Grillo Climber 7 Series

Good machine but by no means perfect – Have owned this machine for about 4 years, done about 360 hours. It's very stable on fairly steep ground and goes places other mowers just can't access. Engine has been totally reliable and performs well. Servicing is difficult due to the design of the machine, access to service items is difficult. The front brakes are a liability and I… Read more

removed them after cleaning lawn clippings out of them numerous times, they bind up when they get clogged up. Direction lever broke off. Tension springs for the belts have broken numerous times. The shields on the side of the deck have cracked often and they bend when mowing uneven ground. The deck does not float, so it scalps the lawn badly on uneven sections. One of the deck height adjusters snapped off when I tried adjusting the deck height. One of the rear axles has just snapped. The powder coating on chassis etc has peeled off in many places allowing rust to start.

Overall I have to say this machine has not really lived up to my expectations especially given the cost. Basic design is great but I feel it is let down by poor quality and badly designed components.

Not a bad little machine – I have a 10hp 7 series. It came with the house when I bought it. Great on hills. This model could do with more power. But still seems to get the job done. I have been mowing six acres for the last year or so. Still going ok. Four wheel drive would of helped.  Show details

Comfortable on Slopes - not the best finish – I use a Grillo (I believe is 7-series) - It is a good mower and performs well on the slopes (I test it out a bit) Diff locker is good to get around steep corners etc. or on slightly wet grass. But I when I do the lawn section with it - it's very inconsistent with it's cut... I have a Toro upright style mower which has a much smoother and nicer… Read more

cut on lawn - but cannot handle the slopes like this one - so I alternate depending on the job at hand...

Does Most Of The Job But Can Be Disappointed – I had the grillo for 5years now mainly due to iur sloping block. I mow around 4acres. Most disappointing was speed then grass height. The cover over the blades bent so badly just through use on uneven slopes that blades hit it. Now I have also just had the throttle snap off in my hand at 90hours no warning. The chain has fallen off the wheels also.

Safe but not perfect – Works hills well - diff lock great in wet but mower is very difficult to work on and service. Some questionable workmanship our throttle lever snapped off in our hand during use ? ? After 20 hours. At 60 hours the steering arm snapped - it has not worked hard - we have 2 acres with an arcre of it steep but not rough terrain. Would expect a tougher machine for the price.

7-16 grillo – the 7-16 is a a great robust rideon mower for flat steep terrain but if you have rough terrain the wings are unforgiving and dont follow the countours. if mowing really long grass you need to lift the wings regulary to clear the cuttings. The seat is hard and after a couple of hours its hard on the body so upgrade to a suspension seat if… Read more

available. Great mower for small rural acerage.the diff lock is a bonus and will get you out. make sure you check the area for stumps, rocks , dirt mounds. the people at shortcut mowers were helpfull The diff lcok and robust engine the wings are unforgiving and cuttings build up quickly

Just what I need – I mow almost 2 acres of brush and for 5 years I ran a toro workhorse with a 52 inch contractor cutting deck, but with sloping land in some places at almost 30 deg I never felt too comfortable. The day I rolled it forced me to look at a better/safer way. The grillo is the safest mower I have ever driven by far. I feel in complete control at all… Read more

times. I knew when I bought it that it would not leave the grass looking as pretty as the toro did but the safety factor comes first. It still cuts very well, especially the long stuff Handles 30 degree slopes with ease, never skips a beat. value for money

Not as good as I had expected – After almost 9 years use I traded my Rover Rancher 13 hp ride-on mower for a new Grillo 7.13 Climber. I have some fairly steep terrain on my 1.3 acre property and the Rover was at times tricky to control coming down a 20 degree grassy slope. I was getting too old for stunt driving so I bought the Grillo, which is designed for such terrain. It has… Read more

front brakes and constant hydrostatic drive, as well as a pedal that locks the diff when necessary.

The Grillo does provide what I need in terms of being safe and easy to control on steep descents. It does have some functional shortcomings, however, and climbing isn’t actually its strong point; the Grillo is not the unstoppable little workhorse I had been led to expect from the promotional videos. Excellent finish and build quality. Sophisticated design and engineering. Open diff and good lock allow tight turns without gouging the grass. Low seating position and low roll centre provide great stability riding across slopes and turning down hill. Front brakes very useful for added safety. At 225 kg it’s heavy and its power to weight ratio doesn’t afford good climbing ability, so it climbs more slowly. Rear tractor style tyres are quite small (16”x6.5”) compared to most ride-ons (18”x8” or 20”x8”) so they tend to scalp the lawn when they drop into a depression. They also seem to be more prone to digging into soft ground rather than rolling over it. Not easy to service – oil drain plug is well inboard and oil filter can’t be undone by hand in the space available. Changing the hydrostatic gearbox oil is also awkward (dealer says he sucks it out through the filler with a pump!)