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  Phil Voice October 9, 2008 at 6:47am

  This was a constant consideration for us and I have been through this process so many times. Honda dog clutch failures was one of the greatest of problems that we encountered but the Honda engine was second to none.
  
  Hayters gave us remarkable service for the amount of work that they had to tackle.
  
  I wrote an article many moons ago called which mower, you mind find it of help.
• 

  Classic Gardens October 9, 2008 at 5:52pm

  Gordon
  
  The mowers i own are the lawnflight pro 553HRS-PRO
  
  http://www.lawnflite.co.uk/walk_behinds_pro.html
  
  The engine is sound, they never clog up in the wet and they have a mulch kit for this model which when dry and the lawn fairly short is a godsend.
  The only draw back to these mowers are the weight, but they produce a large clear stripe.
  
  I used to have Hayters but there main drawback for me was there constant clogging in the wet or even dew which drove me mad.
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  steve loftus October 10, 2008 at 8:37pm

  i agree with phil,having used mowers all my working life just about...honda,the best engine by far,the worst for drive problems,and heavy,the sarp is a copy of a honda,as is the lawnflite by the looks of it,so again,a suspect drive.
  at phils old company,its hayter 48 all the way,great in wet or dry and lighter,the bbc(blade brake clutch)model means you dont have to kill engine to empty the box,so less wear and tear on the starter.the issues for us were cost,reliability and h.a.v. figures(hand arm vibration).
  i think a hayter with a honda engine would be the perfect mower.
  the john deere is ok,but a suspect roller system,looks a bit chocolate,looked at one today.
  i will say though,that the plastic decks are just as strong as the alloy ones,which will crack if you hit a large stone.the hayters also have a vari speed lever
• 

  Steven Jolly October 11, 2008 at 10:20am

  I have a garden/grounds maintenance contract for a block of flats and work doing garden design and build, soft landscaping etc. Initially I bought a cheap (£150) mower from Homebase because at the time I couldn't afford a professional one. It lasted 6 cuts before a welded part that the handle anchors to snapped right off. I took it back and got a refund. I went on The Gadget Show, recently, testing lawnmowers for them
  
  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwbvTOYNuwc)
  
  - I'm the one with the blonde hair and stripy top.
  
  Then I bought a commercial contractor's mower (£700!). It's a Lawnflite model with a Honda engine. 21" with rear roller.
  
  http://www.worldofmowers.ltd.uk/P/Lawnflite-Pro-553HRS-PRO-21in-Rea...(1376).aspx
  
  It is extremely robust and strong - like a tank. And that's the only problem: it's so heavy I can't lift it on my own. You need ramps or two people to move it. There is a compromise between industrial strength robustness and - weight! Maybe a lighter machine will be better, but roller mowers are all going to be heavy. Lovely stripes though!
  
  steve.
• 

  Classic Gardens October 11, 2008 at 10:59am

  They are heavy and you do need ramps but the punishment that they take is second to none.
  The oldest of mine ive now had for 3 years and its in use approx 5hrs a day all weathers and so far had no problems not even with the bbc.
  The only prob is i find is that the blades arnt as good quality as the hayter i have mine sharpened once every 6 wks.
  I have to disagree with the hayter being good in the wet i found it to be one of the worse in the dry though it is one of the best.
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  Steven Jolly October 11, 2008 at 11:06am

  The previous link doesn't work. so try this link instead:
  
  http://www.lawnflite.co.uk/553hrsdetails.html
  
  
  Steven Jolly said:

  I have a garden/grounds maintenance contract for a block of flats and work doing garden design and build, soft landscaping etc. Initially I bought a cheap (£150) mower from Homebase because at the time I couldn't afford a professional one. It lasted 6 cuts before a welded part that the handle anchors to snapped right off. I took it back and got a refund. I went on The Gadget Show, recently, testing lawnmowers for them
  
  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwbvTOYNuwc)
  
  - I'm the one with the blonde hair and stripy top.
  
  Then I bought a commercial contractor's mower (£700!). It's a Lawnflite model with a Honda engine. 21" with rear roller.
  
  http://www.worldofmowers.ltd.uk/P/Lawnflite-Pro-553HRS-PRO-21in-Rea...(1376).aspx
  
  It is extremely robust and strong - like a tank. And that's the only problem: it's so heavy I can't lift it on my own. You need ramps or two people to move it. There is a compromise between industrial strength robustness and - weight! Maybe a lighter machine will be better, but roller mowers are all going to be heavy. Lovely stripes though!
  
  steve.
• 

  steve loftus October 12, 2008 at 12:52pm

  the 56 model hayters with the full width discharge are not good in the wet,as well as having to much vibration to use all day. we have council contracts,school,large and small commercial and also domestic clients,the honda does indeed excel at wet weather but that's it,too heavy,suspect drive and more expensive.
  our hayter 48s really do pick up great in the wet.
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  Steven Jolly October 13, 2008 at 9:22pm

  I shortlisted a few other lawn mowers that I considered at the time. All self propelled, all rear roller models. These were:
  
  JOHN DEERE R43RVE - around £600: 17 inch rear roller mower with fan assisted grass collection (good in the wet), variable speed, key start. Cons: it's heavy and it looks a bit ugly. Weighs 41 Kg. Briggs & Stratton 5.5hp 4-stroke engine.
  
  HONDA HRX 426QXE - around £550: 17 inch rear roller mower with 'roto-stop' (i.e. blades stop without cutting engine) a 'polystrong' deck. Weighs 38kg. Honda 5.5hp 4-stroke engine. A good-looking beast. Plastic deck though?
  
  HAYTER HARRIER 41 AUTODRIVE - around £500: 16 inch rear roller, aluminium deck with 'fins' . An extra £75 for keystart model. Features a 'friction disc' which protects the engine crankshaft by 'limiting impact should you hit a solid object'. I don't know how much this one weighs. Briggs & Stratton Quantum XTS 5hp 4-stroke engine
  
  ATCO VISCOUNT 19S - around £500: 19 inch rear roller mower fan assisted grass collection, three piece split rear roller, Briggs & Stratton 5hp 4 stroke engine. Weighs 33 kg. Old, traditional name in lawn mowers? Plastic deck. Extra £50 for keystart.
  
  I shortlisted these mowers by reading reviews and looking at pictures. And I definitely agree with Philip that peer reviews are a good guide; don't just read the manufacturers' gloss. Ideally I would have liked to have gone and and test driven some different mowers before buying one. In the end I bought this:
  
  LAWNFLITE PRO 553HRS-PRO
  
  It's a big 21 inch rear roller lawnmower with fan assisted grass collection, a huge (75L) grass bag, a chrome front bumper (yes), reinforced handles (that was the bit that snapped on my first ill-advised cheap mower that lasted only six cuts before it broke). It also has an additional steel deck liner to protect the deck itself from bricks and stones. It comes with a manufacturer's warranty for commercial contracting use, which probably was what swung it for me, as well as the word 'Pro' (yeah, that's me). It also has a good 5.5hp Honda engine that makes a nice low hum. But it does weigh 65kg - more than I can lift without risking a hernia. Good strong workhorse of a machine though. And it makes lovely stripes.
  
  Hope this helps someone.
  
  Steve Jolly.