Ride-on mower lifts

[L Austin France]

Happiness is a high capacity (two-stage) compressor that doesn't run out of breath halfway down the side of a car.

And a wood or plastic deck scraping spatula that doesn't take the deck's protective coating off as a steel garden trowel will

[Hotrodder]

Protective coating?
While welding patches on various decks I have had many opportunities to closely inspect flakes of "protective" coatings that were microscopically thin and revealing a total lack of primer having been used on the bare metal. My latest financial mistake was made partly because the specification boasted a galvanised deck. It remains to be assessed as truth or lie.

[Quiksilver]

I noticed a lot of difference between the Bestgreen and MTD decks, using a silicone fish-slice as scraper The old Bestgreen has never rusted whereas within months of getting it there were signs of rust both above and underneath the MTD. Not to mention all the plates that cover the belt regularly coming unwelded and dropping off As said above...complete crap. No doubt why they've been re-branded, in a doomed attempt to fool most of the people most of the time...

[Trelawney]

To avoid the MTD problems you describe would you please tell me the new brand name. You may have mentioned it before and I will look back through the thread to find it. Thanks.

Found it. Never come across Troy-Bill in our local stores.

[Quiksilver]

Count yourself lucky, Trelawney They're bright red now, rather than the tasteful bronzy-brown that was my downfall Never, ever let a blonde choose her own mower...I'd have had a Stiga if they weren't such a God-awful cheese-spread yellow

[Polarengineer]

Count yourself lucky, Trelawney They're bright red now, rather than the tasteful bronzy-brown that was my downfall Never, ever let a blonde choose her own mower...I'd have had a Stiga if they weren't such a God-awful cheese-spread yellow

Oh dear.
I become very sad to find that after designers and engineers go to great lengths to build a machine (whether it is fit for purpose or not or is specifically designed for maximum aftersales parts) The final criteria for choosing it is its colour.
I suppose it give credence to those ridiculous car adverts that avoid the engineering aspects and emphasize them being driven through the mountains or light filled cities.
As an aside, If one considers buying a new machine any machine, go online and see if you can get spares easily and see the price of them.

[L Austin France]

Count yourself lucky, Trelawney They're bright red now, rather than the tasteful bronzy-brown that was my downfall Never, ever let a blonde choose her own mower...I'd have had a Stiga if they weren't such a God-awful cheese-spread yellow

Good job you're not in the market for a JCB

[Hotrodder]

JCB hardly has any grip in France. Case seems to have the major market share.

My current mowing disaster is one of the many MTD brand names. "Yard Man". During my ongoing searches for replacement parts I discovered several different brand names on the same product. Like almost every consumer appliance these days the brand name is no longer an indication of source, reputation or quality. Multinational corporations have the clout to buy reputable brands and then authorise copies to be made in China where quality control is but an ancient myth. In my field of interest I have noticed the name of Sony emblazoned on products that unless they are at the very top of the range have never been near Japan. The Nikon camera I have been thinking of buying was actually made in Thailand. Stihl, once regarded as a fine example of German quality has its second largest production facility in China. As soon as a successful manufacturing company has hit that glass ceiling of profit the next step is to sack employees and buy robots, or to outsource production to China and the far east. Some insist on tight quality control and deserve their continued good reputation. Others just give the bean counters free reign to cut corners until the product is reduced to crap.

[Quiksilver]

Oh dear.
I become very sad to find that after designers and engineers go to great lengths to build a machine (whether it is fit for purpose or not or is specifically designed for maximum aftersales parts) The final criteria for choosing it is its colour.
I suppose it give credence to those ridiculous car adverts that avoid the engineering aspects and emphasize them being driven through the mountains or light filled cities.
As an aside, If one considers buying a new machine any machine, go online and see if you can get spares easily and see the price of them.

It was a JOKE! (Mostly, anyway....)

[Quiksilver]

Good job you're not in the market for a JCB

I did protest quite strongly about the colour of that but there simply wasn't any choice and he wouldn't let me re-spray it