New Mower - Petrol or Cordless

[Smallfry]

I have a Mountfield complete with grassbag, that I bought for £5 (yes really) in 2001. It was scrapped because it need a new carburettor. It was made in 1986 and has a Technamotor engine. I got a pre enjoyed carb for a tenner, and it has been OK ever since. Occasionally breaks the starter cord but thats about all. Never serviced it, just topping up the oil now and again. It lives outside under a plastic box.
Every year when I go to start it up for the first time, I think I should get a new one, but it always starts and soldiers on, and our garden is quite big. I also cut a bit of our field with it too, and the public footpath that runs across it.

Electric ? Waste of time IMO. Always hate faffing about with the lead on a mains one, and battery ones just do not have enough grunt to cut damp grass AND pick it up.
I would buy a diesel one if I could, but will have to stick to petrol.

Sadly Mountfield, Hayter, Atco, Webb etc are all just name only Chinese stuff these days.

 

[daedalusminos]

Thoroughly recommend the robot mower...I have the Flymo Easilife 350. The lawn is in terrible condition but it copes admirably. You just need to tend to the edges.

 

[J1nx]

One of my single best purchases since moving to a house with a big-ish lawn was the robot mower. It has saved me hours!
I have the Makita 4 battery mower, it’s good but not amazing, picks up wet grass but does clog easy, it has enough grunt in the propelled part to pull a trailer! It’s as big and heavy as most Pro level mowers. The petrol mower has more cutting power but it’s just a pain in comparison.

Edit, just checked the app and the Landroid is approaching 1000kM covered and 750hrs runtime!

 

[Barking Mat]

I have a Mountfield complete with grassbag, that I bought for £5 (yes really) in 2001. It was scrapped because it need a new carburettor. It was made in 1986 and has a Technamotor engine. I got a pre enjoyed carb for a tenner, and it has been OK ever since. Occasionally breaks the starter cord but thats about all. Never serviced it, just topping up the oil now and again. It lives outside under a plastic box.
Every year when I go to start it up for the first time, I think I should get a new one, but it always starts and soldiers on, and our garden is quite big. I also cut a bit of our field with it too, and the public footpath that runs across it.

Electric ? Waste of time IMO. Always hate faffing about with the lead on a mains one, and battery ones just do not have enough grunt to cut damp grass AND pick it up.
I would buy a diesel one if I could, but will have to stick to petrol.

Yeah, that's my kind of lawn mower servicing too.

 

[Mick Annick]

I prefer petrol, I ‘ve got a sizeable lawn, plus I do my elderly neighbours garden and the verges outside (the village handyman can’t do everything in his allotted hours so a few of us help). I’ve got a 15 year old Husqvarna mulching mower with a Honda engine, it was fine until a couple of years ago when I tried to trim a tree stump and bent the crank. @Screwdriver kindly straightened it for me and it runs fine again, but whilst it was off the road I bought a commercial spec Husky with a grass box - expensive but a lovely machine to use, it has a Kawasaki engine. Both machines get used depending on whether or not I can be bothered with getting rid of the clippings.

 

[Barking Mat]

My wife's got a strimmer, a mower, and a ride on mower.

I consider her cordless.

Unless I'm feeling kinky.

Oh dear......

 

[sako243]

Diesel

Now added 45kg of front weights to it which make turning far easier rather than pulling wheelies.

To be fair the flail does a better job than the old John Deere ride on.

 

[addjunkie]

Diesel
View attachment 399508
Now added 45kg of front weights to it which make turning far easier rather than pulling wheelies.

To be fair the flail does a better job than the old John Deere ride on.

Im quite a fan of flail mowers, ifused regularly the grass improves and looks the part

 

[Islander71]

Recently had to replace an old Mountfield mower. Bought a Webb Classic SP460 for £280 - seems well made and it can bag the grass or side discharge it (less clogging if the grass is wet), or it will mulch the grass. And it is made in UK. Can be ordered direct from Webb. So far it has started first pull every time, quite impressed!

 

[Robotstar5]

Diesel
View attachment 399508
Now added 45kg of front weights to it which make turning far easier rather than pulling wheelies.

To be fair the flail does a better job than the old John Deere ride on.

We use a flail mower too.

 

[Migmac]

For mowers I’d go petrol. Cobra are decent mowers. Agri shop next to our larder sells them. Not had any negative feedback on them

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Beware of some of the multi year guarantees...I know someone whose nice Stihl mower packed in...first question from the approved seller was ...can you provide your annual service evidence!

...who services a mower when it gets used for so little time each year!

 

[m_c]

I bought an EGO after trying the neighbour's.

In terms of performance, it's as good as any decent petrol mower, but easier to use.
Clip the battery in, and it's good to go.
Variable speed drive, which works without having the blade running.
It also folds up and the handle retracts, so it can be stored standing on it's end and take up far less room than a petrol mower to store.

 

[Smallfry]

These are good too, do a great job, trim the hedges too, and never need recharging

 

[sako243]

Im quite a fan of flail mowers, ifused regularly the grass improves and looks the part

I'm genuinely impressed by them, I know @8ob uses the same flail regularly for clearance jobs but leave the roller on the back and it does a phenomenal job on lawns. Take it off and just drive through all sorts of trash and rubbish and it simply destroys it.

 

[Bravheart]

Are they banning petrol mowers?
Also in the market for a mower atm and an ego salesman tried spinning that yarn.

 

[J1nx]

There is talk of the noise laws affecting mowers, ISO4871. They are already covered so if tightening of the standard comes in then watch the manufacturers switch to battery.

I think we will see professional outfits forced to battery by contracts, for example councils will insist on battery tools in near future, a lot of schools already specify this locally.

An outright ban is unlikely IMO, just a gradual shift.

 

[addjunkie]

I'm genuinely impressed by them, I know @8ob uses the same flail regularly for clearance jobs but leave the roller on the back and it does a phenomenal job on lawns. Take it off and just drive through all sorts of trash and rubbish and it simply destroys it.

Some of my ground is a bit rough…….have found it best to leave the roller even in the rough stuff, helps stop the flails scalping the high spots/ stones etc. Only thing in the rough stuff make sure your running it at full pto speed or you fry the belts quickly, as My Mrs found out last year!

 

[sako243]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned something like this (cheaper ones are available)
https://www.husqvarna.com/uk/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-305/. Just saying.....

I'd have one if I though it could cope with the slope on my garden.

Edit, just checked the app and the Landroid is approaching 1000kM covered and 750hrs runtime!

What I've never managed to find out about those is they state a "lawn size" but what happens when it's bigger than that? For example we have 4.5 acres of lawn and none of it is flat, some of it is a gentle slope, some goes to >1in1.

Does the maximum area mean it can't mow more than that (as in it doesn't have the capacity to learn it) or that it can't keep on top of it?

 

[addjunkie]

What I've never managed to find out about those is they state a "lawn size" but what happens when it's bigger than that? For example we have 4.5 acres of lawn and none of it is flat, some of it is a gentle slope, some goes to >1in1.

Does the maximum area mean it can't mow more than that (as in it doesn't have the capacity to learn it) or that it can't keep on top of it?

Spluge 5 k on the dogs danglies Husquvana and find out….Id suspect your right with “cant keep on top of it” with battery run time