Lawn mower what to get

amen

right I have 0.6 of a lawned garden. Was hiring/borrowing lawn mowers last year but this year I am buying.

So what to buy? I could get a ride on but they seem pricey and the exercise of a petrol one would prob do me good.
Should I get a self propelled or push? What size engine (was thinking min 4.5HP) and a min cut width of 18" ?

What about 2 boxes?

All advice taken!

crosstownk

I've a 4.5HP self propelled. Never used the self propelled function - I just push it along at my own pace. Briggs & Stratton engine. Reliable as fúck. Starts first time every time - even after the winter. Got it in Argos a few years back. Electrolux with a B&S engine. Only problem is the bright yellow colour!

artieanna

seeing that your garden is fairly big definitly go for the self propelled.;)

I have a push mower and boy do I have a big red face when I'm mowing and have to take breaks in between....Great exercise but it'll probably cause me to have a heart attack:(

Big garden: self propelled
Sml garden: push
Ex large garden: ride on

Neil_Sedaka

Maybe consider a self propelled mulching mower, saves a lot of time emptying the grass box and mulching will give the lawn a deep green colour.

Manuel

Are you guys serious about a walk-behind mower for 0.6 acres? I did the first cut of mine (0.6 acre) this week with a hired self-propel and it took me 3 hours! And by the way amen that was with a 22" cut width. I don't mind the exercise, it's the length of time it took.

I have resigned myself to forking out for a ride-on in time for the next cut, so I too am open to suggestions. Looking for the cheaper end of the market, with a collector. Seems to be in or around 2.5K, unless anyone can better advise me.

Mind you, 25 Euro hire and 3 hours of my life once a month does seem cheap by comparison ........................

Avns1s

Manuel wrote:

Mind you, 25 Euro hire and 3 hours of my life once a month does seem cheap by comparison ........................

Once a month?? No wonder it takes 3 hours.

Most lawns would need to be cut once a week or even more often in peak season.

Not many mowers will pick up the grass if it's been allowed to grow for a month.

Manuel

Ya, fair enough. I could stretch to once a fortnight but that's my final offer. It's not the 18th green of the feckin Belfry I have ....

Roll on winter ....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Manuel wrote:

Are you guys serious about a walk-behind mower for 0.6 acres? I did the first cut of mine (0.6 acre) this week with a hired self-propel and it took me 3 hours! And by the way amen that was with a 22" cut width. I don't mind the exercise, it's the length of time it took

I have .75 of an acre and cutting with a petrol push mower takes 1.5 hours max each week. It's a great excuse for exercise. If it took 3 hours then you're not cutting the grass nearly as often as you should.

Avns1s

Manuel wrote:

Ya, fair enough. I could stretch to once a fortnight but that's my final offer. It's not the 18th green of the feckin Belfry I have ....

Roll on winter ....

LOL I know what you mean! :rolleyes:

paulocon

As suggested, definitely a self-propelled and look at investing in a mulching mower - you'll have the job done a lot quicker if you're not stopping to empty the bag...

Avns1s

paulocon wrote:

As suggested, definitely a self-propelled and look at investing in a mulching mower - you'll have the job done a lot quicker if you're not stopping to empty the bag...

Only issue with a mulcher is that if you've got kids that play in the garden, you'll be following them about the house with the vacuum cleaner!

Other than that I would agree.

Would also agree that the push mower is a great form of exercise though some people get enough exercise without this!

The answer to this question involves a lot of looking at one's own situation and preferences, not to mention budget, methinks!

dixiefly

I have an ARIENS lawnmower and I am very satisfied with it. It is a self propelled mower. In my opinion it is better than the Honda and way better than some of the other well known makes. It is an american mower. The great advantage with it is that it has the three options of side discharge, pick up and mulching. It also has a steel frame which a lot of other mowers does not have and the engine is a very high powered one.
If you have good drying on your lawn then mulching is a great option for most of the summer. One thing about mulching is that to do it properly you will have to mow about every 5 days during the summer but it is much quicker - you also need to keep an eye out for the weather. At least with the Ariens mower you have a choice of the mowing methods.

2 stroke

Delighted to find this thread. I've spent 1/2 of today looking at ride on mowers. I recon I have .4 of an acre of grass and that I walk at least 3 mile pushing my current mower each time I mow. I'd rather have the time to go for a walk.
Does anybory have any experience of these new auto mowers. They sound very tempting but I wonder what sort of lifespan they have.

PoolDude

I am another looking at Ride On's, so far i've seen Rally, Viking, Castlegarden and one or two others - I'm between the Viking 17.5bhp and the Rally 17.5bhp, price difference is 3,600 v 3,300. Both are B&S engine, hyrdo and similar cutting widths.

So whats the advice?

djmc

Just wondering has anyone any experance with those small battery lawn mowers that charge themself and cut the lawn compleatly on there own

2 stroke

Pool dude, they are probably the same mower with different badges and different plastic bits. decide which dealer you prefer to deal with and haggle.

PoolDude

Thanks 2-Stroke.

Does anyone know if I cannot use the mulcher on it for the first couple of years? My lawn was only seeded a couple of weeks ago (full site circa .75 acre) and a neighbour mentioned that with a new lawn the mulcher should not be used until the lawn has had a couple of years of growth as the blades will pull it up - surely thats more to do with the types of blades and the cutting mechanism deployed?

2 stroke

you shouldnt have a problem mulching a new lawn, more like you shouldnt use a cylinder mower on a new lawn.

CJhaughey

Get a Wolf Garten Scooter, it has a 55cm or 22" cut and is available for €1400 delivered from Germany.

djmc

http://www.automower.com/
has anybody used these type of lawn mowers or is it just wishful thinking that i will never again have to mow the lawn if i buy one of these

2 stroke

DJ, I havent been able to get one dealer that I trust to recomend one.

prospect

Hi all,

I am in the same position about getting a lawnmower.
I am going for a ride-on, but do not want mulching.

There is very little info on d'interweb, which is disappointing. I know the brands often share engines etc, but is there any generally accepted 'order of merit'?

Husqvarna, Toro, Castle Garden, John (Too) Deere, Wolf Garten, etc.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'd aviod mulching unless you are willing to scarify the lawn a couple of times a year. It builds up an awful thatch in the lawn which blocks drainage and promotes moss. I tried it - never again! I don't mind scarifying for moss once a year but this was rediculous!

prospect

HI,

this ride-on mower:
http://tinyurl.com/28uub3

was on sale in B&Q for a little over €2K at the weekend. Anybody know much about them! I have over a third of an acre of lawn so 15Hp is plenty.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

prospect wrote:

HI,

this ride-on mower:
http://tinyurl.com/28uub3

was on sale in B&Q for a little over €2K at the weekend. Anybody know much about them! I have over a third of an acre of lawn so 15Hp is plenty.

I wouldn't bother with a ride on for a third of an acre. Half an acre plus and maybe - depending on the terrain and layout of the garden.

GreeBo

2 stroke wrote:

you shouldnt use a cylinder mower on a new lawn.

You shouldnt use a rotary on a new lawn, a cylinder is better as it will cut the grass, a rotary can pull out the new seedlings...

Is that what you meant or do you disagree with the above?

prospect

Cristiano Spoiled Ballet wrote:

I wouldn't bother with a ride on for a third of an acre. Half an acre plus and maybe - depending on the terrain and layout of the garden.

I have mowed it with a push mower twice, and on a ride-on twice, and I am DEFFO getting a ride on.
It takes nearly 40mins on a ride-on, mulching (i.e. not emptying the collector every 5 minutes).
My lawn is a third of an acre, not the site (it is over 2/3's of an acre).

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

prospect wrote:

My lawn is a third of an acre, not the site (it is over 2/3's of an acre).

I had assumed you meant a third of an acre of grass. I cut .6 of grass each week with a push mower in an hour and a half (including many stops to empty grass) so 40 mins on a ride on for a third of an acre seems very slow. You'd would literally be quicker walking!
Anyway, that doesn't answer your question. I don't know if that mower is good value at €2k but it does seem a waste for a relatively small area.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

GreeBo wrote:

You shouldnt use a rotary on a new lawn, a cylinder is better as it will cut the grass, a rotary can pull out the new seedlings...

Is that what you meant or do you disagree with the above?

I have to agree with GreeBo on this one. Most cylinders come with a roller with also benefits a new lawn.

2 stroke

Grebo. I stick by my original post. Rotary is best for new lawn.
As regards rolling you cannot roll too often, but do it between cuttings.
Regarding B&Q mower, If you are spending 2 grand on a mower go to a dealer that will look after you when guarantee wears off. Many dealers despise working on hardware shop mowers.

dixiefly

Cristiano Spoiled Ballet wrote:

I'd aviod mulching unless you are willing to scarify the lawn a couple of times a year. It builds up an awful thatch in the lawn which blocks drainage and promotes moss. I tried it - never again! I don't mind scarifying for moss once a year but this was rediculous!

I have been mulching (when I can ) for the last 3 years. I have no problems with thatch etc. Perhaps you are letting it grow too long before mulching.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

dixiefly wrote:

I have been mulching (when I can ) for the last 3 years. I have no problems with thatch etc. Perhaps you are letting it grow too long before mulching.

I was cutting twice a week. Think about the amount of grass growth in a season and then where does it go? On to the soil, and it definately built up a thatch. The scarifying proved it. After a few years I reverted back to a conventional mower.

GreeBo

2 stroke wrote:

Grebo. I stick by my original post. Rotary is best for new lawn.

but why do you say this?
New seedlings are barely held in the ground, a rotary mower that works by chopping the grass is far more likey to pull these out our the ground than a cylinder which works like a scissors.
Is it just a personal preference or do you have any facts to back it up? (not an attack, just curious)

2 stroke

Maybe it makes no difference if your blade is sharp, but it is what I grew up to believe. Also I worked for landscaper in cork for 2 years and he didn't even have a cylinder mower. I have relaid most of my own lawns and have not pulled grass from ground. A rotary mower is more likely to vacuum seed up than pull it by the blade but this wont happen if you keep the blades highish and the revs low. It is best to allow seeds to establish some roots before cutting no matter which mower you choose in case of drought.

GreeBo

2 stroke wrote:

Maybe it makes no difference if your blade is sharp, but it is what I grew up to believe. Also I worked for landscaper in cork for 2 years and he didn't even have a cylinder mower. I have relaid most of my own lawns and have not pulled grass from ground. A rotary mower is more likely to vacuum seed up than pull it by the blade but this wont happen if you keep the blades highish and the revs low. It is best to allow seeds to establish some roots before cutting no matter which mower you choose in case of drought.

I find that most people use a rotary as its a much "simpler" machine with less to go wrong and less adjustments, but if you have one setup properly you get a loverly cut without that ripped/torn finish to the top of the grass.

I try to let the grass grow to about 2-3 inches before I give it a first snip.
It looks like drought might be a problem again this year, Id advise anyone to start any seed sowing now unless they are willing to dampen maybe twice a day.
Either that or wait until september and lie on the dust

oleras

CJhaughey wrote:

Get a Wolf Garten Scooter, it has a 55cm or 22" cut and is available for €1400 delivered from Germany.

Do you have one CJ, or seen one in operation ? They sound like a good idea and a bit of fun for cutting the garden. I have only about 1/2 an acre myself, takes about 2 hours and am torn between getting a ride on or staying with the self propelled i bought 2 years ago, cost me 800 bucks, but a great cutter and 6.5hp engine. I have seen in 4home a stiga 6.5/63 for 1600 bucks and was thinking about that, but the scooter looks all right !!

CJhaughey

I saw one in Galway, the guy has had it for 8 years and the only thing that has gone wrong is the Electric start, He just pull starts it now.
Anyway he loves it aluminium deck= no rust, for the money it is great value.
I will be getting mine as soon as the SSIA comes through....
Search for Wolf scooter on the german ebay site and one seller is called rasencarle, 1199 +249 delivery to IE.

prospect

Flipping heck, i had to go back 4 pages to dig up this thread. It seems like only yesterday when it was top of the list. You are a busy lot on the Garden & Diy forum.

Anyway, just to update you, I bought a Hsqvarna 15HP ride on at the punchestown show at the weekend. It has a a 38" cut, and has the option to mulch or collect.
It was €1950. I have to get my garage sorted now before I can arrange delivery.

squire1

That sounds like a very good price for a Husqui. Well done.

ciasto

Here is an idea.

I was having the same problem, it just takes too long to do a garden that size and I got lots of other stuff to do so here is what I came up with for the moment.

If you lucky enough that your garden is a square or near enough.

Find the center, beat a solid peace off wood like a 2x4 into the ground and get a self propelled lawnmower. Tie it by the rope and let it cut the lawn itself. As its forced to go around it will wrap around the pole and cut a little more everytime.

It really works, I leave the box off mine and it looks great. Will have to post a video.

BostonB

ciasto wrote:

...It really works, I leave the box off mine and it looks great. Will have to post a video.

:eek:

peasant

For those of you out there that don't have lawns, but meadows, I'd recommend the products of this crowd:
http://www.as-motor.de/english
Especially this little beastie:
http://www.as-motor.de/products/AS26-AH93

I've had mine for 7 years now, it cuts my bumpy and hilly 0.5 acre dog run in less than 45 minutes ...even when the grass hasn't been cut for months.
It's also great for clearing brambles and weeds.
Never had any trouble with it.

The Irish dealer is in Kildare

Builderwoman!

Peasant...do you mind posting the name of the Kildare dealer? Many thanks!

oleras

Builderwoman! wrote:

Peasant...do you mind posting the name of the Kildare dealer? Many thanks!

from there website.

Republic of Ireland
Southern Machinery Ltd.
Downings,
Posperous, Co. Kildare

Tel. +353 - 45 860031
Fax: +353 - 45 860974
E-Mail: gtutty@eircom.net

cavanman3000

PoolDude wrote: »

Thanks 2-Stroke.

Does anyone know if I cannot use the mulcher on it for the first couple of years? My lawn was only seeded a couple of weeks ago (full site circa .75 acre) and a neighbour mentioned that with a new lawn the mulcher should not be used until the lawn has had a couple of years of growth as the blades will pull it up - surely thats more to do with the types of blades and the cutting mechanism deployed?

hi pool dude, i seen they have the viking 17.5hp for €3000 in bailieborough, co cavan. looks good.

ive seen the rallys they are defo not the same, as far as i know viking are made by stihl.

thereformer

i got a viking t6 in 2008 and cant recommend them enough,very tough built machine and great at collecting, i had A husqvarna and it broke my heart. i dont know why stihl dont label the vikings as stihl it might get them better known.

Joe7

Yes, looking at my lawn covered in 6 inches of snow made me think of buying a new mower too, so I started digging up 4 year old threads . . .

cnocbui

thereformer wrote: »

i got a viking t6 in 2008 and cant recommend them enough,very tough built machine and great at collecting, i had A husqvarna and it broke my heart. i dont know why stihl dont label the vikings as stihl it might get them better known.

Probably because only a couple of models actually had Stihl motors in them, AFAIK, and they were green, not orange ;-)

thereformer

i think they all have briggs and stratton engines except for a kawasaki in one or two models.i dont think stihl make engines for lawnmowers either, its a lovely mower to use, anyway its a funny time of year to be talking about lawns! i thought i'd be the only maniac!:)

Urman

Hi Folks, Lots of good advice and experience on here, hoping I can tap into it.
I'm looking to buy a tractor lawn mower. I have a caroni TC910 (7tf finishing mower) driven by a MF35 which is not suitable for what I m cutting. I have 3/4 acre which is broken into sections with slight hills so I think a ride on is more suitable.

have looked at a lot of second hands and one came up, a John Deere LA125, 21HP 42inch deck. The owner told me it was shipped from America and he mulches with it. It noted there is a new engine in it since he was not informed that in America they normally put additives in the petrol, and the old one went bang!

He also noted that it has a collecting bag, but its not very good at picking up grass.
My first question is:
I was wondering if this is due to the wrong blades being on the mower, or is it just not suitable for the Irish grass type.


I was also thinking of biting the bullet and getting a new one and was considering a Viking MT 5112 Z. Anyone have experience of this machine?

agusta

ID be steering clear of the john deere.there not like the john deere tractors,afaik castel garden make them.The lawnmower i like the best is the honda HF 2417