Masport President MSV 5000
Verified7 reviews
- Occasionally
Hot garbage – I honestly cannot believe that such an expensive mower can be so objectively terrible. I have a 2004 model that has seen very light use in a suburban backyard, and it now sits forlorn on the patio. The chute flap is made of cheap flimsy plastic that has cracked in numerous places such that the catcher now cannot be fitted... And that piece of… Read more
recycled plastic trash is an 80 dollar spare part. No thanks. The handlebar also feels flimsy and the toothed camlocks on the fold feel loose when locked in place. The throttle cable and control are the same cheap generic, nasty Chinese part that you find on eBay by the dozens as replacements for whatever you like, and it too is cheap and nasty assembly, and the foam handgrips lasted no time at all. But the big clanger is the fact the deck fatigued and has a crack spread in 3 directions out from a corner in front of the crappy, cheap, ugly left rear wheel... So basically the mower is more or less useless, as it isnt safe to use in that structurally compromised condition.
Even before it systematically fell apart, i couldnt have been more underwhelmed by this mower. One thing i will give it is the XVS60 engine starts reliably and easily, and seems to be a solid unit... Well, if you don't count that one time it randomly seized itself up 5 minutes into a mow for no reason. But reliable though it may be, it is a big, heavy 6hp whopper of an engine that still manages to feel like the most underpowered lump of crap ive ever mowed with, and this is compounded by a deck and chute design that seems to promote clogging a lot more than any other mower ive used. Ive never had a mower that bogged out and stalled as much as this did. My nice nimble little mid-80's 2T Victa Commando powers through things that grind this ugly green behemoth to a halt.
And that there brings me to the issue of it's sheer ungainly weight and lack of manouverability. The President 5000 is awkward and waaay too heavy for it's cut size and for it's underwhelming power output. It's an absolute bear of a thing to get up slopes especially with a fullish catcher, and even though it is only 19" manouvering it is like trying to u-turn a Pontiac Parisienne in the backstreets of Balmain. I could forgive it's clumsiness if it was laying waste to everything i throw at it with ease, but instead it is throwing its hands up in the air and going "Yeh naah". Meanwhile my ancient Victa is easy to manouvre, isnt falling apart, and does not even bat an eyelid at almost anything i push it through... And this is a mower i rescued from a kerbside collection heap.
Also, aside from being functionally inept as a mower, the MSV President 5000 is just damn ugly too. It's not like you can even just retire it to the garage and think to yourself "Yeh but at least it looks good", because it doesnt. It looks as bad as it mows. The verdict from me is that there is absolutely no discernibleloss to the world brought about by Masport discontinuing this model. And if youre planning on buying one secondhand... Well, don't unless it is almost free. Even then, youre probably better off getting a Victa or Rover for free off somebodies kerbside trash pile.
Big waste of money – This mower is too heavy for its cut The bad quality plastic breaks very easily and dont take it near trees dont use catcher mulch is better the back trap for discharge is small and cloggs all the time i normally empty it every 10 mins its too small but grass sticks I took it back to the dealer and they just handed it over and i ended up picking this 50kg beast into the back of my Rav im going back to my 2 stroke Show details
Disappointing, after 7 months it is going back to the shop for a third time – Three times it has been back to the shop with the same fault, it will not shut down, there is no way to turn the engine off, not even the fuel taps works. While not related to my issues the throttle level on the front of the motor is exposed and easily damaged if mowing under trees, but for what is meant to be a top of the range product I have… Read more
to say very disappointing 3 times to be repaired for the same fault in a lawn mower that is not even a year old
Perfect investment – After much research i took the plunge on the Masport President 5000. My lawn was taking me close to 2 Hours in summer and close on 3 hours in Winter on my previous 10 year old Victor. Thus i wanted something that was going to be high powered(To the point of overkill) to chew through the grass. Mine has a B&S 750 DOV engine. I Couldn't be any… Read more
happier with my purchase so far. My Summer mow with the mulcher has dropped down to 1 hour. The true test will come in Winter when the grass doesn't get a chance to dry out and therefore the catcher will come into play more. However after 2 months i am very optimistic about its chances to deliver the same sort of efficiency.
The mulchers effect is such that you would of thought you had caught the grass rather than mulched.
The Self propelled is a huge help as well.
Price was $950 and well worth it. Came with a good warranty too.
Hopefully it will stand the test of time. Powerful, Mulcher Cuts very well, Self Propelled, good warranty Duststorm over low grass high dirt areas, Self Propelled could be faster... but thats being really picky
Well worth the money – I've had a Masport before and have been very happy with it. Easy first time start and cuts well. Almost bought a Honda this time but couldn't live with the auto engine cut out when you let go of the handle. This model Masport has the solid cast alloy base (not pressed metal sheet like most mowers) so no rust and very resilient. I have back… Read more · 1
problems so an easy-fit catcher, easy start and comfortable grip all important - this has a no-priming easy start and ticks all the boxes.
The motor has plenty of grunt, mows well and the catcher fits on and off easily. Is fairly easy to lift if needed as isn't massively heavy and there are a couple of good places to grab it to lift.
Got an awesome warranty; 4 years on engine/mower, 6 years on alloy chassis and lifetime on catcher. Listed at $869 but got mine for just under $800 at The Mower Market at Slacks Creek as I bought a Honda Brushcutter at the same time =) Alloy chassis, easy start feature and good warranty Bit expensive compared to steel base mowers but you get what you pay for!
Not so good – I paid reasonable money for a supposed "commercial quality" mower that would last 25 years, and have been bitterly disappointed. I would rather have my 30 year old 2-stroke back. Too much down-time from taking it back to Auspower agent for issues, and lack of after-sales support. Unhelpful advice from agent that there is nothing wrong with engine… Read more
and I must be tilting the mower, I have mistreated the mower or just worn it out. Unacceptabe to be told wheel bearing are just wear&tear after 14months, especially as since it has had so little use that I have not even worn out the first set of blades.
Stay away, is my opinion.
n.b My 5000 is not the self-propelled model. Usually easy to start. Poor mulching performance in lush grass or if even slightly wet. The mower deck clogs with grass and needs to be stopped and cleaned regularly.Poor cutting performance in lush grass in general. Cutting 100mm lawn without mulching plug and the "smart-chute" open & it still clogs with grass.Build quality is poor.The ergo handle fold-up mechanism fell apart on day one.The engine blew oil smoke on day one. (n.b I have the Briggs&Stratton version 650 I/C motor option.The engine continues to intermittently blow oil smoke on startup.A wheel bearing has completely failed and a wheel fell off after 14months of home-use.Uses too much fuel.
Update: 2025 The mower is still going. No further issues. Very little if any smoke on startup. After a couple of oil changes to SAE30 it seemed to stop smoking. I actually suspect the shop filled it with an incorrect grade oil, perhaps multigrade. So while not as good as expected, I have to give it some credit for getting to 13 years with no further trouble.
Well featured and good value for money BUT not one for a contractor – Im in australia and am a full time mowing contractor. I chose this machine as I knew it has a great engine and it came with a one year warranty for contractors. Boy im glad it had a years warranty because I've had it repaired at least 6 times under warranty. 1. I had the mesh of the catcher replaced 2. The cable for the drive lever snapped in… Read more
half
The next 3 or 4 times were for problems with the drive mechanism and gear box, they just slipped and it wouldn't go up slopes until it was fixed.
And just a week after the warranty finished, the little dog leg shaped clip that was crimped onto the end of the drive cable has snapped off and got lost in the grass, meaning i have to replace the whole cable at a cost of over $100.
This mower is probably fine for the home user and the motor is bloody excellent, but then the motor isn't made by masport (its a briggs and stratton) so that figures. Good price, loads of features, comfortable to use Various parts to do with the drive system are not very rugged or reliable.
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I have the self propelled model - biggest dud I have ever bought! No where near a $1000 mower,… Read more