Another fast track purchase from Amazon...still delivering BEFORE their expected dates.....well done and thanks.
I took a long time researching a new lawnmower and finally bought the Haytor Spirit 41cm.
The minimal assembly was easy and the machine was ready to go in minutes except for one vital component......lube oil. The first few hours of any engines life is the most important in terms of lubrication. Longevity also hinges on the type of oil used. Anyway, after adding oil and fuel, the engine started on the second pull and subsequently starts every time on the first pull. Even the height of cut control feels quality and the general construction is superior to any other mower I have owned in this price range.
The lawn does indeed have stripes after cutting and the machine easily copes with lawn edges, not falling into the flower beds because of the roller. The resultant mowing looks more like a superior cylinder effect than a rotary mower usually achieves.
The power drive is easy to use and again feels "quality." I have always tried to avoid fabric grass collector boxes, preferring plastic ones that can be hosed clean. However, so far the fabric collector seems to stay free of matted grass. I observed the hint in the manual of avoiding cutting wet grass so cannot comment on the performance "in the wet."
All in all, a very good machine, clearly well engineered, especially the aluminium chassis/plastic panel construction....which should avoid corrosion.
My other lawnmower has a deck wash facility.......just a snap hose connector to sluice the underside whilst running, so avoiding tipping the machine over to clean. Haytor should consider this for their machines.
Minor niggles:
Surely oil should be shipped with the mower? Having a nice shiny machine that you cannot start is very frustrating, and I wonder how many mowers have the nearest oil to hand put in rather than SAE-30 as specified.
The grass "box" is supposed to lift out from between the handles but the construction of the netting has some reinforcement that snags the control cables nearly every time!
Also the quick release handle folding nuts.....do indeed quick release whilst mowing. Resigned to replacing the plastic knobs with some nylock nutted bolts, I really tightened the plastic knobs very hard and they stay put most of the time. Such force on a plastic knob will result in failure in the future.