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Mulcher with side discharge. Honda HRS536SK?

Hi all, I'm looking to replace my Husqvarna LC 153S, which seems to do a really bad job at everything except being orange :)

I am basically looking for a mower that will tackle long grass (side or rear discharge) and mulch also, but do both well. The Honda HRS536SK is the only mower I can find so far that has both options for under my budget of around £600. Most of the mowers are 3 in 1 type affairs like the husky, but I have come to realise that I want to have 3 mowers that will perform in all weathers, so more dedicated is the way to go really.

I have a good collecting roller Viking MB 650 VR, I am going to add a smaller/lighter collecting 4 wheel Viking (probably MB 545T) to replace my little cheap mountfield, which has done a surprisingly good job of surviving 2 seasons (part time).

So at around £550 the Honda looks good, but I was wondering if anyone has tried it, and if it preforms well? Or if anyone knows a good commercial model I could grab second hand maybe?

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  • PRO

    Hi Graham,

    I have the Honda you mention. My honest view is.............forget about it.

    Engine is good obviously but needed speeding up.

    Drive is too slow even when revs are increased. Rear wheels were forever jamming up on mine. In the end i removed the gearbox, axles and belt completely. That improved things.

    The side discharge opening is too small IMO and so i ended up cutting a bit extra off all around the hole. It kept blocking in longer grass.

    Mulching ability is ok in dry  short grass otherwise forget it. The single blade supplied is one half of the two blade system that come on the hrx versamow mowers. When i added the missing one performance did increase. However the underside of the deck still becomes caked in grass.

    It does play a role in my business and gets used every week but i certainly would not get another. Others may chip in.

    Stu

    • Hmm, thanks for the info. I doesn't sound much better than the husky.

      Did you find making the side discharge bigger stopped the clogging? This is my main issue with the husky, it clogs the side discharge easily, then that leads to the deck getting caked up to the point where I keep having to stop and clear it all out.

      Maybe I will just take a angle grinder to the husky side discharge, as I really just use it for overgrown grass. It could just be my rough mower.

  • PRO

    You should be able to find a used Etesia mb53b for your budget. Best mulcher i have used, 3 speed and rear discharge if required.

    •  The Etesia is good once speeded up but it is a fragile mower. The removable mulching 'plate'? fails quite early in its life and has to be repaired and fixed into position rendering it un removable.

      The options are limited with this brief but a four stroke Victa with four blades would fit the bill. Side discharge would be excellent with no guard on it however mulching would not be up to the Etesia's standard.

      I would personally go for a dedicated mulcher and a rough cut/side discharge machine.

  • PRO
    Stiga do a mulchers which is supposed to be good. But you won't get a machine that will do everything for that kind of money unless you find a hayter condor with the rotary deck on eBay but they go for more than that with the rotary deck. Or a scag or the like but again it's big money even second hand. That's going to be my next purchase a skag or ferris maybe or even the hayter condor
    • PRO
      Let us know which you go for and how good it is by the way
  • We have the little Honda side discharge in our fleet of mowers.  It's a nice lightweight mower. It has it's uses, but we are selective where it gets used.  It is not a commercial mower tho.  Long wet grass will clog the side discharge, which means continual stopping to clear it. It is great for whipping round the edge of car parks and throwing the grass away from the paving.I have also thought of taking the angle grinder to it, but have so far chickened out! I am worried about weakening the body and as we have employees using it, if (God forbid) there was to be an accident whilst using a 'modified' machine, there may be implications.

  • I have a lawn boy they are good side discharge mowers. Lawnboy commercial it's an American mower 2 stroke it's hard to keep up at full speed but cuts through easily I can fault it for cutting long grass it's very light weight I cut a marsh with it can't use a normal mower as it sinks in but this just glides across very useful.
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