Daz34

I need a new mower.
It's for a fairly small lawn & needs to be maneuverable and ok for cutting around stepping stones etc.
I also don't want one that blows grass all over my gravel when doing the edges.

Cheers

hodgy0_2

petrol or electric?

Diesel

I'm using my dad's old petrol Honda - its over 20years old now. Says it all! Worth the extra.

D

Torquemada

How to Choose a Lawn Mower | eHow.com

David Lock

For a small lawn just get a cheapo electric from one of the known brands like Flymo. If you want stripes you'll need to get one with a roller on back. I got a new one off e-bay which is great, about £30. It has a reasonable size grass box and 3 simple height adjustments. It is nice and light.

But the mowers will only get to a couple of inches from any edging so I use a small strimmer first, rake the clippings back onto the lawn where the mower collects. dl

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

I just bought a new petrol one in the spring to replace our old no-make one, which was rubbish.

After a bit of research, ended up buying a Hayter - expensive, but they use Honda engines, so will go on forever, and the rest of them is made in Britain, so you arent contributing to Chinas nuclear war find by buying one. Keep them regularly serviced and they should last years, plus you can buy anything from a complete engine to one washer from their spares department if you do ever need to fix or replace anything.

They also make electric ones, that are supposed to be pretty good.

It does also cut very well, although I still use a strimmer to do the edges as it gives a better finish for the bits that are awkward to get to.

hodgy0_2

I was told "Briggs and Stratton" make pretty good lawnmower engines

I have one on my "no make" and starts first time every time

tarmac terror

iTrader: (2)

Second vote for Hayter - I have a huge heavy self propelled beast of a thing (harrier 2) with a heavy metal roller on the back - obviously not what you need, but as has been said already, for reliability and parts they really are top notch. Personally I would avoid any petrol mower with a plastic or light aluminium deck.

Daz34

Cheers for the replies.
I am gonna have a look at a few electric ones tomorrow.

Bubba po

For God's sake don't let Ali-B see this. His reply could go to 5000 words.

davyboy

I just bought a tuffcut with 3 year warrenty.

For your lawn avoid a flymo and get a rotary. Petrol ones save a fair bit of time messing around with cables, and give several man points!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I had a Hayter self propelled and it was a pain, got rid and got a generic tin one with a Briggs engine for £120 or so from B and Q and it does the job, like the one the Hayter replaced, went full circle and ended up buyign the same as I had, gave the old one to a girl at work, spend ages welding it up as was rotting, looked like something from robot wars, also have a Allen petrol hover for those times when you absolutely want the inside of the house coated with grass cuttings by the kids and dog

ronjeramy

iTrader: (1)

Edited for accuracy.

bigsinky

Mountfield man myself. used to have old faithful B+S engines, now they have honda engines. can fault it.

MattW

Had one with Tecumseh engine, key start as well never missed a beat in 10 years and only changed the oilonce. Sold it to a mate and bought a Flymo as the garden i have now is smaller and better shaped.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

B&S engines are generally considered less reliable than the Honda ones ( I think the new B&S ones arent made as well as the old ones ), which like most things Honda make, are very over engineered when designed, and if looked after will last forever ( hence all the old people who buy Honda cars as they know it will probably outlast them, and their widow can still sell it for a good price to pay for the funeral ).

The Hayter I have is a self powered rotary one - if you have a decent size lawn, or it is at all uneven / uphill, definitely look at self powered models as they will cut down the mowing time dramatically.

Generally, I'd say get the best you can afford - a cheap one will probably only last a few years, whereas paying a bit more will get you one that will last 20 years, so is more economical in the long run.

It also depends on how big your lawn is and how often you cut the grass - an electric is generally useless if the grass has got really long or your garden is big, but is fine on short grass and small lawns.

bigsinky

Agreed. i have to cut this bastid.



plus the side garden, which is another bastid.

David Lock

What a lot of guff on the thread

The advice seems to be get a petrol job with various engine/make suggestions. So what's that £150 plus??

Plus fuel + servicing and you end up with a heavy lump that is a pain to get into the boot of a car!

I have a large lawn and a sit-on Westfield mower (12 HP B & S engine) plus a small electric to tidy up the bits around the pond and the smaller front gardens. It cuts pretty long grass and is just what OP needs. My last inexpensive cable mower lasted for over 12 years and received some serious abuse.

You guys must have money to burn

dl

bigsinky

yes we do. we take our gardening serious like

David Lock

And you think I don't?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/DSC00499.jpg


I also have flower beds alongside all the panel fencing, a patio overflowing with pots and a large Koi pond with waterfall. I also pay for Greenthumb to look after and feed my lawn areas every few months.

dl

EddScott

I pay my postman £10 a fortnight.

bigsinky

No photo DL

Simon K

I was in the same position. I went to my local dump and you will be surprised at how many people throw working petrol mowers away. I brought one from there for £10. I cleaned it up and it worked lovely for 2 summers. some B&S engined thing. Cut was so so, but didnt look too bad.

Would of kept it, but I brought a mate's Hayter and part of the deal was to leave my old dump one around his house to fool is soon to be ex-wife. ( My friend had been thrown out and kept sneaky back to nick things :-) )

I managed to get a £700 Hayter for £200. :-) My one has electric start :-) ohhh yeah. Nice machines, great cut and love the amount of adjustment it has for height. Thirsty little devils though these Hayter are. My bro has the £1K one, 56? inch thing. Managed to get that for a deal too.

SBK

hodgy0_2

i can see a "who has got the biggest lawn" thread forming on the horizon

ps nice lawn sinky

David Lock

Sorry not really. Just the pond but that's nice





dl

bigsinky

pah!!!!! biggest pain in the hole ever. here is other half of the garden.

Sosbanite

My lawn is approx 8 sq metres and I use an electric Hayter with catchbox and height adjustment - it's a good mower that will last years. 100% recommend it

Brun

I only have a Smallish garden (7mx11m) but there's no way on earth i would use an electric. I don't like cutting the grass anyway, but if i had to mess around with a wire every time, it simply wouldn't get cut. I have my Dads old Hayter which gave up on him a few years back. After he spent £400 on a new one i decided to take his old one to bits and have a go at it. Mortified is what he was when i ambled past the front window cutting his grass with the old mower

finalzero

http://www.dixiechopper.com/