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Weibang pro 48 bbc well reviewed.. (bigger model doesnt have bbc and is quite heavy)
Biggest Honda Izy is fast /reliable/cheapish as a 4 wheel and not too heavy.
Honda deleted front wheel bearings on Izys a few years ago and replaced them with plastic bushes which wear out in a few days and the wheels fall off! (Literally) you can retro fit bearings for about £30 from eBay, which transforms the machine. Othrrwise highly recommended.
I must say I am in my second week of using the weibang roller mower 48 pro having used etesia, husqvana and hayter mower previously, I am so far very impressed with it packs the bag so tight I have to pull it out with my hand even when it's wet strips nicely and has a Kawasaki engine so should last well. Down side is it is 65kg. Durability wise I i i have no idea but it gets great reviews
I have a weibang roller mower for 14 months now. Would not recommend them. I've three Honda HRH and two Kaas roller mowers. My guy's always go for Honda's and Kaas first leaving the Weibang behind. Doing my own basic repairs I find the Weibang is made of inferior materials, especially compared to the Kaas. My local mower shop has the Weibang agency and is pushing them heavily. They come in at a very competitive price but when it comes to reliability you can't beat a Kaas mower and you can't make money mowing lawns if the mower is on the work bench.
Hi Kieron, could you tell me what particularly is inferior about the Weibang and the problems you have had with it with regard to reliability? Also has warranty work been acceptable when you have had problems? Thanks Jim
Jim,
First thing to go on the Weibang was the handle bars. Low down on the bars is a locking disk that allows you to drop the handles for transporting. The collar went on this after 6 months so got it replaced on warranty. Went again on the other side shortly after. The roller differential gone after 8 months. Again repaired under warranty. Bale arm had to be replaced recently but warranty is up. All the items that have been repaired/ replaced are going to go again. I don't have these types of problems with my Honda's and Kaas mowers.
I do a lot of my own repairs so can see the build quality of the Chinese Weibang is no comparison to the Japanese machines. Also the Honda GXV160 engine is one of the most reliable and easy to work with engines out there. Briggs engines are good but not as reliable as the Honda.
My machines work an average of 25 hours per week and staff are not as kind to machinery as a owner. So my machines get a good old bashing week on week. I have Honda HRH roller mowers coming on 8 year old in the fleet. Sure i have to change the drive sprocket and roller every 2 years on them but I don't think the Weibang will see this year out.
I suppose I'm just putting out a word of caution to people on the Weibang. There quite new to market and from my experience won't have the longevity of the Japanese made mowers. Chinese engineering is just not there yet.
But this is just my experience and opinion, others may differ.
Doesnt the weibang pro have a Kawasaki FJ180 engine not a B&S?
Yes it does. Basically all the Pro Weibang's have a Kawasaki engine and the none Pro models have Briggs engines. Also worth noting that the Pro versions all have a 3 year commercial warrranty so if the warranty is already up within 14 months that would also indicate that it is not a Pro commerical machine Kieron. Sounds like you have a none professional one. I've had my Pro one a little under 2 years and not had any issues other than one minor thing, though a friend of mine also has had one for the same length of time and his drive cable has snapped twice and needed replacing.
I'm told by my supplier that when the Weibang came to Ireland they fitted a B&S engine to the pro deck to keep the price low so they could get a foot in the market (which we were in a pretty bad recession in the economy). So it's a pro deck without the Kawasaki engine ( which after the vanguard engine is my favourite engine of all). The Briggs engine has been no trouble to me it's the handle bars and drive I've had the problems with.
Again as I said earlier I think the Weibang would be in better condition if I was using it. But give to staff who don't have to pay for it and it will get tested to it's limit.
Hi Keiron
Thanks for your reply, it's always good benifit from the experience of others. You have given me a heads up on things to look out for and maybe prevent down time by being ahead of the game.
Engine wise I have had the Kawasaki FJ180 on another machine in the past and found it to be both easy to work on and reliable so hopefully it will be the same on the Wiebang. At the same time I agree with you about Honda, their engines are brilliant, the one on my Eliet chipper takes some stick and just keeps going with regular maintenance. Briggs......I'm not so sure about any more their build quality doesn't appear to be what it was a few years ago.
Cheers Jim
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