About the Landscape Juice Network

Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.

LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry

LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.

For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.

Stihl / Viking RM448vc mower

Hi folks

i am thinking about buying a Stihl RM448vc petrol mower to replace my current Honda Izy for small/medium lawns.

Positives for it are;

Light weight (lots to lifting into rear gardens up steps etc)

Poly deck (for weight and corrosion)

Solid grass box (hopefully better wet collection than the rubbish Izy bag).

However I am struggling to find any reviews for it, or the similar previous Viking model MB448vc, and am concerned about a few things, including how well the single sided handle lasts over time, and the strength of the deck.

Any of you guys use one of these, and if so what did you like/dislike and think about it, and how well does it do for wet collection.

Etesia would be great, but cannot really justify cost and no dealer within 150miles 

Ian

You need to be a member of Landscape Juice Network to add comments!

Join Landscape Juice Network

Votes: 0
Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • It'll do a couple of seasons of regular use. The mono handle is fine, I have one on my bigger 650v. 

  • hi i have the cordless version of the 448 with the mono handle since september 2018, am not that keen on the handle to be honest, its good how it folds down but some play has developed in the handle from down near the mounting point and there is a nut that keeps trying to undo itself. but it is still a good mower, i have others i use but on certain jobs it is ideal. the plastic deck is very solid and the rigid grass box with the indicator flap that drops down when full is good. mine is the battery model and drains an AP300 pack alarmingly quickly but it's powerful and you dont get something for nothing. and i have several batteries anyhow. body wise the petrol model is identical to mine in most respects, designed to be a domestic model but ok for light commercial use i guess.

  • Hi Dan/Billybop - thanks for your replies. What are your thoughts on the 650v and RMA448 units on wet grass cutting and collection? I realise that they are different power units to the RM448VC of course, but might give me an idea.

    cheers

    ian

    • hi Ian yes surprisingly good in the wet especially if the blade is kept sharp and not too over ambitious with how much length you are trying to take off in one pass.

      in extreme conditions it can start to deposit green gunge around the perimeter of the deck and after a while you can hear the blade fouling this.

      i carry a trowel tucked behind the motor unit also for scooping up dog fox and badger mess so I can stop occasionally to tip the mower on its side and scrape out the build up.

      obviously being battery powered the mower doesn't object being turned on its side. although in general use this is rarely necessary. most of the lawns i do are the rougher 'country' type. often with various areas some which are cut at different heights.

      a 2 hour job [which used to take the same time using a petrol mower, and I was younger then, lol] uses 6 of the AP180 or AP300 battery packs, although not all run to empty, there is no loss in power whilst the batteries become depleted.

      there is a slot in the mower to carry a spare battery and swapping them over is as rapid an operation as changing the magazine on an assault rifle.

      i keep the power saving button in high mode as i found the change in motor speed irritating when the mower alters it to suit increased or decreased load.

      the cut height settings are 2.5cm, 3.5cm, 4.5cm etc which i like as my other mowers [bosch] are 2cm, 3cm, 4cm and so on, which suits certain lawns at certain times of year.

      am no eco warrior but find the cordless mowers very convenient with minimal running costs except the occasional blade change

       

    • I switched to a hi lift blade, and the box usually fills to the top, wet or dry, short or long. 

       

      • Hi Dan-I see that you've just bought a Stihl RM655VRS, have you, so must really like them.

        • I'm not a fan boy, but there is so little choice in reliable roller mowers that will pick up wet grass that I've decided to give it a go. If it lasts 2 season's I'll be happy. 

          I'll feedback here as time goes on, and you'll be able to trust my review as there's absolutely no bias or desire to please a manufacturer whatsoever!

          • I dont know about the roller mowers but I knock out over 50 small domestic gardens a week using the Viking/Stihl 248t and it has been in only once for a drive problem (cost about 30 quid. I service them myself ( have a push version as well) and the pick up in the wet is the best I have come across.

            I have used other makes and much more powerful motors but only my large AL-Ko matches it.

            Both of these have hard boxes not fabric. Makes such a difference I think.

            • Thanks Paul. Sounds like you have a similar round to me, although I don't do quite so many!  The fabric bag of the Izy is so hopeless with wet grass, I have even thought about trying to make a hard box for it (didn't get anywhere though).

              How do you find the Stihl 248 deck for build up with wet grass?

              • If its really wet i have to stick a pair of gloves on and tip it slightly and scrape it off by hand maybe twice a day, If i neglect it and it dries I use a plastic scraper (my own fault for neglecting it, the deck on the 5 year old  push 248( and still used regular to give me a workout), has a litlle bit of surface rust underneath but still solid and thats down to me just ignoring cleaning duties.

                It has done tonnes of work , had about 2 plugs, 3 oil changes and filters and has had the carb cleaned once. brilliant pick up, reliable and reasonably priced.

                A domestic mower that has been the best buy I ever made, 248t excellent as well.

                 

                 

This reply was deleted.

LJN Sponsor

Advertising

PRO

How Do You Qualify A Sales Lead?


I don't know about you, but our phones and emails are starting to get busy with enquiries. I've learned over the years that it's all too easy to answer the phone, arrange a consultation and then spend a couple of hours with a prospective client…

Read more…
Comments: 0