Stiga Combi
9 reviews
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I wanted a small ride on with catcher and this seemed to fit the requirements ..... small enough to fit through a small gate , hydrostatic ...{prefer on the floor foot pedal} and pull start....{ just as well, more on the starter later} please note this unit is second hand with all the issues....broken steering , no crank and crank no start. I… Read more
payed $1100 for it in nice condition.
I ve use Greefield and toro 13-32h mowers before.
The good .... this is a mower is well made and well thought out for mantianence. The body plastics are well thought out and made from quality plastics. The running gear are coated in zinc... and the chassis and cutting deck are baked enamel. It has full suite of safety switched....... more on that later. steering is razer sharp and quick..... Deck height adjustment is near on perfect. flush port on deck....
The bad......... the steering can lock direction and the bump steer { the mower will try to rip the steering out of your hands }, the virbration is not pleasant.
the starter motor.... dosnt..... and will never. Its a design issue 2 mm wiring to run a starter motor..... common stiga..... claims 10 degree traverse slope mowing...... I rolled it at 15 degree... {note the greenfeild has never felt unstable and the toro mid mount has never rolled. }
Reverse cutting due to the razor sharp 180 degree lock to lock steering ....... just dont bother.
Blade engagement...... its not nice and tricky to do smoothly.
Safety switches.......... to many,,,,,, cannot pull start the engine because of the seat switch
Would I buy a new one...........thats $4500 question..... no...... But If you had flat level yard then yes.... Its nimble quality made unit that will last for years..... "come on" it is all zinc and baked enamel. Find that in another machine.
Fixes and Common Gripes.....
"Do I have to charge it all the time....." No you dont the alternator charges at 13.5 volts. The lithium battery sits at 12.5volts.... higher than a lead acid.
Starter motor issues .... solenoid clicks wont crank....(place holder for future update. )
Steering rod bends.... 1) min front tire pressure is 30 psi. 2) don't turn the steering unless you are moving. 3) dont turn the steering into edging and hit trees...... sounds simple but it is hard. Note if you upgrade to sealed rose joint then you need to purchase 90 degree SQ-M5 160 mm long rods.
repairs..... pop a jack under the front end and lift up undo the cotter pins on the bent rod..... straight or replace the drop out the stub axle and straighten the plate the rod drops into...... do not keep driving with the bent rod,as it will elongate the rod hole in the stub axle and cause more wear and issues (place holder repair clip)
starting by pull start.... Tilt seat, remove hatch fail to locate the pull starter (pic)..... bypassing the seat switch.... (pic) remove the cover from the seat switch unplug both wires, make a patch wire up join both wires together and tape them up and secure to the chassis (pic), now you can use the pull starter to start the mower. Front wheel bearings are 6202-rs2 c3..... don't buy the 6202-zz as supplied by the factory, as the metal shields are not dust proof.
(easy way to start the motor when cold placeholder)
(fix jumping off belts place holder)
(must do cleaning when finished )
( Mulching plate how and when to use place holder)
(complete safety switches bypass switch install place holder)
( adjust governor to increase speed placeholder )
Worst mower I have ever owned After reading the reviews here I decided to take the plunge and buy a Stiga Combi 166 ride-on with catcher… The reviews were for an earlier model.. I had to buy it sight unseen as the local dealer had NO stock.. ordered in Dec 2024 and received it in January 2025.. The first thing I noticed was the direct steering… Read more
less than ½ a turn from lock to lock.. which makes it very touchy to steer. The deck engagement leaver needs two hands to get it into gear and if you do it too fast it stalls the motor.. The motor is extremely under powered to the point that it stalls if you just happen the try to mow a slightly denser part of your lawn.. If you mow into a corner or anywhere that requires you to reverse up unless you put your left foot on a tiny pedal the motor cuts out… If you need to back up a slight grade to empty the catcher before you can get your foot from the reverse pedal to the brake it rolls forward away from the place you want to dump the catcher.. To empty the catcher you have to get off the mower as the handle to lift it with has NO leverage advantage so it can be lifted from the seat unless you are related to Hercules… It has NO ability to charge its own battery so every so often you have to charge the battery with a supplied 240v charger..
I bought mine 2 years ago. If it will not run due poor valve adjustment, that is not a waranty issue apparently. I have had the following issues: - Belt guides fell off and chewed up pulleys. - Hydraulic drive over heated and the plastic fan curled up. - burned out starter. - cannot turn over due to no compression relief. - snapped steering… Read more
linkage. - the safety switch in the catcher is not dust proof and fills up with dirt, has stuck both open and closed before. - a lot of dust is guided into the air filter as the grass overflow vents into the engine space. - The blade engage lever is threaded on and regularly falls off while mowing. - Was told there is metal in the oil because I did not change the oil regularly, told the shop they had changed it twice in two years under my brothers name. - The blades are very thin and if you have sandy soil the aggressive lift for the catcher will last about 4 mows. - Last time I mowed there was a terrible burning smell.
The upright steering column and go kart style linkage gets tiresome, it might not feel bad if this is your first ride on. It is also very noisy for what it does.
These are the most common mower waiting in the service bay at the mower store.
This machine is so bad that I can not sell it in good conscience. My yard is fairly dusty, very sandy, and an acre. This machine may be suited to a non-dusty town block if you want to get to know your local small engine mechanic.
I like the integrated catcher. There is no alternator so you need to plug the mower in to charge it, there is no pull cord start.
Good but not great – I’ve had the Stiga Combi for around a month. It’s a great mower and works great on well maintained lawns. But on longer grass or even slightly wet grass it’s not so good. The catcher chute continually blocks up making the catcher useless. The tool for blocking the catcher chute is difficult to get into position and using the side chute is… Read more
equally difficult, also putting the mower in reverse can dislodge the chute. With just a 6.5hp motor cutting longer grass can be slow and tedious.
Fuel economy seems to be ok. Using the controls is fairly simple to learn. Starting the motor is easy, seating etc is fine. The steering is quite heavy however, and difficult to turn at slow speeds. Engaging the blades can be difficult as well and if not done slowly enough the engine will stall. I probably wouldn’t recommend this machine for a woman user.
There are a number of safety features that you will find annoying. Things like starting the mower with the brake engaged the engine will stall if you try to engage the blades. The engine will also stall if you have the blades engaged and try to empty the catcher. The mower will not start or run with the catcher off. All of theses are just a nuisance but once your aware of them the mower is quite easy to operate.
Poor quality – Had this mower 2 years, all sorts of problems. The belt kept coming off due to loose pulley. Now the steering rods keep bending under normal use. New rods fitted and bent with a couple of hours.Very disappointed. Show details
A little ripper – Had been looking for a small maneuverable ride on with catcher for our suburban block for some time. Saw the Stiga at local Bathurst dealer and decided to go for it. A great machine . Plenty of power and very maneuverable having a 1.5mtr turning circle and emptying the catcher is a breeze. The hydro transmission is great as it allows from dead… Read more
slow to full speed with conveniently placed foot throttle. Has all the usual safety features which can be a bit of a PITA but that's the world we live in and hey it might just save your toe toes one day. I would be struggling to find a negative with this machine but if I was to be pedantic would say the steering can be a little heavy at times but this has probably got more to do with it's very small turning circle than anything else. In summary little ripper.
Good mower so far – Have had our mower for about 3 months now and find it a very good tool. The best feature we found is the rear catcher, it really saves our backs and time by just backing into a garden and pulling up the handle and job done. Has a good turning circle. Only issue is it could be a little bit faster but who cares, it only the mowing not Nascar racing. Show details
Great ride-on mower for smaller yards – I recently purchased my new Stiga Combi Ride-on mower to replace another brand of ride-on mower. I find it very easy to operate with the Hydrostatic Transmission compered with the old manual ride-on that I previously had. The small turning circle of the Combi suits my yard very well and also has sufficient power to do what I require it to do. I… Read more
find the Stiga Combi Ride-on mower to be a very good ride-on mower for smaller yards and strongly recommend it for anyone who is looking for smaller type ride-on mower.
A Step Up From The Garden Compact – This has a slightly bigger engine 244cc over 190 cc and has hydro transmission instead of manual or CVT that the garden compact had. Slightly bigger cut as well, 26" over 24". So I am thinking it may still lack power like the garden compact did. Time will tell if this is enough. So far has proved capable in short thin grass but does lack power when going up hill, so a little concerned about the longevity of the hydro tranny.
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