Rover self propelled lawnmower-equally good cheaper alternative?

justaquestion

Hi,


I have an old rover petrol lawnmower going well, only I am getting older and finding it a bit hard to push around.


Just enquired from my local dealer about self propelled Rover mowers and couldn't believe it, more or less told me he was doing me a favour by offering me a 20 inch Rover Self propelled for £575 down from over £600. Brigs and Stratton engine, think old one has this engine too.


Surely there has to be an equally as good cheaper alternative petrol self-propelled?


Thanks for any advice

System

how about one of these
http://www.screwfix.com/search?search=petrol self propeled mower

daveyjp

Aldi Briggs and Stratton lawnmower was less than £200, but I haven't seen them for a couple of weeks.

My dad bought one and he's amazed how well it does the job considering the price.

glasgowdan

Self propelled drive will be flimsy in a cheap machine. Used hondas may be a good option.

phil24_7

I bought an aluminium decked, self-powered, Husqvarna. Got it from a local trader for £420 and it has a Briggs engine. I was looking at Hondas but I really wanted an ally deck and I couldn't afford both options.

Being aluminium it doesn't rust through my neglectful cleaning regime!!!

Davesnave

A well looked-after s.h. Honda with alloy deck for me every time. Mine is well over 25 years old, uses no oil and it looks kinda rough......but the reliability and the cut!

dominoman

I've been doing quite a lot of research into this same topic for my mother's new mower. She's in her 70s and finding her 25 year old petrol mower more difficult to start and use.

I'd aim to spend around £400 for a decent petrol mower. Any cheaper than that and it's a false economy.

If you're finding it hard to push now it will only get worse, so get a self-propelled one. Also, I'd really really recommend electric start. It adds to the cost but means you don't have to mess around with a pull cord. New electric mowers will all have an automatic kill-switch (or "dead man's handle") to stop them operating if you let go. That means that every time you empty the grass you'll need to restart it. An important consideration which probably didn't affect your older mower.

The other option is a cordless electric one. They are reliable and effective now. Not much that can go wrong with them, and they are light and easy to manouvre. Aim for a 4AH battery if you have a medium to large lawn.

In summary I'd recommend either:
For petrol, self propelled, electric start: http://www.screwfix.com/p/mountfield-sp533es-51cm-3-4hp-160cc-self-propelled-rotary-petrol-lawn-mower/29241

or for cordless electric: http://www.diy.com/departments/bosch-rotak-410-li-ergoflex-cordless-li-ion-steel-lawnmower/939705_BQ.prd

If you google you may find the same models a little cheaper - though not much I expect.

phil24_7

This is what I have and it's a lovely bit of kit.

http://www.crwillcocks.co.uk/garden-machinery/new-garden-machinery/grass-cutting/lawn-mowers/petrol-mowers/husqvarna-r150sv/