About Arb
Our showroom is based in Derby, next to Bookers Cash and Carry off Breadsall roundabout. View us on the map on our contact us page. Alternatively, here’s our address:
St Georges Court Breadsall Island,
Alfreton Road,
Derby,
DE21 4AP,
United Kingdom
You can either call us on 01332 833 366, message us using our online form or simply visit us at our showroom in Derby (find us here). Either way, we’re more than happy to help.
We sell, service and repair over 150 leading brands of garden and grounds machinery (as long as we can obtain the parts), including Stihl, Husqvarna, Kress, Cub Cadet, Cobra, Stiga and many more. We only work with the best brands in the industry, so you get the highest quality product and years of use out of them.
Want to check if we can help you with a particular brand? Simply get in touch or swing by our showroom in Derby (find us here).
We only use the highest quality manufacturer’s genuine spare parts, never scrimping on quality. We can get hold of any replacement part for the brands we deal with. For brands we don’t deal with, we’ll always attempt to do our best.
While we hold the most common parts, we also order parts in because it’s more cost-effective for you. Every machine is different, and it’s almost impossible to stock every model-specific part for every brand of machinery. If we can obtain them, we only use the highest quality manufacturer’s genuine spare parts.
Maintenance
We suggest having your garden and grounds machinery serviced once a year to keep it in good working order.
The best time to bring your machinery in for a service with us is either pre- or post-season. Waiting times are usually a little longer in season, so it’s better to get booked in before the big rush. However, we do our best to deliver a quick turnaround during busier periods.
Just like your car, garden and grounds machinery needs regular TLC to stay in good working order.
Regular servicing maximises your machinery’s performance, keeps it working for longer, minimises overall downtime and, importantly, keeps the manufacturer’s warranty in place. Find out more about our servicing and repairs process and how we can help keep your machinery in top condition.
We recommend a visual inspection. But you can also help maintain your machinery by doing the following after each use (in accordance with the user manual and only when disconnected from a power source):
- Clean off grass/mud thoroughly
- Check nuts and bolts for tightness (like any machine, if you hear a noise that’s unusual, stop and inspect it).
- Check the blade for sharpness and signs of rust or damage
- Top up fuel* (if applicable)
- Check/top up the engine oil levels
- Store in a secure, dry and sheltered place
- If at any point your equipment starts acting up or the blade becomes blunt/shows signs of rust or damage, stop using it. Let us deal with the problem - it’s what we do best.
*Ideally you should use an ethanol-free fuel because, with petrol pump fuel being E10, it only has a fresh shelf life of 30 days from purchase. Over time, it’ll cause damage to your fuel system as opposed to ethanol-free fuel which has a 5-year shelf life and none of the problems. Want to know more? Ask us!
Alternatively, let us service and repair your garden and grounds machinery for you. Our team of experienced technicians will thoroughly inspect your machinery and advise you on what’s best to do.
Of course! Whether you’ve bought from us or not, we can help service your working machinery or assess and advise on what’s best to do with your broken machinery. When it comes to servicing and repairs, we use only the highest quality manufacturer’s genuine spare parts. Find out more about our servicing and repairs.
As an authorised dealer of a number of top brands, the products we sell are of the highest quality. Our Pre-Delivery Inspection Promise means that before your item is handed over, it’ll be thoroughly checked by our team of technicians to ensure everything’s as it should be when you receive it.
If the item’s not working as it should, we don’t hand it over. When you buy a new machine from us, we ensure it’s working perfectly and always ready to use on the day.
The inspection will include:
- Checking for signs of damage
- Ensuring that any accessories (eg. grass collection basket) are included
- Filling with oil to the correct levels
- Checking operating controls
- Testing safety features
- Testing the engine performance for petrol/ diesel power machinery
Lawnmowers
Most people prefer to use petrol engines because they’re usually more powerful. But there are pros and cons to both petrol and electric engines:
Petrol lawnmowers
Pros:
- Typically more powerful and better at cutting tougher grass types
- Built more robustly
- Ideal for larger lawns (with wide cutting blades, no restrictive wires and long-lasting fuel)
Cons:
- Noisy and heavier
- Requires annual maintenance
- Produces emissions
- Over time the machinery can become harder to start
- High vibration levels for the user
Electric lawnmowers
Pros:
- Lighter and easier to manoeuvre
- No need to refuel
- Quieter and easier to look after
- Produce no emissions
- Easy to start
- Low vibration levels for the user
Cons:
- The initial cost is typically more than a petrol machine
- Requires a nearby power source
- Electric cord can get in the way
Battery lawnmowers
Pros:
- Lighter and easier to manoeuvre
- No need to refuel
- Quieter and easier to look after
- Produce no emissions
- Easy to start
- Low vibration levels for the user
- Freedom of movement with no cords
Cons:
- Restricted depending on charging times/running times
- The initial cost is typically more than a petrol machine
EFI (electric fuel injection) lawnmowers
Pros:
- Most are petrol with classic carburettors
- Tend to be more reliable
- More efficient (using the exact levels of air and fuel)
- More suitable for the use of new E10 STANDARD PUMP FUEL
- Produces lower emissions
Cons:
- EFI models tend to be less available
- Can be more expensive
- Noisy
Electric robot lawnmowers
Pros:
- Produces an exceptional quality of cut
- Saves time and effort
- Ability to schedule when it mows (on certain models)
- Quieter, self-charging
- Produces no emissions
Cons:
- Subject to suitability of the lawn
- Not suitable for narrow paths/passageways
2-stroke engines aren’t as complex as 4-stroke. They’re compact and light, so they’re mainly found in smaller pieces of equipment like strimmers, brushcutters and chainsaws.
For fuel, you have to use a special oil and petrol mix. Each manufacturer has a different ratio that you need to follow to ensure your equipment works as intended.
4-stroke engines are more complex, bigger and heavier. They’re usually found in lawnmowers and other large pieces of equipment. Unlike 2-stroke, you don’t need a special oil and petrol mix, the engines are lubricated with a separate oil reservoir.
Engine capacity is measured in cubic centimetres (CC) and output is measured in horsepower (HP) or kilowatt (kW). Typically, the higher each of these numbers are, the more power it provides.
To achieve a striped finish on your lawn, you’ll need a heavy lawnmower with a rear roller. Lawn stripes are created because it’s the weight of the lawnmower that crushes the grass flat. Talk to us to find out more about rear roller lawnmowers.
Ideally you’d mulch a couple of times a year and collect the grass clippings for the rest of the time. Too long a cut leaves a level of grass debris, as the mower won’t be able to cut the blades of grass small enough to rot down quickly or be carried away by the elements.
Mulching mowers are fitted with a special blade that re-circulates super fine cuttings across your lawn to decompose quickly and release nutrients back into the soil, thus being better for your garden. Because mulching is a low-cost way of feeding your garden and completely waste-free, it can save time without the need to empty a grass bag while cutting.
Plus, the deck design is specific to mulching to help keep the grass in the area of the rotating blades for longer, so the blades of grass are cut multiple times.
You can adopt this functionality on a non-mulching lawnmower by swapping the rear basket with a special plug, although these aren’t available for every brand. Alternatively, most of our non-mulching lawnmowers include a basket or compartment that collects grass clippings (measured in litres) for you to dispose of.
Standard lawnmowers, ride-on lawnmowers and robotic lawnmowers either have a rotary or cylindrical cutting blade.
Cylinder blades have a scissor-like cutting action and provide the best cut possible. They’re mainly used by businesses such as tennis or football clubs, or domestically for stately homes.
Rotary blades have a ripping/tearing action. While they’re less effective, they’re more readily available and much cheaper.
Robotic lawnmower blades are very similar to the blades found in a razor. By fitting these blades it generates a finer cut, saves on weight and makes the machines more efficient.
For width, generally: the wider the blade, the faster the cut will be.
Rotary blades range from 28cm-56cm (11”-22”).
Cylinder blades range from 36cm-71cm (14”-28”).
Ride-on lawnmowers can go up to 125cm (50”).
Robotic lawnmowers range from 18cm- 35cm (7”-14”)
Talk to us about bespoke/custom sizes (available at an additional cost).
Other Equipment
There are 3 types of cutting tools for strimmers and brushcutters: nylon line, steel blade and plastic blade. (It’s worth noting that some strimmers and brushcutters allow for more than one type).
Nylon line is good at cutting through light undergrowth or tall grass. Line thickness ranges from 2mm-5.5mm, and usually the thicker the line, the more durable the line.
Brushcutters are fitted with either steel blades or plastic blades for tough vegetation, bushes and thin trees. Some have 2, 3 or 4 teeth, while others have 40 or more and look similar to a circular saw blade.
It all depends on your needs, so we’d suggest having a chat with us to find the right sized chainsaw bar for you.
There are 5 different types of cutting teeth that chainsaws can have.
Standard profile: the stock chain on many larger, professional chainsaws. This is a good all-round chain but lacks the cutting intensity for tougher jobs.
Low profile: a popular chain for home users or beginners, and the stock chain on many smaller, less powerful chainsaws such as electric ones.
Full chisel: cuts through wood fast and aggressively, but requires regular sharpening because of it. It can be difficult to control due to high kickback (recoil).
Semi-chisel: cuts slower than full chisel, but stays sharp for longer, even in rough sawing conditions.
Ripper: used for industrial purposes. These speciality chains cut along the grain giving the smoothest cut.