Masport Crossjet

Good machine, but not as good as videos – I bought this machine on the strength of the videos, I did not test drive on my property, but sadly I have found in my opinion it needs more horse power. On my property, in New Zealand it struggles with long grass, on the highest cut, and has stalled on a number of occasions. The climbing ability is good but tends to struggle when both climbing… Read more

and cutting, hence needs more HP

I am 5ft 8, so not that tall but find the seating uncomfortable along with the forward/reverse lever which seems too short and makes your arm ache after a while. I would much prefer foot controls, then you have a spare hand to hold on to the steering wheel or framework.

I find cutting across slopes good, well the stability is at least.

The machine is very fuel hungry and knows how to drink it when working hard........near the stall point, maybe a diesel version with more HP would be a good idea.

I have a tractor and slasher as well and have now found that I have to at least draft off some of the long grass before attempting to cut with the Masport which is a little disappointing.

At $12,000 I think this machine is overpriced, for what it can and can't do, in my case I would have been better off trading my existing tractor + the $12,000 and buying a bigger HP tractor and slasher.

Hard out little mower – We purchased this mower about 4yrs ago and use it to mow 3 sites we look after and anything that a mower will not do gorse rocks scrub to date we have done 1100 hrs there have been some general maint problems blades cross bar main blade shaft bearings front wheel bearings this was all after 500 hrs + a few belts all to be expected this is one… Read more

tough little work horse we are very happy with NOTE we are very fussy with our maint oils greasing checking all mech stuff.

A very impressive machine – I have had my crossjet 4x4 slasher for over a year. I hire myself and it out for work. I have pushed over 40mm diameter saplings and mulched them. I have pictures. I have driven into 2 meter tall blackberry thickets and mulched them. The machine has handled almost everything I have thrown it at. It shatters rocks as big as two fists. I have… Read more

worked it at 45 degree angles. It is incredibility stable. As I am only hired for difficult jobs, depending on the height & thickness of the vegetation, I can cut an acre / hour or hectare per two hours.I have always amazed customers with what the machine can achieve. I have abused the machine WITH ONLY VERY MINOR repairs needed. It will work hard for 4 + hours on the 14 liter fuel tank. A very happy customer.

Not bad at all – Personally i,d like a bit more Horse Power but thats just me i like lots of horses better too many than not enough. I am sure if i tried hard enough i could bend it, break it, bog it cause every machine has limitations get to know what they are and this machine will do most things for you, better than some not as good as others but compare price… Read more

to what it,ll do. Overall thus far i am happy with machine Sloping overgrown suburban blocks with very tall grass No probs. just a personal thing but power steer would be nice :-)

amazing machine – i've had my 4x4 crossjet for 18months and have done 190 hours of what i would consider extremely tough and rugged work. 20 degrees............pfffff, i know it says 20 in the handbook robbo, but i've regularly used mine on up to 40 degrees(yes checked with an inclinometer) and in reverse! in the time i have used it i have had one of the plastic… Read more ·  1

knuckles on the rops break because i hit a tree with the bar, and one of the steering linkage arms broke because my 25 yo son was being too lairy on it! we bent a bit of threaded rod to the same shape, put it in and off we went again. i have used mine to knock down lantana that is 4mtrs high and just as round, with stems up to 40 mm. sometimes it doesnt have the grunt to push through because of the density of the lantana, but usually it actually drags the plant out , roots and all. I have made a cage so i dont get scratched.. the forward reverse lever was too short but that was a simple fix to extend it. i'm only 5'7 and i could see that anyone that was abnormally tall would be cramped behind the wheel. when i bought it, it was raining and the paddock hadnt been slashed for two years. so the crofton weed and setaria were at least 4feet high and very dense. i could not believe the way this machine just cut a swaith through it like it was a neatly manicured lawn! dead set!!!! The issue of rocks..............i have all manner of rocks,(living at the base of a cliff) from small 6inch ones to massive boulders 4feet in diameter. in my experience, the larger ones stop the machine before it hits the blades, and so i go around them, the smaller ones it either hits and keeps going or smashes them up. i have had the misfortune to have driven over one and ended up suspended on it, in which case ive had to winch myself off said rock. (yes i fitted a winch to the rear bumper for such occasions) and also the times when im slashing new areas, cant see ahead and the ground drops away, or the front wheels disappear down a hole. i have noticed white smoke coming out of the engine occasionally, but this was when i had left it parked on a slope of more than 25degrees and i think the oil can get into the top of the engine under this circumstance. after about 60 seconds of running it disappears though. If the oil dipstick isnt screwed down tight it may allow air into the system somehow and cause this smoke. i had that experience with another bs engine on another machine, not this one.

tyres going flat......................get yourself some stuff called liquid patch puncture sealant. its green gel stuff that you put in your tyres and if they get a puncturs it seeps through the hole and stops the leak, as you drive along. i was regularly getting punctures from cockspur bushes until i used this stuff. it comes from super cheap auto.

i could keep going on and on, i think this is just the best machine around for steep rough terrain. TOUGH AND DEPENDABLE! i dont doubt your experience robbo but i thin unfortunately u did in fact get a lemon. TOUGH,DEPENDABLE, STABLE um...........it doesnt have airconditioning, or a stubbie holder

A Robust and Capable Machine – I bought a Crossjet 4WD in Dec 2012 so I could maintain the area of my bush block that surrounds my house. All this land is sloping, some steeply. It’s about 5 acres in size (though I'm extending it into the surrounding bushland as I find what the Crossjet is capable of). I researched the available options and chose the Crossjet on the advice of… Read more ·  1

two mechanics with hands-on experience with these types of mowers.

My machine has now done 60hrs and I'm very satisfied with its performance. It’s extremely stable on steep slopes and has plenty of power to cut through long grass. It’s done an excellent job of slashing steep and rugged areas I’d never been able to maintain before. Its highest cut setting is high for a mower so I’m able to slash rough terrain whilst avoiding stones and branches protruding up to about 100mm. The slasher housing, cutting arm and blades are all robustly constructed and cope with the rough stuff typical of a seriously overgrown bush block. It’s also good for maintaining the established lawn areas I have, though it doesn't cut close if you’re after that manicured lawn look (I'm not).

Although at 60 hours it’s far too early to assess long term reliability, so far I've had no problems. I have an engineering background so I examined its construction carefully before I bought it. The machine is well designed and uses proven drive train components such as a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard 23HP engine and Tuff Torq K664 hydrostatic transaxle. Capability, Excellent stability on steep slopes Seating position could be improved to allow more space to swing knee in front of steering wheel when mounting

Strong and efficient – This is a great mower with an engine that is smooth and unstoppable. It eats up bracken and blackberries without missing a beat. Mine has been completely reliable and has held up really well to some pretty tough conditions. The only thing I can fault is that the seat position is a little cramped for a tall person (I'm 6'1") and the turning… Read more

circle is a little wide, but maneuverability is so good you soon get used to how to get around. Strong engine, capable and unstoppable Slightly cramped seating if you are tall

This is a great mower – This mower is really also a scrub slasher and has amazing abilities for its small size. The four wheel drive version is able to push the mower into brambles or thin scrub that is up to 3m high, lay the bush down and then mulch the material. The you-tube videos do not do justice to the capabilities of this mower. It does a lot more than they… Read more ·  2

show. It does struggle on very lumpy terrain but it can mow big stuff surprisingly fast.

Yes, bits of the mower can get damaged when working large trees, but what would you expect. On larger grass areas it can mow reasonably quickly, working up or along slope. The mower is a bit cramped with steering wheel close to knees, but this actually works well when doing close in work in bush and is not an issue in open pasture work. Overall a great machine. The ability to cut large scrub much taller than the mower.

Don't Buy This Mower! – Mower is slow, underpowered, and poorly made (i.e.pieces falling off it). There have been numerous mechanical issues within the first few months of operation. Significant limitations on slopes with poor reversing capabilities especially the 4 wheel drive version. Seating position is cramped and is unsuitable for taller operators; over 5' 10" or… Read more

so. On average, mowing an acerage block takes a number of days so not the mower for anything larger than an acre or so of flat, unobstructed land. The UTube videos significantly overstate the capabilities of this machine - please take note of the speed shown which is always slow for a reason. Not well suited to Australian conditions.

In more detail:

Slow - supposed to be able to clear about an acre per hour But this is only if the grass is very short. If it's longer, you must reduce speed so as to not rob the blades of power so it takes much longer than stated. Depending upon the length of the grass, 3 and 4 times longer than stated is common. Mechanically it's probably a 5 out of 10 with frequent breakdowns common; i.e. the more you use it, the more it will breakdown. It would suit an owner who is capable of doing a lot of their own maintenance and has spare parts readily available. It has stated slope limitations in the owner’s manual of 20 degrees up slope and 18 degrees cross slope.

Your average stair case is 22 degrees so if your land is steeper than this, forget it. It's possible to operate on steeper slopes but you'll be doing so outside manufacturer's recommendations so any liability\injury issue is all yours. In the end, it’s a lawn mower and not a very good one. For acreage blocks, a tractor and slasher package is far better value, more versatile and more robust. Looks good standing still. slow, underpowered, and poorly made