[cutntrim]

Anyone with experience using Ransome hydro walk-behinds? I've owned several gear-drives, but no hydros. If anyone has used them, how do they compare with other brands?

[drizzay]

Cutntrim I have not heard of that brand before and that to me is a red flag. I use scag mowers and I love them. Not just Because there are good mowers, but it is easy to find parts for them. There are alot of small companies tring to get into the industry. And not to say they are not putting go machine but it seems like there is always a little differance from company to company. And that differance is whats going to kill you when you bust that spindle or snap a belt. And you go in pick up a new part and the poor kid behind the counter spend twenty minutes tring to find a part #. Only to tell you that they are going have order or worse can't get it at all. I learned from my last employer alway try to stick with the popular brands. And try to buy the strongest you can afford. And most important have a backup and then backup your backup. I hope my opinion is a little helpful. This a touchy subject for me play with my productivity is like play with my emotions

[cutntrim]

Ransome is one of the oldest manufacturers of mowing equipment. They're owned by Textron which also manufactures Ryan and Bunton equipment. I've owned 5 gear-drive WB's and two ZTR's over the past 10 years that were made by Ransome. I know they are solid, dependable machines...but I do not have any experience with their hydro WB's.

[drizzay]

cutntrim I stand correct I haven't heard or ransome, but i have heard of Bunton and they are very good machines. Please keep me posted on how things are going with the hydro wb.

[Keith N]

We used Ransome fairway mowers at the school district I worked at. They were the Caddilac of mowers 14 foot cut. He He! I talked to my buddy who is the super there now and he got rid of the ransome mowers only because our local distributor that serviced them closed. I never new they made a WB though. I would go with a company that is being used around your area a lot. Here in St.louis it is Ferris, Exmark, and Scag for the most part.

[Bill Schwab]

Cut'n:

Ransomes mowers are good machines,=. They have held to their basics over the years and have a patented roller lock system for the hand levers making them probably the easiest to operate.

As far as hydro vs belt, most mower manufacturers all buy the same pumps and wheel motors from one or two manufacturers. Same as engines. The units are essentially assembled in components. You won't regret going hydro from belt by any means. They take a small amount of training beyond belt drives, and, they are very positive in movement. They won't run away from you going down hills, and you can easily pull a sulky or even push snow with them when equipped with a blade.

I have a buddy back in Illnois who owns an 1996 Ransomes walk behind reel mower. Engine is 7 HP and stands 3 feet tall, uses a knuckle busting knob crank on the flywheel to start it, and has a 3' wide 2' diameter drum roller mounted after the reel.

The valve springs are exposed and man is that thing noisy!

[turfdude]

The newer Bobcats (not classic style) are so easy to maneuver, that even the 48 belts we purchased new in 2004 will turn w/ little effort - they're similar to having a hydro. My dealer doesn't care a lot about their hydros. He thinks eXmark hydro is the way to go. BTW, he sells eXmark, Bobcat & Hustler, and shows pros & cons of all brands, and once he knows his clientele, he sets us up according to our needs and expectations.

[cutntrim]

My current gear-drive WB's are circa 1999. Belt slippage on slopes and in wet conditions is an annoyance, but operator comfort is the biggest reason I'm considering stepping up. Around here Exmark is big for WB's, as is Ransome, and to a lesser extent Scag, and JD.

The "Classic" style Ransome ones are definately cheap nowadays that's for sure...

I appreciate the feedback.

[Mac]

I will add that a larger company runs about a dozen 48" hydros. They are all about 6 years old and have been run into the ground. While I do not know what sort of maintenance they do on the units, they keep running and I expect to see them again this year.

[Bill Schwab]

Cut'n:

If I was going back into maintenance, the only machines I would consider would be hydro. The Snapper I bought in '98 was sold to a guy here who still runs the machine and has never had a problem. And here we have 52 week per year grass mowing.

I typoed the earlier post, my friends Ransomes machine is an 1896, not a 1996.

[Lanelle]

Bill--I rarely question anything that you post but I'm having a hard time with that 120 yr old Ransome.....

[Bill Schwab]

Seriously Lanelle. This guy's dad brought it from England around the turn of the 20th Century and began mowing grass in Illinois when he landed.

It was this brutal looking beast that breathed fire, had to weigh some God awefull amount and he had actually kept the thing running!

Do a Google search on Ransomes, at one point they had the very machine I am talking about on some site. I still have a couple engines form when my grandpa had the marina in my garage as well. You just kind of keep that stuff.

I have a 1909 Evinrude twin, the first year Evinrude was made, and then a 1922 Johnson, the first year they were made. My brother and I were given 1932 Evinrude Elto engines for our birthdays, mine still starts in 4 pulls of the wrap around rope. Then I have my dads old 1936 Evinrude 4-60 race engine. That one is loud and ornary.

If only I had a barn.....The stuff I could collect!

[mark m]

It's good to hear that Ransomes mowers are now so comfortable to operate and maneuver. I have 1992 Ransomes Bobcat 36" beltdrive and the levers are so painful to operate that it simply did not get used as much as the Exmarks we have. I've adjusted it everyway to minimize the stiffness of the levers to no avail. I bought it for $500 used from a buddy when I first started and it was in mint condition (I think because it was so painful to operate for him as well ). Solid mower but I do like Exmark better. I'm sure the new Ransomes are comfortable machines. You see a fair amount of them here in the field.

Mark

[Bill Schwab]

It's good to hear that Ransomes mowers are now so comfortable to operate and maneuver. I have 1992 Ransomes Bobcat 36" beltdrive and the levers are so painful to operate that it simply did not get used as much as the Exmarks we have. I've adjusted it everyway to minimize the stiffness of the levers to no avail. I bought it for $500 used from a buddy when I first started and it was in mint condition


Are the roller cams still on all the hand levers? That's why they are so easy.

[Keith N]

Originally posted by mark m
It's good to hear that Ransomes mowers are now so comfortable to operate and maneuver. I have 1992 Ransomes Bobcat 36" beltdrive and the levers are so painful to operate that it simply did not get used as much as the Exmarks we have. I've adjusted it everyway to minimize the stiffness of the levers to no avail. I bought it for $500 used from a buddy when I first started and it was in mint condition (I think because it was so painful to operate for him as well ). Solid mower but I do like Exmark better. I'm sure the new Ransomes are comfortable machines. You see a fair amount of them here in the field.

Mark

We had 1 at the school district and that thing hurt! My fingers could barely reach the hydro levers. Yeah! this was a hyro 48" at that. I'm so glad I wasn't on that crew. lol!