Mower Reviews

I review three mowers for this project, and they were the Steiner 230, the Jacobsen HR-5111, and the Toro Groundsmaster 4500D. Each mower has it's own pros, cons, and flaws. These mowers all are different sizes and have different features and uses. They all have one thing in common, they use hydraulics for their transmission and for use of the mower decks, and with the HR and the Toro, they also power the blades that cut the grass. I have videos for each of the mowers with a quick overview for each. I have graded each on a 10 point scale with 10 being the highest possible score. They are all good mowers, but some rise above others.

Steiner 230 mower

STEINER 230 MOWER

The Steiner 230 is a small mower compared to the Toro and the Jacobsen. It has a 28 hp Kubota diesel, and ours has a 60 inch deck. So it's not much bigger than most peoples garden tractor so it's fairly easy to use and most anyone can. It does take some getting use to because of the rear wheel drive, which almost throws the mower when turning. The 230 is only two wheel drive, so it doesn't have the capabilities of the other mowers I've reviewed. And since it has turf tires, it can't go up anything with a lot of slope. With the deck in float mode, it leaves the weight on the riding wheels that are attached to the front of the deck. So if you try to go up a hill, there isn't much weight on the front drive tires, therefore they spin. If you lift the deck up some, the heavy deck redirects if mass to these drive wheels, so it has better traction, and can climb some hills easier. But this isn't exactly what this mower made for. It's more for mowing around buildings, which is what we try to do with it. We mow around the apartments and dorms, along with spaces we can't get to with the bigger mowers.

The 230 does a good job with level ground and making nice strips in the grass because it has a roller that runs the length of the deck. It can get around tight corners and maneuver through cars and other obstacles. And it has different attachments that can be put on it depending on the situation. For instance, when it's fall, and the leaves are coming off the trees, you can put a blower on the front or a sweeper to push them out of the way. Then when it becomes winter and the snow falls, this sweeper can be used as a snow blower to get rid of snow on the sidewalks. So it's like having two machines in one, which saves us money. When it does snow, we put on the cab to keep us out of the element.

There is one major problem with this mower. Since it's constructed of sheet metal, it rattles almost non stop. They say that they don't shake when they are new, or if they are taken well care of, but this one can make you sick from all the noise and movement. Unless you run it at full throttle, it will make lots of noise, and this is a very aggravating problem we face when driving this mower. With this being said, I give it a 6 out of 10, since it does a good job with flat surface, but between the constant rattling and the inability to go up most any slope, I have to be rough on this mower. It cost around 15,000 dollars so it's quite expensive itself.

Jacobsen HR-5111

Jacobsen HR-5111

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Another mower we use at the ATI groundskeeping shop is the Jacobsen HR-5111, or HR for short. This mower is a three deck, 11 foot mower powered by a 50 hp Kubota diesel engine. The HR is equipped with a 4wd drive system, which can be turn on and off on the fly, making travel time short, yet not giving up any power. The Jacobsen goes up most any hill, as long as the 4wd is engaged. If it's in two wheel drive it can't quite make it up some hills.

This mower is designed more for grass and mulching leaves than a front yard or golf course. It has screens in the rear of each deck that break up leaves and mulching them as you mow along. While this feature is nice, these screens tend to plug up quickly so you have to return to the shop and blow them out. And since it doesn't have rollers to strip the grass, it doesn't' give that nice, golf course style cut. While it can't do that, it does have three independent decks which can raised up or lowered depending on the situation. This is a great feature when doing trimming around trees or cars. Plus, the HR has a built in feature so that when you raise the deck, the blades shut off automatically. That being said, it has a problem with keeping the grass under the deck. When going through thick grass, it the fast wind created by the spinning blades blow the grass out in all directions from under the deck. If there is any wind blowing at all outside, the grass gets blown all over the driver and the mower itself. I really hate this problem and so does my bosses.

Overall, this a good mower for most normal applications. I would use it when mowing rough grass on the back forty, or somewhere that doesn't need that baseball field cut. I'm giving the HR a 7 out of 10, which I think serves it well. It cost around 45,000 dollars so it an expensive investment, and at the price, I think it should make a better cut. But it still has good qualities about it and does a fine job for what it is.

Mower Review

Toro 4500D Groundsmaster

The Toro 4500D is a very well put together mower. It has a 60 hp Kubota turbo diesel engine, with a 9 foot cutting width. This mower has a high-low hydraulic transmission, and in low gear, the 4-wheel drive in engaged at all times. The comfort on this mower is outstanding. It has a deluxe seat, which allows us to mow more without feeling discomfort. Controlling this machine is also very easy, if not a pleasure. The seat and canopy are seated up hi, away from deck. When going from place to place the decks fold up giving it the look of a combine due to its size. Basic throttle, foot pedal, brake, speed and deck control are all right there. The only gauges it has though are a fuel, temperature, and hour meter. I would like to see it having an rpm meter. The Groundsmaster can go up nearly any slope because of its deck design, which acts as large wing, so nothing can tip over, unless we were mowing on a 90 degree slope. I really like the way it handles, whether it be turning, or trimming.

My only real concern with this mower is the deck control. When you go to bring the decks up, they all come up, and all go down together. There is no independent control for each deck. This is critical when trimming around trees or other obstacles. Without this feature, it requires the operator to trim as best he can, then come back around later and trim with a smaller mower. Overall though I would give this mower an 8.5 out of 10. It has great capabilities and can mow 7.5 acres per hour, but independent deck control is very important to us and that does work against it. Also, this mower cost around $50,000 dollars so cost is a burden.

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First Post

Hey, what's up. This is ol Dave's first post for english class at ATI.