Hayter Harrier 48

I have bought Hayters on and off over the years for my gardening buisness, you expect quality, unfortunately the build quality is good, but the cut is awful, unless the grass is blowtorch dry, it won't pick up properly, cuttings get caught up in the areas underneath and in the exit area into the grass box, also the cuttings get caught in between the roller and the bar that connects the two sides of the roller assembly together, this jams the roller completely, also leaves clumps of grass behind which makes an untidy finish.

Iv used better mowers and will not buy another Hayter.

I have owned this unit for a little over a year now and it came recommended. The facts tell a different story.

1. The autodrive is way too fast. Even on the slowest speed you need to be an olympic athlete to keep up with it.

2. The grass collection is truly shocking.

3. The split roller corrodes on to the shaft meaning it very soon becomes a single roller.

5. The blade brake design could use a lot of refinement. It doesn't release properly when engaging the drive which means the engine stalls half the time when engaging the blade.

6. The overall component quality is very poor. The engine itself is fine, but everything bolted to it is cheap.

Personally I would never recommend this to anyone, not even my worst enemy. For the price they charge for these things it is not unreasonable to expect better, a lot better.

Buy a Honda if you want the best. That's what I have done now and this hateful thing can go on EBAY.

Hayter customer care is poor too. If you dare complain about these things they refer to you a dealer, who then tells you to buy something else. That about says it all.

Had this Harrier for a year now, only used in a domestic garden. What a waste it is poor in every way. I now need to cut my grass every week as it cloggs up if either long or damp grass, the place where the bag sits collects up with grass, the engines floods when warm. Unfortunately I bought on line and no after sales service unless I personally take it back. Complained to Hayter but they were very dismissive. My old Flymow Venturer was far better, wish I had it reconditioned. I should have read the revues before buying

In September 2015 I purchased a Harrier 48 Autodrive, to replace my previous Harrier 48, which I have owned for 15 years. I have used Hayter products for over 40 years and currently also own an ST38, ride on mower. Over time I considered the mowers outstanding and have recommended Hayter products to many friends and relatives. Sadly, I am extremely disappointed with this model and in particular with it’s grass collection. The redesign of the blade chamber as well as the reduced flue diameter that carries the clippings to the bag, has resulted in an almost constant need to stop and clear blockages every one or two lengths of my lawn. This is compounded by the increased upward angle of the bag, which allows the collected clippings to fall back towards the flue. The clogging nearly always occurs when the bag is just half full. If the grass is even slightly damp the problem is much worse. Once the flue clogs clippings are thrown out from under the skirt and the general result is a lawn which looks tatty and has to be swept. A related point is the bag is also difficult to remove up through the handle, unlike previous models, as the width between the arms has also been reduced and it tends to foul the cables. On the plus side the auto drive system is excellent but I do wonder if the fixed engine rpm may be contributory to the clogging issue. The mower is much lighter, quieter and it starts easily. All good points.

However, today was the last straw. Despite my lawn being bone dry in the late afternoon, the mower was still repeatedly clogging on a medium cut. In desperation I pulled the 15 year old Harrier from the shed and away I went, non-stop, clog free, to a perfect finish and not a clipping in sight. I compared the flue size on the two mowers and frankly the difference is clear to see, the new Harrier is around 50% narrower. I have since looked at many review sites and internet forums and there appears to be a general consensus regarding the issue. I decided to write to Hayter to enquire about a modification and this is their response.

“We have sold many Harrier 48 products over the last ten years since the new model was introduced in both the domestic variant and the commercial. We are not aware of a major concern with the grass collection. Airflow is paramount to the collection of grass. Several things can affect this if not set up correctly. The main one is the engine rpm. If the engine is not set at the correct speed, i.e. 2800/3000 rpm the blade will not turn quickly enough to create the full airflow. The other criteria is the correct use of the product, if the machine is set too low, going too fast and the grass too long this will also affect the collection of grass. A dirty grass bag would also affect the collection of grass, as the air produced by the blade cannot escape quickly enough and causes a backlog of grass cuttings. We would recommend in the first instance to have your Hayter dealer check and set the engine RPM.”

As the mower was only a few months old I was a little disappointed with this response but, as advised, I put the mower in my car and made the 25-mile round trip to a dealer. Even before the mower was checked I was told the grass collection is “nowhere near as good as the previous model” and “lots of people experience the same problem, the best thing you can do is ensure the blade is nice and keen and mow twice at different height settings. Try the first cut without the bag.” The mower was checked, there was actually nothing wrong with it, and I returned home. It still clogs! The end result is I seem to have spent a lot of money to put in twice the effort.

I have just bought the pro version of the hayter harrier 48. After reading all the negative reviews I was anxious prior to its first time out. I needn't have been, the speed in my opinion was just right and the grass collection on damp grass was faultless. It was easy to start and felt solidly built. My previous mower was the pro honda with the roller. Although nearly twice as expensive, I felt the Honda was too heavy. The hayter not only looks good in silver but does the job just as well as the more expensive Honda.

This is the second Harrier 48 we have hadand both have suffered from same problem.The moisture gets into drive through split roller and corrodes in no time.We got the present mower August before last and had to replace drive in the following April.If there was someway to lubricate or remove moisture after use it could be fit for purpose.We use the mower commercially five days a week but that aside if you are paying APPROX £900 you should expect to get at least a years use.

Myself and my partner have run a garden maintenance business for nearly 20 years and have always bought Hayter machines to cut our lawns. Up until now we have been happy with each new model of the Harrier 48's that we have bought. The latest Harrier 48 pro looked smart in gun metal grey and was lighter than previous models but what a disappointment! It cannot pick up grass if it is slightly wet and you spend a lot of time stopping the machine to clear the flue of clogged up grass. When the grass is dry the flap that covers the grass box continuously rises covering you in dry grass. My eyes are permantely sore from where I'm getting grass flying into my face. Even trying to push the flap back down every few strides doesn't work. We're not very happy at all at spending nearly a thousand pounds on a poorly designed machine that doesn't do the job. We've always trusted Hayter machines and like to buy British. Maybe a Honda would be a better purchase.

Trying to support a British company and having had the older model 48 I thought the new 48 pro would be a great machine, it isn't, it clogs with grass, the plastic underdeck is flimsy and the drive system poor. How can Hayter design and produce such a poor and flimsy machine and ask almost £1000 for it . The B&S engine is the strongest point.

If Hayter want to survive they need to replace this machine now and go back to the roots of the old model, don't be surprised if Hayter go under soon if the rest of their range is as poor as the 48 pro.

oh dear. I have used hayter harriers 48 for over 20 years and usually each new model is an improvement over previous one...but with this current model, which actually was introduced in 2006 , hayter have lost the plot and taken their eyes off the ball...why?..perhaps accountants have influenced design budgets ..but this model is attrocious. I know,I bought one in 2006...to replace a 480v.

Poorly built with fragile abs plastic underliners which are poorly attached to the main body, weak transmission which work only on level ground.(!), poor grass collection, easily choked by grass cuttings, a grass box/bag which only fills half before backing up in the excessively long mower shute. I have replaced the underside plastic 3 times since purchase...something I never needed to do on my previous Hayter Harrier 480.

As for the 'variable speed' gimmick....why? never needed in past so why have it? just another thing to go wrong. The pre 2006 models had a simpler (and more accessible) side power drive take off using a beefy pulley and drive belt which worked very well and reliably so...but this model has two thin drive belts which using a variator (!) transmit drive a gearbox and then to the chain driven rollers. But....

Here is the main fault: To accomodate the 'new' gimmicky drive system, Hayter have had to reduce the distance between blade and mower body using flimsy throwplates....and this results in the problems I've mentioned above.. previously the side power take off used a better more spacious underdeck design which rarely clogged and with a stronger airflow and shorter shute filled the grassbag completely...

I urge Hayter to drop (yes, drop!) the present design and revert to the heavier much better previous design ..bite the bullet and take a commercially sound decision and bring the old true brilliantly designed Hayter Harrier 480v models back!! The present model is doing the brand harm amongst private and commercial users.

I have bought two hayter harrier 48 pros, as a garden contractor i tired of Hondas expensive parts and repair costs and the drives kept going. The Hayters wouldnt pick up the grass very well at all but any moisture and they were useless, the height controll arm broke twice, the pully jammed the lid spring back broke on both of them but it was the utter failure to pick up grass that froced me to demand a refund from the agent, i would like to give his details but i'm gonna put him and his service behind me now. Dont buy them they dont work!