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My Swardman Reel Mower; Edwin 2.0

10K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  Fishnugget 
#1 ·
I do not want to hijack the Swardman Mower Question Thread, so I will start a new one with my experience with Swardman Mowers.
I actually saw this mower on the internet late 2016 - early 2017 while researching reel mowers. I liked the features when I first saw it, but dismissed it as an option because it was overseas, and there was not any shipping info for it to the US. Fast forward to the recent past: I laid off of the forum as my lawn went dormant last fall. While I was away, there was a thread started on this mower - and to my surprise, they are now available in the US, and Ware had a demo unit that he did a video on.

Since I had planned on getting a "new to me" Flex 21 this year, this was the perfect time to get a new mower with some of the features that I liked in greens mowers - plus a cartridge system so I placed the order.

Thoughts thus far:

Michal from Swardman provides exceptional customer service, even with the time difference is VERY responsive to emails. Right after I ordered, he sent me an email with details on the order and expected ship dates. The one thing I did not see on their website that I wanted was a speed reducer kit. I asked about the availability since there was mention of one in the Swardman Mower thread. Michal responded back that they did have them and if wanted would included it with my order.

My order: 22" width, Grooved front roller, 10 blade reel, speed reducer, transport wheels, Red paint, Verticut cartridge, and Scarifier Cartridge. The Scarifier was a late add, that once more Michal gave me a great deal on.

I got email confirmation on my order and ship/delivery dates last week. Today I got yet another update along with pictures and confirmation for a Friday delivery

Friday will not get here fast enough...

More after I get the mower, get it set up and take it for a test drive.

 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
gatormac2112 said:
Topcat said:
It appears my shipment is stuck in customs. The new estimated delivery date is 6 March.
Ugh. I know how frustrating that is for you.

It would be much better if they had local (US) stock. I thought they did to some extent. I guess not.
Yup, the one con so far has got to be the customs process. I am sure there will be stock in the US that will solve this issue however until then...
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Nope. New tracking info shows it coming on Thursday. I got a call from FedEx customs Friday afternoon. She needed my email address to send me a form to fill out and fax it to them. Unfortunately I was out of town and not near my computer or printer. So I had to wait til Saturday to find an office supply place, while in Kentucky, to print and fax it. And of course The agent handling my shipment was off the weekend, so.... Hopefully there will not be another delay.

The good news is that SwardmanUSA.com is active so the customs process should be a thing of the past for others.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
@gatormac2112 , as it turns out the delay from the original date was actually a win for me. I had to leave town at the last minute unexpectedly, and did not get back until today. So if it did show on 2 March I would have asked them to delay delivery. The wait is painful, but not totally unbearable. I do not plan on using it until I get at least 80% green up. The TruCut will do until I get there.

Since the USA website is active any orders from it should come from a US address, which means all the customs stuff should have been already completed by the US vendor.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Update: Fedex tracking shows my pallet arrived in Memphis from Belgium today at 1045. The tracking info has not been updated yet and still shows delivery at my address today. I am HIGHLY doubtful that the pallet will process customs, make it to Charleston, and be delivered to me before the day is over. My guess is I will not see it until Monday- Wednesday timeframe. Depending on US Customs.... My guess is they will truck it from Memphis to Charleston.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Came home to this. The first thing that I thought was "if they scratched my car!!!!" The pic doesn't show, but there is at least six inches of clearance. Will uncrate it tomorrow.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
gatormac2112 said:
Topcat said:
Came home to this. The first thing that I thought was "if they scratched my car!!!!" The pic doesn't show, but there is at least six inches of clearance. Will uncrate it tomorrow.
Tomorrow?!!? You and I are very different people :lol:
Very long day at work - but as it turned out, tomorrow was too far away.

First impressions - Everything I expected it to be. Assembly consist only of unfolding the handlebar, bolting it in place at the hinge joint and adjusting the angle at the control end.

I moved it out of the garage so the wife has PLENTY of room to pull out when she goes to work tomorrow morning. I will play with it tomorrow.
 
Discussion starter · #21 ·
@Rockinar It comes with oil in the crate, so fill the crankcase, add gas, start and cut.

I have not checked the reel adjustment yet, however I did spin the reel by hand and it sounds and feels about right. I will check it with a few strips of paper tomorrow.
 
Discussion starter · #24 ·
Checked the reel to bed knife adjustment, and had to make a minor adjustment on the LH side. Filled it with oil, and gas. Pulled one time and it started right up. This is one of the quietest mowers I've ever heard, or owned. The reel and clutch engagement are smooth and easy. HOC adjustment can't be any easier. The throttle adjustment is smooth and responsive. The mower just looks sleek - with or without the grass catcher.

The one thing I am not too sure I care for is the transport wheels. They are small and narrow. While moving it from the garage to the garden shed last night I used them, and rolled across a short portion of lawn to move from the walkway to the shed. The wheels simply sunk in the softer soil. I simply lowered the mower to get off the transport wheels and pushed it into the shed without the aid of the motor (no oil or gas in it yet). The mower is light enough that it was not too much of a struggle to get it to the shed while pushing it across the lawn. I'd never been able to move my TruCut as easy. I also think the transport wheels will be in the way when turning at the end of a row. I tip the mower - probably more than needed to turn, and it does not take a lot of "tip" for the wheels to contact the ground.

I will reassess after the first cut with the mower. Since the drum is of split design, it probably does not require much of a tip, if any at all to spin the mower. I am looking forward to the first cut early next week.
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
g-man said:
Topcat said:
I am looking forward to the first cut early next week.
After waiting for it thru customs, you are not going to give the lawn a cut this weekend? Like right now? :?
I might run it across the lawn tomorrow, but it will not be cutting anything.

I scalped two weeks ago. Nothing appreciable has grown. It was greening up real good. We had a cold snap the last several days. Down to freezing and the lawn actually started going brown again.
 
Discussion starter · #29 ·
I pulled the Swardman out and gave her a test run today. I set the cut to 10mm and it took just a hair off the top of the lawn. I scalped last week with my TruCut, so there was not a lot of growth to remove.

Anyway - I LOVE THIS MOWER!

The controls are very intuitive - The mower runs very quiet... in fact, you hear the reel spinning over the engine noise. I did set a camera up to film, but I forgot it was running, and right after I started cutting, the camera fell over. I have a lot of footage of the clouds.

 
Discussion starter · #39 ·
I've been out of town the last couple of weeks. I came back to a lawn that is about 90% green, and in dire need of a cut.

I pulled the Swardman out and did a double cut at 15mm. The mower really is a breeze to use. It cuts cleanly, and is light enough so that I do not have to muscle it around.

I hope to go across the lawn with the verticut and scarifier reels this weekend, then throw down some fast acting fert and potash per the results from my soil test results. I want to give the lawn a good kick start and with the amount of green we have, I think the time is right. Can't wait to try out the other reels, and for the summer months when the grass is growing more aggressively so I can really get a feel for the mower.


 
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