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The size of the garden, how much time you have to spend there, how much of that garden is lawn and how much money you have to spend are all questions to consider when purchasing a new lawnmower. To assist in your decision making, three of Ireland’s most popular lawn mower distributors recommended mowers from their ranges, to suit every budget for this years Groundcare.
First up is Paul Carney, managing director, Camsaw Distributors Ltd. He gave us his recommendations, choosing three walk-behind 3-in-1 mowers from the Weibang range. These 3-in-1 mowers give the choice of mulching, collecting or a side distribution.
The WB455SC 3-in-1 is currently priced at €429 and is a step up from the entry level push mower Weibang offers. It is a mower for medium-sized gardens and comes with a steel deck with an 18” cutting width. It is the perfect choice if you are looking for a high-quality lawn mower that works efficiently. Other features include central height adjustment to make adjusting the height of the cut easier, a 55l grass bag and a locking lever that can be quickly released so that it is flawlessly easy to adjust the operating height. Severe conditions are not an issue for this mower, as you can open the side cover and install the side ejection deflector for it. It is very efficient and specially designed for long and wet grass cutting.
A grade or two up is the WB506SC 3-in-1 priced at €599. Alongside the 3-in-1 action this mower has a 20” cutting width and a 65l grass bag. This lawn mower is designed to mow large areas up to 1,800m².
An eight-position height adjuster lever means easy selection of cutting height and a mulching plug is fitted as standard. As with its smaller counterpart, this mower is very efficient and specially designed for long and wet grass cutting with the side ejection deflector.
Top of the range
Moving into the professional range Paul recommends the WB537SCVALBBC at a cost of €1,349. This is a 53cm aluminium four-wheeled shaft-driven petrol lawnmower with Blade – Brake – Clutch (BBC), which allows you to stop the cutting action while retaining the drive of the mower.
“Built on a premium quality aluminium deck, this shaft-driven lawn mower offers exceptional grass collection in all weather conditions and the PRO 3 Speed gearbox allows the user to select the drive speed to suit the mowing conditions by using the control unit mounted on the handlebar,” Paul says.
This mower has heavy duty anti-vibration handles which can be easily folded for storage or transportation. It has no mulch plug.
Brian Parker, national business manager for Liffey Distributors Ltd chose three mowers from their Husqvarna range. Husqvarna LC 140SP is a petrol mower priced at €477. The LC 140SP is a self-propelled and easy to use mower with a working area capacity of 500m² – suitable for smaller lawns. Built with robust steel cutting deck it has a two-step central cutting height adjustment. Its soft-grip handle has a foldable handlebar.
The Husqvarna LC 247S, at €639, is a self-propelled walk behind mower for easy, convenient, comfortable mowing and a perfect-looking lawn with a working area capacity of 800m². It features ergonomic handles, grip and bail arms, easy adjustable cutting height and a dust blocker bag, as well as a corrosion-resistant composite chassis.
Lastly, the Husqvarna LC 353V (€810) is a high-quality lawn mower with a powerful engine, variable speed, low weight, corrosion-resistant composite chassis and aluminium wheels. It comes with smart solutions such as comfortable, foldable handles, easy bail removal and easily adjustable cutting height to ensure convenient use. Features like a dust blocker bag are designed to keep dust in the bag and collect blade for less clippings on the lawn, leaving a more tidy look.
Robotics
If you are in the market for a robotic mower, then Husqvarna is a specialist in this field and has a lower priced mower with the Husqvarna Automower105 priced at €899
It is a compact, three-wheeled robotic mower for efficient mowing of more open grass areas. Suitable for smaller lawns up to 600m², it can also handle slopes with an incline of 25%. It is easy to use and offers personal settings. It has automatic charging with a charge time of 50 minutes and typical mow time on one charge is 65 minutes.
If you prefer to look out at your lawn while a little robot does all the hard work, then this might be the auto mower for you.
Neil Stokes, product manager at Origo, gave us his recommendations from the STIHL range.
STIHL RM 248 T €520
The STIHL RM 248T petrol lawn mower has been developed to effortlessly mow medium-sized lawns up to 1,200m2. The single-speed drive allows you to mow the lawn without having to push the mower, great for steep and larger lawns. It’s easy to manoeuvre and has foldable handlebars with a super-soft grip for compact storage. It has a 55l grass catcher box and seven cutting settings.
The central cutting height adjustment is spring-loaded, which makes it easier to set the desired cutting height. With ReadyStart technology, the engine of the STIHL petrol lawn mower can be reliably started up with minimal effort for cold and warm startings.
STHIL RM 448 TX WAS €651 Now €599
With a cutting width of 46cm the STIHL RM 448 TX petrol lawn mower can handle steeper lawns and is useful on lawns up to 1,200m2. It’s super soft grip and easy running wheels make this mower comfortable to use, especially for longer periods.
The grass level indicator on the catcher box shows you when it needs to be emptied, so you don’t overfill and block the chute. The polymer grass catcher box is simple to open and empty thanks to a fold-open mechanism.
It has six cutting height settings and if you would like to mulch your lawn, it can be converted to a multi-mower with the appropriate mulching kit available as an accessory.
This STIHL lawn mower is equipped with carrying handles to make transport simple and loading easy.
STIHL RM 650T WAS €983 Now €859
Fitted with Mono-comfort handles, the new RM 650 T is packed full of features making mowing large lawns quick and effortless. The innovative mono-comfort handle design improves access to the grass box, so emptying it is much easier.
The RM 650 T comes with a 3-in-1 cutting system, which means the mower can be used to cut and collect, mulch or as a cut and drop machine, without having to change the blades. It can work on lawns up to 2,000m2.
STIHL RMA 448 VC Was €1,104 Now €1,049
With an AP 300 S battery and AL 301 charger, this powerful cordless lawn mower has a large cutting width. It’s suitable for mowing large lawns. The Vario drive is adjustable between 2.0-3.0 /3.7/4.5km/hour.
Central cut-height adjustment, automatic eco mode and flow-
optimised blades ensure longer battery life. When eco mode is activated, the speed of the lawn mower motor is automatically adapted to the actual required power as a result, the STIHL battery-powered lawn mower consumes very little energy and can cover a larger area before it needs to be recharged.
STIHL RT 5112 Z Was €5,276 Now €4,799
The STIHL RT 5112 Z ride-on mower with a powerful two-cylinder engine, large grass catcher box and 110cm cutting width is perfectly designed for large lawns up to 8,000m2.
The comfortable spring-loaded seat is adjustable to all heights and all master controls are close at hand – the forward/reverse drive lever at the steering wheel, the central cutting height adjustment, the blade clutch and the lever for effortless emptying of the grass catcher box.
This is STIHL’s number one selling ride on mower in Ireland. The STIHL ride-on mowers can be converted into mulching mowers.
The grass catcher box is simply removed and the mulch insert pushed into the grass catcher chute, allowing the grass to be shredded into fine particles inside the closed housing before they fall back into the turf, returning vital nutrients and moisture to the soil.
Also, STIHL ride-on mowers are great for using attachments such as the AGW 098 garden roller or PICK 300 tilting trailer.
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