First the lawn - now the mower

[Gucci]

Since we're in the lawn frame of mind, my Mountfield Petrol mower (4 years old) needs a service (I think). It's rattling and just sounds a bit rough. I topped up the oil and it cuts fine - just a bit noisy and spluttering.

Today I rang a local Lawnmower serving gaff and they quoted £44+ VAT for service + Parts on top....errm. Cheaper quote at Mercedes dealer? Or do you guys service your mowers? If so, is it just new plug, filter etc?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Found servicing costs a little high myself - so I changed the oil and I've got a plug ready to go in. Fresh oil made a difference. Hopefully the plug will help a little more.

To be honest though the chassis (?) is shot - rusted through having not cleaned off the grass cuttings from the underside and probably won't last for 2010.

Not found a replacement yet.

 

[Smiley]

it will keep its value more if you get a mountfield stamp in the service book

seriously though there are only 200 ish quid for a new push along one - it is not worth spending £44 ++++ - you will end up with a bill for about 100 quid.
Better to remove the spark plug clean it put it back; drain the oil put 5 or 600ml of new oil in it; clean the air filter and get a new blade - or get an engineering place to sharpen the old one for a few quid. Should cost you about 20 quid and an hour tops.

 

[Dieselman]

Not found a replacement yet.

Get a Honda with a resin body. No rust then.

 

[wxmclk]

Not found a replacement yet.

Whilst I have a fairly decent Mountfield/Briggs & Stratton set up my inlaws swear by Honda in this area. Their words "they are are the Mercedes-Benz of lawnmowers"..

 

[PXW]

We've had a mountfield for years, but it was an expensive one - ally chassis, wide cut, self propelled, cost me about £700 12 years ago (bought it when we moved into a house with a 230 foot back garden, nearly all grassed - previous guy did it with a 12 inch electric hover mower and three extension cables).

The mower has cost in terms of servicing -occasional new drive belt etc - but the advice we have had from our local chap is that it is worth doing just about any repair to; even a new engine should it ever be necessary woulod be cheaper than a new one of the same standard. Of course, the alternative is to buy the cheaper £150-200 steel chassis models and treat them as disposable....

 

[wemorgan]

If anyone is looking for a new mower, I found Mow Direct offered competetive prices and good service.

I bought a 4-stroke Einhell Rotavator and it looks well designed, so I'd hope the rest of their range would be similar.

 

[x332race]

I bought a 1996 21" Mountfield off eBay for £65 about 3 years ago....have changed the oil once, cleaned the filter and cleaned out the carb float chamber....It runs perfectly and starts 1st time, even after being left in garage for winter....It has an alloy chassis and I always clean off the worst of grass cuttings from underside after use to prevent corrosion. I bought it with the intention of running it until it failed and then buy another on off eBay...howver, it seems to be very reliable at the moment and I forsee a few more years service from it. I use it for about 1 hour every week or so when grass is growing.

If you are having problems with smooth running suggest you clean air filter (or get new one), clean out float chamber of carb and add some Redex to petrol to help clean out fuel system. Changing the oil is very simple and should be done if oil dirty. A drop of oil on other moving parts helps.

 

[pos.k]

I managed to find a tesco (probably equates to a Kia or Tata) push along petrol mower at the end of the 2007 season in the store for 60 quid.

Still works - in fact I did the 1st cut of the season last week and very satisfying it was too!! - all the more every time I think what a bargain (sorry no smiley for 'smug git')

 

[Benzowner]

Servicing the engine on a lawnmower is the easy bit, the skill comes in adjusting and sharpening the cylinder, if its a cylinder mower. If its a rotary, just replace the blade. I now have the latter, but my earlier mower was a Suffolk Punch cylinder mower, great stripes on the grass but that eventually died when the cylinder, which had been sharpened so many times, no longer met the bottom blade. Enquiring about a new cylinder............so now I have a rotary. It cuts the grass, but imo not as good.

 

[kwakdonut]

We have just been given an old Mountfield rotary mower from the in-laws. Petrol was about 5 years old, oil was older! Gave the filter a wash and re-oil. Drain & refill on the oil. Fresh petrol - cleaned the plug and away it went! Runs damn well just a little difficult to re-start when hot.

The blades are expensive (£40-ish) so I resharpened the old one with my Machine Mart grinding wheel and finished off with my Dremel - works beautifully! Wifey well pleased.....

Will use it until it collapses...

 

[Meldrew2]

I have three Honda mowers that are used daily, even though they are domestic models. If I remember correctly they were about £250 each, and that is with powered drive wheels.

They have been used and abused for the past 6 years, with a service each year in Spring. Servicing costs me about £50 a time... for oil, plug, air filter, and includes resharpening the blade... and they just keep on going.

The Honda's overhead cam engine is far quieter than the usual Briggs & Stratton engine, they use far less fuel, start first pull and simply do their job, which involves cutting about 2 acres of grass twice a week.

I can't recommend them enough - they are the best mowers I have ever had, and nowhere near the most expensive.

.

 

[crockers]

Bought a second hand Hayter 5 years ago. Electric start no longer works - needs a new battery - alu body so no rust - S&B engine...haven't changed the oil - just topped up with Moboil 1 (lol) so hopefully wont need changing ...original blade...cuts a dream

Now I have said bet the beggar dies on me....

 

[glojo]

Just had our mowers serviced

I usually lay on the floor and do it myself but the Honda (T55AMG) has a three year warranty providing it is serviced and I was told it would be a good idea to have the blades sharpened on the Atco Royale.

Having both serviced and the blade sharpened on the Royale was approximately the same price as our Sprinter service this year

Servicing is very easy but like has been said.. If you have a cylinder mower then the blades need sharpening periodically

 

[crockers]

Mercedes / Mower servicing...............peanuts....


Get a Breitling serviced and that will bring tears to your eyes...

 

[wemorgan]

Bought a second hand Hayter 5 years ago. Electric start no longer works - needs a new battery - alu body so no rust - S&B engine...haven't changed the oil - just topped up with Moboil 1 (lol) so hopefully wont need changing ...original blade...cuts a dream

Is such a low viscosity oil suitable for a single cylinder mower engine?

 

[Druk]

Bought wifie a new ride-on today. Fed-up with her moaning about her sore back.

Not sure which oil to use. Would 3-in-1 be OK?