Deep Singh

Hi

I need to buy a new lawnmower as the one I've borrowed from the neighbour has broken

I don't have a clue which one to get or what I should be looking for. Its a fairly big garden about 120ft long and 40 foot wide if that makes a difference.

Is petrol or electric better?

David_Dickson

I prefer petrol ones, simply because I cant be arsed with dragging the cable about, then rolling it up when finished on an electric one.

Coffin Dodger

My garden is a mere 90ft x 35ft and I have a petrol, as mentioned electric will be a pain with the cable.

Got a good price on a Mountfield mower in B&Q last September, powered wheels too so I don't even have to push it

Shark Man

Petrol

My £100 cheepo special just keeps going and going nearly 10 years old now. Everything original - even the spark plug.

Just change the oil every year and sharpen the blade twice a year. And to stop it rusting into oblivion, I just give the underside a jet wash, scrub down with the wire brush attachment on the grinder, etch prime and hammerite, done it once ever three years or so.

I fancy a new mower now (self propelled this time), so I'm not going to bother painting or changing the oil from now on - see how long it lasts


I've mown my mates lawn with an electric (when he's away for months on business, I keep an eye on his place for him). Its a new electric, and even though the lawn is the size of a postage stamp, it does my fruit...not mown over the cable yet, but have nearly done so so many times, or got tangled up in one way or the other,

lozgti

If you get an electric,make sure you get a breaker.

We are actually looking for a push mower at the moment like these Brill ones here

HAND PUSH LAWNMOWER MOWER

Deep Singh

Thanks. I had no idea you can get ones with 'powered wheels'. What exactly does that mean? Does it just propel itself forward like a car?

David_Dickson

Exactly, the motor also drives the wheels, so it rumbles along by itself. You still have to hold the throttle / safety switch to stop it running away and just steer it as you go.

I started with an electric, but as I said, the cable got on my ****, so found an old etrol mower second hand. It is old and basic, but bumb-proof.

I then found that the jungle across the road is actually my resposibility to care for, so bought this bad boy

Deep Singh

I presume those things are expensive?

TopBanana

I bought a second-hand Countax for about £2k. Obviously it needs somewhere dry to store it, but it would probably take a whole day mowing my lawn with a push along job. In fact, I'm just about to do mine now.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Yep, got one of those at the French property 15.5 bhp, , hydrostatic transmission, capable of mulching or collecting the grass.

Ours is silver though........made by Husqvarna, cost around £1600 brand new.

Garden IS 2000 sq m though

Alcazar

TopBanana

Mine can do wheelies.

David_Dickson

That one was about £900 iirc from a garden centre. Is a non-branded thing, but uses a Briggs and Stratton 4-stroke petrol engine. There are loads of these generic ones here, even in supermarkets for about the same price. they are all pretty much the same underneath the bodywork.

Its not as fancy as some of the others which cost a lot more, just a basic 1 meter cutting deck, adjustable height and side ejection. No mulching, no collecting, no wheelies

Its faster than my brother in laws one though

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Careful what you buy, get a big garden tractor and I am sure that our lovely government will start issuing a Lawn Fund License, a new tax to tackle the green issues around mowing activities, targeting the biggest and most polluting lawn equipment to protect the planet.

DCI Gene Hunt

My old ferrari mower could.... till one day I fell off the back of it..... I laughed sooooo much that I didn't see it do a circle, by the time I did notice it had already "mowed" over my right foot


440 stitches

Dedrater

I bought this...

Wolf Online - Wolf 20&quot Self Propelled Lawn Mower

Can not be beaten on price/spec

A very capable mower

Spoon

That doesn't happen today or certainly for the last 15 years I've had a ride-on. As soon as you sit up off the seat the engine cuts out.

My wife was on it the other week and put it to the test similar to you only she was mowing around a tree whilst holding back a branch, but not realising another branch was being held back with it until it slipped and smacked her in the chops, sending her over the back of the mower because she never had the bag on.

Nate

iTrader: (2)

Petrol all day long.

I don't have a big garden by any stretch of the imagination, but I cannot be bothered with an electric one.

If you are not sure, you can ask these helpful people HERE .

David_Dickson

First thing I did to mine was bypass the seat safety switch. Nothing worse than the damn thing cutting out every time you stand up to shift a fallen tree branch etc, or even just shifting my weight over to one side when o a steep slope.

Spoon

Lets hope you don't part company then or you'll likely to be pals with Mucca.

scoobyster

My mum has just bought a Bosch rechargable mower on the strength of its Which magazine review. I groaned at the thought of a rechargable one at first but do you know what - it's great. No messing around with fuel and troubleshooting when it won't start after winter, just charge up for a few hours and it's ready to go. Battery technology must have come on a long way as it's not lacking in power and seems to have good endurance albeit only tested by 50 x 40 ft of lawn.

Downsides are that it will overheat the battery pack and cut out while it cools if being worked hard for too long (i.e. long grass). I hope the battery pack will last the life of the mower but time will tell. Lastly the quality is reflected in the price.

Karl Wunout

I find this to be more effective and keeps me in shape.

dpb

Pot belllied

dan/scooby

iTrader: (2)

really at that size garden you dont want to be using an electric mower , long cable+voltage drop and the motors dont like it , avoid battery mowers as the arent worth the hasle
just go homebase or b&q and get a cheap 16" rotary petrol mower , no need for self propeled at that size garden , avoid plastic decked machines , avoid flymo/partner/Mcculloch ( all the same machine made by electrolux)
oh and when you buy it , it will be more then likely in a box so dont forget the oil (sae30)
try get one with a briggs and stratton engine

dpb

or try and get one with out

dan/scooby

iTrader: (2)

3 main choices of engines being honda , briggs and stratton and tecumseh

honda are usually more expensive
tecumseh are just utter ****
briggs are more reliable

zip106

I bought a Tecumseh one back in June 1998.
Never changed the oil, spark plug or had it serviced.
Sharpened the blade once.

It still cuts as well as it did from new and it always starts first or second pull even when I first use it after the winter.

Cost me £125.


I've been offered £65 trade-in for a new one.
Wish cars depreciated that slowly.

dan/scooby

iTrader: (2)

a few years back honda offered £50 off if you traded in your old mower , think was that was off the retail price , we used to see them below that anyway

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

How is that?

Tecumesh engines are pretty much identicle in design to Briggs and stratton. Because of that, neither are any better than each other. Some models have iffy carbs, whilst others have iffy plastic oil pump plungers. Be it Briggs or Tecumseh.

So all I'll say if you chose an engine make; makes sure its not one with a plastic oil pump. So I guess that rules out both the above, LOL. Unless its a £100 mower, in which case its a throw away item (even though they can be rebuilt - which quite easy to do).

Honda's are reliable, but they tend to need more effort to start (unless its electric), as they tend to have a longer stroke...especially the horizontal crank units (go to a local indoor kart track - and you'll soon see what I mean, there's always one that won't want to start ).

EvoBarry

I recently bought a 2nd hand Champion 3.5hp, petrol jobby. It motors along quite nicely with me in tow, cuts fine, and its a Briggs motor so it should be reliable.... can't moan for £30!