Lawn World another pile of cheap Chineese Junk or genuine fox in the hen house ?

[zman111666]

Maybe to save money they just buy Kaw long blocks and dress them out themselves with aftermarket parts. :laughing:

....Wow, just noticed the start date of this thread.....

 

[bertsmobile1]

I started it just after went to service ( repair ) one where the left blade had broken , in a clean text book brittle fracture.
The blade then took out the middle and right side again brittle fractures.
I sent one of the blades to our consumer affairs and to an old professor and the prof confirmed it was plain high carbon steel with bad ( no ) heat treatment.
He then followed up to try & have a safety recall but nothing came of it.

Shortly after I got called back as the left pulley spindle had ripped off the boss.
Checked the other 2 and they were on the way out with bad cracking so all 3 were replaced along with the left spindle housing and all spindle bearings.
When I got the bearings from the importer he told me the bearings are sheet house & I need to pop the seals & put extra grease in there.
He was right because within a year all the replacement bearings had failed so I replaced them with std bearings from my usual supplier.
The new spindle housing did not fit properly as the holes did not line up.
When invoicing I always put the engine number on the invoice as this makes it easier for me in the future bit try as I could I could not find one on any of the engines fitted to these mowers.
Now the WL we get in Oz is fully made in China where as in the USA they arrive as a knock down kit and get final assembly in the USA so they can call them "Made in USA "

I started the thread to see if these were abnormal or not but there was not much response.
I had already stopped servicing the WL walk behind mowers after two owners refused to pay for the repairs which ( quite truely ) were almost the cost of a new one.
The B & S engines ( dressed up to look like Hondas ) were kept but the chassis were smashed up for scrap after the regulation 1 year.
When I tried to replace one of the control cables, the importers told me to bring in the broken one so they could match it and then it took better than 3 months to get the cable.

So that was it WL mowers are another brand on my do not touch list.
One of the customers was very abusive when told I would not come repair his mower but they are not worth the agro and the last time I drove past his farm he had a Toro sitting where the Cobra was.
Oddly enough two other companies rebrand World Lawn products & their mowers seem to be quite fine although the owners never get them serviced, just repaired & all I have put on them was belts & blades.
They buy the parts & I fit them for a fitting fee.

 

[zman111666]

This was a good post for me. I haven't come across any WL products yet, but will now know what to expect if I do.

I haven't come across any broken blades yet, either, just a bunch of bent ones, and ones that have been worn away to nearly nothing. The sand out here will do that, and there aren't too many lush lawns here. People use mowers almost as much for weed maintenance here.

 

[bertsmobile1]

This was a good post for me. I haven't come across any WL products yet, but will now know what to expect if I do.

I haven't come across any broken blades yet, either, just a bunch of bent ones, and ones that have been worn away to nearly nothing. The sand out here will do that, and there aren't too many lush lawns here. People use mowers almost as much for weed maintenance here.

If you have really sandy soil and do not usually mow weeds with 1/2" thick stems you should be using a drum or reel mower.
By virtue of the scissor action that cuts the grass/ weeds they do not need to pump a lot of air so they do not stir up the sand very much.
Rent one & give it a try you will be amazed at the difference.
Down side is they need a bit more maintenance than a rotary.

 

[zman111666]

Oh, i don't use 'em, just fix the ones they bring me. All the green I need on my acre is my grapes. Well, and the veggie garden... Wine makes me happier than grass. Took the deck off my mower and just use it to haul a little trailer around or drag a harrow rake, and a front plow to push the dirt around.

But since you brought up reels, what's your method for sharpening the little push ones? I been using a drill in reverse on the shaft with valve lapping compound. Seems to work real well.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Oh, i don't use 'em, just fix the ones they bring me. All the green I need on my acre is my grapes. Well, and the veggie garden... Wine makes me happier than grass. Took the deck off my mower and just use it to haul a little trailer around or drag a harrow rake, and a front plow to push the dirt around.

But since you brought up reels, what's your method for sharpening the little push ones? I been using a drill in reverse on the shaft with valve lapping compound. Seems to work real well.

Oooh I like your thinking and of course you are talking table grapes and not that deamon drink kind :laughing:
Drill sounds good .
I don't do many but when I do I use an old buggered belt around my lathe chuck and lapping paste by the bucket load.

 

[reynoldston]

I have been using the Chinese bearings now for several years at a fraction of the cost. I have been having very good luck with them so far. Just rebuilt the front differential on my own ATV with them in which I feel very comfortable in doing so seeing its a major job. The old OEM bearing were made in Russia so I just wonder if they are any better.