Mountfield SP485HW V Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower Review

Mountfield are definitely regarded as one of the better lawn mower manufacturers, and their products have a real feel of quality about them.

The SP485HW V is certainly no exception to this, and represents a fine example of an upper mid sized petrol mower with its 48cm cutting width and large 70 litre grass collector. If your garden is roughly 50 square metres in size, this is the ideal size of mower for the task at hand, and it also comes complete with a range of features/modes to make tackling a variety of lawn mowing scenarios a possibility:

• Honda engine – along with Briggs and Stratton, Honda engines are seen as the most reliable and effective lawn mower engines on the market. You’ll find this engine is simple to start, although of course a pull cord starter is still never much fun
• Self propelled – that Honda engine isn’t the lightest bit of kit, so thankfully the SP485HW V will do most of the hard work for you at a speed that suits you, all you need to do is steer it
• Mulch plug should you wish to mulch rather than collect the grass. As ever, this won’t prove as effective as a dedicated mulching lawn mower, however it’s certainly an option especially if you plan to cut the grass on a weekly basis
• Anti scalping plate, so even on the lower cutting height settings you don’t need to worry about scalping your lawn, although you will still be able to cut the grass too short if you’re not careful!
• Like many modern lawn mowers, a hose connection port is included to assist with the cleaning of the underside of the deck – hopefully it means less time spent of your hands and knees scrubbing!
• Adjusting the height of the cutting blade is simple, with a single button to control the height of all 4 wheels

The Downsides

• Grass collection bag is effective, however the plastic top cover is prone to being knocked and isn’t particularly well supported, so it might not last very long
• The assembly instruction aren’t particularly clear – unfortunately an all too common gripe that even Mountfield aren’t immune from

Conclusion

The SP485HW V is another fine mower from Mountfield that delivers in almost every respect from visual style, to cutting performance and ease of cleaning.