Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ElyDave on 07 May, 2020, 08:01:27 pm
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Old mower seems on the way out as per thread in OT Knowledge, getting on for 20 years old so owes me nothing.
Choices for new mower
1) Rotary mower, Honda engined
b) Cyclinder mower, petrol engined, about 1.5-2x the price of rotary
iii) Electric cylinder, about the same as rotary.
Other considerations,
- mulching or non-mulching for rotary?
- Rotary and a push cylinder (just for fun)
- new or second hand?
Discuss
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I've got an ancient electric Flymo for if it gets wet or too long. Still somehow works after getting regularly dunked in the rhyne (drainage ditch) when my father had it. Much prefer an even older (1950s) Maxees push cylinder mower with a proper grass box.
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that's why I'm thinking rotary adn push cylinder as an option, rotary can cope with the winter clagginess
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Given the state of the art in power tool batteries, the argument for using small petrol engines to power infrequently-used portable machinery is getting pretty weak these days...
Cylinder mowers are for people who don't have a Cyclist's Lawn, shirley?
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I am also considering battery powered on the periphery of my vision, but in mitigation of electric pipe supplied, I do have solar on the roof.
As for my lawn, you could not play croquet on it.
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Depends on teh size of your lawn and what kind of lawn you want.
Cylinder mowers are for bowling green lawns rotaries cope much better with less than perfect lawns.
Small lawn then battery is OK big lawn petrol.
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The largest bit of lawn is an L-shape, about 15-18 paces on the longest axis in each direction, 6-7 in the cut out, based on granular feed/weed usage about 100m2, maybe a bit more. Then a smaller lawn in the back, about 5x5. The current petrol mower came from the old house that had two bigger lawns. I'm sure I could get away with a battery powered or cabled mower.
Certainly not billiard table smooth, I must have stripes though.
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We have a push mower. It's an Einhall 40 cm cylinder push mower.
Just requires some effort. The temptation to cut wet or damp grass isn't there and better lawn care is more likely. I check for fallen pegs, stones, etc.
We also have an electric rotary mower which my wife uses. Not as neat but does what it was designed to do. Cut grass.
I suppose I like a more traditional way(harder) of cutting the lawn.
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Old mower seems on the way out as per thread in OT Knowledge, getting on for 20 years old so owes me nothing.
Choices for new mower
1) Rotary mower, Honda engined
b) Cyclinder mower, petrol engined, about 1.5-2x the price of rotary
iii) Electric cylinder, about the same as rotary.
Other considerations,
- mulching or non-mulching for rotary?
- Rotary and a push cylinder (just for fun)
- new or second hand?
Discuss
Rotary mower. Honda engine as the deck etc isn’t a complex piece of the machine. One of my Hondas has a mulching facility. I rarely use it but it is a ‘nice to have’ on occasion. Even if the grass is slightly wet when mulching, the machine chokes and you don’t get even mulching anyway. Only for the driest days. Cylinder machines are great but very heavy. Self driven is not essential but takes the torture out of it.
Another thing to be aware of: Aiming for lawn perfection is very telling of advancing years, so keep schtum
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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You guys might not realise that it is currently No Mow May (https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/about-us/news/no-mow-may-how-to-get-ten-times-more-bees-on-your-lockdown-lawn?utm_source=Main+Plantlife+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=e9a2d9ef31-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_08_06_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ce964b84b6-e9a2d9ef31-285807180&mc_cid=e9a2d9ef31&mc_eid=51ce309efe). A good excuse to put the mower away, I think.
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My knowledge is around 4 years out of date but used to work in agricultural and horticultural supply
If looking for push cylinder I'd say you either need a strimmer or a rotary mower as if grass is too long it won't get through. If however you are looking at push cycl the husqvarna model was good although weirdly the grass box came separately
Rotary I'd echo what was said on the other thread that Honda seem to have moved ahead of briggs engines and hatter mowers
However my FIL has a hayter 31a or similar name. Can't remember the model but it's very similar to the toro who Iirc own Hayter
It is elec start or pull start. Variable self propelled with a handle that as you push on/walk with it speeds up. You can set to mulch, collect, side or rear discharge
However if it was me and when funds allow will be I'd look battery from one of the manufacturers that have the full range of garden tools eg hedge trimmers run-on one or more of the same battery
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Depending on the size of your lawn....
Our electric (corder) flymo released the magic smoke a couple of months ago - much to my relief.
It was 18 months old but I wouldn't have wanted a replacement.
My house is a newbuild with 10x8m back garden, all grass. It is sloped, uneven and rubbish. The flymo was a real pain in the back as it wouldn't hover on the uneven surface and was therefore very heavy to push along the slope. It also filled the grassbox very quickly. We also have a small lawn out front, which isn't a big deal, being smaller and flatter.
After a little research I bought one of these:
https://easylawnmowing.co.uk/cobra-m40spc-review/
I was sceptical as I've never heard of them before but it's working really well and has a two year warranty. It pulls itself up a decent slope with no problem and it clears the back lawn with only one grassbox change even when the grass is getting a couple of inches lopped off.
It's nothing flash, but I'm pleased.
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My small lawn:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49904177116_8324a8274c_z.jpg)
Stripes, courtesy of:
https://www.diy.com/departments/hand-propelled-lawnmower/1576038_BQ.prd (https://www.diy.com/departments/hand-propelled-lawnmower/1576038_BQ.prd)
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It's hard to tell from the pic, but that looks about the size of my back lawn. Front is about 4-5 times that size. I think a little push job like that would be absolutely fine during the summer when I'm just taking the top off a couple of times a week, but would need something more butch for the serious business
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i was amazed by the quality of my battery powered bosch mower. My lawn is about 12 x 5m and it does half a dozen mowings before needs re-charging and makes a really good job of it. I wouldnt buy a petrol mower again unless I'd got a lawn too big to do in one charge.
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I think I'm leaning in the direction of battery tbh, apart from autumn/winter when it's warm but too wet to mow, it rarely takes me more than half an hour, and even then less than an hour.