Daydream fund challenge part 4

Fay

Thanks In my wellies and greenbee. I did wonder about the cordless ones. I don’t think I’ll have a large lawn left once I’ve done the birders etc so the petrol one (keeps auto correcting to petroleum lol) could be overkill!

greenbee

I found that my petrol mower didn't like my small lawn as it was never running for long enough to get going properly - I used to do my neighbours' front garden to keep it happy!

If the lawn is really small you could look at a robot mower (they're expensive though).

Davesnave

My 1985 Honda is superb, but probably too big for an average lawn. I actually serviced it a few weeks ago. Still uses no oil! I'd second going electric; cordless for convenience and corded for value. Something like a Bosch Rotak for either, I suppose. Popular and spares are easy.

Wind from the east meant the last hedging bonfire today, this time on the bottom field. I was clearing-up after the willow tidying, the cherry tree removal and some lower streamside hedge work last November.

Think we are about to have some welcome rain......

greenbee

Thanks Dave. I always used to end up tangled in the cable on the corded ones and my current garden is too big. I’m hoping we can restart my petrol mower and keep it going for another year, but if not I think it’s time for a cordless one. I’m just confused by th amount of choice! For example, how do I know what cutting width I want, and does it matter whether it is steel or polypropylene? I have about 0.25 acre of bumpy ‘lawn’ which is full of wildflowers (or weeds, depending on your point of view) and vole holes, with sloping banks down to the streams on two sides. And as i’m frequently away when it needs cutting it can get quite long and need two cuts in a row.

Davesnave

greenbee wrote: »

Thanks Dave. I always used to end up tangled in the cable on the corded ones and my current garden is too big. I’m hoping we can restart my petrol mower and keep it going for another year, but if not I think it’s time for a cordless one. I’m just confused by th amount of choice! For example, how do I know what cutting width I want, and does it matter whether it is steel or polypropylene? I have about 0.25 acre of bumpy ‘lawn’ which is full of wildflowers (or weeds, depending on your point of view) and vole holes, with sloping banks down to the streams on two sides. And as i’m frequently away when it needs cutting it can get quite long and need two cuts in a row.

1/4 acre needs what used to be 21" cut.

It's really hard to advise on mowers without seeing the ground. When we came here, there were so many stones and rough patches any plastic mower would have been destroyed. I tamed it with Pete's mum's redundant old Mountfield and something similar I also had, but after a couple of years they were wrecked. The Honda replaced a Hayterette, which was up to the job, but knackered engine-wise.

Now, I rarely hit stones in the main garden and the aluminium deck Honda copes if I do, but for rough areas like the banks in the woodland I use the brushcutter.

I would get your old petrol serviced, if possible. Meanwhile investigate all the options, including cordless brush-cutters. It's vital to have the right tools. My cordless chainsaw is a good example: brilliant for hedging and felling trees of 6"- 8" diameter, and it will do up to 12", but if I was mainly felling the larger size trees, I'd go petrol and use the battery saw for limbing only.

greenbee

Thanks Dave. My brother keeps saying he’s going to come over to help me service the mower, but the grass just keeps getting longer. If he doesn’t do it this weekend i’ll Have to get someone to do it (but I don’t like using the local place as they tend to keep stuff for ages and not give you any idea when things are coming back).

I’d do it myself, but I can’t work out how to get the cover off!

in_my_wellies

greenbee wrote: »

I’d do it myself, but I can’t work out how to get the cover off!

My son unexpectedly arrived home this evening in a brand new electric car with less than 300 miles on the clock. Then he had a problem. He couldn't work out how to get the cover off the charging point. :rotfl: It needed my daughter to work it out. :T

alfie_1

so who's the joker that turned the thermo down to 5 degrees and left the tap on !!!!

Davesnave

alfie_1 wrote: »

so who's the joker that turned the thermo down to 5 degrees and left the tap on !!!!

I was hoping for some of the wet stuff to settle my hedging in:p, but seems it had to come with a frosty sting in the tail. No harm done, unlike last year. It was much less severe - only about -2c or something for half a night and a couple of chilly days.


Anyway, temps are on the way up tonight as the rain sweeps in!

We're back to double figures at the weekend. :cool:


How's Mum?

alfie_1

dave... mums still in hosp .. she is trying to get back on her feet again ... doesn't need oxygen now and blood levels sorted ...
as they treated her for a clot , there is no sign of it so hopefully it was either minor and treatment sorted it or it dispersed safely ...
either way she is slowly on the mend ...so far . she will be in for a while yet but hopefully get moved to rehab..


weve had hailstones today !?