Hi I'm Stuart from Congleton Garden Machinery I'm one of the Directors.
We are seen as one of the Allett Service Dealers and authorised homeowner
stockists. We've been in business for 33 years and in amongst our team we have two engineers
who together have got 59 years servicing engineering so we've got a good idea of what we're
doing with the servicing of the Allett Mowers. They're fully trained they're professionals
a lot of background knowledge so it all goes to ensure that the machine is serviced in the way it
should be. If you go through an authorised service dealer specifically for Allett you'll find that
they'll be supplying genuine Allett parts they will be giving excellent customer service with a
fast turnaround and as important as anything your machine in terms of it's history of its servicing
will be logged so that when you come to part ex it or upgrade it for another Allett machine
the likelihood is that you'll get a greater value in that part ex.
Generally we fire the machine up and we run it until the oil goes warm and just make observation
as to whether everything seems to be in order in a general way. Once we get the oil to a certain
operating temperature that's the time when we can use the siphon tube to actually remove the oil
from the engine and replace with new. Now it's important that's done from the point of view that
in that way you're going to have oil that retains the correct viscosity
and will ensure that the moving parts within the engine are lubricated correctly.
We then move on to the air filter; remove the cover, dispose of the old filter, clean out the
housing and that ensures that no dirt and debris and grass cuttings are going to find its way into
the carburetor itself also it will ensure you've got good airflow to provide the right mixture
between the fuel and the air to ensure that the engine is operating at maximum efficiency.
Whilst that's off we remove the carb bowl under here and drain all the fuel out of the tank.
Normally within well after 30 days you'll find that the volatility of the fuel will
be lost and consequently if we drain it completely especially in the winter period ready for storage
clean out any sediment that's in the bottom of the bowl and then replace with fresh fuel
with additive or alternatively use aspen fuel that will be ready for the spring and we'll fire up
first pull hopefully in the new year from there we move on to the spark plug which is located
at the back ensuring we fit the correct plug this will ensure that the correct spark is given
to the fuel when it enters into the combustion chamber giving maximum power maximum output.
Replace the plug cap and then move on to the side cover here which is removed and this is where the
drive belts are the pulleys which all need to be checked the drive gear to ensure there's been no
slippage on the belt so there's no cracking of the belts and that the pulleys and the bearings are
intact and not worn in any way replace where necessary and move on to the housing which
covers the little rubber buffer which is the drive buffer from the engine to the belts at
the side. Quite often this can be seen to move because the lug screws have become a little bit
loose so we tighten those and ensure that the drive from the engine to the pulleys
and consequently through to the cylinder is exactly as it should be. Replacing that we
move on to the cutting cylinder the sharp end this is probably the most important part of the mower
at the end of the day because you've bought a mower to give a nice stripe and Allett mower
to give a nice stripe to the lawn and it's essential that that's not only sharp together
with the bottom blade underneath but that it's actually adjusted correctly onto the bottom blade
so that at the end of the day it's going to cut a piece of paper with a very neat edge
rather than bruising the grass as it would do if it was blunt and not adjusted correctly.
So there's a correct setting for that which is essential to ensure one that it cuts effectively
and secondly that it doesn't take the power away from the engine unnecessarily. Whilst doing that
we're checking the front roller to make sure there's no play in the bearings and no movement
and similarly the rear roller where there's bearings housed in there once again to ensure
that it's a nice even drive along the lawn surface and at the back of the mower you'll find there's
a height adjuster which needs to move freely in order to get the height of cut that you require.
Once that has all been done it's a general check round for items such as the cables
making sure they're moving freely all the drive mechanism to engage the cutting blade
and finally ensuring that there is no grass residue under the recoil housing which in
theory can affect the cooling of the engine and once again pull the performance down.
Last by no means least is the recoil rope check there's no fraying in that
we don't want you to see you trying to start it in the new year and then all of a sudden that breaks
and then with this particular machine which is one of the most popular machines of the
Allett range there's an on and off button and we want to obviously make sure that
that's operating effectively so when you do come to stop the mower it does stop.
We also check the drive on the cylinder so that if it's ticking over
and you're moving away from the mower for a second or two to empty the grass box
the machine doesn't move forward and the cutting blade doesn't continue to rotate
so at the end of the day very specifically that's the work that's undertaken by an Allett approved
service dealer they've got the right skills the right equipment to be able to do that
and once all that servicing is done the machine is put down on the floor start it up
we check the revs and make sure it's running effectively at the right revolutions as guided
by the manufacturers it's then ready to return to the customer and ready for the new season. Okay
you've invested in a top quality Allett machine now the most important thing is to ensure that
it's going to be cutting correctly to do that it's got to go on to a purpose-made cylinder grinder
which will set the cylinder correctly make sure it's straight take out any damage that's been
caused by stones and even if it's slightly bent and only say slightly bent at one end where it's
called a stone that can be rectified by grinding back but there's a limit to how far it can go.
So it's got to go on a purpose-made machine in order to do that and then it's got to be
set against the bottom blade to get the maximum effect on the cutting mechanism.
Okay so that's the petrol machine now let's move on to this little beauty the Allett Liberty;
35 centimetre cut which for the older generation is 14 inch speaking my language now. In many cases
the principles are the same we've got a side cover here drive mechanism under here which all has to
be removed and then given access to the belt and checked. At the front end we've got the cylinder
and the blade it's important with the cylinders by the way to be checking for any damage caused by
stones or from them being bent because obviously if that is the case it's not going to cut against
the bottom blade effectively and that all needs to be ground out on a professional purpose-made
cylinder grinder. With the battery mower in addition to that we've got the height adjustment
on the side which if I turn it this way that needs to be checked to be operating correctly and you
can see it's affecting the bottom the front roller which in turn will lift the cylinder off the
ground or lower it onto the ground to give you the height of cut and the precision cut that you want.
The important part here is the motor obviously one of the most important factors to ensure
that it's getting the right airflow to keep it cool otherwise that can be burnt out very easily
and with the battery which i have removed for now which is very easily removed from under here
there are lugs on the battery which need to be checked to ensure they haven't oxidised or no dirt
affecting their contacts and similarly the battery container cleaning that out of any debris
to ensure those contacts are clear and free and prevent any
problem when it comes to starting the mower. Again we check the cables to make sure they haven't been
kinked when the handles have been folded down and no breaks in those and that the system operates
correctly so that when you let the handle go the machine becomes static and the cylinder blade
stops turning that's vitally important. Finally again we've got front roller which in this case
is plastic and it needs to be checked to make sure there's no wear on the end and the
rear roller on the back as with the petrol machine whereby we've got bearings in there which need to
be checked to ensure that nice continual flat smooth drive in that way you're going to end
up with a perfect cut on your lawn as intended through your investment with Allett machines.
It's going to give a precision cut and a perfect stripe which i'm sure your neighbours and friends
will admire as they walk past and we're here to help you as with all authorised service dealers
and provide a collection and delivery service if required. So the key is you've made the investment
into the machine now is the time to ensure that you maintain good value from that investment
get it serviced by a professional dealer and it's then ready for the new season.