Chapter 16 – Hercules!
In the middle of 2020, I started to get serious about replacing the Rover. Apart from my first mower, the seven-year-old the Rover would be the longest I had kept a mower. While it needed some decent maintenance over those years, it had well and truly earnt it’s keep. Ideally, I would have simply bought another one, however by then, Rover had discontinued that generation of ProCut’s. The salesman at my dealer said the reason for that was apparently Rover had determined the “mold was worn”.
The replacement Rover ProCuts were different machines. Overall, compared to the old ProCut, the new mowers looked cheap and flimsy. They were still offered with the Kohler or “Rover” engines and single speed self-propel. As a point of difference, these ProCuts had a blade brake clutch, meaning the engine could continue to run without the blades turning. That feature had been on Honda’s for a while and was a something that really interested me. The dealer would actually tell me that they were seeing problems with the blade brake from a few other lawn contractors. That sort of ruled out a new Rover from that point. I think it’s telling that Rover have since discontinued the ProCut for range altogether, a shame really as they had a good reputation within the industry.
https://www.rover.com.au/lawn-mowers
This subject of replacing my Rover came up a couple of times with my dealer, they knew I loved my machine and was apprehensive about replacing it. In fact, they convinced me to do another round of drive-line maintenance to give me more time to consider what to do. To be honest, I could have done the same a few more times, but the machine was staring to show it’s age overall. I even asked about putting a new engine on it but was told not to bother.
This dealer was also a Bushranger retailer. After again ruling out other alternatives, I started to look very closely at their professional machines. Bushranger offer five commercial grade models, all with alloy bases. There are two push 19inch mowers, powered by either a Loncin or Honda GXV160, and the three self-propel 21inch models. The larger versions again have the option of Loncin or Honda, with a blade brake option added recently on the Loncin version. Strangely, the 18inch steel chassis Bushrangers are actually the old Rover equivalent.
https://bushrangerpe.com.au/browse-products/lawn-mowers
I went on and chose the self-propel 53AH6IMSP 800SP (what a sexy name?!) with the Honda GXV160 engine, although that decision meant paying an additional $410 over the Loncin. I’m glad I did because the GXV160 is a brilliant engine. It’s smooth, fuel efficient and produces more power than the on-paper figures would suggest. And even more since I upped the revs!
https://bushrangerpe.com.au/browse-p...er-pu53ah6imsp
Old vs New -
The drive-line on this mower is different to my other previous self-propel machines, featuring a drive shaft rather than a belt. The gearbox has three speeds and engagement of drive feels quite a bit firmer. I guess the rubber belt systems tend cushion the engagement of drive.
However, the gearbox location would mean some compromise………………a half discharge chute.
That was a hard aspect to overcome, especially considering my past experiences. In reality, the catching ability of this machine has been mostly fine. Only the thickest and wettest grass will cause blockages, so nowhere as bad as the John Deere. The four swing-back blade disk would be helping here.
Overall, the machine is built like a tank. The chassis is very robust, the wheels are alloy and the axles are bolted to the frame. The fabric catcher is huge, 70 litres in fact, and really improves efficiency. It’s pretty heavy when full though. The machine overall is VERY heavy with a dry weight of 52 kg. Along with the Rover and MulchMaster, I need ramps to push this mower up onto my ute.
Mulching ability is pretty good too.
Improvements would be minor. I would like more height adjustability, with only 7 positions compared to 10 on a Victa. I would love for them to offer the Briggs 850, despite my love of the GXV160. A little more width of the rear chute would make it just about perfect. Oh, and a longer pull-cord on the Honda to allow fitment on the handle. I actually tried fitting this myself, but the cord is simply too short to start the engine when extended that far. For the price these engines command, you would think Honda could spare the extra few cents by making the cord long enough.
In September 2020, after trade of the Mustang 850, I paid $1599 for the Bushranger. To date, touch wood, it’s been faultless. I got this mower three months before I would quit at my largest customer, a wealthy family which I took care of all of their properties. As such it would take a little longer for this mower to pay for itself.
It's strange, I seem to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time with Victa's commercial mowers. Not long after I bought the Bushranger, Victa would launch another large commercial machine with a 21inch cut! And powered by my favorite engine.
https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...850-ic-sp.html
This Victa compares well against the Bushy, weighing noticeably less and offering more grunt. It does lack the 3-speed gearbox and shaft drive though. If I was choosing today, I'm not sure which I would choose. Engine power and a brand I love? Or strength and ability to choose my own walking speed? Either way, I'm more than happy with the Bushranger at this time and it should last me a long time.
Next – The most recent addition.