Wealden Mower Workshop

01/04/2026

Due to the excruciating increase in the cost of fuel, as of today (1st April) I will now be accepting litres of diesel as a valid form of invoice payment.
Should you require your invoice total in litres of diesel, rather than pounds (£), please let me know and I will amend the invoice.
Many thanks.

17/03/2026

This machine was serviced last season at a well known local dealer. The customer doesn't do any servicing to this machine and both of us are disgusted to find that this is how it came back to him.
The first picture shows the air filter, incorrect for the machine, cut to "fit", but during operation air and dirt are getting behind the filter and into the engine.
The second picture shows the dirt and debris which had built up behind the filter.
The third picture shows what the correct filter should look like.

09/03/2026

PHONE PROBLEMS:

Over this past weekend, I have been setting up a new phone to split personal and business calls. This means that at evenings and weekends, I will be putting my work phone on silent and ignoring it so that I can spend time with the family without interuptions.

Consequently, I am transferring my work number (07971734612) to a different provider. The transfer is happening today, but at the moment, I am unable to make or receive calls on this number. I am hoping it will be resolved before tomorrow.

I can still be reached on WhatsApp, so please try there if you get no answer.

Thank you

Call now to connect with business.

23/02/2026

No new posts for some time? That either means I have been busy or nothing out of the ordinary has been in to show you!
Its actually a bit of both, we are rapidly heading towards the first cut of the season (when the ground dries out!) and there has been a lot of annual servicing over the last few weeks.
Consequently i have decided it is time to retire my faithful wire brush (top in picture). It has done well, I think i have been using it for about 4 years, lets see how long the new one lasts!

02/02/2026

FOR SALE:
Hayter Harrier 41, approx. 2008/09
Very good condition for age, Grass box complete and no holes!
Fully serviced and ready to mow.
Asking £250 (Offers Considered)

Regularly serviced and repaired by myself since 2022, this mower has come to me as my customer is downsizing and has no need for a petrol lawnmower.

05/01/2026

I'm back in the workshop today, a fresh (and cold) start for 2026.
I have a mountain of parcels to go through (more than were under my Christmas tree!) so hopefully all the backordered parts will finally be with me and I can get machines returned!
I do have a few appointments already in the diary for this week, so if I don't answer, please leave me a message and i will get back to you.

31/12/2025

As we finish 2025, I'm looking back at what a rollercoaster year it has been.

From a personal side, there has been some fantastic moments which I would love to repeat (the opportunity to drive and fire a full size steam engine!), but there has also been family loss, which I would rather not have happened, but was unavoidable. Christmas day was quieter this year, although the cheery smile of my son brought joy to all of us. He will be two in a few days time and I'm confused as to how that has happened, it was only a few days ago he was born, surely!?

From a business side of view, it has been my best year yet, despite us having such a dry summer. As some of you will know, I've had help in the workshop and with deliveries which I hope to continue next year. These have both created more time for me to focus on paperwork and organisation, as well as getting more servicing done. Also, importantly, it has enabled me to leave the workshop at a sensible time each day to spend time with my family.
Obviously there are aspects of this year which should or could have gone better. I have already changed the way in which I do some things and have plans to change a few others too.

Looking forward to this coming year, there is a change in the workshop happening, which I can't say too much about yet, but should make things easier and more productive for me.
I will also have a towbar fitted to the van, meaning that I will be doing less onsite servicing than previously (as much as onsite servicing is more convenient for some people, if it doesn't go to plan, it ends up costing me more time and money than I charge for the standard service. Also some places are very weather dependent)
Finally and inevitably, I will be reviewing prices in the first few weeks of January. One of my largest costs is my van, which this year just gone, has needed double maintenance costs from last. On top of this, fuel and oil keep fluctuating, and the cost of general service items keeps increasing. One of my suppliers reviewed their postage costs at the start of December, meaning that a standard parcel now costs me £7.20, £2 more than the start of the year.
An obvious solution is to change courier. My only option there is to go with royal mail. Unfortunately their delivery times are not good enough and the price is only a few pounds cheaper (FedEx is next day if ordered before 2pm with this supplier). Alternatively I hold an order until I can make it to £200 (minimum for free postage) , sometimes that's easy, sometimes though customers are desperate for items and so I have to order anyway. In future, if this is the case, the customer will have to cover this cost.

To finish this ramble on a positive note, I hope you have a happy new year and do everything you want to do in the coming months.
The lawnmower may not be doing much at the moment, so it is an ideal opportunity to get it serviced for the spring (also before the prices change!)
As ever, it is best to phone me and if I don't answer, please leave a message to say who you are and your number! (I've had several messages this year that have been anonymous and no record on my phone of the caller!)

George.

24/12/2025

Guess who is mowing their lawn on Christmas eve!?
Yes, that is my and mower!

18/12/2025

Pictured here is a nice example of a Folbate J2 push cylinder mower which is in the workshop for sharpen and set.

The J2 is not a particularly rare or valuable machine, but this particular one was purchased by my customers' father in the early 1960's from a mower shop in Eastbourne. My customer still lives in Eastbourne, only a few miles from place of purchase.

This picture doesn't do the machine any justice! Apart from a bit of surface rust, it looks as though it is only a few years old.

Have you noticed that Roses tin in the background? Metal and 2Kg, wonder how much it cost and when!

17/12/2025

A quick picture to show that not everything goes to plan or gets fixed.
This Stihl blower has ended up in the bin as the potential cost of parts and labour outweigh the cost of a brand new machine!
I've kept all the useful bits, so hopefully they will find a home one day!

11/12/2025

The decompression valve on this chainsaw cylinder blew out, leaving no thread in the cylinder head to fix to.

The solution is to fit a thread repair, which in theory is relatively simple and, provided it is fitted well, is a strong fix and cheaper alternative to replacing the whole cylinder.

However, it does mean dismantling the cylinder from the rest of the machine and setting it up on the drill press to drill a straight hole. It would have been simple if it was the spark plug, as that is straight down, but the decompression valve is at an angle! Consequently I spent at least 10 minutes setting this up just to drill for 10 seconds! (I did use the setup to tap the hole as well, so maybe that justifies it slightly?)

On the face of it, "drill a hole and put a repair in", seems like a simple job. Currently, I have spent an hour, dismantling, drilling, cleaning and fitting the repair, all before I have reassembled and tested! Fortunately my customer is understanding and I did talk him through what would be needed, so he is expecting it to be a fairly long job.