Does it cut paper evenly across the whole reel, there are bedknife to reel adjustment screws on either side of the cartridge. I have the 17b Kensington and haven't had to many issues with the cut. The USA rep Roland Hall told me that he has one of his dealers setup to start doing reel sharpening and service. Might be worth a shot to call him and see if you can get the cartridge serviced, heck maybe @Reelrollers will start servicing and sharpening the Allett cartridge.

 

The bigger issue is the reel is cutting much lower on the left side, as I'm behind it (or the motor side) than the other side.

That is a HOC adjustment error. One side is set lower than the other side.

Do you have a height gauge so you can verify both sides of the front roller are exactly the same height? I used a 1" x 2" piece of scrap pine and put a small finish nail at 3/4" depth. This allows me to easily and quickly check both sides. I lay it across the drum and roller and the nail should barely touch the bedknife. I adjust each side separately then check across the width.

My old post applies to the Swardman Electra, but the photos may help you...

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=210042#p210042

 

The bigger issue is the reel is cutting much lower on the left side, as I'm behind it (or the motor side) than the other side.

That is a HOC adjustment error. One side is set lower than the other side.

Do you have a height gauge so you can verify both sides of the front roller are exactly the same height? I used a 1" x 2" piece of scrap pine and put a small finish nail at 3/4" depth. This allows me to easily and quickly check both sides. I lay it across the drum and roller and the nail should barely touch the bedknife. I adjust each side separately then check across the width.

My old post applies to the Swardman Electra, but the photos may help you...

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=210042#p210042

Thanks for the direction, I dropped off at the dealer today for them to look it over and when I get it back I'll check the height this way.

 

The bigger issue is the reel is cutting much lower on the left side, as I'm behind it (or the motor side) than the other side.

That is a HOC adjustment error. One side is set lower than the other side.

Do you have a height gauge so you can verify both sides of the front roller are exactly the same height? I used a 1" x 2" piece of scrap pine and put a small finish nail at 3/4" depth. This allows me to easily and quickly check both sides. I lay it across the drum and roller and the nail should barely touch the bedknife. I adjust each side separately then check across the width.

My old post applies to the Swardman Electra, but the photos may help you...

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=210042#p210042

Well, I got the mower back from the dealer and unfortunately they weren't able to find an issue. I mowed again and I'm having the same problem, hopefully the pictures make sense. As you look at the strip going away from the picture you can see a "browner" or scalp, about 5" on each one. I'm at a loss at this point.

I measured the height of cut from your post. I should be at 1.25" but the mower is cutting at .875". That is something that needs to be fixed but it is the same .875" across the bedknife so I don't believe that is the root cause.

I sent an email to the Allett people in the UK after asking them some questions on Twitter. They were responsive from the Twitter account so hopefully they get back to me.

 

@hitmonchau, I dont know how I missed your post. But I AM HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THE EXACT SAME MACHINE!!!

I didnt have the issue when I first got it back in March. It probably started happening around late May for me. I've been trying to diagnose the problem by taking things off, tightening bolts and screws, and anything else I could think of. However, I havent been able to find the fix.
I called Allett just today for the first time about this issue. The person I spoke with offered some suggestions, but I'd already tried those before I called. He said to get an accurate HOC measurement and call back.
I need to rig one of those homemade H.O.C. gauges to get a more precise measurement all the way across the bed knife.

It is an odd issue to have. Only thing that is a question mark is the little bit of "give" that the front roller has. But still, I don't think that's the issue.

Any luck with a solution since you last posted?

 

I know it's a different machine but I just started having the same issue with my Swardman. The left side is cutting 3/16 lower than the right.

 

My neighbor (who's a machinist with a garage full of tools and gadgets) and I just spent about an hour trying to diagnose where the issue is on my Kensington 20.

Stepping back and looking at the machine, we figure that there are only 3 things that affect the level of the cutting action: the rear drive drum, the front roller, and the bed knife. You guys agree with that?

We used a dial gauge mounted on a straight carbon fiber board. After double checking the measurements from several different points, we found that:
1. the machine/frame is even from side-to-side.
2. the bed knife is straight.

Thinking about things a bit, we considered that the only other moving part involved in cutting turf is the reel/cylinder. A closer look revealed that the left side of the reel itself sits CLOSER to the front roller than the right side (~16th of an inch.) To be clear, the removable cartridge itself is straight, but the reel WITHIN the cartridge is what is sitting closer to the front on one side.
This may explain why my mower cuts a bit shorter on the left side. If the reel sits further out, then that means that the reel has to be adjusted lower so that there is some contact between the reel and the bed knife in order to cut paper, only now that contact point is more on the front side of the bed knife instead of on top.

My neighbor fired up the machine and engaged the reel. As soon as it started to turn he pointed out that there was a subtle vibration--indicating that the reel spins "off center," which means that the reel is crooked.

Not sure where this leaves me now. Don't know if that particular issue is correctable or if a replacement is in order. I'll call Allett on Monday and see what they have to say.

Sorry for the long post. Just throwing all of this out there to see what you guys that are having the same issue think.

 

And you are positive that this isn't a difference in hoc adjustment between the left and right side.

 

Mine is back to the dealer, has been there for a week so I'll call Monday or Tuesday to see if they have found anything. I have my doubts, the service guy said they've had no training on the machine but they're pretty simple so who knows.

I talked to Roland Hall at Allett and he's aware of my issue, anyone else with the same problem might reach out too.

There might be something to the rear roller alignment causing issues. I noticed that during my recent mows I believe it's having a harder time propelling the mower resulting in me having to push more. Hopefully they get it figured out because I don't want a $2500 paperweight back!

 

@hitmonchau, sure sounds like you and I have the exact same stuff going on. I've been thinking that mine was feeling a little sluggish, too, but I wasn't quite sure. I never engage the drive simply because I prefer to push the mower, so I've noticed that sometimes it feels just a bit harder to push. I should bring that up when I call tomorrow.

How did you get in touch with Roland Hall himself. I've read in several posts where people mention speaking with him and how he's quick to reply to e-mails. I've sent probably around 4 emails since I bought my machine and haven't gotten one response.

 

I reached out via email and telephone, he called me back. I'd reach out on telephone and tell him you are having the same issue as the guy in Houston, maybe it will help. Reach him at 8032265036.

 

Thanks, man. I appreciate it.

 

I'm thinking of buying this machine. How are you guys liking it? Hoping the issues have been fixed!

 

I'm thinking of buying this machine. How are you guys liking it? Hoping the issues have been fixed!

I like mine a lot...with the obvious exception being the lower cut on one side. Without getting to wordy, the folks at Allett are aware of my issue and recognize that there is one, but I haven't really pursued getting my issue resolved simply because I didn't want to be without a mower for an extended period of time. Now that the season is wrapping up for me, I plan to get all of this behind me.

I really like being able to mow AND scarify with the same machine.

 

I'm thinking of buying this machine. How are you guys liking it? Hoping the issues have been fixed!

I like mine a lot...with the obvious exception being the lower cut on one side. Without getting to wordy, the folks at Allett are aware of my issue and recognize that there is one, but I haven't really pursued getting my issue resolved simply because I didn't want to be without a mower for an extended period of time. Now that the season is wrapping up for me, I plan to get all of this behind me.

I really like being able to mow AND scarify with the same machine.

Do you have any idea what they are going to do to make this right?

Looks like the return period is 30 days.
Warranty is 1 year.

Curious as to how they are going to stand by their product.

Closest dealer to me is in Boston or 4 hours away...if I run into this issue I'd be looking at quite a long drive to have it diagnosed. Glad you like the machine otherwise!

 

I ended up being able to return the mower, I was thankful for that.

Horizon, the dealer, seemed to be more willing than Allett to stand behind the mower. Horizon gave me a refund and still have to work it out with Allett.

 

I ended up being able to return the mower, I was thankful for that.

Horizon, the dealer, seemed to be more willing than Allett to stand behind the mower. Horizon gave me a refund and still have to work it out with Allett.

Interesting so it's a known defect then. Wonder how many other of their units are doing this!

 

I'm thinking of buying this machine. How are you guys liking it? Hoping the issues have been fixed!

I like mine a lot...with the obvious exception being the lower cut on one side. Without getting to wordy, the folks at Allett are aware of my issue and recognize that there is one, but I haven't really pursued getting my issue resolved simply because I didn't want to be without a mower for an extended period of time. Now that the season is wrapping up for me, I plan to get all of this behind me.

I really like being able to mow AND scarify with the same machine.

Interested to hear what they say/do to make things right with this issue...

Seriously considering this machine in fact they have one in stock right now. Someone upgraded to a C24 and their Kensington 20H just became available. The entire December container is sold so they offered me this one...

Decisions. Decisions.

 

I'll keep you guys posted on how well Allett handles my situation. They are some friendly people and super informative, too, but I'll find out soon enough how they take care of their customers.

 

I'll keep you guys posted on how well Allett handles my situation. They are some friendly people and super informative, too, but I'll find out soon enough how they take care of their customers.

Just sent PM.

 

So did they resolve the problem?

 

So did they resolve the problem?

Mine is currently in the shop? Allett now has an established John Deer dealer doing their warranty work. I took my mower in as soon as my lawn checked out. Been about a month. Waiting to hear from them.

 

I'm thinking its a weight distribution issue, looking at photos the Honda engine fitment is not centred as previous Kawasaki models. This is most likely the issue as this recent problem for a decades old design.

 

I'm thinking its a weight distribution issue, looking at photos the Honda engine fitment is not centred as previous Kawasaki models. This is most likely the issue as this recent problem for a decades old design.

Interesting take on the issue.

I had mine for a few months before winter hit and I had no issues with the one side cutting different then the other.

Interested to hear what @JayGo uncovers after his is fixed. If it's a design issue then Allett has a lot of answering to do to make people whole.

 

Hi @Sethor
This is an old photo you are posting with the off-centre engine- it was a prototype machine- you probably found the pic on our website? I am due to do a photoshoot with the new Kensington Honda machines now we have authorised them for worldwide sale- you will find the engine has been moved and the issue sorted
- Laura (Allett)