Rover Pro Cut 560

Good not great - starts easily – I got this two years ago at Masters and chose it mostly based on the name, but also took advice from the sales staff. It ALWAYS starts, never failed to start or been difficult. The weighting is a bit weird with a heavy body and relatively thin handles, meaning there is a but of creak and movement when I turn. It has fixed blades which is fun if… Read more

you hit a rock. The thing I don't like is the catcher. It's just no good compared to the older design. Still runs like a clock though, so I am giving it 4/5..

Very good mower - always starts 1st time – I don't know what kind of ignition system this has but its pretty amazing. I only mow when suburban guilt makes me (lol) so it can be along time between starts sometime but once I prime her up, she roars to life every time. The only servicing I have done is fill the oil up as recommended and check it once. Apart from that nothing and it always… Read more

works. The blade control is easy to lift up and down and the catcher is easy to empty, Simple and good mower that has worked perfectly and still does!

Super Reliable Mower – I have really not taken care of this but it has been and absolute champion of reliability. It quite literally starts every time, usually first pull. I find it quite easy to push up and down and easy to empty the catcher. It can gum up in the chute between the blades and the catcher if the grass is long or at all damp but it just takes a second to clear. Its a super reliable machine and has been excellent so far  Show details

Rover Pro Cut 560 is a GREAT mower – Everything is still working great. Being self propelled with our small incline out the back makes mowing quite easy. My previous mower was a Rover 21 inch cut but I now need self propelled to make the mowing easy for me. My old Rover and not self propelled and lasted a long time so was time for a Rover self propelled. I am still very pleased with the new Rover. Col  Show details

Reliable Mower – I have been impressed with the sheer reliability of this mower over the past three years. Has started first time every time and runs on even old petrol when its been left sitting. It just works. Apart from checking the plug and topping up the oil, it has need no maintenance. Its maneuverable enough to easily do my front and back yards even when… Read more

overgrown without any fuss, The catcher is very easy to remove and empty. My only area of dislike is the safety bar, it just annoys me but apart from that its a great and very reliable machine

Absolute BEAST ! – I purchased this mower as a back up to give my Honda a rest ! I have had it 4 years now and it has more power than the Honda ,a wider cut,catches in the wet without clogging up. The blades seem to last forever ! I paid $650 for the pro-cut compared to $1500 for the Honda weigh up the amount of return on the Rover if it dies now I will threw it away and buy a new one or keep it for spares !  Show details

Starts first time and every time! – My mower has the Kohler 8.0, 173cc engine. It starts with one pull of the cord, each time and every time. This was one of the selling points why I paid the extra money for the Kohler engine; my wife and I wanted an easy to start mower and one which was self propelled. Most of the time we use the mulching plug. The cut is always fine, whether it be… Read more ·  2

on lawn or cutting weeds. I am still yet to replace the original blades. I purchased the mower in October 2013; it has done 60 hours of work. Overall a great mower; but if one was lifting it in and out of a car boot they might find it a little heavy.

Perfect for my garden – I have got this mower few months ago and it has been working well since. Use friendly and easy start, you don't need to mix the oil, just add petrol and oil sepatmrately. it worths the money totally. if there is any negative that I have to say, that will be the catch, which is a little bit too small, however. It more depending on the size of the garden.  Show details

Fine lawns fine cut – It is a solid unit and powerful Excellent cut, only 2 things that bug me It is a heavy unit. I feel it on hills and mobility Also it be good if it had more height adjustment Over all great mower and at a good competitive price point The Kohler engine is extremely good Efficient and powerful  Show details

Very good mower – While the Rover mower was cheaper than the Honda I think it is good value for money. Honda are overall better mowers but the premium you pay for the name makes it debatable whether they are worth it or not. Maybe I will get a Honda next time - not sure. I guess with many things you have to wonder whether the quality is till there like it used to be. That seems to apply to just about all products today.  Show details

sick of it – Bought the rover lawnmower from bunnings warehouse in north Wollongong . at first it was alright then next thing is known the bolts get loose then the air filter top fell off - about a year lately the air filter broke down the lower end and now the thing that changes the level is broken which likely going to cost too much money to fix Conclusion : my advice is to buy a better mower  Show details

best mower I've used – just started a small but busy gardening business in Ireland. been through two honda mowers in a year and just recently bought this rover procut 560 second hand from a guy i know. wow! amazing mower beats any honda i used hands down. half a pull on the cord and she's away, my ninety six year old grandmother can start it and she has one foot in… Read more

the grave. apparently the mower is two and a half years old but she is sound. the guy has never serviced her since purchase because as he says he has never needed to. she just goes and goes and goes. first time i used her it had been pissing down all morning and just dried up which is typical in ireland. lawn was like a bog and grass was wet but the mower just ploughed through it like a hot knife through butter. i am buying a brand new one once things get running properly again this year they are 50% more expensive than your typical honda over here but in my opinion worth every penny

Great when its working – I purchased the old version 560 in 2016 with the Briggs & Stratton engine. Right from the outset the unit was difficult to start, and despite returning it to the dealer and servicing it regularly, this problem has never been overcome. Add this to the list of multiple other items: - Throttle Cord Snapped (replaced Under Warranty) - Drive… Read more

wheels broke off - the plastic that holds them on is so thin, despite the mechanism being held within the wheel. Very poor design.

- Broken Rip Cords (may be a result of trying to taking 10-20 pulls every time to start).

In the 3.5 years I have owned it, it has been in the shop at least once every 3 months.I am mowing a large block and am fastidious about my lawn, so having the mower offline for up to a week at a time is highly frustrating.

My dealer has been more then helpful and accommodating, and has been happy give to discounts on parts and servicing.

On the other hand though ... when it is working it is a pretty good mower. The large chute is great and the mulching function works well (when you finally manage to fit the bit in). It does struggle in very long or whet grass, but has never stalled.

The engine is solid, but as mentioned above, has been problematic to start.

It is HEAVY if you need to lift it or push without the self drive.

Overall this is an OK mower, but after 3.5 years I have gone back to what I know and just purchased a Honda HRU196 Heritage.

Yes unleaded fuel has a shelf life of 2 months – old mate unleaded fuel has a short shelf life that is why the sell fuel conditioner, you need to apologize. And this is from a small engine mechanic who sees the same thing weekly. You must use conditioner or drain your fuel if storing over winter. That engine has a warranty i suggest you need to allow the mechanic to correct the issue as that is what he is paid to do.  Show details

Not impressed – we do not have a huge lawn but big enough (plus nature strip) and have used this mower maybe 5 times as winter meant less grass growth. Suddenly it started belching out balck smoke and cutting out. The start up is very hit and miss. The mower is 5 months old. Took it to a Rover service agent who tried to tell me it was due to 'old fuel'.… Read more

Working in petro chemicals, i know that standard quality unleaded fuel (ie without ethanol) stored correctly does not go off. They use this as a catch all excuse

A service check will take at least 5 weeks. so no mower during spring and $600 wasted.

Next time I'll buy the more reliable $200 Millers Falls Billy Goat. That was fine for 5 years cutting huge tracks of grass over imperfect terrain

Excellent Mower – Great mower. Did have a problem with clutch plate but was immediately repaired under warranty from Pat's Mowers in Coffs Harbour. Also, later on, had a broken drive pin in the self propelled system - again - repaired by Pat's Mowers in a few days, also changed the oil & replaced the clutch cable at no cost. Very happy with Rover & Pat's Mowers.

Rover Rules in Queensland, great machine Rover 560 Pro Cut – Hello mowing men, I have had the current 560 Pro Cut in South Western QLD for the past 12 months and the older version for years before this, it has managed to maintain 1.5 ac's of yard from chunks of buffel around the sheds to green lush areas with a great finish up to the house patio. The Kholer is one pull start every time and has handled the… Read more

dry,hot duty conditions without a problem giving great fuel and handling with no bogging out, but as mentioned a retainer to hold the engine on idle is required during catcher removal, it is a great product with an Australian name we all trust. Please don't be fooled by the bad comments, talk to the guys at Toowoomba Mower Center who sell real mowers to real men! and remember cleaning/servicing of your mower is the key to a great Lawn, after 20 years of maintaining the local golf club and clients lawns Rover still out ranks Honda with a proven product and great reliability.

Go Rover!

Gr8 Mower – There's probably no perfect mower but this is a good all rounder. I use these at work and have one at home. They are a workhorse - at work they get used on up to 17 lawns a day 5 days a week in Summer. The full size chute allows you to cut wet or long/thick grass with little or no clogging of the chute. Mowers with a half size chute tend to… Read more ·  2

clog when mowing wet or long/thick grass so you have to stop to unclog the chute. The downside with the Rover is that it has a smaller catcher so you have to empty it more often.

Mine came standard with a Briggs 190cc engine that starts within 2 pulls. The current Pro Cut 560 comes standard with a Chinese built Rover OHV 910 engine which I haven't used.

You get a big 22 inch (560mm) cut that lessens your mowing time but it's a big, heavy machine (just under 40kg I think) with long handles so it can be awkward to manoeuvre in tight spots. The self drive is very handy.

Spare parts are readily available.

You either love 'em or hate 'em - my boss and I wouldn't use anything else.

(This review is for the previous model Pro Cut that came with a Briggs engine, no blade brake and a 2 year contractor warranty.) Large cut, Briggs engine, Heavy duty contractor mower, Works on wet/long grass, Swing back blades, 2 year contractor warranty Possible maintenance needs, Heavy, Need to bend when starting, More emptying of the catcher, No blade brake

great machine for the price, simple to use – hi guys in my every day and job i have used nearly every brand of push mower on the market and brought the rover 560 pro-cut mulch an catch mower after using a toro super bagger which by the name should have been a good catcher mower it wasn't!! the toro ran an atomic blade which for mulching was great catching was shocking but the drive and Honda… Read more

motor and blade brake were top points. So I brought the rover with a 8HP Kohler motor and it has by far the most power of any machine ive used only bogs down in thick couch if mulching but hasn't stalled out has a large catcher and it really packs in the grass even if its wet! has 22'' cut and high handle bars, isn't very heavy and great on fuel, has throttle control on handle bars and mulches the grass better then the toro or the Honda. I paid $750 for it new and would be more then happy to recommend it to other home owners or lawn mowing contractors. the only complainant I have is the engine brake but to save it from stopping every time I empty the catcher I used a bit of Velcro to hold it in place. overall I couldn't justifier spending $1500 on a Honda which by my account these days is just paying for the name and if I had to choose again I would by the rover cheers

Mine's OK But – I had a Kubota 21" self-propelled commercial mower for 25 years and when I sold it, I thought mowers would have improved. Boy was I wrong. Nothing compares to that mighty Kubota and I wish they sold their walk-behind mowers in Australia again. Anyway - I got the Australian-made Pro 560 with the B&S 650 motor. It's great! Starts first time… Read more

every time. The extra 1" of cutting width does save time. Mine doesn't have that stupid shaft/blade brake which is a blessing. The snorkel air-cleaner is better than the engine-mounted type on the Kubota. Keeps it out of the dirt. It has one handle height adjustment - Hallelujah! Mine mows wet grass no problems, just as well as dry grass in fact.

Now for the bad bits. It's heavy. It has a plastic catcher which is low slung, hard to mount sometimes and prone to damage (mine's ok at the moment though), the mulcher is a pain to mount and I threw it away. Build quality seems good but, I can't see it lasting 25 years. Price for mine was $850 which was good compared to the $1300 they wanted for a top of the line Honda - which didn't seem to have great quality either.

What we need is BMW to make good cheap commercial mowers. Mows wet grass easy, easy height adjustment, easy starting, powerful B&S 650 motor. Can't comment on the new Kohler motor. Don't particularly like plastic catcher. Heavy.

MTD/Rover 560 pro cut with 910 engine - - yuch – I swore 10 years ago i would never buy another Rover 560 Pro Cut; but in a weak moment I purchased the all new MTD version with the 910 motor. The drive mechanism is still the same load rubbish it always was nut now it has this stupid engine cut out for OH&S instead of a blade brake like the new Honda. It still clogs up too easily and there is no… Read more

discharge chute available, As a contractor with some 15 years experience I still have and use my 11 year old Honda 216d and it is more reliable than the Rover BY FAR. I now have 4 Honda SP mowers. The only saving graces of the 560 are its mulching ability and the new 910 engine which SEEMS to be much easier to start than that heap of rubbish from B&S which first powered the 560 in around 2000. SO if you want a reliable self propelled mower get the Honda - if you are concerned about price get Chinese knock on and be prepared to chuck it out ofter of years commercial use. Personally I'll pay the the money for the real deal every day. I finally took my "new" Rover/MTD 560/910 back to the selling when it's left hand drive wheel fell off and told them It's a load of rubbish which I never want to see again. I would rather write off the purchase price than put up with it's stupid drive system and other weaknesses. Engine start; Mulching quality, Drive; cut out; clogging; poor control handle arrangement;

Everything is garbage these days – I have owned many Rovers over the years, used in contractor environment. I remember running these mowers into the ground. I had one that was consistently used for 10 years or more before it started blowing oil smoke. I then owned 2 of these pro cuts and under pressure they both died. I than went to the more expensive Honda HRU216, to which i am… Read more

extremely satified with the motor and gearbox but everything else is garbage.

Downtime is a major problem, when you have spent more then a $1000 and up to $1700 for these mowers. My ultimate would be a Rover base, with a Honda motor and gearbox. Wheels on both are weak for contractor mowers, Handlebars on ther Honda have snapped 3 times in a couple years. While on the job this is very annoying time consuming, frustrating and costly. Very thin metal, Honda catch chutes are pitiful, when mowing heavy grass, Rover excel in this area by far. Catching grass is what the customer wants. The Honda blades are pathetic and very costly, with down time. The clutch on the Rover is bad and the motor can kill your arm if you need to start it, compared to the Honda, that just starts, mostly with one pull. The drive cable for the Honda breaks all the time. The disc blade D spacers on the Honda need to be the same as the Rover and stamped to the bolt shape. Have replaced disc already because of wear from bolts.

Overall the rover cuts nicely but in heavy conditions, there is no way to keep revs up but slow speed, unless you push. Both being heavy mowers, this would be backbreaking for a lot of people. Handlebars on the Rover, to me sat nicely when you got used to the height. Honda sit far too low in my opinion. The mulch plug on the Honda is far superior.

I haven't used the new Rovers but can imagine that they a cheaply made now. I paid more then $1200 for mine and now they are $800 to $900 depending on motor. I like the idea of 8hp Kohler but whether it actually is and can handle being bogged down is another story. The drive belt on the Rovers is a poor design and gets caught up with grass. In the old days it was brilliant but because of the poor quality stuff we get these days, i imagine this belt would just slip all the time.

I don't know about anyone else here but i would rather pay a bit more than to have to go to the repair shop all the time. I am sick of faults that you have no choice but to repair, leaving half a yard etc. Good deck air flow and chute Poor clutch, no avenue for keeping revs up while slowing speed. Poor motors but have put a Honda motor on one before, which takes care of that dilenma. Drive system for wheels is poor design.

Going back to the honda – Have owned it for 7 months, been in shop 3 times.All with problems wiyh the drive belt. Which is not good for a contractor. Would not buy another rover.Stay away from belt driven self propelleds.With the money you spend it's not worth it, would rather spend the few hundred dollars more and get a reliable mower. Good cut. Good in wet weather as grass goes into catcher but that's it Belt drive is no good

Don't waste your money – Every thing has broken on this mower . Been a contractor for 8 years now and this would have to be the worst mower I have ever got . You would think for $1000 aus you would get a lot more . It was back to the shop 7 times in 14 weeks please don't waste your money on The new rover there not made like they used to be Fell apart and rover will not… Read more

give me a refund or replace it they said they will keep fixing it up for me at no cost but the down time without that mower is no good to me . No mower no money .

Best all round contractors mower on the market for money spent – 22 inch cut, wide drive wheels for better traction and weight distribution with less turf marking in wet conditions,very powerful easy start briggs and stratton engine-no choke or priming, best catching mower in wet conditions, quiet exhaust in comparison to honda, much lighter and easier to maneuver. Great for cutting long grass with or without… Read more ·  1

catcher,as the clutch drive system doesnt reduce chute exit size being mounted atop deck resulting in high clipping flow without clogging and even spread particularly if mower is pulled back over the cut.We have a unique grass deflection system fitted on our rovers to eliminate the need to clean out debris from inside the rear drive wheels at all.Keep multi holed metal vacuum screen in catcher clean with wire brush for best results when catching grass, particularly when wet Less expensive than some other brands at under $1000 Requires regular basic maintenance for best ongoing results..a can of inox for cables and drive components is a must

Bad – Works well but let down by poor quality. I understand the are built in Australia and China. Mine was built in China..... Does a great job, nice finish to the lawn Poor quality. Within 6 months of ownership, drive cable broke, catcher handle broke, rear wheels spin inside tyres, roll pin through drive axle broke, rear wheel bearings collapsed,… Read more

original star washers which hold the wheels on kept working loose - replacements hold good, and blades are expensive

Excellent – great machine, has nice wide wheels for muddy conditions,omly real downside for contractors is the small fuel tank,catches great in wet conditions flail blades last 2-3 mths,easy start with honda, small fueltank,drive pulley wears as gets grass all around it Show reply