Rover Raider

When you want to mow, the last thing you need is a mower that will not start. Every time its the same thing even after you refill the battery charge, no difference. Then it has stupid dashboard set up for"safety". That is safety for the mower before the owner takes an axe to it-chinese rubbish Rover is that the best you can do. Australia deserves… Read more

a better machine than this -last time for us we will not be buying a rover any more. I could cut my lawn faster with a pair of scissors crawling around the yard.Green grtass usually.everytime.no not really no sun shade on this. REWARD -NO I WAS NOT I AM SIMPLY FED UP WITH YOUR STNKING MOWER!

hard to control – to complicated to change gears and very danger to ride. Show details

Worse machine I have ever ridden – Mower is klunky to drive, engaging forward or reverse gives you a jolt when taking off. I have over an acre on a slope. Mower scalps when turning and cuts uneven in a straight line. The seat is uncomfortable and rocks back and forth disconnects reverse switch Show details

Total disaster – Totallty unreliable. Chews up belts on a regular basis. You have to take it out of gear to reverse, BIG turning circle. Good fuel economy. You can buy a better ride on mower, NOT a Rover.

cheap but you do get what you pay for – gets easily bogged and is not at all good on gradients but I think it has a great motor my only trouble is the deck belt and I cannot find a diagram that shows me its placement - see what else you can buy - give this a wide berth if you can help it Show details

Not to bad but – I like this mower it just has a few design problem. It is nice to operate simple in design easy to start and use for my wife. Problems I find is the vibration that travels right through the mower when you engage blades if this never happened I'm sure the other little problem no normal person would care about. In saying that I do the steering… Read more

linkage had no knuckle only a cheap split pin the petrol tank is zip tied on and the plastic ignition will break fast I'm sure moves around heaps when starting. The frame is very thin so please dont push on it as it will bend and dent before you go close to moving the mower

Cheap, great for the first year, wears quickly – I've had my Raider 1538 for going on three years now. * Pros + Cheap to purchase. + Pleasant to drive. + Cuts well. + Has a 'cold beverage' holder :) + Excellent service and support from my local Stihl dealer. + Easy for a home mechanic to work on with simple tools and YouTube for reference, which is handy because ... * Cons +… Read more

Deteriorated quickly after a year of moderate use.

+ Stock tyres very prone to punctures (three so far).

+ Belts don't last well.

+ Deck lift cable snapped.

+ Bogs easily on wet ground. (Perhaps better tyres might help this and the puncture issue?)

I'd only recommend this model if you don't need high reliability, and are comfortable performing maintenance like deck belt replacement yourself.

Deck belt constantly comes off – Has anyone else had this issue. Belt just comes off all the time. Have a 1 acre block and have to put it back on 2 or 3 times every mow. Have put on a proper brand belt for the model not a 'cheap replacement' and it broke in second use. All bearings seem to be fine. Nothing seized. Seems to be a design fault. Mower is in good order and runs well otherwise. Anyone know why?  Show details

Trouble with vibration through floor plate – Had high hopes that it would be a good replacement for our MTD 38" ride on but excessive vibration even when blades not engaged have dented my enthusiasm. Currently back at dealership but they seem unable to fix it. Perhaps mounting bolts need rubber cushioning or motor not assembled correctly. Here's hoping there is a fix.  Show details

Great mower – Fantastic mower had ours for 4 years, runs perfect never had any trouble easy to use still runs like the day it was purchased. Does a great job of mowing our acreage time after time. Has good safety devices so the whole family can use it,just turn the key and off you go.  Show details

Great mower had one for 4 years not one problem with it – Great mower powerful great engine starts every time I have a block on steep hill and it is perfect never had any trouble I do look after it and always service it maybe this makes a difference? Rover have building mowers for a long time that have a good product  Show details

Good unit – Reading the other reviews, I guess this is what happens when we sell out to the Chinese. Mine has a tecumseh motor, have changed the drive belt twice in 10 years but besides that has been a solid and reliable unit. Great for difficult and rough block which ours was when we moved in. What a shame, maybe one day Aussies will start giving a shti about our country and speak up, demand manufacturing back to this country.  Show details

Rover Raider – Heap of rubbish noisy running gear no deck wheels poorly built tin design not made for Australian conditions engine pops and misfires I just snapped to clutch linkage! gearbox, noisy, rattles, the deck wore out after 7 months no wheels on the deck at all Broken deck. Flimsy construction and I don't know how many time we have replaced blades and… Read more

belts. the color gearbox, noisy, rattles, the deck wore out after 7 months no wheels on the deck at all

Poor construction – I have had one of these for 10 months and I just snapped to clutch linkage! The problems started in January 2014 when I noticed 2 cracks, one on each side of the firewall where it connects to the main chassis. That was repaired under warranty. The dealer said this was very uncommon and had never seen this happen to any lawn mower. The second… Read more

problem was the Briggs & Stratton Engine. The timing went out and ruined the camshaft, OHV rockers and the intake and exhaust valves. Thankfully that was replaced under warranty as well. And the third problem, a snapped clutch linkage. Now I can't even get the tractor into gear! What a joke. Never buy ANY Rover ride on mower, they will only cost you extra in the long run. Since mine is under warranty still I will try to get a refund and buy a proper lawn tractor. Mowed paddocks really well. When it wasn't at the local service station Flimsy design and poor construction.

Flimsy isnt the word! – I bought one for occasional use, after 6 months and about 10 hours the Briggs and Stratton motor through a rod through the side of the mower, it was replaced(short motor) under warranty but the agent was a real a hole about it. "If I find low oil you will pay" etc. Only broke 1 belt but the drive belt is now showing signs of wear. I will replace… Read more

it with a new brand before it is worth nothing. Comfortable to sit on. Very thin metal, have to treat it very gentle.

Terrible – Great for the first 6 months. Terrible 3 years later. Broken deck. Flimsy construction and I don't know how many time we have replaced blades and belts. This machine has cost us around 5 grand in total. I don't think I'll be able to afford a new deck since they cost over a grand to replace. It worked for 6 months Flimsy, cheap and nasty

Terrible – I bought a rover on reputation (my father-in-law had one for 20 years) and ended up with one of the first Chinese made ones. Bad move. I don't know how metal can be so flimsy, everything bends and breaks. The latest installment is a cracked deck, over a grand to fix. Either the other guys writing reviews are lucky or I'm unlucky, but I wouldn't… Read more

recommend one of these to anyone Worked okay for about 6 months. Cheap. Flimsy construction. If I get more than 2 mows between repairs I'm happy.

Good – Nice machine. Well built and easy to use. Not much room for accessing the adjustments for deck level, clutch etc but it's a small mower. Fits through gates bigger mowers wouldn't. Small (compact)! Well built. Quality B&S motor. Economical. No catch on the bonnet so it bounces around a bit. Not much space and difficult to get to adjustments. No… Read more

headlights. 4 swing blades instead of single blade. User manual has very few diagrams/photos & no belt diagrams.

Bad – We had a Colt 8 which was superb, could not stop it. The Raider is a POOR cousin with no wheels on the deck, no decent manual, crappy blades. It is good for about a 1/4 acre and that is it. Good on fuel consumption blades are hopeless, ended up using COX blades. Deck adjustment, what a joke, ended up using a tiedown to get it level