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Replies

• 

  Antony Rimmer February 1, 2010 at 9:02am

  Thank you
  
  Pro Gard said:

  Purely on parts availability One of the professional spec Honda made mowers, they arent the best in terms of wet pick up and weight but spares will be no problem and the machine should be fairly reliable.
  
  Otherwise my choice would be Etesia, either Pro46, 51 or 53 depending on budget and mowing area or at a push a kawaski engine JD however im not sure what the dealer network is like for either as it is sparse in the UK.
• PRO

  Gary RK February 1, 2010 at 11:12am

  Hi,
  
  Agree with Pro Gard, Etesia would be my choice particularly with the optional side eject chute.
  
  We use Etesia (walk behinds and ride-on) for all our commercial and lot of resi work. They are very good machines.
  
  If we need more formal finish (stripes etc), we have settled on Kaaz/Danarm honda engined rear rollers. Had minimal problems, easy start, spares availability good.
  
  As mentioned elsewhere, everyone will swear by different brands, so select from those mentioned by members and then check for local dealers. To us that is very important if problems occur (which they will).
  
  With online dealers, the machines typically need some form of assembly, oil and cable adjustment (ie PDI). If you have the time and desire to resolve any subequent 'issues' then it can be a less costly route. Sometimes out of box problems are hard to get fixed if you are not dealing with an authorised dealer.
  
  Gary
• PRO

  Gary RK February 1, 2010 at 11:36am

  Ref your last requirment - Forgot to mention an one point - Etesia are French (based on French/German border - ETESIA
  13, rue de l'industrie
  F 67160 WISSEMBOURG
  Tél. (0033) 3 88 54 89 10
  Fax (0033) 3 88 94 06 24
  
  - so spares should be ok for you!!!
• 

  Lawncare-4u.co.uk February 1, 2010 at 4:05pm

  are ariens / arians french?
• 

  Richard@www.seasons-garden.co.uk February 1, 2010 at 5:22pm

  Hi
  Ditto other replies
  You'll get many different opinions on mower makes, however since you mention that you'll be using in Europe, Viking made by Stihl are popular on the continent and becoming increasingly popular in UK now with council contractors.
  The 6 series offer 19" mulching mowers for around £600 or 21" for £700 approx
  You should also get a 12 month warranty on Viking.
  Hope this helps
• 

  Richard@www.seasons-garden.co.uk February 1, 2010 at 6:06pm

  Alloy & Poly Carb deck, mines been fine, gets a lot of regular use.
  Alloy = more weight
  
  
  Steve Kenyon said:

  yeah viking , the only thing that puts me off um is to much plastic etc , i think the decks are poly , not good for contracting , hitting stones , my opion keep with alloy etc , abit more durable , plus all the others have been tyed and tested,
  
  Richard said:

  Hi
  Ditto other replies
  You'll get many different opinions on mower makes, however since you mention that you'll be using in Europe, Viking made by Stihl are popular on the continent and becoming increasingly popular in UK now with council contractors.
  The 6 series offer 19" mulching mowers for around £600 or 21" for £700 approx
  You should also get a 12 month warranty on Viking.
  Hope this helps
• 

  GORDON February 1, 2010 at 6:14pm

  Hi Steve
  
  the 19" and 21"Viking all have alloy decks and also have good size engines, 6hp. The top speed is also very good at 3.2 mph. You are correct though in that there is a lot of plastic parts which according to other members comments causes squeaks and rattles.
  
  When in continual use I found the drive on the Kaaz machines very unreliable and also very slow.
  
  This time around I am going to try a Viking. I think the dealers are keen to get some in the market as have no problem getting my local dealer to match a price that I found from on the Nett. The price is £150 lower than list.
  
  
  
  Steve Kenyon said:

  yeah viking , the only thing that puts me off um is to much plastic etc , i think the decks are poly , not good for contracting , hitting stones , my opion keep with alloy etc , abit more durable , plus all the others have been tyed and tested,
  
  Richard said:

  Hi
  Ditto other replies
  You'll get many different opinions on mower makes, however since you mention that you'll be using in Europe, Viking made by Stihl are popular on the continent and becoming increasingly popular in UK now with council contractors.
  The 6 series offer 19" mulching mowers for around £600 or 21" for £700 approx
  You should also get a 12 month warranty on Viking.
  Hope this helps
• PRO

  Gary RK February 1, 2010 at 6:15pm

  I think the 'plastic' deck material question is dependant on the maker, but most who supply 'contractor' grade machines (ie Etesia) use a special products not like that used on domestic/B&Q machines
  
  We chose Etesia years ago on recomendation and the fact the LA's around here all use them (with lots of abuse!). Todate we've never had an issue with this style of deck. Also due to their light weight they are easy to load single handed into vans as the model we use has a 'handle' near the centre of gravity which means you pick the machine up more easily.
  
  I believe the Viking/Stihl brand use the same material as Etesia and the Honda Pro models (I stand to be corrected...)
• PRO

  Gary RK February 1, 2010 at 6:30pm

  Just a point on mower costs - the Etesia RRP is typically high, but with a haggle, contractor discount etc the price ends up not unrealistically high. That's where a good dealer/contractor relationship scores...
• 

  Lawncare-4u.co.uk February 1, 2010 at 6:43pm

  I would like to add this is not for commercial use purely private and therefore the useage would probably be roughly 2 hours per week.
  
  i think a good castel garden with 5.5 honda engine would be sufficient ??!! £289.