Hi all
It's been some time since i posted on here. I just managed to convince my superiors that we need some new kit (which we do!)
I work at a High school and we are in the market for a new strimmer/brushcutter and self propelled pedestrian mower. We have a little Husqy ride on that is on its last legs and really isn't that appropriate for our grounds. I have suggested that we replace this with a self propelled padestrian. We have a budget of about £500 for this. I have worked for a landscape firm doing similar grounds before and we used Husqy kit, which to be honest served us well, but I just want the best for our buck. I need a brand too that we'll have no problems getting repaired and getting parts for. Was thinking a Husqy 323RII for a brushcutter, wadda you reckon? Seems decent for the money. I'm not sure what though for the pedestrian. Grounds are fairly uneven, grass growing rates vary and there is always flippin debris hidden, so it'll have to be tough and have a good cut height. Oh, and we want a mulcher.
So to recap:
Self propelled mulcher for about £500
Brushcutter/strimmer for about £300-£350
Also can anyone recommend some good suppliers for kit?
I have attached a pic of the grounds and the pedestrian will be filling in where the our larger grasshopper can’t get to.
Thanks in adavance, guys
Neil.
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Replies
Thats My old school!
Watch out for the kitchen Knives on the pitch - Still got a mark on my leg from one that got mowed by the tractor gang mower you had back in 2002!
You can give me a call on 07920 401 357 and Ill give you the details of some local guys.
That said for £500 your going to get nothing that will do the job.
Also if your mowing the whole site? Im not sure how you will cope with a pedestrian on both the time scale and also the increased fuel usage vs using a dedicated ride on.
The spec you state for WBH would mean either an Etesia ride on, or something like a Pro53 for pedestrian - meets all the specifications but would cost 3-4x your budget.
If you want to see the Etesias - Im working Wed & Thurs just round the corner from you.
We have a grasshopper ride on for most of it (which I know is too small but there is no chance of that being replaced). The pedestrian will just be for filling in smaller areas. But bottom line is we won't buying Etesia, sadly. So I need something £500-£600. Thing is although this should be treated as a commercial job, the mowers aren't used everyday. Couple of days every other week really so I'm hoping to find a happy medium.
I'll pop into county mowers when I get a minute and speak to Harlands too.
Anything else you (or anyone else!) would recommend mower & strimmer wise?
Ta.
Some snapper mowers are good, you should get one for £600 ish, about 21" cut, they are well made and hevay machines, most do mulching aswell. My snapper mulcher is my main good weather mower.
I nearly got;
Snapper ESPV21S 3N1 Mulch Mower
but in the end chose;
Snapper EP2187520BV
as it also collects.
The other option is a second hand etesia - £300 -£500 should get you a second hand Pro51-53 in good condition - and at the use you describe, should last years to come.
I have a Rover which is aimed at the lighter commercial use end and a 20'' one won't be that far off your money.
It mulches with just a plug inserted and has good pick up. Also swing tip blades mean no more bent crankshafts from hitting submerged nasties.
Simon Smith said:
Well the two mowers being offered by local dealers are the ROVER 861m107 at one place or a Hayter Motif 48 or R53 at another (with the Motif being the cheapest). My gut is to go with the Rover. Strimmer wise we'll probably be going with a Sthil FS90.
That stihl strimmer is tiny and has high vibrations so it will make the job very hard indeed.
I would highly advise you get them to get a good used echo or husqy pro machine instead, as it's you that's going to be using it you want something that won't kill your back and hands.
Looking at the growth by the hedges at the edge of your site this afternoon the Fs90 would not cut through that...!
For the same price, do as dan says and get a used professional grade machine.
Neil Hogan said:
Hi Neil,
Reading through this, and apologies if I have got it wrong, you are employed by the people who are buying the equipment, and they are responsible for your health and safety whilst working for them?
I can't see anything other than problems with a site like this, and cheap equipment. Personally, I'd be expecting them to source the best equipment, and ensure it's both capable of the work it's expected to do, and safe for you to use long-term.
Whether you recommend cheap new gear, or try to find decent used equipment, surely it's you who'll get the blame if it goes wrong, and that's not fair on you. The budget is unreasonable, and why should you suffer because they try to cut corners?
I wouldn’t want to stir, but If I was employed and told to use non professional equipment I would refused to do so - the vibrations would cause me serious harm - The School cannot expect you to use tools with High vibrations, The risk assessments should pick this up that you can only be exposed to low levels, Point out the recent court cases where council workers have successfully sued their employers for giving them vibrating equipment to use causing them to develop HAVS, when better alternatives were available.
David in a perfect world that may be try, but speaking from experience that may not wash.
The last golf club i worked for I was the main chainsaw man, but I didn't hold any of the tickets.
To cut a long story short I asked for training and was then refused it so I set the saw down and never used it again for them.
When it came to redundancy my name was all over it.
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