MTD Yardman 408A

Solid mower – I started my lawn mowing work after finding this mower dumped out for council cleanup - the previous owner threw it away because the starter string was broken! For six months this was my only mower, then it was my backup mower, but now it is back to being my main mower because my self-propelled mower needs work. (Not happy Jan!) The Engine I serviced it today and found it had been working with terrible oil. So I have to say that it is tough.

I think that in terms of performance, this engine boxes above it's weight - feeling like a feisty two-stroke at times.

It doesn't drink too much fuel and you can mow a big Australian lawn on one tank.

It starts, first pull.

Weight

Compared to my self-propelled Masport, especially when it is not self-propelled(!) this is a very light mower, which is not too heavy to lift out of the ute or push over springy turf.

Grass Management

Like any mower, wet grass can get clogged on its way to the catcher, and in desperation I have at times foolishly mowed without the catcher and with the rear hatch wedged open. But I have got the job done. I am busy building a Frankenstein side-throw utility mower for those occasions. The perfect mower that can do everything probably exists, but it is probably really heavy, really expensive, requires loads of maintenance and gets stolen the second you turn your back.

Cutting Grass

If you have your four blades in decent condition, the mow is good quality.

I have heard that sharpening blades can make your mower seem more powerful so I will probably try sharpening my blades sometime.

The blades I have replaced wore out at the rear - where the blade curves up like a wing to create suction, making the grass stand up to be cut. I think the knock-back feature of the blades which is designed to protect them if you hit concrete sees the blade pushed back onto the plate and somehow this results in the blade wearing out there, on this back edge. Certainly it doesn't seem like there is a weakness at the cutting edge of the blade.

Maintenance

This mower has really been great for me - it has kept going while I learned how to do maintenance. I plan to try and keep it going for as long as possible.

You can look up the parts list on the Briggs and Stratton website (get your engine model and type off the engine cover above the spark plug) and from the parts list you can get the part numbers for the operator and repair manuals. It's easy to get parts for these mowers.

I found it hard to remove the blade mounting plate and blade bolts without an air wrench. So I got one!

You'll likely find nuts and bolts with imperial sizes so if you only have metric tools you may have to scrounge together a collection of spanners and sockets. 4hp Briggs engine, light to lift

OK – my neighbor owns this mower and has done allot of rough work with it. although it stood up reasonable for wile, now it is literally falling to bits. the discharge flap was plastic so it held up for a matter of months and then had to be patched with small pieces of tin to stop grass and twigs lodging in the operators shin. the bar blade costs at least $50 to replace( my neighbor never bothered as it wasn’t worth it). I have serviced this mower for him for a number of years and would say it would be good for a normal house block but when small twigs and branches come into play I would steer clear. briggs stratton engine and nice weels major components made of plastic, catcher doesn’t like to disengage when full, mulching plug isn’t durable enough. bar blade costs a fortune to replace