Hapiness is a petrol lawnmower

[magirus]

Sadly this particular window of opportunity has now closed as Mrs V has told me that I must not get involved with the young ladies garden

Such a shame. You three could have weeded and planted so well together.

[MonkeyBoy]

Thank you for the detailed response

There is generally 3 options. Standard tractor type, either with a sealed off deck or a mulch plug fitted. These are dead on, generally work better as a collector machine but good if you need both options. Start at £2k for a 36" machine new.

Front deck mowers, the 2 best manufacturers for these are Stiga and Husqvarna. The advantage of these is manoeuvrability and they leave a superb finish. Also good for under shrubs etc. Downside is they're not the most robust thing if you bump a tree, and they don't love long grass if you've been on holiday for 3 weeks you'll need to cut it 2 or 3 times. Start between 2.5 and 3k new.

Zero turns. An American design but I like them. Go for Ariens, they offer everything the dearer makes like Toro etc do but for less money. They are very fast, robust and exceptionally manoeuvrable. Downsides are the finish isn't as good as a front deck, and they can mark the grass till you get used to how to properly drive a skid steer. Some never do. £3k will get you a twin cylinder 42" new.

Used is a minefield, mowers aren't like cars, people don't trade in every 3 years, more tend to keep them till they start to give bother. Mower parts are expensive, every bit as expensive as car parts. As an example the average Husqvarna clutch is over £200 for the part alone, plus you'll need belts etc on top of that. For that reason I'd always advise new unless your reasonably mechanical and the machine checks out.

[Xantiagib]

Zero emissions lawnmower considered - this one looks tasty

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-38...8110/300246266

[ralphy]

@IrishBoy, what would you recommend for a small(ish) petrol cylinder mower please, specifically quality build?

R

[NickMSM]

@IrishBoy, what would you recommend for a small(ish) petrol cylinder mower please, specifically quality build?

R

Can't go wrong with an Allett IMO. 14 or 17'' cut.

[oldoakknives]

Allett. Still made in England. We stock the 14, 17 and 20 inch ones with the Kawasaki engine. Pm me if your interested I'll do a good deal.

https://www.allett.co.uk/mowers/home...ington-petrol/

What's your view on the Classic series with the Loncin four-stroke? Seems like some good deals about on those.

[paul staines]

Anything with a Honda engine will give no bother !

[dickbrowne]

I believe a freshly-filled full petrol can allows the petrol to be stored for up to 12 months. However, once it has been re-opened the volatility degrades and has probably only 3 months left before it becomes problematical.

R

Have the exact same mower as the OP. We have about an acre to look after and it copes really well with everything but the edges, which get strimmed every few weeks. Petroleum strummer naturally.

I have an ex-army Jerry can which lasts about a year and a half, surprisingly I’ve never had a problem with the petrol going off, but I have been known to pop a little Castrol R in occasionally to relive my youth.

[Irish boy]

@IrishBoy, what would you recommend for a small(ish) petrol cylinder mower please, specifically quality build?

R

Yeah the Kensington 14k with the Kawasaki is superb. So quiet, smooth and superbly built. I can do you one at £1075 delivered including the grass box etc. There is a 17" and 20" too.

[Irish boy]

What's your view on the Classic series with the Loncin four-stroke? Seems like some good deals about on those.

I'm a fan of loncin. In fact I have one myself. Percentage wise per number sold we process less warranty claims for loncin than any other engine, by quite a margin too. To be honest I don't have massive experience with the classic itself, think they're about £689 delivered, tho I have used them at the alllett demonstration day and it seemed a very decent machine.

[Irish boy]

Hadnt thought of that! What additive to you use?

From experience these are the best.....

https://mitox.co.uk/index.php/produc...ngle-pack.html

https://mitox.co.uk/index.php/produc...ser-236ml.html

[Irish boy]

Due to a load of pm's on pistonheads I scribbled out a bit of a guide last year on lawn tractors, I'll copy and paste it here incase it helps anyone. I did mean to do one on other garden machinery but haven't got round to it yet.






Ok so we import and distribute garden machinery. A couple of members that know what I do and have asked me for advice suggested I put a post up to assist anyone looking a new ride on as the weather picks up.

What size of tractor do I need. Theres no absolute answer to this, the smallest 25" machine will cut 2 acres, if you have the time. Generally standard domestic 'tractor' shape machines start at 30" and go to 50", with 40" being the most popular.

I would look at engine brand and size as well, obviously the big names ie Briggs, Honda and Kawasaki are the ones to look for. Loncin are up and coming and doing very well. On the smaller 30-33" machines 350cc is ample, 36" and above I tend to recommend one of the bigger units. 500cc minimum but also a V-twin cylinder if possible. Similar to a v8 in a car, these are more relaxed, lower reving and generally under less pressure. They also have an oil pump/filter so are more suitable for slopes.

How is the grass collected. Theres 3 main ways, straight up between the back wheels, up a pipe on the side or it is a mulch machine which I'll look at later.
The side pipe machines are very often discounted due to their poorer performance in wet grass, but they have 2 big advantages that are often overlooked. The bins on the back can be lifted off and tipped over a fence/into a trailer or they can be lined with bin liners.
Generally tho the straight thru collection is the most popular due to its more compact nature and its wet performance.

Mulch machines generally are either out front machines or zero turns. We do well with both but make sure you buy the correct machine, the front decks leave a lovely smooth fine finish and are very manoeuvrable, the zero turns are faster, generally come with a fabricated deck and are more robust but do not leave as good a finish. They suit people who have a large area, but not all set out as fine lawns, they will handle longer rougher grass and can also side discharge. Also if you choose to mulch you need to cut more often.

Brand. Generally it is good to go with something that has a dealer near you for servicing and parts for when the worst happens and you catch a tree root or break a belt. GGP would be one of the biggest uk brands, imagine very loosely vw/seat/skoda/audi. Mountfield, Stiga, Atco, Alpina, Castelgarden etc are all manufactured by GGP in Italy (33" machine and a couple of others are Chinese made). The are different colours and slightly different spec eg Stiga would be considered the Audi of the group hence gets led lights etc. They are a solid choice and have good parts back up.

Countax are still made in the uk, I liken them to Bristol, made in an aircraft hanger by a small workforce, expensive, latest ones not as well built as their reputation would suggest but have followers that will buy literally nothing else. We sell a few, they need a very good pdi before they go out, but customers are generally happy with them.

Husqvarna are generally spot on, reasonable price and performance. Ford/Vauxhall. Good parts availability. Some build issues the last couple of years but they are on top of it now. Market leaders on front decks and robots. Stopping making tractors from next year.

John Deere, well made machine but the biggest complaint is poor in even damp conditions. May not be an issue to those in the south but up around Scotland it could be a factor. Can be improved with high lift blades and some other mods.

Ariens, UK's fastest growing zero turn machine and a solid choice if you want a zero turn. Go for the ikon range tho as you get the fabricated deck as standard along with a twin cylinder kawasaki for less than £500 more than the standard zoom.

Alko, probably my top choice. Made in Austria, superb in damp/wet conditions, even the 36" comes on a 656cc v twin briggs and they are very well put together. They also have an offset deck with no timing belt which is a good thing, timing belts keep the blades in check but if you hit a root and knock the timing out it has to be reset which is tricky at home. With Alko I tend to think Volvo.

When buying a machine the dealers wont have a massive margin, under £500 is the norm so do not be expecting loads off, but ask for some extras, does it come with a mulch plug? Battery charger for the winter? Cover? Tow kit for small trailers/aerators/scarifiers etc? Generally these are low cost to the dealer and can be worked into the deal. Some are offering finance, some various length of warranty etc. Also check if the dealer collects it for servicing, can be an issue for those with no trailer, I know dealers who charge £3 per mile.

Hopefully this was useful to someone, any questions just ask.

[ralphy]

^^^ Very useful, thanks.

PM on it's way to you shortly.

R

[oldoakknives]

I'm a fan of loncin. In fact I have one myself. Percentage wise per number sold we process less warranty claims for loncin than any other engine, by quite a margin too. To be honest I don't have massive experience with the classic itself, think they're about £689 delivered, tho I have used them at the alllett demonstration day and it seemed a very decent machine.

Thank you, I hadn't heard of them until recently so had nothing to go on. Perhaps it's soon going to be time to retire the rotary mower, although it works reasonably well at the moment.

[rfrazier]

I use a manual push mower to please my wife (and myself). She likes to hear the whirl of the cutting blade. I do too. We only have a small lawn in the back garden, however. Something like 15x3.5 m.

Best wishes,
Bob

[oldoakknives]

I'm a fan of loncin. In fact I have one myself. Percentage wise per number sold we process less warranty claims for loncin than any other engine, by quite a margin too. To be honest I don't have massive experience with the classic itself, think they're about £689 delivered, tho I have used them at the alllett demonstration day and it seemed a very decent machine.

You have a pm.

[Tifa]

I use a manual push mower to please my wife (and myself). She likes to hear the whirl of the cutting blade. I do too. We only have a small lawn in the back garden, however. Something like 15x3.5 m.

Best wishes,
Bob

Perfect.

[Irish boy]

You have a pm.

Apologies missed it yesterday, thats it replied to now.