Problem with Petrol Mower - Mountfield SP414

I've got a McCulloch petrol hedge timmer and that been ok, the only thing i had to do was to clean the slip clutch

 

I've not had any experience of Qualcast @timcs. I owned a Mountfield many moons ago but that was before the Chinese took over building them and then it was a long lived reliable mower. I then went to Honda and owned one for 14 years with no issues up until age set in and I couldn't get parts for it. My most recent mower was a Hayter which I bought on recommendation and had engine problems with that from day one, although other members here on GC haven't.

I haven't got a mower at the moment as the place I'm renting temporarily, having moved to Scotland hasn't got a garden. I will be buying another Honda when the time comes although they aren't cheap. As with most things you get what you pay for.

 

It seems that all the Good brands mentioned here do not seem to be available at any stores around my area they all appear to be online shops only :(

On a more budget note are Sovereign part of another make e.g. Qualcast ? and more to the point are they any good ?

Also any thoughts on Webb ? I have been reading reviews about Qualcast which have put me off a little due to the price and the poor build quality and just wondered if Webb are better as they are another £100 more.

Thanks

TimCS

 

@timcs

If you can afford a few hundred, you can get a decent mower that will last for many, many years. An adviseable choice would be a Hayter, Honda or an Efco machine. The reason being, these manufacturers offer a limited range of dependable models and the parts are always available.

Ryobi, Mountfield (since Chinese engine introduction), McAllister etc are are referred to as "supermarket brands" by my power tool maintenance guy. They are available from all DIY stores and are cheap to buy but maintaining or repairing them is a different story

The cheap machines are churned out with several variations on each model, each season, and the parts are often ludicrously expensive or practically impossible to obtain within a couple of years. They are disposable machines with a lifespan designed to get them through the warranty period and little further. Working on them is often far more time-consuming as the components are somewhat fragile or difficult to work with.

With a decent make, the engineering is better, they are more reliable and when things go wrong, they can be fixed at a fraction of the cost of buying another mower

 

@Mowerman

Thanks for your advice, any thoughts on the brands that machine mart sett? Not heard of Einchell and they also sell Webb but did not know if these are "supermarket" brands as well

Also where would I go to get the brands you recommend ? such as Hayter Honda or Efco ?

Also please consider this is for a lawn for a home user not a professional gardener

Thanks

TimCS

 

Not that familiar with Webb but they seem to be gaining a lot of momentum, but could be another "supermarket brand", judging by the pics. A customer's neighbour has an Einchell and he said that on the lowest setting, it cuts the grass about 2 inches high minimum, so without knowing which model it is (and not having the opportunity yet to see if it's set up correctly), am reluctant to advise. But German engineering is usually excellent so is worth bearing in mind.

Have used a Hayter Spirit 41 Autodrive and it was a brilliant machine. Not cheap new but maybe you could pick one up on eBay for far less. And if anything breaks, it will be serviceable.

 

Hi TimCS, Webb have been around since the 1920's originally building cylinder mowers. They were a good, trusted British brand. However, I'm not sure whether they're still made here. As a mower repairer, I'd suggest not so much looking at the brand name, but what engine it has. The brand name doesn't have to be well-known ie; Qualcast etc as long as the engine is a trusted make. Champion and Soverign are classed as "bargain" brands, but makes no difference if they have a Briggs and Stratton engine (which I'd recommend) easy to work on and if it does fail for some reason, parts are readily available on sites such as ebay. Hope this helps. Kev.

 

@Mowerman

Thanks again for the advice very helpful might look at the details behind Einchell.

@Kevin777

Very interesting information here, looks like Qualcast do use Briggs and Stratton motors with their mowers, I was a little put of what I read from customers who had bought Qualcast stating that the build quality was not that good though. I also read the manual on a Qualcast and it stated that when putting away for long periods of time, it seem to have a very involved routine to go through for that which was off putting as well considering what people here have said about what they do with their mowers over winter periods.

I will keep looking for now but the info on the Webb knowing their history is good but like you say are they still made in the UK.

Thanks

TimCS

 

@timcs you're welcome

 

All I have decided after all to get the mower serviced/repaired for around £50, so fingers crossed and thank you all for your help and input on this matter.

Thanks

TimCS