two further lawns all rectangular in shape which make up the rest of the property.

Now in need of a ride on mower! Doing my research suggests a side discharge/ mulching mower would be suitable as if done properly, should be neat and not have us walking grass everywhere. Collecting isn’t really feasible.

The previous owner of 25 years used a front deck mulching mower.

I’ve narrowed my search down to the two following:

https://www.mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk/2t1220483-m21-1643h-sd-twin.html
https://www.mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk/2t1220483-m21-1643h-sd-twin.html
https://www.stiga.com/uk/2t1220481-st1-tornado-2108-hw.html

Before committing, I wanted to ask here to see if anyone had any other suggestions?

 

[gailjon]

Having had that Mountfield Ride on I would avoid it for the reason that I don't think they are very well engineered/built. I would suggest a Husqvarna machine which our neighbour has. https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/riders/

They are very versatile in terms of reaching those hard to get to spots and they turn on a sixpence - really good for getting around trees, etc. I found with the Mountfield that I was constantly having to reverse and turn whereas the Husqvarna can just turn far more easily with its central pivot.

There is one here for example: https://www.morethanmowers.co.uk/hu...xA4aTcd7olyv2qNn5ouD_A3SA8suY6zEaAhUqEALw_wcB Not far off the price of the Mountfield.

He doesn't seem to have any issues with the mulching and and you wouldn't know that the clippings had not been picked up. His grass is also always beautifully green!

 

[ANDARIAL]

We have a mountfield sit on single deck
Good tool imho,it is over 25 years old and still going strong apart from the usual rust on the deck

 

[Harl0]

Having had that Mountfield Ride on I would avoid it for the reason that I don't think they are very well engineered/built. I would suggest a Husqvarna machine which our neighbour has. https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/products/riders/

They are very versatile in terms of reaching those hard to get to spots and they turn on a sixpence - really good for getting around trees, etc. I found with the Mountfield that I was constantly having to reverse and turn whereas the Husqvarna can just turn far more easily with its central pivot.

There is one here for example: https://www.morethanmowers.co.uk/hu...xA4aTcd7olyv2qNn5ouD_A3SA8suY6zEaAhUqEALw_wcB Not far off the price of the Mountfield.

He doesn't seem to have any issues with the mulching and and you wouldn't know that the clippings had not been picked up. His grass is also always beautifully green!

I have looked at the front-decked riders; however, they are more than I want to spend really - The model you have linked is £2,650 which is for the power unit only and requires a cutting deck to be added.

 

[Harl0]

We have a mountfield sit on single deck
Good tool imho,it is over 25 years old and still going strong apart from the usual rust on the deck

Sounds good! I've heard they are pretty easy to maintain and providing you do so, will last!

I currently have a Mountfield push mower which has been great.

 

[sovietspybob]

After having looked into these extensively myself for anything more than light use in a smallish garden i'd avoid the mountfield type ones, they're sold under many different names but they're all pretty rubbishly made and engineered.

I'd go for a bigger name like Husqvarna, John Deer, Honda or something as they're far higher quality. If i hadn't have got my Husqvarna robot mower i'd have got on of their front deck ride on mowers like the R112 or something as they seemed to tick all the boxes for me when i looked about 3 years ago

I had a Lawnflight (same budget brand as mountfield stuff) ride on which was about 25 years old and it was pretty terrible, badly designed and i was constantly fixing it. only decent thing was the Briggs engine but even then hugely inefficient compared to new stuff.

 

[Mysterae_]

Mountfield and Stiga are essentially made by the same company but Mountfield are definitely the poorer cousin. Designed and manufactured to a lower price point so expect a lesser product. Not so with the Stiga.

I've had a Stiga Estate 3398HW for over a year now and I've no complaints. Great at cutting, collecting and pulling a trailer full of logs.

The more expensive brands will surely be better but of course you're paying more, sometimes a lot more!

On a related note, is a side exit chute right for you? Would you not rather have the mower collect it for you rather than leaving it on the grass or collecting it later? Mulching is fine to feed the grass sometimes but I'm now looking scarifiers to undo years of thatch build up from the previous owners.

 

[Flake87]

If you want the best then there's only one name - Ransomes. Every groundsman and professional will know that name, and unless your surname is Onassis you'll probably need to buy them used which is no bad thing as they shouldstill outlast you with proper care & maintenance.

Mostly they are cylinder mowers which give a far better finish than rotary, and given that most of them are twice as wide a cut than the rotarys, twice as fast to do the job !

Here's an example of one where they helpfully cut the grass to show just what a finish it can acheive.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ransomes...859734?hash=item4477cf7116:g:p30AAOSwuzFgUPoU

 

[Gaijin]

You should generally be fine with one of the main brands. We have a Honda 2417 and use it for about 0.75 acres of lawn.

Honda and Castelgarden are effectively the same mowers but Castelgarden use Briggs engines and Honda use - well Honda engines.

Stiga do good stuff but I heard from my mower specialists that they had no end of trouble with their Husqvarna ride ons - they were throwing off belts and everything. Kubota do great diesel mowers and are the go to for people with the coin for them. You'll easily spend 6-10k on one however.

Regarding side exit/mulch etc. Buy a mower which can do everything if possible. Collecting is probably the best if you have an area to dump the clippings. I live next to a unused cow lane, so it's easy for me. Depends where you live but here with the irish climate, it's normally said that it isnt the correct climate for mulching, but many do it anyway as it's convenient. Unless you really arent fussy, i wouldn't bother with side exit, you'll get clippings everywhere and lawns with clumps everywhere look awful in my opinion.

 

[Monkeynut]

I work in a lawnmower shop. Stiga make Mountfield, Alpina, and they also make HONDA ride ons but these have a HONDA engine fitted instead. I would buy a John Deere if it were me.

 

[Pho]

I work in a lawnmower shop. Stiga make Mountfield, Alpina, and they also make HONDA ride ons but these have a HONDA engine fitted instead. I would buy a John Deere if it were me.

Ooh, sorry for derailing the thread but maybe you can help me.

I've an old Villiers lawnmower in my garage that was kind of left there that I need to do something with. As far as I'm aware it doesn't run, but I don't think it's anything catastrophic. I keep meaning to have a go at getting it running, but, effort .

Is eBay my best option or could you recommend somewhere better? I know these things are fairly sought after and I don't want to get ripped off.

I can't remember the exact model but I think it's a Villiers Atco B30 Royale

 

[Monkeynut]

Ooh, sorry for derailing the thread but maybe you can help me.

I've an old Villiers lawnmower in my garage that was kind of left there that I need to do something with. As far as I'm aware it doesn't run, but I don't think it's anything catastrophic. I keep meaning to have a go at getting it running, but, effort .

Is eBay my best option or could you recommend somewhere better? I know these things are fairly sought after and I don't want to get ripped off.

I can't remember the exact model but I think it's a Villiers Atco B30 Royale

eBay is still your best bet. Might be the carburettor needs cleaning or replacing. Ethanol in modern fuel destroys carbs if left. Don't leave fuel in your machines for longer than 1 month at a time. (It can last longer in the can)

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Hi

Recently moved to a new property which has about 2 acres of land. This includes an acre paddock, .8 acre lawn and two further lawns all rectangular in shape which make up the rest of the property.

Now in need of a ride on mower! Doing my research suggests a side discharge/ mulching mower would be suitable as if done properly, should be neat and not have us walking grass everywhere. Collecting isn’t really feasible.

The previous owner of 25 years used a front deck mulching mower.

I’ve narrowed my search down to the two following:

https://www.mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk/2t1220483-m21-1643h-sd-twin.html
https://www.stiga.com/uk/2t1220481-st1-tornado-2108-hw.html

Before committing, I wanted to ask here to see if anyone had any other suggestions?

Those are the same mower with different branded bodywork. Stiga used to be Global Garden Products which made mowers for both Mountfiled and Stiga brands. I have a sneaking suspicion the Stihl and MTD branded petrol mowers are Stiga underneath.

I have a Stiga 3108H Tornado with is the 2018 540cc Brigs and Stratton engined version of the above. The extra power of the twin cyclinder models will be very handy for you if your ground isn’t flat.

Fitting the mulching plate takes a couple of minutes as it’s a little fiddly. It works by blocking the side eject port, so all the cuttings get extra cutting.

2 points to remember for happy mulching with these mowers:

1. Only mulch when the grass is dry or you get wet clumps of grass left behind.
2. Only mulch when you’re making the last cut down to your Desiree grass height. You should only be cutting the top third of the grass and my 3108 really struggles when the grass is 10cm or more above the highest setting of the cutting deck.

Top Stiga Tips:

- Get those rear tyres swapped out for tractor pattern (chevron tread) ones is you plan to mower any land hat isn’t flat as a bowling green and bone dry.
- Cut slopes going downhill.
- Don’t cut across any slope of more than 10°.
- Don’t engage the cutting deck whilst moving.*1
- Don’t change the cutting deck height whilst cutting and/or moving. *2
- Run it on the lowest Ethanol content 95 RON unleaded you can find so you can leave it fuelled over the winter without having to drain the old fuel out.
- The cutting deck wash ports really work - connect a garden hose and run the deck for a minute with it at the lowest cutting height.
- Buy a grease gun and keep the steering joints greased. Alas, all the cutting deck bearings are sealed, so you can’t keep them greased unless you fancy swapping them out for open bearings and fit grease points to the bearing housings.
- Buy a mower tilt lift unless you have 2 car jacks and 4 axle stands.

Not following *1 and *2 is why my 3108 threw the drive belt, damaging the transmission cooling fan and requiring €100 of spare parts.

 

[Pho]

eBay is still your best bet. Might be the carburettor needs cleaning or replacing. Ethanol in modern fuel destroys carbs if left. Don't leave fuel in your machines for longer than 1 month at a time. (It can last longer in the can)

Cheers. Might finally get around to it this summer then.

I've spent far too long cleaning, adjusting, and rebuilding carbs so hopefully that's all it is .

 

[Harl0]

Those are the same mower with different branded bodywork. Stiga used to be Global Garden Products which made mowers for both Mountfiled and Stiga brands. I have a sneaking suspicion the Stihl and MTD branded petrol mowers are Stiga underneath.

I have a Stiga 3108H Tornado with is the 2018 540cc Brigs and Stratton engined version of the above. The extra power of the twin cyclinder models will be very handy for you if your ground isn’t flat.

Fitting the mulching plate takes a couple of minutes as it’s a little fiddly. It works by blocking the side eject port, so all the cuttings get extra cutting.

2 points to remember for happy mulching with these mowers:

1. Only mulch when the grass is dry or you get wet clumps of grass left behind.
2. Only mulch when you’re making the last cut down to your Desiree grass height. You should only be cutting the top third of the grass and my 3108 really struggles when the grass is 10cm or more above the highest setting of the cutting deck.

Top Stiga Tips:

- Get those rear tyres swapped out for tractor pattern (chevron tread) ones is you plan to mower any land hat isn’t flat as a bowling green and bone dry.
- Cut slopes going downhill.
- Don’t cut across any slope of more than 10°.
- Don’t engage the cutting deck whilst moving.*1
- Don’t change the cutting deck height whilst cutting and/or moving. *2
- Run it on the lowest Ethanol content 95 RON unleaded you can find so you can leave it fuelled over the winter without having to drain the old fuel out.
- The cutting deck wash ports really work - connect a garden hose and run the deck for a minute with it at the lowest cutting height.
- Buy a grease gun and keep the steering joints greased. Alas, all the cutting deck bearings are sealed, so you can’t keep them greased unless you fancy swapping them out for open bearings and fit grease points to the bearing housings.
- Buy a mower tilt lift unless you have 2 car jacks and 4 axle stands.

Not following *1 and *2 is why my 3108 threw the drive belt, damaging the transmission cooling fan and requiring €100 of spare parts.

Thanks for the great tips!