Mowing ..

[DFB FGXR6]

If I could design the "perfect" mower, at least for someone who uses these for a living, I would have the following -

Deck - 21-inch alloy deck for durability and work time efficiency. The best I have used has been the Rover Pro-Cut base, a full width chute for excellent catching, with the ability to change the angle of the ride height to suit mulching if desired.



Drive System - as I have mentioned in the past, you don't really want to be pushing a big 21-inch machine around all day, fine if you are young, but not pleasant for hours on end. Again, the Rover system mounted the gearbox on top of the deck, keeping it cleaner and maintaining the full width chute. The only drawback being the single speed, so I would want that changed to allow speed adjustment. The drive engagement lever would also mimic the Rover design.



Engine - I'm torn here, because I really love the Honda GXV-160 for the smoothness, durability and fuel economy. But it doesn't quite have the reserve of torque provided by the 190cc Briggs 850-series. In fact, I would go one step above that and spec the larger 223cc 1000-series version of that Briggs engine. More is better, right? Fuel consumption would be higher, but I wouldn't be left wondering. Ideally, I would also like a high mount air filter as well. And the Briggs OE fuel gauge, fuel filter and oil filter would be nice too.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/au...ex-series.html







Catcher -Dacron fabric catcher, these offer larger volume with superior ventilation, while also being easier to empty. I would also have a steel catcher flap.





Cutting System - Blade disk with four swing-back blades for superior catching performance and crankshaft safety. Again, the Rover and Bushranger design is the best I have used, the main/central bolt is then supported by three other smaller bolts, making it easier to get the disk correctly aligned.





Height Adjustment - Single level adjustment, with small increments between detents to better adjust to each lawn/job. Rover and Victa are king here, allowing you to scalp down to 10mm right up to tipping at 70mm.

Wheels - plastic wheels suit me fine, the steel wheels with rubber "tyres" have worn quite quickly on my Bushranger, I have even "popped" them off the rim a few times.



Ancillaries - Axles should be bolted in place, not suspended with clips, ala Rover and Bushranger.





Steel wear strips on each side of the deck to avoid wearing down the chassis.

The pull rope should be handle mounted.



No engine brake/dead man's handle, I'm a grown up and don't need such a nuisance device, no more clamping! No blade clutch ala Honda, less maintenance issues.



Throttle and speed adjustments in the same arrangement as the Bushranger.



Handles should be solidly mounted to the deck and have a soft touch material on the hand grips.

And lastly, a drink bottle holder! Don't launch, my old Victa Razor had one and it was brilliant for summer mowing jobs.



Basically, this "perfect" machine would be a combination or Rover and Bushranger, with a Briggs engine. I guess such a machine doesn't exist being it would cost too much. If this theoretical mower existed, I would happily pay up to and beyond $3000 for such a machine.