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  Billybop February 13, 2020 at 7:47am

  hi Chris i've been using the various models 43cm bosch for years and find them a very useful and reliable machine for smaller lawns and fiddly bits of larger ones. They are a domestic machine really so I tend to change the machines themselves every couple of seasons before they get too battered, there is a good re sale market for them which offsets the cost of replacement. Of course you can keep the batteries which should last over a decade, I had some 2.6ah bosch battery packs from 2008 i sold with a machine recently, which still worked. You might find that you can pick up the bits you need more cheaply by buying separately. The 4.0ah are great but there are also 6.0ah batteries available which can be pricey but worth keeping an eye out for, I have a couple of those I use and several of the 4.0ah. The best charger is the GAL3680 which is a smaller faster compact unit than the old triangle shaped type which were prone to failure occasionally. And the 3680 charger also charges 18v bosch packs which is a bonus. The light weight of the mower is very beneficial for cutting lawns where soft ground conditions mean a heavier model would cause damage. Only real maintenance is a new blade occasionally. Hope this helps
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    Billybop > Billybop February 13, 2020 at 8:24am

    Some of the 43li's have a roller, some don't, i have one of each type but generally the roller version gets used most often. Obviously the stripes it produces are quite faint due to the lightweight plastic roller but also useful for hanging the machine over the edges of borders etc. First thing i do with a new machine is carefully remove and store the flap to the battery compartment as i find it superfluous and it is easily damaged. Thus making it quicker to change batteries over and they seem protected well enough in the compartment without the door on it. There are older versions of the 43Li still around but the newer type are more efficient on battery life and almost never cut out if you hit a tough patch of grass like the old ones did. Also there are smaller versions, I tried a 37cm one out of curiosity but the cutting width wasn't big enough for my liking so it had to go
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  Chris February 13, 2020 at 2:00pm

  Hi Billybop, I posted a reply to you this morning don't know what happened to that so I'll try again. Thanks for the advice could you tell me the run time you were achieving with the 4.0ah and the 6.0ah battery. There are two different colour batteries red and green are they both compatible with the 43LI as I can only see the 6.0ah in red. When you say the new version of the 43LI is more battery efficient do you mean the 430LI which I think is virtually the same apart from the colour of the battery flap. Didn't know that some 43LI have a roller and some don't so I'll keep a look out for that.
  Thanks
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    Chris > Chris February 13, 2020 at 2:03pm

    For some reason I can post with the chrome browser but not Safari today.
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    Billybop > Chris February 13, 2020 at 4:20pm

    

    hi Chris yes the 430Li and i think the 410Li are essentially the same as the modern type of 43Li so there is no difference in efficiency, they all have the Syneon chip I believe, the ones to avoid [unless very cheap] are the early Mark 1/ Mark 2 models where the battery fits on top of the mower under a perspex lid, the first ones had a basic handle then later types the ergoflex, the original 43Li mowers were good in their day but are old school now, though worth a look if a bargain price one came up locally. I have a couple of the old ones in bits which I found very useful as I eventually wore the wheels on a newer model so much that they wobbled alarmingly due to heavy usage, so swapped the wheels over from a Mark 1 as they are the same size but less complex than on the later models.    As for the 4.0ah batteries either red or green casing is good, I have both types, both seem identical in fit and performance, the old 2.6ah have been superceded but worth adding to your stock if a cheap second hand buy. As for run time, well that depends on many factors of course, towards the end you can sense the mower losing power very slightly which I don't like so I swap my batteries out when down to 1 solid or flashing light, way before it cuts out. I have the luxury of several batteries having built up a collection so am rarely worried about running out of juice. I would say I can comfortably cut 2 or 3 'granny sized' lawns with a 4.0ah but that can vary greatly, if wet or long I might use 1 and a bit packs on one garden as I am fussy about performance and think it is kinder to the battery packs somehow. Very good machines these Bosches I would be lost without them. I also have the Bosch Pro GRA53 which is a different beast entirely. Bosch have recently introduced the AdvancedRotak range but am holding fire on that one as the 43Li are pretty unbeatable in their class, in my opinion
• PRO

  Geoffrey King February 13, 2020 at 2:29pm

  I've seen this machine with 2x 4.0Ah batteries at £489 this last weekend
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    Billybop > Geoffrey King February 13, 2020 at 4:46pm

    the GardenFox guy on ebay is good as well, 477 quid, he may be slightly cheaper on his own website, but occasionally ebay run an extra discount which can make it a better deal
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      Chris > Billybop February 13, 2020 at 5:30pm

      Thanks for the heads up on the GardenFox website, just ordered a 43LI with two 4.0ah batteries for £426.55 delivered it's on offer and there's a discount code as well. Cheers
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        Billybop > Chris February 13, 2020 at 5:40pm

        that's a cracking deal, well done
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        Geoffrey King > Chris February 13, 2020 at 6:35pm

        And me, thanks. :-)