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Mel, Don't buy a Wiebang, most of the comments on the forum are negative with the odd exception. We are using the new model Hayter 56 Pro which is perhaps too much - £1300 for your budget, it has done an enormous amount of work without fault in 12 months, good in the wet, the Hayter 48 Pro we have'nt used but you may find it a bit fast even with the recent modification to slow it down, the 56 has sense a speed which basically means the further you push the drive handle the quicker it goes, this is ok to use for a short time in tight areas but it is not practical to try and hold it in a set position for long periods, I have emailed Hayter saying why can they not put a hydrostatic box on it? which would turn it into a class leader along with asking for the handle to have height adjustment - got the usual fob off !! Having said that it is still a cracking mower and we put with these things due to it's wet grass performance. We also run Mountfield SP555RV ,£999 , adjustable handles and speed - lovely mower to use, not had any issues but not so good in the wet and no BBC, hope that helps
what model Weibang did u have for ref ?
Personally I'd bin the stripes too much maintenance on roller mowers, used roller mowers for 8 yrs always bills at the end of the season or half way through next season....fortnightly cuts in the growing season within a week stripes disappeared.....used a pro 46 for last 2 years (back up mover) what a great finish!!! And great in the wet too....told my customers the roller mower as broken they said they'd more than happy with the finish with the four wheeler...
I've run Weibangs for 3 to 4 years now with no problems other than changing a couple of cables. The non BBC Weibang is the best mower for collecting wet grass that I've ever used. What I would say though, is they are a very heavy mower and you say the lawns are small. One option, if you are only doing a few small lawns, is to buy a non pro Honda roller.(HRX), they would be cheaper and lighter, I've got the smallest of these rollers purely for the occasional job that doesnt require a heavy pro machine.
I'd also say you do need stripes. I use both roller mowers and four wheelers but it's the roller mower that is needed for the classy finish. Let us know what you choose to go with and good luck with it.
Currently running a Harrier 48 pro (new model with the Honda engine) - good wet pick up, allows tick over without blade or roller engaged. Not too fast in my opinion and a good mower. I've a mate who has been running harriers for the last 15 years and he won't use anything else.
i've no experience of Weibang though I'm afraid.
I have a Weibang legacy 48 pro (non bbc) and a Hayter Harrier 41 pro.
The Weibang is in its 3rd season with no issues at all, it's been to the dealer for annual servicing to keep the warranty valid.
The Hayter I bought last season, it went back soon after I got it for an oil leak then a few months later the drive belt pulley came loose so it was in for repair again. Both of these issues were repaired under warranty without any problems.
As far as wet collection goes the Weibang wins hands down, there really is no comparison. The Hayter is very fast, too fast sometimes so you end up pushing it, In truth if a lawn is not too small or fiddly the Weibang does a better job. The Hayter is good for those smaller jobs because it's light and manouverable. I do wish the Weibang wasn't quite so heavy though.
weibang im now running on them after trying for first time 2 seasons ago, cant fault
Hi Mel. One other thing to consider is who is using the machine. It is simple but true that machines last much longer with a single user/ owner operator. Although I use Weibang, Stihl, Honda pro equipment most of the time I have used the Honda non pro machine (I mentioned earlier) for about 5 years now and again and it looks as good as ever. If you are only doing those half dozen small gardens and fortnightly, then you may not need a £1500 pro machine.