Looking to get a good mower for small garden business.. are new generation Honda’s still worth it?
Budget of around £1k Any recommendations please..

Lawnflite Pro 21″ 553HRS-PROHS is a great mower, near indestructible, reliable Honda engine. If you shop around you can pick one up for just over £1k including VAT

Got a Honda-engined brushcutter and it’s not been that great, don’t think Honda are as good as they used to be.
We have an MTD something or other ride on mower, the 11hp one and that’s been reliable, apart from when i put diesel in it. Was aboput £1,200 new a few years ago so must be some in budget around now.

I’m sure with an XTR group-set this would be near your budget?

Kaaz are what the pros use round ‘ere. Depending on model chosen, big Nonda motah and near indestructible bits n bobs. About your budget too helpfully.

We use Viking, an MB650V and an MB650 VR. List prices are around £800 I think but we always trade one in every 2 years and a new one generally costs about £300. So costs us about £3/week 🙂 Reliable and powerful, does everything you need.

John Deere R42/54v’s here.
Lovely to use.
Also got a Viking 650vm. Been repaired a lot after the first year. Not overly impressed with it. Had a 545vm as well which was underwhelming.
Think about weight and transport. Big mowers don’t like little trailers as they get battered. A van or a twin axle trailer is more gentle on them.
Just my 2p.
Oh, Hatters are hateful. Avoid them.

I’ve used John deeres and hate them…too tinny and delicate. Used Viking mb755 and sold it last year…too heavy and again, built really for domestic use despite what they bill it as. Used masport roller mowers and for on ok for a season but they quickly started going downhill after that. Used etesia…a pro53, pro56 and the 48s and they were ok but not worth the new price.

Will you be after a roller mower or wheeled?

Currently using the kaaz roller which is ok if you’re using it yourself, but staff will kill the gearboxes and roller bearings. Fit a hi lift blade, speed up the engine and wash the grass bag/sharpen blades every week for top performance.

I also have a husqvarna mulch mower which I got to last 1 season, sell on and replace etc. It’s been good and I reckon I’ll get 2 seasons without breakdowns.

If I was only going to do domestic gardens I’d be getting an 18-19″ mower rather than 21. Don’t lift mowers…you’ll kill your back. Use ramps to get them in and out the van and up/down garden steps.

I started 8 years ago…feel free to pm if you’d like any advice. Also, join Landscapejuicenetwork as that’s where many sole traders go for chatter.

Can you get any of them remapped to give it that extra bit of oomph when the grass is a tad long?

Etesia. Really good at cutting in the wet which you will have to do plenty of if you’re doing it for business. Also get yourself on the landscape juice forum for far better inudepth advice about everything relating to garden business.

Edit just seen Glasgow Dan recommend juice. Hi Dan GGGC here!

Try before you buy if you can. Use Viking at work and I hate them, heavy, woeful, pain to empty the box, temprimental, flood too easily

Blimey, i wouldn’t describe a JD as tinny. Delecate its not either.
Easy to get parts and fix.
Good job we’re all different and there’s lots of choice.
Try before you buy if you can.
Tim

I take it that John Deere have started making their own stuff rather than rebadging crap like they used to. We had a JD ride on and it was utter gash.

Our etasia was bomb proof. Too big for most domestic gardens though.

We used to get through a Honda every 3 years as the decks would Rot through despite regular(every Friday) cleaning of the grass off the deck. It was 18″ and always the first mower out the van

After 3 years the deck had plenty welding on but they still sold on easy enough 🙂 transit of the mower world.

I’ve had a pro John Deere scarifier and a js63v and they were both horrid.

Edit just seen Glasgow Dan recommend juice. Hi Dan GGGC here

Dan Frazer Gardening, enjoying the damp summer?

We had a brilliant, dry spring and early summer on the south coast but yes rather damp and autumnal since the school holidays! Still keeps it all growing…

So from all the response you can learn that its best to pick one with a nice colour and comfortable handles, gardeners eh 🙂

I was more worried about wheel size, virtual handle tube length and vertical cutting compliance with increased lateral stiffness…

@glasgowdan what difference does the high lift blade make on the Kaaz please?

Boble, it’s got huge ‘wings’ at the ends which creates a lot more suction, blows the grass into the bag with more force. Check LS Engineers for blades and measure up the bolt holes to check if it’ll fit.

Ta

The etesia always fills the box to bursting even when wet. Sooo much better than my old Honda.