Lawnmower recommendations?

Hi again, folks!

I've recently moved into a new house, with a fair-sized back lawn (still to be turfed, although promised in a day or two...!)

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, reliable lawnmower brand / type, for a new, level (I hope!) lawn? My last house had no lawns, so I didn't have a mower, and the mower provided in my intermediate rented house was a smallish £50 or so thing with a horizontal blade - a "rotary" I think, which worked quite well - however, that lawn was the size of a large postage stamp.

I'm not a spring chicken, so I think an electrical job would be best, but obviously in the summer it'll be at least once a week - so I need reliability and good build quality.

I want to spend less than £100 if possible.

Experience and recommendations would be appreciated.

Thnx, Barb

Reply to
Barb
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Although I have hover mower, I wouldn't recommend one as the down blast of air tends to push the grass away from the blade. Also - if you swing a rotary from side to side it plays hell with your back. I tend to push mine in a straight line - so it may as well have wheels! I bought my daughter a Bosch Rotary (with wheels) last year. A good deal at B&Q with a strimmer included. About £85 I recall.

Reply to
John

Try this:

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Reply to
John

Or this:

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Reply to
Halmyre

Or this:

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Yep, I like the idea of paving the lot!!! :-)

Barb

Reply to
Barb

Barb pretended :

Well if you can stretch to a bit more money and your lawn is not too small - How about a ride on?

We went through several types of walk behind - hover, self propelled both electric 2T and 4 stroke. None proved to be very satisfactory and the time effort involved put everyone off the task.

Finally, last year I spotted a second hand lawn tractor and bought it. It is the type with the grass collection hopper sat on the rear, engine at the front and headlights, just like a mini version of an agricultural tractor. A two hour struggle has suddenly become the work of 15 minutes and a fight to actually get on it to do the job, with so many volunteers. You just turn the key, drive round and as the hopper becomes full, reverse up to tip it without even having to get off. The first cut of spring used to take half a days struggle to get through, but this beast doesn't even notice it. Fuel consumption is similar or perhaps a bit less, because it does it so quickly. Could not be easier.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

The previous folks living here had a sit-upon, but SWMBO has decreed that I need the exercise (prolly true), so its going to be a petrol self-propelled.

Reply to
Tim Streater

I have had manual push (I was younger then) then electric, I wouldnt use on wet days just in case, and the cable was a nuisance. Electric took longer laying out extensions and manipulating the cable. Then I got a petrol push, cost just over £100 and does the job.

Reply to
SS

ALSO: Invest in steel toed and sole plated boots. Never, ever mow in shoes, trainers, rubber boots or sandals!!!!!

A fellow worker of mine cut off 2.5 toes while wearing what we used to call rubber 'Wellingtons'.

Later the cut off boot (sans the severed toes!) was exhibited at safety seminars around this town.

Also; I still have and still use my work boots; the leather completely gone from the steel reinforced toes of one boot.

What happened; was using our 3 HP (petrol) mower on grass under the edge of a small bush the mower was caught; it came out rather suddenly and ran over my foot.

Blessedly I WAS wearing my safety boots and there was just a slight bruise. Many years ago I bought my son now aged 30, similar safety boots. The sixty or whatever dollars were well worth it. And glad to say he has adopted the same safety stance and will never mow or allow his wife to do so without foot protection. Even to lending his boots to others; one of whom is a medical doctor who HAS worked in the ER! One would think that of all people HE would know better!

So apart from the mower itself .................... strongly recommend .................... BUY steel toed boots!

Yes I know we'll have a hundred people write in that they've cut their grass for eons, 'barefoot' ....... don't listen. Get proper boots!

Speaking personally; I'm 76 now and apart from the above incident have annually survived mowing at two one quarter acre of grass properties since 1960 using a variety of older, fixed up, second hand, repaired and one electric mower. Presently using previous mower base and the

5.5 HP (petrol) engine from my neighbour's mower. He had bought a brand new mower.

Don't favour electric mower, they often die, need a long extension cord and are not as powerful as petrol. My daughter/son in law who live close by have 6.5 HP self propelled. Find it a bit heavy and I don't the bag that fits on it and adds to its weight. There's nothing wrong with letting the cuttings go back into the soil to fertilize.

Reply to
terry

PS. The bloodstains were still on the toe severed boot!

Also my aplogies in the previuos posting, for 'SHOUTING' i.e. capitalizing; but it is a matter to be taken SERIOUSLY.

Reply to
terry

No, don't listen to us. Certainly don't listen to the overwhelming majority of people who mow lawns in normal footwear - as in literally millions of people. Sandals/barefoot may be a bit less wise (eg stones flying out), but very few people indeed use steel toecaps to mow the lawn.

It's wise to keep any body part away from the blade - it _will_ hurt if you get involved with it. But it's not that hard.

That doesn't mean you can't use them, and they will give a small potential safety benefit. But it is really very small, and there is the danger that you'll erode that by eg mowing in such a way that you get your feet in the way - as apparently happened. (if you get the mower stuck, don't pull it out onto your feet!)

Depends on your lawn. Here it doesn't work.

Reply to
Clive George

Get as big a Bosch as you can afford (sometimes there are good deals).

Reply to
David WE Roberts

SS wibbled on Wednesday 17 February 2010 19:50

Hayter Spirit 41 petrol push rotary. No real effort to push it and personally I would find self propelled painful - too much fiddling to get it in and out of weird places...

Only comment on the Hayter - bad rip cord design - frays easily - but easy to rewind a new one on. And the grass ejector chute clogs easily if the grass isn't dry. Otherwise, fairly light, easy to start and unphased by a bit of hard work.

Reply to
Tim Watts

Reply to
John

I have had a Hayter Hunter 41 push rotary for years. I don't think I would recommend it though since its rear axle is supported only by the plastic under tray. I think I have had to replace this three times so far as the mounting lugs eventually fatigue and snap off. It also clogs badly on anything except very dry grass. (this can be fixed a bit by tightening one of the springs controlling the auto rpm setting carb/throttle to lift the rpm a bit above default to create more airflow through it). On the plus side, it starts easily and is light and easy to push about.

Reply to
John Rumm

John Rumm wibbled on Wednesday 17 February 2010 22:54

Thanks - I shall have a look at mine... Is the Hunter a Briggs and Stratton lump?

Reply to
Tim Watts

Thanks for all the comments, ideas and suggestions folks!

The turf area is less than 50m.sq, so not worth getting a sit-on thing with headlights and all! Although I do like the idea of tearing round in little circles one dark night with all the neighbours watching! Plus I don't think it would go in my shed.

Also I take on board the comments about feet. The little wheeled rotary thing at my last house was actually very difficult to get your toes under, but nevertheless possible!

As for the Bosch suggestion, David, this is exactly what my son says.... he says this about all tools, not just mowers.

Thnx again, folks!

Barb

Reply to
Barb

John explained :

So you can mow in the dark :')

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

No - not with headlights ;-)

Reply to
Frank Erskine

Yup, 3.5hp IIRC. The engine is the best bit of it - always starts and runs easily, and the only maintenance it has had in 15 years is one oil change! Although given the clogging tendency, it does not have enough power to mulch (you need 5 or 6 hp for that really). SO these days it just gets to do the bits that are too fiddly to turn the ride on round in!

Reply to
John Rumm

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