New Mower

eddeim1

Need a new mower and considering getting a petrol one.
What should I look out for and how much should I be looking to pay.

wallbash

My next mower will be Petrol , fed up with the cable.
Next-door neighbour has a small Mount joy , used once ... green with envy

Smoffi

I had 7 years of cord mower... last year got a petrol.. so much quicker and easier!!
I paid, I think, about £220 for mine..
Well worth it..

Just a bit of advise.. do NOT leave it all winter without starting it.. atleast once a fortnight/month to stop it ceasing up.

Steel_2

I've no idea about prices, but I do know there are certain things I find I have to watch out for being female (no idea if you are male or female?):

Weight - my last one was so heavy it nearly did me in and the weekly mowing became torture. The grass box alone was so large it had me staggering across the lawn to empty and when I tried to lift it to empty it into the compost heap...ow.

Self-propelled - my last one didn't have this and I had to push it manually, again after 90 minutes mowing my garden I was shattered.

Starting - from what I understand most petrol mowers when new are a doddle to start. However, a couple of years later they seem to absolute dogs. I could pull and pull and pull until my arm felt like it was coming out of my socket and I still couldn't yank the starter cable back with enough force to get it going.

I now have a rugged electric mower designed for medium to large gardens - while it takes me around 15 minutes longer to cut the grass, it's light enough that I can guide it with one hand and easily carry the grass box to empty. I made sure I purchased a 5 year guarantee with it.

Hubby of course hates it - claims he feels silly using it because it's a bit dinky - but as I cut the grass 9/10 times it's my choice!

Hubby reckons Mountfield or Bosch are both good makes, but it's worth looking on various review sites like ciao or sites that allow product reviews like argos to get a real life idea of what they are like to use.

WestonDave

I've got a secondhand Homebase £100 petrol one (with Briggs and Stratton engine) - its not heavy to push (to me - male but no bodybuilder!) nor to empty the grass bin. I've had it 3 years and although I check the oil etc, its not had any serious maintenance. It lives in an unheated shed all winter and started on the second pull after the winter (might have forgotten to hold the throttle open on the first pull so might have gone first time!). Never feels like its hard work to start and bearing in mind it cost me nothing (got it in exchange for a tiny flymo - wifes cousin was downsizing to a postage stamp and was happy to have our flymo and had no use for a petrol mower).

So on my experience, don't spend a lot of money - but maybe I just got lucky. To be fair B&S engines have a long reputation and that's the important bit.

Lotus-eater

I know there is a difference between the Mountfield that they sell in DIY superstores and the ones they sell in independent shops, they told me when I went to have a look.
I looked in the DIY sheds and they were right, the quality isn't as good, although I can't quite remember what it was now, we're going back a few years.

seraphina

You're better off buying a well-serviced second hand one than a cheap and cheerful new one. If your garden is larger than a postage stamp, seriously consider a self-propelled petrol one. The same engines are used by different manufacturers, so you'll find (eg) Honda engines in Alko's mowers. Good engines are Honda, Briggs and Stratton.

Primrose

We've got a Mountfield combined pull chord and key start model. Rather ancient now, but I still often can't start the wretched thing. Definitely good advice to strart it up a couple of times in the winter to stop it clogging up.

Whitefiver

Hi,

I too have a Mountfield, and it has done many years of faithful service.

I prefer the ones with the solid rear roller - to give stripes on the lawn, and you do need to keep an eye on the oil level from time to time.

I always add a small squirt of red-x to the fuel tank when I fill it up, and I find that makes starting MUCH easier. For the first start of the year, I also put a couple of drops of neat petrol (no more) down the air intake, when I clean out the air filter.

Hope that helps,

Regards,

White.

flimsier

My £90 petrol mower from B&Q has been superb so far. They seem to sell out very very fast though!

morg_monster

If you fancy going second hand, have a look on ebay, lots and lots on there. we picked up a small hover mower for £8, it is perfect for our small garden and my small arm muscles, makes mowing a doddle!