I run a medium sized gardening company and am currently looking into replacing our fleet of hayters that we have used for years with either the current model of Hayter 48/56 or Lawnflight 553 HRS Pro.
So far it appears the Lawnflights are pretty good, having a Honda engine on a cutting width between the Hayter 48 and 56 at 53cm and a hydrostatic drive i.e.shaft driven rather than belt driven like the Hayters.
I am not currently considering the Honda as the Lawnflights are basicaly the same but cheaper - The Lawnflight deck was originaly a Honda design the Honda's are slightly more expensive as unfortunately you are paying for the name.
Parts are probably a bit cheaper for the Hayters and the Hayters are also cheaper to buy, but I have been advised not to spend the extra for the pro Hayter version by my local mechanic.This is because to pro ones have a set speed of 3mph where the standard ones have a variable speed with a maximun of 3.5mph, although the variable speed adjuster can break, it doesnt matter if you fix it at the faster speed and the additional cost is not really worth it for the extras you get, the standard models are still very strong and good machinesl.
The bigest concern with the Lawnflights is the gearbox, which can get damaged and wear out.These are much more expensive to replace than the Hayter ones at about 6x the cost, but if you are careful to avoid dropping the roller assembly onto hard ground, as it will push the drive shaft into the gear box and avoid as much as possible running the roller over hard ground (concrete etc) it should last a considerable time. Also you can purchase parts for the Lawnflight gearbox and hopefully avoid having the replace the whole thing.
The other point to consider is the weight as the Lawnflight is a much heavier machine to move around and use compared to the Hayter.
Both Hayters and Lawnflights are very well built and a lot of the problems that the Hayters had when the current design was orriginaly released have been fixed.
I dont think you will go far which ever one you choose, perhaps see if you can try them out before hand as it may help you make your final decision.
Unfortunately I have tried both and I am still currently undecided on which model to purchase!
i have a hayter 56 autodrive i keep having problems with the drive its fine to start with after 5 or 6 mins of cutting i lose drive i have fitted 2 new belts and adjusted the drive cable but drive still seems to fade any help would be good
To add to what I said last summer, I did own a Lawnflite, which as someone said is a Honda engine on a different deck, and it was very good - deck not quite as robust, but that made it lighter to use.
I have a Honda HRX476 with rear roller bought new in 2007. It has been great until this season. After about 20 minutes from cold (ie when it is hot) the forward drive becomes sluggish and disappears. There is no change to the cutting speed or quality. If left to cool right down (40 minutess or so) it is fine again.
My mechanic has replaced the gearbox/clutch twice (second free of charge from Honda) - no difference. The mechanic (and I) don't know what to do next. He says the drive belt is fine (and it certainly seems to be tight). I don't see how it can be anything in the engine as the engine speed and cut don't change at all.
I have it serviced every year, and keep it clean after every use. I have spent over £300 this season (including service) and am wondering whether I should just ditch it and start again. Has anyone experienced this or got any ideas?
I absolutely am not a professional but did recently have to buy a new mower. The place we bought from reckoned John Deer were the best they sold, but in their words "not really worth the extra expense for home use, more intended for the professionals"
HRX476C (roller)I have experienced the same problem with propulsion as has Graham - it pulls a bit but needs to be pushed. First Honda dealer couldn't get to the bottom of the problem - on second dealership now - awaiting report - did you solve the problem
You need to get very quickly to the point of convincing them that a replacement at their expense rather than a repair is the only answer. I used one of these for 12 years with no problem.
As Mark 18 my Honda hrx 476 loses drive after about 10 mins. It has been serviced by Honda dealers. They are trying to find the problem. Have you found an answer yet.
This is a interesting article! I'm thinking of buying a self propelled lawnmower. My garden is just over 200'x 40'. I've always used a 18" petrol push roller mower however I do struggle with it. The garden has quite a lot of curved borders and low fruit trees so I was looking to upgrade to a better mower. I looked at a local lawnmower shop recently who advised me on Honda & Hayter. My concern is that they said I could go for a 56" mower however after looking at one in the showroom they look massive to handle and the thought of ducking under fruit trees sounds worse than owning my current mower. I really want a roller mower as I like my stripes. Am I right in saying the metal roller mowers give better stripes than the plastic ones? Do you think I should stick with a smaller size mower than 56". Any advice greatly appreciated.
Posts
I run a medium sized gardening company and am currently looking into replacing our fleet of hayters that we have used for years with either the current model of Hayter 48/56 or Lawnflight 553 HRS Pro.
So far it appears the Lawnflights are pretty good, having a Honda engine on a cutting width between the Hayter 48 and 56 at 53cm and a hydrostatic drive i.e.shaft driven rather than belt driven like the Hayters.
I am not currently considering the Honda as the Lawnflights are basicaly the same but cheaper - The Lawnflight deck was originaly a Honda design the Honda's are slightly more expensive as unfortunately you are paying for the name.
Parts are probably a bit cheaper for the Hayters and the Hayters are also cheaper to buy, but I have been advised not to spend the extra for the pro Hayter version by my local mechanic.This is because to pro ones have a set speed of 3mph where the standard ones have a variable speed with a maximun of 3.5mph, although the variable speed adjuster can break, it doesnt matter if you fix it at the faster speed and the additional cost is not really worth it for the extras you get, the standard models are still very strong and good machinesl.
The bigest concern with the Lawnflights is the gearbox, which can get damaged and wear out.These are much more expensive to replace than the Hayter ones at about 6x the cost, but if you are careful to avoid dropping the roller assembly onto hard ground, as it will push the drive shaft into the gear box and avoid as much as possible running the roller over hard ground (concrete etc) it should last a considerable time.
Also you can purchase parts for the Lawnflight gearbox and hopefully avoid having the replace the whole thing.
The other point to consider is the weight as the Lawnflight is a much heavier machine to move around and use compared to the Hayter.
Both Hayters and Lawnflights are very well built and a lot of the problems that the Hayters had when the current design was orriginaly released have been fixed.
I dont think you will go far which ever one you choose, perhaps see if you can try them out before hand as it may help you make your final decision.
Unfortunately I have tried both and I am still currently undecided on which model to purchase!
i have a hayter 56 autodrive i keep having problems with the drive its fine to start with after 5 or 6 mins of cutting i lose drive i have fitted 2 new belts and adjusted the drive cable but drive still seems to fade any help would be good
To add to what I said last summer, I did own a Lawnflite, which as someone said is a Honda engine on a different deck, and it was very good - deck not quite as robust, but that made it lighter to use.
I have a Honda HRX476 with rear roller bought new in 2007. It has been great until this season. After about 20 minutes from cold (ie when it is hot) the forward drive becomes sluggish and disappears. There is no change to the cutting speed or quality. If left to cool right down (40 minutess or so) it is fine again.
My mechanic has replaced the gearbox/clutch twice (second free of charge from Honda) - no difference. The mechanic (and I) don't know what to do next. He says the drive belt is fine (and it certainly seems to be tight). I don't see how it can be anything in the engine as the engine speed and cut don't change at all.
I have it serviced every year, and keep it clean after every use. I have spent over £300 this season (including service) and am wondering whether I should just ditch it and start again. Has anyone experienced this or got any ideas?
I absolutely am not a professional but did recently have to buy a new mower. The place we bought from reckoned John Deer were the best they sold, but in their words "not really worth the extra expense for home use, more intended for the professionals"
HRX476C (roller)I have experienced the same problem with propulsion as has Graham - it pulls a bit but needs to be pushed. First Honda dealer couldn't get to the bottom of the problem - on second dealership now - awaiting report - did you solve the problem
You need to get very quickly to the point of convincing them that a replacement at their expense rather than a repair is the only answer. I used one of these for 12 years with no problem.
As Mark 18 my Honda hrx 476 loses drive after about 10 mins. It has been serviced by Honda dealers. They are trying to find the problem. Have you found an answer yet.
Regards
John
[email protected]
This is a interesting article! I'm thinking of buying a self propelled lawnmower. My garden is just over 200'x 40'. I've always used a 18" petrol push roller mower however I do struggle with it. The garden has quite a lot of curved borders and low fruit trees so I was looking to upgrade to a better mower. I looked at a local lawnmower shop recently who advised me on Honda & Hayter. My concern is that they said I could go for a 56" mower however after looking at one in the showroom they look massive to handle and the thought of ducking under fruit trees sounds worse than owning my current mower. I really want a roller mower as I like my stripes. Am I right in saying the metal roller mowers give better stripes than the plastic ones? Do you think I should stick with a smaller size mower than 56". Any advice greatly appreciated.
Are you sure they didn't say 56cm? 56" is enormous!