Keeping your Ride On Mower in Mint Condition
Thursday 3rd February 2011
In order for us to get the best possible experience and results from our
ride on mowers. it's important to learn how to keep them in mint condition. Regular maintenance is the key. Just a little bit of extra time every time you use your machine will keep it in tip top condition and also give you an understanding about your machine that will contribute to it's long life and great performance.
Climber Tough Terrain Ride on mowers and our range of
Grass Collection Ride on mowers are no different. Staying on top of basic care will enable you to a consistent quality performance. A basic way you can do this is by cleaning your ride on mower. After each use a best practice is to clean out the underside of the deck, removing grass clippings and washing off any mud or debris. This can be done with a hose and water. The
FD220 "Easy Flo" Ride On Mower even has a handy hose port to make this process simple. Grillo cutting decks have the advantage of being designed in such a way that sharp corners, edges and turns have been removed, thus allowing the grass the shortest, easiest route either out of the deck (to the rear in the case of the Climber models) or into the grass collection bin (in the case of the FD220/FD280). This highly specialized design makes a HUGE difference to a
Grillo Ride-on mowers excellent performance - an advantage that many collection ride on mowers simply don't have.
Another area that needs cleaning is the engine. It's really just the removal of dust and grass clippings that can block the air intake of your engine that needs to be regularly cleared. Never use water in this area. A blower is a good tool to make this a fast job. Apart from staying in touch with your oil changes and watching out for general condition of electrical and safety switches, tire pressure and condition, the only other requirements are a service at the end of your mowing season or annually.
Go to the top Are you experiencing blocking on your collection ride on mower?
Tues 25th January 2011
We've recently been hearing from people frustrated with the blocking issues on their non Grillo existing ride on mower. You buy a ride on mower because you have realized there is a better way to mow than by pushing a walk behind mower around for hours. You want to sit and enjoy yourself from the ease of a comfortable seat, not huff and puff around the garden pushing a mower. In your dreams however, one thing you don't plan for is problems.
Blocking occurs due to many factors, three big ones are grass building up in your cutting deck, too much grass being squeezed into the catcher, and the competence of the driver. In spring, when growth is at it's peak, grass can be thick and heavy with recent rain. This concoction can quickly form a blockage on the underside of the cutting deck. At this time cutting your grass too low will contribute to this problem.
Overfilling the catcher can occur when the operator keeps mowing long after the catcher is full, the grass will block. This may be because they were simply unaware that the catcher bin was full, or were so close to finishing the job or run that they were tempted to quickly keep mowing. Finally, the third reason is also one of operator error. If the ride on mower is driven at speeds to fast for the conditions, especially when grass is heavy and lush with new growth, the grass will build up under the deck simply because the machine is not given time to process the intake.
Now the important part, what can you do to minimize blocking? Just like the three causes, there are three answers; Design, Mowing Technique and Proper Care and Maintenance.
Successful grass collection begins with the design of the whole collection system, and this is where Grillo really excels. Starting with cutting deck design, take a look at the underside of your cutting deck and you'll see that the deck is designed to direct the grass into a chute. A well designed deck will reduce and try to eliminate areas where cut grass can build up and create a blockage. The problem is in the baffle area - which is the area that conducts the grass out of the deck into the chute. By reducing corners and streamlining the design, collection is improved.
Blade design is important for the propulsion of grass into the intake tube. As the whole system is powered by air, this moving air need to come either from blade tip speed or from a mechanical device such as an impeller or fan. These later devices work when, but as they are another moving part they add to the list of parts that can go wrong. Draft from blade tip speed however, as long as enough can be generated, is a much more simple way of getting grass moving and generally less expensive. If you are relying on blade draft then you want the grass to have to travel the shortest route to the catcher and avoid corners and bends as much as possible. Both the Grillo FD220 and FD280 have amazing blade draft, and their collection results even during less than ideal conditions are impressive.
The engine is the next consideration. Or rather the power to blade tip equation. The wider the cutting deck the more power needed to get the grass into the catcher. If the Ride on mower is engineered to maximize the the power to blade speed ratio it will do a much more effective job of getting the grass into the catcher without build up occurring. Features such as an audible alarm when the bin is full, or a collection cut-off switch will prevent the former, and provide operators better information to help them in their mowing. Cut-off switches are very effective as they stop the blades and therefore collection as soon as the bin is full - eliminating the temptation to finish the row and experience a blockage.
The main results you require from a collection ride on mower is that it picks up the grass without leaving a mess of clippings all over the ground, and preferably to do this without having a blockage. Your ride on mower isn't offering you good collection if it's loading in the bin unevenly or lumped in one corner. Ideally what is required is a nice, dense, even coverage that fills the bins completely. If you're having demonstration of ride on mowers, make this a comparison test to test between machines. Keep an eye on your speed when the grass is very thick and heavy. Driving too fast may cause a blockage as the blades struggle in the conditions. To prevent this problem increase your revs and and go slow to allow the ride on mower to handle the increased volume.
Regular maintenance is important to keep the ride on mower mowing and collecting effectively. Cleaning your cutting deck is essential in order to remove grass build up and minimize corrosion. The best routine is to clean it out after each use. Decks with good access make this much easier. You also need to completely remove and clean out the deck at the mid and end point of your season - especially during a time of wet or muddy use. You want to enjoy your mowing, so following these hot tips will help you to control the factors that can lead to increased blocking. By purchasing wisely and understanding your machine you can get years of hassle free ride on mowing and collection and of course a beautiful result on your lawn.
New Product Tour Video on the FD220R
Tues 18th January 2011
Kicking off January we have two new FD220R videos just loaded on the
site. Firstly, a product tour where we take you around and over the
FD220R Grass Collection Ride On Mower and look at it's main features. Secondly we've added a video
which shows how to remove the deck from the FD220R. One of the great
features of the FD220R's out-front floating deck, is it's ability to be
disconnected for cleaning and maintenance. Grass and mud buildup can be
effectively cleared and blades can be changes or removed for sharpening
easily. This video also shows how to attach the side throw kit which converts the FD220R from a collection ride on mower to a side discharge.
Watch the new FD220R Grass Collection Ride On Mowers Now > Go to the top
Customer testimonials on Grillo Ride On Mowers
Tues 14th December 2010
It's easy to lack confidence when you buy a
ride on mower. Who knows how they will actually perform on your property? How do you know that your conditions won't prove too much? With any significant investment you need to feel confident that the ride on mower you are purchasing will perform to your expectations. Of course, the matter of expectations is another topic all together. Time and time again our customers come to us with stories of past experiences when they have bought inferior machines, expecting them to perform in situations they were never designed too.
Climber Ride On Mowers are known as
rough or tough terrain mowers. They are built for properties that are demanding. Paddocks, long, thick grass, steep slopes and even wet, damp and slippery conditions. They are also perfect for people who don't get a chance to mow regularly so they are combating rugged conditions at every mow. It's one thing for us to say all this but quite another for you to hear it from other users, so our aim is to bring you the stories from the people that buy our
Climber Ride On Mowers so you know they'll perform in exactly the way we say. To read these testimonials, check out our growing list of
Climber Customer Stories.
As always, if you're concerned about your individual property you can
call or email us for specific advice. Our team has a lot of experience with tough properties all over Australia and New Zealand and we'll be able to ensure you get the right model for your requirements. There's no point in an overkill if you don't need it, and likewise if you need max power and robustness then it's good to have it from the outset.
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Welcome to our new website.
Tues 23rd November 2010
Welcome to the new Grillo website. Feedback we've always appreciated is when you are looking for information on
ride on mowers, how informative the Grillo website is. We've kept this in mind and focused on making the site a content overload for all of you who are frustrated with your old, inferior ride on mower and you are looking to buy a product that will really perform. So whether you have
steep slopes and you need the safety a Climber provides, or you're after a
fantastic lawn finish and you want either of our "Easy Flow" collection ride on mowers, we hope you'll find everything you need here to at least give you an informative head start.
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