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I am in the third season of using the 19 version of the same mower. Mostly domestic lawns of all sizes but have a couple of large ones that are basically mowed fields, very lumpy and bumpy.
I feel a bit of loan voice but can understand the reticent because of the horrid green colour and the amount of plastic involved in its make up.
Have used or owned all the major brands of roller mowers and as an all round tool I would choose the Viking every time.
In no particular order these are the benefits that I recognise.
Faster than any other mower, unless perhaps the engine has been tweaked
Collects wet grass better than any other roller mower, has a very high lift blade and excellent air flow as the grass collector is of a solid vented plastic and does not block.
Because of the above the grass box fills to the max, less stopping to empty.
Heavy enough to make nice stripes but light enough to manoeuvre / lift
Split rear roller plus the lighter weight equals less damage to lawns in wet conditions.
Easy start, first time most of the time. (See below)
Replacement parts very cheep, at the moment.
No problems with the actual drive apart from the rollers. (See below)
Height adjustment, one operation
Seems very good on fuel although I have never monitored it. Just my perception.
Negative
Rear roller assy is all plastic and is prone to wear, but the complete set of parts is.
about £50.00 and is easy to do yourself in an hour.
Sometimes wont start, I have 2 and they are both the same. All that is needed is to keep pulling about 20 times and it is good again. Frustrating but in the scheme of things it is something that I accept.
Wish the handle bar was shorter like the Hayter 48....
Tried one (In fact tried the whole range) at a dealers. Too noisy for me, and too many vibes.
Bought a second hand Honda. Quiet, does the job, built like a tank. Cheaper as s/h. A couple of small issues, but no regrets.
Very fair right up I've looked at them and they look great mowers I run an etesia because when i was looking at buying a new mower i went to the etesia open day and bought one there Viking where the only other mower I would buy
GORDON said:
Thanks for replies guys. Think you have sold it to me gordon. I was debating on a second hand honda but after running 3 second hand hayters, 41, 48, 56, I want something new and hopefully hastle free for a while. I am going to have a ring round tomorrow and see what kind of price I can get one down to.
Once again thanks
No starting problems with the Honda., even my old one...The new ones have been re-designed and pick up better on wet grass (better airflow, blades etc).
Apart from the top spec pro model Viking, all had high levels of vibration - look at the spec sheet in their brochure. That also put me off. And you could feel it.
Not good for long term health if used on a pro basis.
Not that happy with mine, the blade boss snapped after owning it a few days, used for about 4 hours. Was with my Stihl / viking dealer for 7 weeks waiting a new boss and a week to fix...Lucky I have my trusted honda!
I hit a brick with mine and one of the little locating lugs broke of from the boss. Better than bending the shaft I supose. Anyway, the blade still clamped into position fine and was able to continue to use the mower. The new boss was only a few days delivery and cost £9.90 plus vat. To be honest I was expecting the cost to be approx £40.00. We can only refer to our own experiences but I would say that you were unlucky for it to break at all and who can say about the delivery, Stihl parts are not normally a 7 week delivery.
Steven Lillycrop said:
Hi Guys
I have the 19inch version of the viking and can report a broken blade boss and also starting probs. 20 pulls sounds about right to start it sometimes. My dealer has been very good, no waiting time issues with parts the boss was replaced with an uprated one under warranty. A fuel tap and new plug cap were also fitted under warranty to try and cure the starting probs.Fuel tap to prevent flooding in transit due to possible float bounce. Plug cap because the std metal one can be faulty. They are quick and they do collect well but the build is cheap. I have only cut about 9 lawns and had all of the above problems. I have a 19 inch honda i think its a hrx (chain driven roller) its slower, wet collection is good enough but more importantly it hasnt gone wrong in 3 yrs! The prevoius one lasted 5 years with only one breakdown and minimal servicing. If i was buying new I would by either this one again (depending on the size of lawns cut) or the 21 inch honda with roller. I have been quoted £1000 for one of these new. I paid £524 for the viking new (very special offer)and its not worth that in my opinion .Hope this helps
We run a 19 inch machine also, great starter second pull every time, nice and light great for the smaller lawns, we run it in tandem with a 21inch Honda.
The only problem I have found is the drive chain, either the roll pin snapping or it chucking it off due to miss alignment. The roller arms bend slightly I have just straightened them with my pal the hammer then welded braces to stop this.
All in all a cracking machine, the customers definitely notice you with this mower (I'm sure it glows)!!
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