Etesia B&S 46 single speed mower not all they are made out to be (Not what I considered constitutes a PRO MOWER)

My own fault should have asked to try one out first.

Just bought a Etesia Pro 46 B&S Single speed.

The main issue is the speed, I have seen pallbearers walk faster than this mower moves in drive, it really is so slow, I am 50 not some young lad who wants to run around like I have a firecracker up my butt.

When I returned it to the suppling dealer (Burrows in Leyland Lancashire) asking them to check if it was a fault or the drive is meant to be so slow, the manager told me it was set to drive slow so as to do a professional cut, I commented that the reason I bought a lawn mower that is labeled as being for professional use was to make money with & at the speed it goes using drive I will go bust also that my 12 yr old Hayter moves faster , with this the manager came out with a load of four letter swear words, to which I reminded him he was the one in the tie and I was the work man .

It does cut in the wet providing you are not trying to cut 4" grass down to around 2".

The grass box is not very large & though it does fill well you still have to empty it a lot if cutting anything more than 5 days growth.

All the manager did was mess with the drive cable & said here thats as fast as it will go, no discussion, no give it a try or anything that resembled customer service he was nothing short of ignorant and arrogant, if I spoke to my clients the way he spoke to me I would have no customers & a couple of black eyes.

This mower is a good domestic mower if you wish to cut your own basic size lawn however it is no way a mower to purchase if you want to make a living cutting lawns.

I am sure the larger mowers 51 pro & 53 pro are great mowers however this when using the drive is a waste of space, if you want a low end Etesia mower buy the push mower with no drive your back will be knackered at the end of a days mowing but not as much as pushing the heaver & more expensive drive model with a drive you will not use.
Rrp price £860.00 I got it for £650 cut 4 small domestic lawns for sale at £575.00 ono

I know the feeling Lawn Lover! However Les at Etesia pimped mine by changing the pully. It flys on concrete and depending upon what lawn I cut it is either a hell of a lot quicker or just above acceptable.

The quality of finish, pick up, and jungle clearances is impressive. Yes the box is small but something I can live with.

I have only only used the Hayters on about 5% of all the lawns cut and trust me we cut a lot of lawns and dump 500 - 600KG of waste each day.

The mulch option is fairly impressive too as long as you don't try and mulch anything too high or it looks a mess. I haven't had any complaints from the commercial clients that have been mulched and they are normally the first to spot something different.

Shame you didn't make it down to the Etesia demo day

Replies

Lawncare-4u.co.uk May 17, 2011 at 8:28pm

51 k i have second hand at £335 18mths ago is ok £1600 new !

what was the grass like ? have you tried it on 3 other lawns ?? less steep , drier or shorter ?

sometimes you can get caught out if grass is 1st cut since october last year ?????....... i have !
Bespoke Lawncare May 17, 2011 at 8:43pm

I have tried the speed on lawns with a slope, flat lawns & by running on tarmac with front end tilted up. Sloooooooooooooooooooow

Grass was around 6" on first job last week but very dry could only take around 2" off or would not cut due to lack of air flow even with front wheels set at highest point (I know only take a third of length off or will weaken the sward)

Another lawn front good quality I cut 8 days ago with heyter 56, cut it OK whilst wet but forever emptying the grass box.

Another lawn that is keeped very short due to teens playing for local cricket team and using the lawn to practice on did this easy but so would an electric fly mow.

All the cuts are done without the drive, use mower as a push only even up hills & my legs and back are feeling it.
Gary Hedges May 17, 2011 at 8:47pm

They are very slow, I have two as spares.
I believe their is a modification that can be made to speed them up.
I do like mine though.
Chris Auld May 17, 2011 at 8:53pm

Didn't you ask for a demo before you bought it? I would never buy a lawnmower before seeing it going first.
Graeme @ BGS May 17, 2011 at 9:04pm

I know the feeling Lawn Lover! However Les at Etesia pimped mine by changing the pully. It flys on concrete and depending upon what lawn I cut it is either a hell of a lot quicker or just above acceptable.

The quality of finish, pick up, and jungle clearances is impressive. Yes the box is small but something I can live with.

I have only only used the Hayters on about 5% of all the lawns cut and trust me we cut a lot of lawns and dump 500 - 600KG of waste each day.

The mulch option is fairly impressive too as long as you don't try and mulch anything too high or it looks a mess. I haven't had any complaints from the commercial clients that have been mulched and they are normally the first to spot something different.

Shame you didn't make it down to the Etesia demo day
Bespoke Lawncare May 17, 2011 at 9:05pm

Chris Auld said:

Didn't you ask for a demo before you bought it? I would never buy a lawnmower before seeing it going first.

My opening line

My own fault should have asked to try one out first.

I must have been sucked in by all the glowing reports I have read on here.

It is good at cutting normal length grass just as I dare say 95% of new mowers are however it is in no way geared up to use in drive as a mower to make a living cutting small to medium size domestic lawns with.
Chris Auld May 17, 2011 at 9:08pm

oh i missed that, sorry. Im still not convinced with these Etesias either, they just seem so damn expensive! I'll stick with my trusty rover for now.
Graeme @ BGS May 17, 2011 at 9:13pm

Ref your comment "it is in no way geared up to use in drive as a mower to make a living cutting small to medium size domestic lawns with."

Totally disagree - I have improved productivity and know the mower will handle most things I chuck at it. I would go on record as saying it has improved my bottom line by 25%.
Chris Auld May 17, 2011 at 9:15pm

Graeme how long would you get from your Etesias?

Graeme @ BGS said:

Ref your comment "it is in no way geared up to use in drive as a mower to make a living cutting small to medium size domestic lawns with."

Totally disagree - I have improved productivity and know the mower will handle most things I chuck at it. I would go on record as saying it has improved my bottom line by 25%.
Graeme @ BGS May 17, 2011 at 9:24pm

How long? If you mean working life - Wouldn't care as the latest one paid for its self within the first day or two which extra one off jobs I slotted in less labour cost and I have an older 46 which must be about 3 -4 years old and still going strong with limited replacement parts.