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  choughman November 15, 2011 at 4:54am

  ahhh, now i hadn't thought of that and was concidering  getting a roller mower to cut the grass at the end of the year because my wheeled mowed is leaving ruts in the very wet weather here in cornwall!
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    Neil Bishop > choughman November 15, 2011 at 7:02am

    I've got 3 different wheeled mowers, Hayter 53 pro (very heavy) / Etesia ME53B (mulcher) and a little mountfield SP470 which is very light albeit a tad slow but perfect for soft damp grass (and the one I'll be going back to for my problem lawns).
    
    choughman said:

    ahhh, now i hadn't thought of that and was concidering  getting a roller mower to cut the grass at the end of the year because my wheeled mowed is leaving ruts in the very wet weather here in cornwall!
• PRO

  Stephen @ SJS November 15, 2011 at 6:54am

  There are treatments to stop worm casts ,certainly a problem this time of year have heard of various other solutions i.e crushed glass sprinkled but have not heard any feedback on that.
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    Neil Bishop > Stephen @ SJS November 15, 2011 at 7:06am

    I'll have a look into the treatments. I used to know a bloke who worked at a golf course and would do private jobs treating lawns for worm casts but was told he couldn't use the chemical anymore as it was animal cruelty??
    
    I'll have a google for some different solutions. 
    
    Stephen @ SJS said:

    There are treatments to stop worm casts ,certainly a problem this time of year have heard of various other solutions i.e crushed glass sprinkled but have not heard any feedback on that.
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  Paul McNulty November 15, 2011 at 7:59am

  Worms are a good thing in a lawn. The other problem with a roller mower is that the wet mud and worm casts get in to the roller mechanism. It might be the soil type near me but it wore the bearings out again this year. I'm keeping my eye out for a lighter, wheeled machine for the damp conditions we have ATM.
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    Neil Bishop > Paul McNulty November 15, 2011 at 8:11am

    Getting the same thing aswell, didn't know it could do that much damage though! I've been constantly digging it out with a knife everytime it gets a bit slow (slower than usual anyway). 
    
    Paul McNulty said:

    Worms are a good thing in a lawn. The other problem with a roller mower is that the wet mud and worm casts get in to the roller mechanism. It might be the soil type near me but it wore the bearings out again this year. I'm keeping my eye out for a lighter, wheeled machine for the damp conditions we have ATM.
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  Paul McNulty November 15, 2011 at 3:38pm

   

  To be fair mine gets a lot of use, and having the bearings replaced was only an hour's labour plus a few pounds on parts. Something that's not the end of the world once a year or so. The trick is to get them changed before they totally collapse causing more damage, you'll feel the movement as they wear and the roller starts to move around.

  They do come with the engine speed set really slow, my guys increase this after a running-in period. It's easy to do yourself, you-tube instructions on the link below. You can do it without removing the cover plate if you've got small fingers!

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81DIgZHkDb8

   

  Neil Bishop said:

  Getting the same thing aswell, didn't know it could do that much damage though! I've been constantly digging it out with a knife everytime it gets a bit slow (slower than usual anyway). 
  
  Paul McNulty said:

  Worms are a good thing in a lawn. The other problem with a roller mower is that the wet mud and worm casts get in to the roller mechanism. It might be the soil type near me but it wore the bearings out again this year. I'm keeping my eye out for a lighter, wheeled machine for the damp conditions we have ATM.
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    Neil Bishop > Paul McNulty November 16, 2011 at 10:42pm

    Great advice thank you, I'll have a watch of the you tube vid in the morning and see if I can have a go at it tomorrow!
    
    Paul McNulty said:

     

    To be fair mine gets a lot of use, and having the bearings replaced was only an hour's labour plus a few pounds on parts. Something that's not the end of the world once a year or so. The trick is to get them changed before they totally collapse causing more damage, you'll feel the movement as they wear and the roller starts to move around.

    They do come with the engine speed set really slow, my guys increase this after a running-in period. It's easy to do yourself, you-tube instructions on the link below. You can do it without removing the cover plate if you've got small fingers!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81DIgZHkDb8

     

    Neil Bishop said:

    Getting the same thing aswell, didn't know it could do that much damage though! I've been constantly digging it out with a knife everytime it gets a bit slow (slower than usual anyway). 
    
    Paul McNulty said:

    Worms are a good thing in a lawn. The other problem with a roller mower is that the wet mud and worm casts get in to the roller mechanism. It might be the soil type near me but it wore the bearings out again this year. I'm keeping my eye out for a lighter, wheeled machine for the damp conditions we have ATM.
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  briggsandscrapem November 15, 2011 at 10:40pm

  I run different mowers in soggy conditions.  Some lawns go like jelly after a lot of rain so need a lightweight machine. For these conditions i use either a klippo or jd js63 and for large areas then a twin wheeled scag instead of a ride on. The drive on the klippo's can do your nut in so i wouldn't recommend them.
• PRO

  Stuart @ Eco Garden Maintenance November 16, 2011 at 5:12pm

  I use a Honda HRB 425C 17" cut with plastic rollers at this time of year. Have to push the damn thing and it takes longer than my HRH 21" pro but it does not produce much mess. Its very light- under 30 kg i think. Its a pity a hover mower cant be used.