When discussing their choice of mower, many homeowners refer to the desirability of equipment that will last a long time ("last mower I will ever have to buy....") and sometimes use this to justify buying a more expensive commercial machine.
How rational do other lawnsite members think this is?
How long do mower manufacturers generally provide support and spare parts for machines no longer in production?
What is the chance that in say ten years time, your friendly local dealer will have decided to switch brands?
My only experience with this was in connection with a 7hp Kawasaki engine which started malfunctioning intermittently and then died totally at the age of about 15 years. The dealer I had purchased the machine from no longer had the agency for the machine involved. I then went to another dealer who advertised that he was an authorised Kawasaki agent but he told me that as per their policy, Kawasaki had discontinued supporting that engine. He did however look through some old microfiches and said that he could order from Japan the part which he believed to be faulty (electronic ignition module) but that I would have to pay in advance and he would not guarantee that the part would fix the problem (or even that it would fit the engine).
In the end I managed to buy a second hand 9hp Briggs and Stratton engine in excellent condition for around the same price (approx $400 Aus from memory) as the Kawasaki ignition module.
I guess this is not so much of a problem for commercial operators who would have a resonable expectation of wearing their machines out before they become obsolete, but do many homeowners see it as a problem?
How often do hydraulic transmission designs change? Do the manufacturers tend to make newer models interchangeable with older ones?
I am not too concerned about basic mechanical components like the chassis, pivots, links, levers, bearings etc as these can usually be repaired or remade from scratch if needed.
Just out of curiosity, what is the oldest mower that anybody (whether commercial operator or home owner) has in regular use, not just a restored "museum piece"?
dh500
How rational do other lawnsite members think this is?
How long do mower manufacturers generally provide support and spare parts for machines no longer in production?
What is the chance that in say ten years time, your friendly local dealer will have decided to switch brands?
My only experience with this was in connection with a 7hp Kawasaki engine which started malfunctioning intermittently and then died totally at the age of about 15 years. The dealer I had purchased the machine from no longer had the agency for the machine involved. I then went to another dealer who advertised that he was an authorised Kawasaki agent but he told me that as per their policy, Kawasaki had discontinued supporting that engine. He did however look through some old microfiches and said that he could order from Japan the part which he believed to be faulty (electronic ignition module) but that I would have to pay in advance and he would not guarantee that the part would fix the problem (or even that it would fit the engine).
In the end I managed to buy a second hand 9hp Briggs and Stratton engine in excellent condition for around the same price (approx $400 Aus from memory) as the Kawasaki ignition module.
I guess this is not so much of a problem for commercial operators who would have a resonable expectation of wearing their machines out before they become obsolete, but do many homeowners see it as a problem?
How often do hydraulic transmission designs change? Do the manufacturers tend to make newer models interchangeable with older ones?
I am not too concerned about basic mechanical components like the chassis, pivots, links, levers, bearings etc as these can usually be repaired or remade from scratch if needed.
Just out of curiosity, what is the oldest mower that anybody (whether commercial operator or home owner) has in regular use, not just a restored "museum piece"?
dh500
