I'm not going to beat around the bush here, but the Rover Pro-Cut 560 was THE BEST commercial lawn mower to have ever been made. Bar none! I'll explain why as we go along, but as always, there is a back story.
Back in 2014, after a decade on the tools, my body was starting to protest. Long story short, I've been struggling with chronic pain since early 2014, its onset unexplainable and something no doctor has been able to find out why. I've been poked and probed, even had major surgery, but nothing has worked. It got to the point where I've just learnt to live with it. Stress and depression seem to flair it up. By mid 2014 I decided I needed to get something to help make mowing a little kinder on my body. Up until this point, I had been pushing mowers around..............no rider, no self-propel assistance.
Most guys would be heading straight to the Honda dealer and dumping the better part of $2000 on the latest 21-inch model. Thing is, I had a bad run with a Honda, easily one of the worst mowers I have ever had. Yes, the engine was super smooth, fuel efficient and powerful. But it was too heavy with too narrow wheels, so it would sink into spongey Kikuyu, in turn making it hard to push. I also struggled with the strange angle of the handlebars, which were just too low. The catcher would always fall off, and the supplied blades were completely useless for catching. Throw in the fact I had to clean the carburetor within the first 20-minutes of owning it, then the dealer blaming my fuel when it was them who filled the tank...................yeah, I didn't want another Honda.
I also didn't want a Honda because of how the gearbox location covers off most of the rear discharge chute. Anyone who has used a partial chute mower will know why this is important, unlocking the chute over and over again is a complete waste of time and a productivity killer. The thing is, everything I was looking at with a self-propel gearbox was the same, including the Victa and Masport offerings, as well as the American Toro's and John Deere's. There was one exception........................the Rover Pro-Cut series.
At the time, this was before MTD came in and gutted the range. As such, Rover was still offering these aluminum chassis mowers in 20 and 22-inch models, with or without self propel. The biggest drawcard of these self-propelled units was where Rover placed the gearbox. Instead of taking up space in the discharge chute, Rover placed the gearbox on top of the chassis and used a chain to drive the rear axle. As such, this meant they had a full-width discharge chute! The only drawback to was the it only offered one speed instead of three offered by other companies. Thing is, I'd much rather settle to one speed than having to unclog the chute in heavy growth or if the grass was even just a touch wet.
By 2014, the Briggs & Stratton and Honda engines offered in earlier examples were gone, replaced by Kohler and "Rover" branded engines. After doing some reading, many contractors were going for the 196cc Rover engine, simply because of the extra cc count. From experience, any of those Honda-clone engines look good on paper, but take note how they rarely have a power or torque rating. So, while the capacity might suggest more power, it often isn't the case. And despite this engine having a cast-iron bore, I wasn't convinced with the longevity of an unknown engine. The fixed rate throttle was also a turnoff.
So that left the 173cc Kohler XT8, which also had a cast iron bore. At the time, I wasn't totally on board with these Kohler engines, something about them looked cheap. But, it was the lesser of two evils. And ultimately, I went on to buy one, a Pro-Cut 560 22-inch with self-propel.
Over time, this mower proved to be as good as I was led to believe. The full width chute never clogged, the large capacity catcher was highly appreciated. The adjustable con-bar meant you could tailor your cut towards catching or mulching. Speaking of mulching, I found this to the best mulch mower for me up until this point, it leaving a very nice finish. While certainly not a featherweight, the Pro-Cut's weren't overly heavy, so they didn't sink into Kikuyu or require excessive manhandling. The drive system speed was fine for me, the engagement super smooth. I also loved the small increments between height settings, making it possible to fine tune for each lawn. The full chute and large catcher were great come autumn.
No mower is perfect, the Pro-Cut is no different. The engine brake was an annoyance early on, it meant having to restart the engine every time the catcher was emptied. I got around this by using a small clamp to hold the bale down.
The main drawback with the Pro-Cut was the Kohler engine. I mentioned earlier not being totally on board with the engine, perhaps that reservation set me up to dislike it from the beginning. From new, despite carrying a price premium over the Rover engine, the overall impression I got was of cheapness, both look and feel. They used cheap plastic for cowling, air box and dip stick. That dipstick is hard to read and has a nasty feel to it when clicked open and closed. The muffler is too small, so they are very noisy engines. With mine, I always felt it used oil between changes, even though you didn't necessarily see it via blue smoke. I also found the engine really hard to pull over, as if there is no compression release or like something was dragging..............perhaps it's just the belt, but my other self-propel mowers don't feel like this. Also, it would often need two to three pulls to fire, a Briggs or Honda would start on the first. This engine also uses an obscure spark plug that I had trouble finding.
But the main issue I have with this engine is the lack of grunt. With 173cc, it just doesn't have the torque you would hope for. Having used this engine back-to-back with a 163cc Honda GXV160, the smaller Honda comfortably outperformed the Kohler. Even with the governor given a healthy tweak, it just didn't deal with thicker growth. Now, the engine does have a pretty big job to do, powering a 22-inch blade setup and providing drive to a big, heavy mower. But after using a variety of different 2- and 4-stroke engines on other self-propel mowers, the Kohler is just too lean. If there has been one positive, the large fuel tank opening is brilliant, as is the fuel economy.
The thing is, I've hammered that engine for more than a decade now..................the longest of any "main" mower I've had. I'll cover why I've kept it so long in a following post. I've had it revving far harder than Kohler intended, and I've hurled it through thick Kikuyu more times than I care to remember. So, despite my best efforts, it doesn't smoke, it just keeps running. No doubt the cast iron bore helps, as would fastidious maintenance.
As the years went on, it became obvious that replacing this mower would be difficult.
These alloy Pro-Cut models were eventually discontinued because, according to my dealer, Rover said the chassis "molds were worn out". They promptly then replaced the old Pro-Cut 50 and 560 models with a newer design alloy chassis. These were available in 19-inch 750 and 760, or the 21-inch 960, all featuring a blade clutch and powered by Rover and Kohler engines. Pleasingly, they managed to keep the above-deck gearbox.
I looked at these several times, but something didn't feel right. I remember mentioning this to the dealer and them saying they had a few issues with the blade clutch. All the while, my old Pro-Cut was getting more and more tired. The dealer suggested I put some money into refreshing the drive system to buy me some more time, which I ultimately agreed with. New cogs and pawls were installed, as well as new rear wheels. The front wheels were basically bald by this point.
By the time I had decided I really needed to make a move, Rover went and discontinued the entire Pro-Cut lineup. Again, that's for that MTD.
Once again, nothing on the market was meeting my full width chute requirement, so compromise would be needed. I eventually took a plunge on a Bushranger 800SP with the Honda GXV160 engine. These things are very heavy-duty machines, from the thick alloy chassis, the 3-speed shaft driven gearbox, the steel wheels, bulky height adjuster, cross-bolted axle mountings, huge 70-litre catcher.........................in other words, built like a tank!
The compromise being the half chute, meaning I decided to keep the Rover for jobs I knew would be ultra thick. The idea being I would reduce the workload of the Rover and prolong its working life.
The Bushranger was certainly a stout performer. The GXV160 is such a sweet engine, smooth, fuel efficient, plenty of grunt. Like all of these Honda/Chonda's, the muffler is too small so they are pretty noisy on full throttle, although it does have a nice idle tick-over. The half chute, yeah it did block up from time to time, I just did my best to take the right mower to the right job. And that heavy-duty that made it well built also made it hard to manhandle.
Thing is, I was still using the Rover, especially in early summer when the grass goes nuts, and again in mid-autumn when the leaf fall is heavy. As such, I needed to do another round of drive system repairs. And so began a series of annoyances.
As mentioned in the previous post, I ended up continuing to use the Pro-Cut on a regular basis. But towards the end of 2022, time was catching up with the mower.
Up until this point, apart from basic oil changes, air filters, blades and plugs, any repairs needed on my mowers, I'd take them to my local dealer. And for the most part, this was a perfectly functional arrangement, I'd built up a relationship with this dealer and they looked after me. I'd even provide feedback and take in a box of chocolates at Christmas. Because I was so busy, it was better for me to just hand off repairs to the experts. When you aren't serving customers, you aren't making money! I also didn't want to spend my limited downtime messing about with work related stuff.
I've told the following story elsewhere, but its goes on to explain where I am today....................................
In mid-2022, the above dealer changed hands, which meant starting up a new relationship with the new owners. In late 2022, the ProCut needed a new recoil rope, so I took it in and asked them to also install new front axle bushing while it was there. So, this would be my first dealings with the new owners.
After dropping off the ProCut, I waited and waited until 3 weeks in I gave them a call, at which point I was quite sharply told that all repairs were at least a 30-day turn-around, which wasn't explained to me when I dropped off. This was never the case as the previous owners, they'd try to get commercial customers in and out as quickly as possible. At the time, I just assumed that perhaps it was a matter of making it known I was a long-standing commercial customer.
Then, after four weeks, I was sent a text message saying my Rover was ready for collection. When I went to pick it up, I was told that the machine was deemed not worth repairing and that I was up for a $70 inspection fee. I was someone dumbfounded, how could a broken starter rope be deemed not worth repairing? I was then told that the deck was worn and would need the engine to be removed to weld the deck. Like, what? I was handed back a machine with the front axle hanging from it, but they did replace the rope. I then asked where the axle hardware had gone and was told "that's what it was like when you dropped it off....." which was complete BS, they lost the now obsolete axle brackets. When I started to question this, the I got aggressive attitude from the lady who was serving another customer at the time.
At the end of the day, they thought I would just buy a new mower, which wasn't going to happen as those ProCut's were no longer in production and I already had a fleet of other mowers. Other than losing a set of NLA parts and handing back my best mower in pieces, I was also annoyed that they didn't even bother to phone me and ask what I wanted to do, they just made the decision for me. If they had called me, I would have said to just replace the bushes anyway. They did replace the starter rope though, fat load of good that would do with the axle hanging off the deck.
So, in the end, I tracked down a NOS set of brackets and axle bushings and repaired it myself. And guess what, while the chassis did have some wear, it was not as bad as they made out and certainly did NOT need the engine removed or the chassis welded.
Old, missing bracket.........................
New......................................
I later tracked down a set of NOS bushings as well.
As a busy person, I had no issue paying money to have machines repaired. But I did have a HUGE problem paying money for a service that I ended up having to do myself due to incompetence and VERY poor customer service skills. With the previous shop owners, I made a point of supporting their business through repairs and parts supply because they supported me and my business. They say we should "shop local and support local"....................well it has to work both ways! There is more to this story involving another mower that I had in there concurrently, and it didn't go down well.
After the experience with the Rover, I also had another mower in there for repair at the same time that they also screwed up. I haven't been back after all this went down, in fact I now do all my own repairs.....................funny thing is, I'm actually enjoying it. The same with parts supply, all purchased online in the comfort of my own home. No dealing with incompetence, grumpy people or having to effectively repair things twice, as in, their attempt and then me fixing the fix.
I also set up a parts manual database to easily track down parts, then filed all of my owner's manuals for quick reference in the garage. I now have a "spare parts department", stocking various common replacements such as blades, plugs and filters, all housed within the excellent Milwaukee Pack-Out setup.
Would have loved to, but they were long out of production when I was shopping for this Rover. Shopping used wasn't an option either.
The funny thing is, it seems like every time I was in the market for a self-propelled mower, Victa were in between offering Pro-grade options. I actually took the plunge early last year on their latest model, the 21-inch Commercial. I'll cover that in more detail soon, but its a nice machine.
After getting the front axles sorted, again, the Rover was back in action.
Early 2024, it was then time for another round of self-propel servicing. I was having issues with one wheel peel, in effect driving the mower to one side. This would be the first time I had played around with the drive system, so this became a learning experience. So, I ordered a set of cogs and pawls and got stuck in.
With the hub cap and the wheel retaining washer removed, the wheel slides off the axle. Then, the circlip retaining the cog is removed, allowing the cog and pawl slide off.
Old vs new, not terrible but not great…………………
The kit didn’t include circlips, and because they were so old and worn, I promptly snapped the originals during removal. A trip down to the local bearing shop, I got some suitable replacements along with a proper set of circlip pliers.
Before the wheels went back on, I lubricated with graphite powder.
While I was doing this, I noticed the backing plates were severely worn, in turn letting too much dust and debris to enter the wheel and cog assemblies. Once again, these parts were very hard to find.
Even so, I put everything back together, then went searching for replacement backing plates. Rover used two or three of few of these backing plates, ProCut 50 and 560 have separate parts listings. I eventually found someone who had a set for the 560. So, the wheels came off again………………………
With everything back together, the Rover was put back into service again. Initially, the drive system seemed to be working, but the one-wheel peel returned in short order. Something didn’t seem right, so it was back to the drawing board.
Upon further inspection, the lack of drive to one wheel was caused by a failed wheel assembly, meaning it wasn't engaging properly and causing the single wheel drive. Once again, off I went trying to find parts for an older, obscure machine. I make it sound like a chore, but I actually love tracking down parts, the thrill of the chase!
Now, there are two versions of these rear wheels, one for the ProCut 50 and one for the ProCut 560, neither are interchangeable. So, a very specific part for a very specific mower. After searching and reaching out to a past contact, it turns out these wheels are still available from Rover, so I ordered four of them! I get it now, these are not parts a retailer will have sitting on a shelf considering how expensive they are and only fitting one specific mower.
In this case, this is the 9-inch rear wheel as used on ProCut 560, Rover part 634-05015 or A10669.
Knowing one of the two was broken, I didn't know which. As soon as I opened the box, I knew what the problem was, the new wheels not spinning withing the "tyre" so to speak, meaning the left wheel had failed internally and was free spinning rather than locking and then engaging with the cog.
Old wheel on the left, new on the right. It's at this point I remembered what had been done last time the wheels had been attended to. These are not the original wheels, the shop replacing both the left and then right on two separate occasions, the left-hand wheel being the oldest, somewhat explaining its failure. It also had less "tread" than the newer right side.
New wheel against the old hub cap does things to my OCD.............
I also decided to replace the front wheels. These are relatively easy to find and are considerably cheaper. Again, there are two sizes available, the 7.5-inch for ProCut 50 and the 8-inch ProCut 560. Actually, I was a bit confused what front wheels I needed. Measuring the old ones, it came in at 7.5-inch, which Rover sell under A10621. But the part number on the old wheels was indeed the larger 8-inch A10622. I guess I have lost 0.5-inch of tread in the 10 years I've had this unit.
Again, the same process here, removal of the hub cap and the stupid axle retainer, which is part number A03092 for those wondering. Those retainers can be re-used if you are careful during removal, sometimes they snap, sometimes not.
A quick startup, the wheels both turning in the air was a good first sign. Under load on the pavement and grass, we have two wheel drive again!
So, at the time I was pleased to have the Rover up and running again, I was just waiting for that bloody Krohler engine to blow up so I could put a real engine on it...........a Briggs 850! Actually, it's funny how that panned out....................................................
After near 20-years working part time for the same company, starting in early October 2024 I decided to use up some hard-earned long-service leave. It's a long story, but I had been planning this leave for just on two years, basically waiting for my brand new Mustang to be build and delivered. Yes, I waited two years for a Ford. I ended up taking off on leave two weeks before the car arrived, promptly finding something that caught my eye on Facebook Marketplace....................................
This is what I call the Unicorn.....................a Rover ProCut 560 with the Briggs and Stratton 190cc 850-series engine. Having had a number of these over the years, this is the engine I always wanted on the Rover. The OHV 850-series appeared in the late 2000's and replaced the older Intek Edge engines. With a cast iron bore and a healthy 190cc, I've always found these engines to be super strong, pretty much the only 4-stroke push mower engine that can keep up with a Victa 2-stroke. The only main drawback to them is the fuel consumption, but I'd much rather have power and torque to spare than saving fuel.
This example presented very well in the advertisement and was located only an hour away.
So, after I contacted the seller on the Saturday and organized a time to have a look at it, I got in the Ranger on Monday morning and set off towards Cobram-Barooga.
Once I arrived, I spotted the mower in question was stunned at its condition, the photos didn't do it justice! Chatting with the seller, he seemed to be into mowers as well and once bought (another, not this one) brand-new Rover from the factory back in the day. This particular ProCut was handed down from his grandfather, which nearly had me in tears because I too have my grandfather's old mower. Apparently, the seller was downsizing so the Rover was just too big and heavy for him. The machine was originally sold by Sugden Kerr in Toowoomba, its better traveled than me!
After collection and on my way home, for the first time ever, I decided to check out some silo art....................
I can't begin to explain how excited I was to get home and get stuck into this new-old Rover! I never intended on buying another ProCut, let alone one with the good engine. This particular example happened to pop up at just the right time and kick-started my long-service leave on a high.
Once I got home, I wasted no time and got stuck into mowing the front nature strip to get a feel for it. I then grabbed the tachometer, the 3030 rpm is the fastest standard Briggs 850 I have come across, most of them sit at 2800 - 2900 rpm from the factory. I then grabbed my excellent Knipex curved pliers to bend the governor spring tab towards the front of the engine, bringing it up to a healthy sounding 3670 rpm. This also speeds up the self-propel to a more efficient walking pace.
I do this to all of my engines, usually after the first oil change. I don't necessarily run an engine at 3600 rpm all the time, but it's nice to have some headroom when the going gets tough. And compared to some contractors I see (and hear) going around, 3600 rpm is tame!
The seller mentioned it had synthetic oil in the engine, and it still looked golden, if a little over-full. After tuning the governor, the oil was up to temp, so I decided to change it out for peace of mind. Oil of choice being my usual preference, Penrite 10W-30 semi-synthetic.
While the oil was draining, I took the chance to inspect the blades, which are the OEM style with the three holes. The belt also looks in great condition.
The drive system is a little clunky and needed investigation, which the seller mentioned so it wasn't a surprise to feel this. I did pop off the hub caps and inspection plug to look at the cogs, which looked fine. So, I lubed the cogs with graphite to see how it went, and if needed, I had a replacement set of cogs and pawls. I then removed the gearbox/clutch cover, blew out a small amount of debris and lubed the drive chain.
Next, I decided to pull the plug, which was ok but well worth replacement. The 850-Series uses a Champion RC12YC or NGK BCPR5ES, of which I keep the Champions in stock. You will need a 16mm deep socket for this. I use these plugs across 3 Briggs 850's and one 750iS.
Annoyingly, I didn't have a brand-new air filter in stock. These earlier 850 engines used a longer rectangular filter instead of the triangular version on the newer engines. A clean used filter I already had will have to do for now, which was better than what came off the machine.
Because clean mowers cut better, I then got stuck into giving the new-old Rover a little detail.
After a rinse with the pressure washer, I sprayed the Rover down with Shine Supply Wise Guy, agitated with a brush and then rinsed. I then followed with Carpro Hydr02, which is a touch-less water activated spray sealant that is applied while still wet and immediately rinsed with water. From here, I dried it off with a leaf blower, then went over the catcher, engine plastics and wheels with Megs Hyper Dressing.
After a basic service and a clean, the Rover was ready for work. Hard to believe this is a 11-year-old mower........................
Comparing my well used Kohler powered example, the main difference being the bale/drive lever. The Briggs version has a single drive bale, but the Kohler uses that for the engine brake, as such it has a secondary lever to control the drive. I've always hated the useless engine brake and used a small clamp to keep the engine running to prevent restarting after each catcher dump. But I did like the single-handed drive control lever better, so no doubt some adjustment would be needed on my part.
The Briggs version didn't have the handle mounting for the starter rope, so I just swapped the one off the older Kohler machine.
A short video from the day..............................
The next day, I cleaned up the Bushranger 800-SP that was supposed to replace the old ProCut, then listed it for sale. Four years old, it cleaned up well and went off to a new home in short order.
On the day I picked up the Briggs powered ProCut, I went and ordered a few bits and pieces for it. Some of those parts were for good reason, some were simply because I wanted to……………a muffler deflector tip to match the rest of the fleet.
These deflectors are designed for alternative engine applications and redirect exhaust gasses away from the machine and avoid carbon accumulation. A very old engine/mower, but it illustrates the purpose.
So, in my case, completely useless other than it makes me happy. I mean, it could be worse………………….
Since I picked it up in October 2024, the ProCut was put to use and continues to be a faithful workhorse. This week, with the onset of a heatwave, I went ahead and changed out the oil and gave the whole thing a clean.
In this case, I went with Bilt Hamber Surfex, which is a water-based degreaser and all-purpose cleaner that can be used anywhere from neat/undiluted right out to 200:1. I've been using Surfex at 1:1 for small engine cleaning, it's much nicer to work with compared to solvent based degreasers that tend to be messy and stinky.
Once clean, I changed the oil and sharpened the blades.
Clean, fresh oil....................ready to mow!
So, that's where I'm at, basically a new-old Rover ProCut 560 to hopefully last me another 10-years like the original did.
Speaking of the original ProCut, I decided to keep it, mainly for spare parts if needed going forward. Having said that, I’ve gone stocked up on a few parts while they are still available, such as the drive system parts, belts, cables, wheels ect.
For the most part, both old and new ProCut’s function the same. However, having the larger Briggs engine makes cutting through thicker grass much easier. Where the Kohler would choke and ultimately stall, the Briggs 850 powers through it. The other thing to note is how much quieter the Briggs is at full tilt, those Kohlers need a bigger muffler to suppress the quite pronounced exhaust “putter†at high revs.
Absolutely sensational thread - you deserve a world of praise for this - so much effort and terrific info - which is very hard to find on these mowers - well done!!!