OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Heavy duty self propelled side throw mowers

98% of my customers don't want a catcher mower as they get tired of having to empty the catcher every six feet and if the catcher flap is lifted up it presents a safety hazard with stones being projected directly to the operator.

The quality of the current self propelled side throw Victas leave a lot to be desired especially if one wants it to last.

The only option is to buy older Victas but a lot of my customers use four strokes so it could be a challenge convincing them to use an older mower & also having to mix fuel.

Personally I'm perfectly happy with an old Victa 2 stroke but not everyone wants a noisy and smoky mower so I have to have another option.

The toughest drive system on a 'normal style' lawn mower would be the Snapper mower but that isn't sold here. I presume this is to prevent it from killing Victa's sales since both are owned by Briggs & Stratton.

https://www.snapper.com/na/en_us/product-catalog/push-mowers/commercial-walk-mowers.html

The issue I'm facing is how to import these mowers without going broke having to pay import & customs fees etc.

Has anyone had recent experience in this area?

I have also thought of building a side discharge & self propelled mower but I doubt all the liability risks of selling a 'home made' mower to customers would be worth it.

Likewise, if I wanted to commercialise I also highly doubt it would be worth the investment just to sell half a dozen a year with no easy way to tell if it won't send you broke.

(I have no idea what restraints are enforced on this sort of area but I'm sure there will be something like an ADR that has to be adhered to.)

It is simply no longer as easy as it was when Victa started out!

Hi LRT, I thought there was a Snapper importer in South Aus, not sure what model they import but would be worth talking to them

Yes Norm I have talked to the guy importing them but he only sells the 3 in 1 model. He is also bringing in Active commercial mowers from Italy.

I'm not sure if a 3 in 1 will work as well as a dedicated side discharge mower and I can't afford to buy one to find it won't suit the customer's requirements. I do know that the John Deere 3 in 1 block up when used as a side discharge mower.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SNAPPER-P21875-Self-Propelled-Mower-Catch-and-Mulch/141942447372

Edit: The link has stopped working again! Here it is without all the extras for you to copy & paste:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SNAPPER-P21875-Self-Propelled-Mower-Catch-and-Mulch/141942447372

Surely he would think about bringing in a couple of the ones you believe is needed down your way, once a few people see how they work, word soon spreads in country areas. Country people want good products, unlike city people who are happy to just buy rubbish and replace it every couple of years

Yes thats correct. I wonder what would be involved to bring them over?

As they won't be on the market I guess the import taxes could be passed on as there isn't any competition.

Of course buying a few at a time will offset costs but if they don't sell you could end up with a lot of money out on them.

Here's the reply he wrote to my eBay message:


HI THERE.. we only stock one model as it is the most popular one with my regular customer base ...the hivacs are effectively almost all the same ...
we can set up our model as a ninja mulcher if you need and you could order the steel wheels if you really needed them later...they have become quite popular as a dedicated mulcher in some areas once a couple of lawnmowing guys have found out about them ....we are also about to receive our first order of Active commercial mowers from Italy....worth a look too

Just found this: http://mowerimporter.com/About-us.htm

Maybe talk to this guy for snapper
https://powermowers.com.au/products/snapper-p21875-self-propelled-mower-catch-and-mulch

As for side throw in 22" most contractors think Victa M/master is the best built mower in Australia,of course it would be run by a 4 stroke.Pros don't use 2 stroke mowers

Hi Someguy,

Yes thats the same guy I messaged on eBay.

I'm not sure if it will work as well as a dedicated side throw but it definitely has a better drive system than Victa from what I've heard. I haven't seen either in person so I'm going on other peoples reports. The Mulchmaster appears to be very similar to the great Pro 550 and are locally available, which is a big plus. (Interestingly, the Powertorque powered version is still on Victa's website - I thought they would be long gone by now.)

The customer who is wanting to replace their modified Honda catcher mower with a new self propelled side throw are in their late 70's so mixing fuel for a 2 stroke could prove to be a step backwards in terms of ease of use and being able to actually see how much oil they are putting in!

It also has to be fairly strong as they mow bluestone rocks that they forget are hidden under the lawn occasionally! I actually have their AMC here waiting for a new cutter disc as the blade bolts are falling through the disc its that worn!

They also want to replace the AMC when it dies but I'm not sure what to recommend as they like the tight turning circle that a Greenfield or Cox just won't do and any other ride-on would have its deck destroyed in under a week.

Iv'e recently replaced the M/master 550 with the 560 i'm hearing reports the 560's are wearing belts out faster compared to the old model.Why i don't know that yet.I'll be using the 560 everyday this week mulching 8-9 homes a day ans one of those jobs the back yard grows that fast i'll need to use it as a slasher

Greenfields and Cox ride ons..don't think there's any thing better made then them two

For the snapper shop here in Adelaide i have been in there and dealt with the owner,you would be best to call the shop

Thanks Someguy. I'll be interested in seeing how you get on with your 560.