John Deere R54RKB

We bought this John Deere, second hand last autumn at the end of the cutting season. It was bought from a reputable dealer and was told it was ex council and would last for years!

No such luck..

First of all when cutting with this machine the whole under casing blocks with grass all round the roller and in the two side panels, which for some reason are partly open allowing masses of cut grass to enter!

The the grass has to be completely dry otherwise mulches of it are left on the lawn..

After approximation 1hour cutting time the gear box packed up costing over £200 to repair, the dealer did say he would not charge for his service!

He told me the reason the gears went is because inside the roller was packed with grass!

We got the said mower home and the first 2 minutes of using there is a serious fibration and noise when in the idling mode!

By the way they told me I didn't know how to use a roller mower, the fact that I had a hayter 48 roller mower for 16 years before this without a problem!

I'm am now in dispair with this monstrosity that Spue's out wet grass all over the place..

Will never buy another....

Ill give it 1 star because it is a good starting machine, but as for the daily use I have found several bad points! Firstly the handles have plastic retainers which clamp against the machine, any amount of pressure on these and the plastic breaks! Secondly it is useless on damp grass! As a gardener in a park cutting before people arrive is essential, with morning dew on the ground the machine does not collect all of the grass leaving Mohicans of leftover grass on your lawn! Lastly the sheer length of the machin and turning circle in a confined space! Can I have my hayter back please boss!

Bought this mower as a replacement for my honda hrx537 and wish i hadnt.

Used for light commercial work (about 10 hrs a week the selfdrive gearbox broke in 4 months and couldnt claim any money back because i was using it for business.

Also the machine is absolutely useless when the grass is even damp it just keeps clogging up and when it is slightly long the same happens.

Only give this 2 stars because when the grass is dry and short it gives a nice finish.

Am now saving up to replace next season and will go back to the honda hrx537

1 last thing, f11ck you john deere

Re R47 RKB, the slightly smaller model. I found it unfit for purpose as a cutter of fine lawns. The wheelbase is too long so you get scalping. After one harrowing season I changed back to my old model and breathed a sigh of relief.

Good points--excellent starter. Good BBC, though Hayter make a point of not giving a lifetime crankshaft guarantee on BBC models. Not sure how this might imply a risk for other manufacturers.Good grassgox. A fine model if you don't want to cut to a low level.

Further bad point, shared with many makers-- lack of finesse in height with notched height lever. Can fudge it with a DIY infill.

Appears to be a solid built if a little heavy mower, would definitely recommend. Upgraded from a Mountfield after the rubber drive belt sheared for the 3rd time in two and a half years, which destroyed all the plastics underneath yet again, and no comparison, only wish I had done it sooner. The solidness of the John Deere machine says it all.

Decided on this mower, from a shortlist of three manufacturers and models, after researching on the web and finding that English Heritage has bought this model for the stately home lawns and that Ibrox Park grounds men bought 4 of them to trim and stripe the pitch " not that I am into football, nor a Rangers fan. I decided if it is good enough for these clients, it must be a good solid machine and good enough for me and my lawn.

Received an amazing deal on the mower from Craig @ Godfreys in Sevenoaks, worked out cheaper than the Hayter Harrier 56 and the Honda HRD 536 QX that i had also shortlisted and cheaper than any online deal I could find. He also had the machine unboxed, assembled, oiled and fuelled ready to go within an hour, great service.

Overall I would recommend the John Deere R54RKB even if it feels a little on the heavy side when not using the propelled / driven mowing around trees etc. It is very well built with no plastics and the finish seems superb, got a scratch on its first outing, when mowing alongside a path. Where the deep scratch occurred on the roller cover on one side it made me glad I had not bought the Honda as the Honda machine had plastic roller covers which could have caused more damage or maybe even broken the cover , I was gutted as it looks beautiful too, once you get used to the Bright Green and Yellow colour scheme.

Overall compared to my previous mowers it feels like a Rolls Royce, Maybach or Bentley by comparison to my previous mowers and with the variable speed like a Ferrari in fast driven mode, maybe even a little to quick for most sized lawns. Speed one or two is fine for me.