petrol lawnmower

moneylover

Son just moved into a 1930s house with typically large garden and wants to buy a petrol lawnmower. Which report not much help as they have only done a general lawnmower report not one specifically on petrol mowers.
Needs to get a mower quite fast and cannot decide whether to pay several hundred for a mower or buy a cheapie from B&Q and hope gets a hassle free couple of years out of it and worry about a more expensive mower later when time to research more available, more funds etc..
Any advice on what should pay/ look for etc gratefully received from the many experts out there...

steveo3002

weve had a hayter brand for sometime...seems okay

had a briggs and straton before that for many many years

Locknut

I would say the best plan and what a freind of mine did was buy a Suffok punch or similar from the small ad's spend about £50 on a good service and blade sharpen, you will never have to buy another lawnmower again. Oh and you get lovely lines on the grass too

beaker141

I bought a Honda Izy petrol mower and I am very pleased with it - before this I went through a string of "cheap" mowers that only lasted 2-3 years of light use.

I am hoping with a bit of care this Honda should last 10 years +, although the deck has got a bit of surface rust underneath (after 2 years) but I have treated this with a bit of a rust remover and may get some zinc primer or something else sprayed on it.

I also changed the oil last weekend - it was a doddle - took all of about 8 minutes to do so I might do that annually now.

Johnhowell

There are a few mower websites that select a mower based on the size and nature of the garden. We have about .25 acre of grass and a petrol self propelled 18" mower does OK.

I would recommend a Honda engine rather than Briggs and Stratton - ours is difficult to initially start and then fluctuates. I understand that the diaphram in the carb. is an issue in these models. Pay the extra few £ for reliability.

Regards,
John

darkcloudi

I would also recommend the Honda petrol lawnmowers, they are expensive I paid £450 for mine and they can be even more expensive depending on the model you get. You can pick one up from Costco or even B&Q.

A standard electric one would do as some of my neighbours use that, but preferred a petrol one to avoid the messy wires.

Ebe_Scrooge

I've got a "Champion" - I think it's Focus own brand, with a Briggs & Stratton engine. Can't fault it, I've had it about 15 years now, and it gets a lot of heavy use. I just do basic servicing - at the end of each year, give it a really good clean, change the oil, clean the filter, fill the cylinder bore with oil, empty the fuel tank and spray the whole thing liberally with WD40 ( we've got a very damp garage ). It always starts first time, even after languishing in the damp for 6 months. Honda engines have also got a very good recommendation.

I would go for a 4-stroke rather than a 2-stroke engine. 2-strokes are brilliant when they're working, and you get more power for a given engine size, but a 4-stroke is a lot more reliable, and very easy to maintain / fix.

Johnhowell

Ebe,

Mine is a Champion as well (R484TR). Built by Lawn King, part of the GGP group of Italy. Took me a long time to find a supplier of parts for it. 4-stroke all the way. The engine was serviced last year and the diaphragm replaced. Now easier to start (pump three times, pull three times, pump again and then start) but still fluctuates, even once warmed up.

John

moneylover

all such excellent replies, thank you so much, have given individual thanks!!!