The question has been asked of me, "Is the Model 45 Craze starting to subside ?"
I have been informed by one of Adelaide's Lawnmower shops that their sales figures of spare parts has dropped rather markedly over the past 4 months or so.
Yes I understand that we are currently in the middle of a pretty cold and wet winter where all mower sales and participation in using them declines somewhat, but with the way many of these second hand machines are being now flipped on Gumtree at around $400~$500 in as found condition and then one has to consider spending another $500 to $700 to get it up and running reliably, this makes the all up cost of one of these around the $1,200 mark and that's not considering all the man hours being spent on these.
One thing it's certainly done is eliminated all the guys that used to restore these for a profit as they can no longer find them for around the $50 mark like they used to and then add around $300 in parts (when they were cheaper) to get a very tidy profit out of the end sale price of around $1,200.
Would love to hear some thoughts on this current market.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
Most recently I've been looking at parts to finish the second Model 45 and in Sydney they are ridiculous.. $100 for 2 steel cogs welded together, really? $75 for a new off-side reel bearing housing - no way! I'd gladly grab another machine to strip for parts for $200 if it existed but here in Sydney I'm afraid we're still leading the Country in prices.... I'm happy to not buy parts right now in my own kind of rebellious protest for now.
I'll start looking with more intent for another unit to piece-out and report back.
If the craze is subsiding it will not take too long for prices to start to come down once the sellers start to realize they might end up being stuck with their overpriced parts. Only thing that holds prices up is demand but it may take some time for sellers to accept that they have been gouging the hobby that has fed them
These greedy sellers are not putting their nuts on the line at all Norm. What they are doing is constantly advertising as if they have stock but when someone buys any particular part they simply place an order with GA Spares and get the part in within 24 hours.
Just to show how much they are raping us, a pair of the plastic roller end caps which are generally being flogged off at around $23 on the Bay are being purchased from GA Spares for around a whole $6.00 which is pretty much all a piece of injection moulded plastic is worth in the real world.
The worst of the marking up sellers is in Perth and when you speak to him about his extortionary prices he just becomes abusive and claims he's selling so many SB parts it's feeding him and his addiction of money making.
I very much agree with TC that it's sadly worth canabilising another machine just for all its parts and then simply tossing the chassis out into scrap metal as this is why all of the commercial restorers that used to rebuild a machine and sell the finished item off to an end user are simply now wrecking machines to make what they used to in a restoration, but simply in parts alone which is far more profitable and far less work.
I very much can't wait for this craze to end so us dedicated folk can do this affordably and have all the flippers move on to the next big thing.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
They wouldn't get those silly figures here in Adelaide that's for sure, but then Sydney has always had far higher prices in everything due to cost of living expenses.
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
The best I've seen is $2500 for a Diplomat! (I know, not a 45, but still!)
If you trawl Gumtree or Facebook market place (eeeesh) you can very, very occasionally see some for less than $100 that are a good buy. But they go really quickly. It'll be great when the flippers flip off.
KenW, nice couple of mowers you have there. Are they RATO powered? Are they essentially GX100 knockoffs? They look very similar but I can spot some differences. I'm keen to get something new that is close to the original Kirby form factor that bolts right on, but it looks like you've needed spacers to lift the motor up? Sorry to send this a bit off topic...
If you follow the online sales of mowers, you can get familiar with the mowers and watch when someone has bought one for cheap, got out some green spray paint and doubled the price. It's dropped off over the last few months, but it was rife over the warmer months.
I don't collect mowers. I just require Multiple Mowing Solutionsâ„¢.
Hi yes the engine on these two SB45’s are Rato engines they look well built and also have bearings on the end of the crankshaft unlike the Briggs and quite running Yes I had to make up spacer out off 12mm flat bar to lift the engine Will be interesting to see how they go
There's a guy on Facebook Marketplace selling parts quite cheaply. I wouldn't normally go there but I was checking traffic for the run home and this popped up...
He's in Adelaide, and things like cutter sprockets (which I need) and cutter bearing housing (which I need) are $30 a piece. Looks like there's a fair selection and at $90 and $75 respectively, I'll be saving $100!
It certainly has become quite the craze, hasn't it? I remember when paying 3 figures was considered 'overs' for one of these machines. While the positive aspect is parts being readily available and some are cheaper than they used to be, it's also an opening for sellers to have massive mark-ups. This includes 'restorers'. I know of a friend who bought a restored mower and there were so many issues it was almost laughable. Having said that, there are some people out there who are making a go of it and their machines are top quality. Similarly, there only ever used to be one or two places to get a front roller shaft, which would set you back $75 + postage. They're now around $35-$40. I'm also a big fan of the upgrade items that have been made to improve the machine rather than rebuild it.
When you look at it, the cheapest reel mower you can get would be either the Masport or the newer Supaswift which I imagine will increase in popularity over Spring. They're around $1500 or so from memory. The Masport's do not have a great reputation, so many overlook them. My next door neighbour has one and hates it. It's light and in his words, 'flimsy'. I feel as though the Supaswift may play a part in slowing down the Model 45 market in the near future. Previously, your options were to either spend $300 to get a second hand 45 back in service and cutting/running nicely or a good $800-$1000 to do a full restoration of a Model 45 with all the bells and whistles. The other option was spending $2500 on a Protea. In my opinion, this is why people started going crazy for the 45 - it's totally customisable to their taste. A good, solid (or fractured if a twin) blank canvas to work from...
I do not see the interest in home lawns slowing down anytime soon, which means more and more people will be interested in reel mowers as a result. It's just whether or not the humble 45 will be able to compete with some of the more recent additions to the market. It can't keep going the way it has been if you're able to fork out just as much on a brand new mower with warranty.
There is also a 'unicorn' craze regarding the solid 20" machine. I'll admit I 'had to have one' also and secured it a few years ago. Now that I've tried quite a few versions of the 45, I'm not so sure it's even the one I want to keep.
Would this be a bloke in Parafield Gardens by any chance ?
Hi B.B.,
I needed the roller sprocket and looking at paying $100 was not going to happen and the worn unit went back on as I kept looking around for a decent unit to break down.
I’ve just ordered it so i’ll tell you next week when I see my purchase.
KenW, Thank you. I had a moment of weakness and popped into a Honda Shop. The GX100 is a straight bolt in!
em,
I have wondered myself about the whole "unicorn" thing. There are plenty of used commercial machines out there for about the same price in reasonable nick. Most are too big for me to store away so I went the Scotty path and modded a 14. If only Mow Master (D&F) made a 14" Residential High Cut!!
It will be interesting to see what happens with the Supaswift. I think I only started seeing them around at the very end of the last growing season. As you say, will see come spring.
I don't collect mowers. I just require Multiple Mowing Solutionsâ„¢.
