Mowing ..

[Blue Ice]

I bought one of these last year to replace the Victa 2stroke I've had for the last 15 years due to the deck rotting out (pressed steel) and it's been pretty good, engine is plenty grunty. The push button electric start I thought would be a bit of a gimmick but it's been worth it. Alloy based was what I was chasing in a replacement.



https://www.victa.com/nz/en_nz/produ...-ultimate.html

[roddy1960]

Another motoring well known car person endorsing Victa mowers . This is good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTU7p8WgG-s.

Shamelessly off topic (sorry moderators) but like Victa another great Aussie classic (eventually), also sometimes maligned by some like Victa has been at times with the same person endorsing it as well .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJk_-SKLh8Y

Cheers ..

[MDS69]

After a bit of advice.
So I picked up a Stihl FSA 57 battery line trimmer yesterday and proceeded to attack my 4 week overdue edges after my 20year old Stihl FSA 45 gave up the ghost. I was a little underwhelmed. The effort to trim the edges was far greater than my old trimmer but I will say it did trim the leaf/blade satisfactory but it struggled with the runners (Sir Walter). Once I get back into weekly or maintenance mode I am sure it will be up to the task. I also only got 80m or so trimming before the standard battery went flat but again it’s first workout was unusually thick. Also the standard line of 1.6mm is rubbish. I use 2.4mm in my old unit and will be looking to upgrade to min 2.0mm when the supplied stuff runs out.
So my question is does anyone have the same unit and what cord do you run. What is the biggest you can fit ignoring the manual.

Once my 20 year old Victa packs it in I will look at the Stihl RMA 460 mover with another battery. Any feedback on this mower. I am on a 550m2 mostly level block. The buffalo is fairly spongy.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by MDS69

After a bit of advice.
So I picked up a Stihl FSA 57 battery line trimmer yesterday and proceeded to attack my 4 week overdue edges after my 20year old Stihl FSA 45 gave up the ghost. I was a little underwhelmed. The effort to trim the edges was far greater than my old trimmer but I will say it did trim the leaf/blade satisfactory but it struggled with the runners (Sir Walter). Once I get back into weekly or maintenance mode I am sure it will be up to the task. I also only got 80m or so trimming before the standard battery went flat but again it’s first workout was unusually thick. Also the standard line of 1.6mm is rubbish. I use 2.4mm in my old unit and will be looking to upgrade to min 2.0mm when the supplied stuff runs out.
So my question is does anyone have the same unit and what cord do you run. What is the biggest you can fit ignoring the manual.

Once my 20 year old Victa packs it in I will look at the Stihl RMA 460 mover with another battery. Any feedback on this mower. I am on a 550m2 mostly level block. The buffalo is fairly spongy.

The head on that machine is the AutoCut C 3-2 which states 1.6mm line. I dont remember how line is loaded into that head, but what used to shave down the ends of 2.4mm line into a spool designed for 2.0.

If you bought the FSA 57 as a kit form, you will have the smallest AK10 battery, explaing the lack of "range".

If you do go for a Stihl lawn mower, if you do for a RMA 460, buy it as a skin only then buy a larger AK20 or AK30 battery to give you sufficient run time.

But also please make sure that it will cut low enough for you, the RMA 460 has a 35mm lowest cut height. On Sir Walter, that might be ok but I would go out and measure your current mower on it regular setting to see if it will be suit. 35mm is very high, I know someone who did buy one of these and he hates it.

[MDS69]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

The head on that machine is the AutoCut C 3-2 which states 1.6mm line. I dont remember how line is loaded into that head, but what used to shave down the ends of 2.4mm line into a spool designed for 2.0.

If you bought the FSA 57 as a kit form, you will have the smallest AK10 battery, explaing the lack of "range".

If you do go for a Stihl lawn mower, if you do for a RMA 460, buy it as a skin only then buy a larger AK20 or AK30 battery to give you sufficient run time.

But also please make sure that it will cut low enough for you, the RMA 460 has a 35mm lowest cut height. On Sir Walter, that might be ok but I would go out and measure your current mower on it regular setting to see if it will be suit. 35mm is very high, I know someone who did buy one of these and he hates it.

Thanks for the reply. With regards to your comment on measuring my cut height can you suggest how to do that. Is it as simple as placing the mover on a hard surface and measuring to the bottom lip of the deck. My current Victa Silver Streak has a fixed height Vía a nut and bolt as the front axle has flogged out the bushes and deck over time.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by MDS69

Thanks for the reply. With regards to your comment on measuring my cut height can you suggest how to do that. Is it as simple as placing the mover on a hard surface and measuring to the bottom lip of the deck. My current Victa Silver Streak has a fixed height Vía a nut and bolt as the front axle has flogged out the bushes and deck over time.

Cut your lawn as normal, then measure the blade length from ground level to the top of the grass blade.

[DRU842]

Originally Posted by MDS69

After a bit of advice.

Once my 20 year old Victa packs it in I will look at the Stihl RMA 460 mover with another battery. Any feedback on this mower. I am on a 550m2 mostly level block. The buffalo is fairly spongy.

I've been running the RMS 460 for the past 2 years at home; similar size buffalo lawn and couldn't be happier. I'm moving to Stihl battery gear as other tools die. So far I have the hedge trimmer. Will probably get an additional battery with the line trimmer next.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by DRU842

I've been running the RMS 460 for the past 2 years at home; similar size buffalo lawn and couldn't be happier. I'm moving to Stihl battery gear as other tools die. So far I have the hedge trimmer. Will probably get an additional battery with the line trimmer next.

Which battery did you get with the mower, I note Stihl offer two battery options with the RMA 460 kit, the AK20 and AK30.

If you intend on getting a second battery, I have found the smallest AK10 is more than enough run time on a hedger, but I would advise at least the AK20 for the pole hedger, blower, chainsaw and line trimmer. Ideally, I would run the chainsaw on the AK30 as it really runs through the juice.

[janddbone]

Personally I would buy a Victa 2 stroke if they were made and I needed a new mower. However everytime I am at the tip, I come home with an old one and throw it in the pile in the corner. Just last week my decompressor went on my usual mower, I just switched the whole head in about five minutes flat and went back to it. I have enough sparess to last me and my son both our lifetimes easy!

[CyberWasp]

What is the optimum height to cut a Kikuyu Lawn?
I have seen it mentioned on earlier posts.
I have always cut mine high, as in the second highest setting.
It gives the lawn a spongy type feel I guess, but I thought that this was always best for blocking weeds and water retention.
I can see that with DFB FGXR6 you cut yours a lot lower.
I am just wondering about the pros and cons and if I should lower mine down over a period of cuts.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

What is the optimum height to cut a Kikuyu Lawn?
I have seen it mentioned on earlier posts.
I have always cut mine high, as in the second highest setting.
It gives the lawn a spongy type feel I guess, but I thought that this was always best for blocking weeds and water retention.
I can see that with DFB FGXR6 you cut yours a lot lower.
I am just wondering about the pros and cons and if I should lower mine down over a period of cuts.

Kikuyu is a difficult beast.

On one hand, it is extremely resilient to drought and heavy foot traffic and also self repairs.

On the other, it is aggressive in it's growth rate, becomes weedy if not kept in line and yellows over the winter.

As a general guide, cutting lawns on a higher setting is beneficial for keeping weeds suppressed and slows the evaporation of soil moisture. The problem with Kikuyu is it's thick and aggressive growth rate makes pushing a mower over it difficult and works the engine harder. As a result, over time people tend to raise the deck to make cutting easier. The result is tall and spongy turf.

For me, I prefer to keep Kikuyu as short as I can. I also find my fortnightly customers like to see that their lawn has been mowed. As a result, I tend to cut lower.

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

What is the optimum height to cut a Kikuyu Lawn?
I have seen it mentioned on earlier posts.
I have always cut mine high, as in the second highest setting.
It gives the lawn a spongy type feel I guess, but I thought that this was always best for blocking weeds and water retention.
I can see that with DFB FGXR6 you cut yours a lot lower.
I am just wondering about the pros and cons and if I should lower mine down over a period of cuts.

As DFB says, cut kik lower so the thatch doesn’t build up. In my area thatchy kikuyu lawns get ripped up in winter by the cockys looking for a feed. Except it’s dormant so looks like crap until spring when it gets going again.

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

With hot and humid weather, combined with a few heavy downpours, the Kikuyu has gone absolutely nuts over the last few days. You can almost see it growing.

Mower of choice today was my the terrific Mulchmaster.





For whatever reason, these dedicated mulching mowers only have the two-blade oval disk.



The rest of the Victa range sold as mulch and catch have a four-blade disk.



Only thing I can think of is that the deck design of the Mulchmaster does not necessitate the fitment of a four blades. Either way, the cut quality is just fine.

On another note, that hot and humid weather has been playing havoc with my Husqvarna 525BX blower. It starts just fine on a cold start but struggles on a hot start in hot weather, bogging down, choking and even stalling unless left to idle for several minutes. That is not ideal for a tool that is earning a living.

The penny dropped today when it refused to start then flooded itself. I pulled the plug, cleared the combustion chamber and tried again, got a few quick fires but still would not run. This left me without a blower mid-way through a job...........I was NOT a pleased man by this stage! Hopefully no one was watching because I'm sure it would have been entertaining.


So I don't know what I will do now. I don't think this is a tuning issue that could be remedied at the dealer. A machine that lets me down like this is as good as useless. I will either sell it to a backyard gardener, one that wont demand as much as a professional, or even video myself taking to it with a sledge axe before posting it to Husqvarna themselves.

I'm a little disappointing to say the least, in both myself and Husqvarna. It's not often that I will choose a dud, I am usually very diligent with my research. I am also annoyed that this machine at $585 cost me $186 more than the Stihl I should have bought in the first place.

You win some, you loose some.

Disappointing to hear about the blower, does it do it after being left in the sun? Some of my stihl stuff gets cranky restarting on a hot day if it’s been sitting in the sunlight.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

As DFB says, cut kik lower so the thatch doesn’t build up. In my area thatchy kikuyu lawns get ripped up in winter by the cockys looking for a feed. Except it’s dormant so looks like crap until spring when it gets going again.




Disappointing to hear about the blower, does it do it after being left in the sun? Some of my stihl stuff gets cranky restarting on a hot day if it’s been sitting in the sunlight.

Sun, shade, it doesn't matter. I have had the Stihl's get cranky too in heat but nothing like this.

Disconnected the vac attachment on my BG 86 and reconnected the blower tube and used that all day. Ran like a champion.

I have ordered a replacement fan housing for my damaged BG 86 and will put that back into commission while I decide what to do with the 525 BX. I nearly just went in and bought a brand new BG 86 today, I was that annoyed. Glad I didn't because for under $30 I can get the broken machine running again.

This is what needs replacing, the engine is otherwise a good runner.



As I said, I am extremely disappointed with the Husqvarna and I really hope those who have gone on to buy one on my recommendation are not having the same issues.

[DFB FGXR6]

Did my usual mowing run today, using the Bushranger to plow through rampant Kikuyu. The majority of my clients are on fortnightly service so using a mulcher on this sort of growth is not efficient.

Returning home at the end of the day, and onto my own and neighbors lawns. Here, I can use the Mulchmaster to save me some time and effort.

As you can see, when the lawn is taller, the mulching will leave some residual grass clippings.





A quick blast over with the (Stihl ) blower and it you would barley notice the catcher wasn't used.

[xkxlxm]

Hedge trimmer advice needed: a few months ago I repaired an Ozito hedge trimmer. It had been working intermittently; one of the lead-in wires inside the body had broken and I shortened both wires and that got it working. I cut the hedge without a problem. (Citroenbender's advice on the possible fault was spot-on).

Yesterday I decided to cut the hedge again. Used the Ozito for maybe 5 minutes (not constant) and then it stopped; I could hear a buzzing noise and then saw some smoke. I guess it decided to live up to the tag "Not intended for trade or high frequency use". (Hadn't done any trade use and probably hadn't done a lot of work in the previous owner's hands.) I haven't opened it up but I guess it's stuffed.

I have a Black & Decker GT250. It could be 30 years old. Still works but doesn't cut well. Is it worth cleaning the blades (by scraping them)? If I undo the 6 bolts holding the blade/s together will the blade/s pull out of the body so that I can clean them more easily or will I also have to open the plastic body to get the blades out?

Will blades need sharpening as well as cleaning? Can they be sharpened?

Thanks for any suggestions..............

[PG2]

I mowed one of the paddocks last week with the zero turn mower. It only gets mowed a couple of times a year so as you can appreciate, it is always very long when I mow it. It is also a typical paddock with some rough terrain. Keeping above in mind, I cut it on the highest setting.

I keep the lawns around the house in reasonably good condition.

The problem is I must have bent one the blades (the mower has three) it has left ruts in the lawn when I nowed around the house yesterday. .

[George V]

Question for the experts & pros here - about thatch in buffalo lawn.

Scenario:

Newish lawn - about two years old; typically mowed between 50mm & 60mm height but has developed a lot of thatch now. There is at least 30mm of thatch.

Missed giving it a No 1 cut last spring - too much of rain and was always wet.

Question:

Do I wait till spring to give it a short haircut or start trying it now in steps? Location is Western Sydney / Parramatta area. It is becoming harder to push the mower.

Regards,
George V

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by George V

Question for the experts & pros here - about thatch in buffalo lawn.

Scenario:

Newish lawn - about two years old; typically mowed between 50mm & 60mm height but has developed a lot of thatch now. There is at least 30mm of thatch.

Missed giving it a No 1 cut last spring - too much of rain and was always wet.

Question:

Do I wait till spring to give it a short haircut or start trying it now in steps? Location is Western Sydney / Parramatta area. It is becoming harder to push the mower.

Regards,
George V

I have not had a lot to do with Buffalo, despite cutting lawns for 20 years.

Confirming with a colleague, you can de-thatch at this time of the year provided you don't attempt to do it in 38+ deg heat. Ideally, it's best done in winter but as long as you keep the water up to it and check the forecast prior, you should be fine.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by George V

Question for the experts & pros here - about thatch in buffalo lawn.

Scenario:

Newish lawn - about two years old; typically mowed between 50mm & 60mm height but has developed a lot of thatch now. There is at least 30mm of thatch.

Missed giving it a No 1 cut last spring - too much of rain and was always wet.

Question:

Do I wait till spring to give it a short haircut or start trying it now in steps? Location is Western Sydney / Parramatta area. It is becoming harder to push the mower.

Regards,
George V

Be careful dethatching Buffalo, the runners grow on the surface as opposed to Couch and Ky which grow under ground. Go too far and you'll loose all the growing points and your lawn.
Set the vertimower up on concrete with the tines just touching the ground and do a test strip of lawn before you get stuck in, less is more in this case.

I wouldn't do it at this time of year unless the lawn is in really good health, mild weather is forecast or you've got access to plenty of water.
Aeration is a better long term solution for thatch, punch some holes and get some air in the soil, this will stimulate soil bacteria that'll help break down the thatch and feed the lawn at the same time.

[George V]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

Be careful dethatching Buffalo, the runners grow on the surface as opposed to Couch and Ky which grow under ground. Go too far and you'll loose all the growing points and your lawn.
Set the vertimower up on concrete with the tines just touching the ground and do a test strip of lawn before you get stuck in, less is more in this case.

I wouldn't do it at this time of year unless the lawn is in really good health, mild weather is forecast or you've got access to plenty of water.
Aeration is a better long term solution for thatch, punch some holes and get some air in the soil, this will stimulate soil bacteria that'll help break down the thatch and feed the lawn at the same time.

Hi Rallye Sport,
I am not game to have a go with a vertimower yet; plan is to keep going with rotary mower in steps, may be twice a week as long as the lawn can take it & weather is suitable.

Thank you all for all the advice,

Mowed lawn today at two steps lower than previous cut - reduced from 60mm to 50mm with a week growth added in between. Too much of clippings, two full bins and still plenty of it left over.

Kind regards,
George V

[Peter B - CV8]

Given the weather conditions (plenty of rain, lawn not under stress etc) I reckon you'd be ok to dethatch at the present time.

[EgoFG]

Just purchased a second hand Ryobi 40v 20" mower (the self propelled brushless)
Curious to hear if people are happy with their battery mowers.

[Rallye Sport]

The new year has brought with it another job change to a new golf club. I was enjoying my previous role being more of a trainer. The hands on work was great but dealing with the Tafe system was a real chore. That and I still think I've got some grunt left in me.
An opportunity came up at an ailing and unloved, previously championship club. The idea of being part of its resurrection appealed to me and there is alot of construction planned, something I haven't had too much experience in.

A bit about the club, its in a rural area close to home and was on the verge of bankruptcy however with a surge in membership over the covid period and with some parcels of land being sold to development its become viable again.
The dead wood has been cleared and a new staff base has been employed.

First on the cards was to go though the graveyard of old machinery and recommission what we needed to start renovations. Its taken alot of welding, fabrication and an adapt and overcome attitude but we started work on the course this week.

My rig at the moment a Peruzzo vertimower.



After a bit of fine tuning its running like clockwork.



Following me up is the corer, 20mm hollow tines set at a depth of 100mm.



Its slow going at one fairway a day but every blow takes us closer to the goal of it once again being a championship course.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Rallye Sport

The new year has brought with it another job change to a new golf club. I was enjoying my previous role being more of a trainer. The hands on work was great but dealing with the Tafe system was a real chore. That and I still think I've got some grunt left in me.
An opportunity came up at an ailing and unloved, previously championship club. The idea of being part of its resurrection appealed to me and there is alot of construction planned, something I haven't had too much experience in.

A bit about the club, its in a rural area close to home and was on the verge of bankruptcy however with a surge in membership over the covid period and with some parcels of land being sold to development its become viable again.
The dead wood has been cleared and a new staff base has been employed.

First on the cards was to go though the graveyard of old machinery and recommission what we needed to start renovations. Its taken alot of welding, fabrication and an adapt and overcome attitude but we started work on the course this week.

My rig at the moment a Peruzzo vertimower.

image

After a bit of fine tuning its running like clockwork.

image

Following me up is the corer, 20mm hollow tines set at a depth of 100mm.

image

Its slow going at one fairway a day but every blow takes us closer to the goal of it once again being a championship course.

That is awesome!

Look forward to seeing updates if you can.

[FTE217]

Congrats with the new gig Rallye for starters.
Nothing like seeing a challenge to take on as long as the support resource is there as it sounds.
Look forward to the updates for you know I’m a avid suffering player as well as loving landscapes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MITCHAY]

I'm surprised I even have a lawn to mow in summer here but then again I can't remember when we had so much rain and the temp is barely cracking 30c here either. It's all a bit odd

[DFB FGXR6]

5.5 hours of non-stop lawn mowing in disgusting humidity. And that humidity has made the grass grow like crazy.

This is two weeks growth of Kikuyu and the images don't accurately depict how tall it is.

The first two pics are with the edges done vertically and the taller material slashed down around the perimeter. This offers a smoother, neater edge. I also slashed a couple of sections to make it easier on the mower.



I had to double-mow this lawn, as in cut on a high setting and going back over it on a lower height. This method is easier on the machine, helping to prevent chute blockages and and engine stall/bog. Even still, the poor thing worked HARD today.

First passes -





Second passes -





I filled 4 of my garden bags from that lawn and I actually had to make two trips to the tip today.



I'm actually pretty beat up after today. Have I mentioned I HATE summer!
It's also one of the reasons I charge accordingly. I don't do walk ups, I don't charge beer Bob prices. It's hard work, work than people clearly don't want to do themselves.......the price reflects this!

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

5.5 hours of non-stop lawn mowing in disgusting humidity. And that humidity has made the grass grow like crazy.

This is two weeks growth of Kikuyu and the images don't accurately depict how tall it is.

The first two pics are with the edges done vertically and the taller material slashed down around the perimeter. This offers a smoother, neater edge. I also slashed a couple of sections to make it easier on the mower.

image

I had to double-mow this lawn, as in cut on a high setting and going back over it on a lower height. This method is easier on the machine, helping to prevent chute blockages and and engine stall/bog. Even still, the poor thing worked HARD today.

First passes -

image

image

Second passes -

image

image

I filled 4 of my garden bags from that lawn and I actually had to make two trips to the tip today.

image

I'm actually pretty beat up after today. Have I mentioned I HATE summer!
It's also one of the reasons I charge accordingly. I don't do walk ups, I don't charge beer Bob prices. It's hard work, work than people clearly don't want to do themselves.......the price reflects this!

Self propelled is the way to go.

P.S. I'm glad I'm not the only one who ends up with lines after mowing

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Self propelled is the way to go.

P.S. I'm glad I'm not the only one who ends up with lines after mowing

The trouble with that yard is that the whole estate was built on a swamp and so drainage is pathetic. In winter, it gets pretty spongy. The lines are an unfortunate byproduct.

I resisted self-propelled for a long time due to their bulk and weight. They don't help with the "lines" either. However, I could not be without one now. Once you learn how to "drive" them, the weight factory is not as important.

[Tonz]

in a previous age when mowing we had a composting business near by that would take grass clippings free and charge for pruning's. Even took cardboard & newspaper

They had a massive business and quality garden compost available.