[Killbuzz]

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Do you have a Allett Kensington mower and have a question about working on it? Do you have something to share? Ask or share here.

 

[Iriasj2009]

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Do you have a Allett Kensington mower and have a question about working on it? Do you have something to share? Ask or share here.

Killbuzz, can you give us your thoughts? Liked and dislikes. How easy is it to backlapp, adjust bedknife to reel clearance?

 

[Killbuzz]

Overall I like the mower. If I had one complaint it would be the plastic that is used in some of the construction. Namely the throttle handle which has broken on me twice. Luckily I haven't had the need to use it but it will be an easy fix with some JB Weld or other epoxy. The only other plastic pieces are the sides of the mower which have been getting scuffed up. Not a huge deal since it's a mower and that was bound to happen. Other than that those are the only real issues I've come across this season. The big selling factor for me was the cartridge system. I currently have the six blade reel that came with the mower, a verticutter, and a brush. Next season I'll get the 10 blade reel. Currently I'm cutting around .5" to .75" only due to my lawn not being completely level. I have yet to see any washboarding but I keep a nice slow pace when I mow. The ability to remove the reel easily makes backlapping simple. At each end of the reel are adjustment screws that will click when you turn them ever so slightly. So fine tuning is the bedknife to reel clearance a breeze.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge4dsDx2djY

 

[Iriasj2009]

Awesome thanks for the info! Liked the video too.

 

[Redtenchu]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

 

[Airshow]

I'm new to the forum and I'm in the market for a reel mower. To give you some background, I live in Georgia and I'm in the process of landscaping my new house with Zenith Zoysia. At my previous house, I had zoysia as well and I used a walker mower coupled with a commercial snapper hi vac. The lawn was large which dictated the Walker. The new house will have much less turf area. I have always wanted a reel mower and have narrowed it down between the California Trimmer and the Allett mower. I wanted to see what the lawn enthusiast on the forum thought. I apologize if this topic has been beat to death...I couldn't find a comparison between the Trimmer and the Allett. Thanks for your input.

 

[Killbuzz]

I believe Augusta has a SuperSod store that might have an Allett on display.

 

[Spammage]

I have zoysia japonica and bought a CalTrimmer. I like the mower, but when the grass gets really thick, the drive wheel doesn't get the traction that it should. It won't drive the mower properly and can tear up the grass a little. I ended up switching to a TruCut which is much better (although they do have their own issues). I don't have any experience with the Allett, but they do look intriguing.

 

[Airshow]

Thanks for the reply. I did check with my supsersod store here in Augusta (I'm purchasing all my sod and plant materials from them for the landscaping), they don't carry the Allett mowers here. I like the cartridge system, but have not seen many good reviews from owner- broken throttle levers, broken throttle cables, broken clutch cables, etc. Not sure if these are isolated issues and would like to hear from more Allett owners about there experience. Seems like the California Trimmer has good reviews and support is readily available (but sadly no cartridge system).
I appreciate some Allett owner chiming in and letting me know the good and bad.

 

[Killbuzz]

Well I can confirm that the throttle lever is crap. Mine came to me broken but Allett overnighted a replacement part. Unfortunately that one didn't last long either so I made the fix myself. Other than that it's been running pretty well. You really can't compare it to a greens mower but unfortunately they don't sell many of those in South Texas. I'm always on the prowl for one at a decent price.

 

[Spammage]

Nevermind, I just saw your earlier post. :thumbup:

 

[Airshow]

Thanks for the input. I think the cartridge system is a selling point for me. I've got my supersod store looking into it. I've tried to contact the Allett USA rep. several times with no luck. The U.S. rep is based in Aiken SC. which is only 30 min down the road. Does anyone have a good contact for them? Thanks again for the guidance.

 

[scarlso2]

I think I found the back of the internet trying to figure this out. I spoke with an Allett rep in the UK and I guess they stopped working with the SC rep because they weren't getting the traction they wanted. I think supersod has a unique deal worked out with Allett. The best I could figure is they're getting the frame from Allett, but then mating to a U.S. engine to save on Duties/customs but I could be wrong. The U.S. rep that has access to the full Allett line is Brian Norton out of Florida. Here's a price list he sent me... I became less excited once I priced everything out haha. I've spoken to Brian a few times over the phone. He raves about the Allett C Range which he uses for his lawn care business.

[email protected]

 

[Airshow]

Scarlso2,
Great information! Thanks for all the research. It explains a lot. I'm good friends with my local Supersod dealer. He's looking into the mowers for me. If need be, I'll go down to Florida and speak with Brian Norton in person. It makes sense about the mowers being powered by U.S. motors. The mowers I've seen here in the states have Biggs and Stratton engines.

 

[Killbuzz]

Those prices are higher than than the ones from SuperSod. I paid $1609 for my 17b, $519 for the verticutter, $389 for the brush, and $389 for the 10 blade. I would ask him to price match or at least ship it to you for free. Shipping one of the cartridges from SuperSod to San Antonio cost me $50...

 

[Airshow]

Killbuzz,
Thanks for the input. You seem to be to only guy out there who has experience with the Allett mowers. I guess the real question for you is, would you buy the mower again? As far as I can tell, there is no other reel mower on the market with the cartridge system. I like the concept, but how is the reality?

 

[scarlso2]

There is another... Swardman... I'm super curious about them. They look pretty unique. Pretty Pricey though. I've contacted their U.S. Rep and it seems like they're willing to knock some off the price.

Regarding the price difference between Supersod and The Allett rep. I noticed that as well. Again I think it's the Briggs motor Supersod uses. The one's from the U.S. Rep have either a Kawasaki or Honda. That doesn't explain the markup on the attachments I guess. When ordering from the U.S. rep the mowers ship directly from the UK. It didn't seem like any discounts were possible from that price list, but I just might not be the best negotiator.

 

[SwardmanGuy]

Hi, Thank you for mentioning Swardman. If you would be interested, how Swardman Edwin looks like, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGD2pGXAImc

 

[Killbuzz]

Killbuzz,
Thanks for the input. You seem to be to only guy out there who has experience with the Allett mowers. I guess the real question for you is, would you buy the mower again? As far as I can tell, there is no other reel mower on the market with the cartridge system. I like the concept, but how is the reality?

I honestly think I would do it all over again. In a perfect world I would have found a used greens mower somewhere close by. If I had one complaint about my mower is the amount of plastic they used most notably the throttle handle.

 

[Airshow]

Killbuzz,
Good to know. I guess if the throttle handle is the worst thing about it, it can't all bad. One other thing, what is the difference between the classic series and the Kensington line?