Lawn mower recommendations please

Perhaps you’ve set your mind on a petrol one, James, but, after much pulling of the arm out of the socket grief with obstinate and noisy petrol powered gadgets, I’ve largely gone over to battery (36v) or mains electric. Our lawn is only half the size of yours but it gets done in a quiet and efficient manner in 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon how long it’s been neglected. Our choice is a Bosch mains powered Rotak 43; sooo easy to use: sooo light and efficient.
My Bosch 36v chainsaws, BTW, will happily cut down a foot thick tree without all the dramatic RARGH -RARGH -RARGH and stinky fumes. I’m also planning on using their butch batteries to power an electric bike.
Anyway - mains LX - just a thought. They also do a 36v battery version, but it’s much dearer.

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Can you tell me where I can find the man who does the Lawn for 1 hr/6 EUR ?, as I have plenty of work for him.

I have a Tecumseh with a Briggs and Stratton motor, bought from le Clerc in 2001 ride on mower it’s as good as gold. I also bought at the same time a Debroussailleuse/Tondeuse again with a Briggs and Stratton engine it’s a push along not that you need to push as it drives itself quite nicely at walking speed through anything up to 8 inches high and that includes the big weeds. It does not collect but mulches the grass back into the grass that’s left.

Hi James,

Some thoughts on mulching.
There are three problems with grass collection.
The first is that, by removing the cuttings, you will gradually reduce the fertility of the soil and will have to add fertilizer if you want to keep a decent lawn.
The second is what to do with the stuff. You can only get rid of a certain amount in composting, and there’s many a garden with a slimy heap of cuttings in some infrequently visited corner.
Lastly, you have to keep stopping to empty the cuttings.
If you decide to follow the mulching option, you might like to consider a Flymo. The petrol model is just within your budget and comes with a Honda motor. Flymos are a joy to use and just float across the lawn with the lightest touch. You get a perfectly even cut, but no stripes for those who like that look.
My experience with conventional mowers is that they are not at their best in damp conditions, picking up cuttings on the wheels and generally making a mess. Because the Flymo doesn’t touch the ground, it still does a good job in less than ideal conditions.

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Hi James, You can’t go wrong with a HONDA, I have been here in France 30 years and I have only had 2 in all that time, and I am now going to get another, Never had any problems but make sure that you buy it from a proper Honda dealer, plus get it service by a Honda dealer. You might pay a little bit more on purchasing but it is worth it not to have any problems.

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I suggest you consider seriously a “mulching” lawnmower because it leaves the cut grass to settle, decay and thus enrich the soil that helps the grass grow and sustain itself particularly in hot summers.

Yes, they are more expensive - but neither do you have to necessarily remove the cut-grass.

Is it possible to add a mulching blade? I’m seriously considering a VIking mb650T and I think it can be modified, does that sound right?

It’s sold with a mulching kit in some countries and presumably you could buy the kit as an add-on if you wanted to.

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Mulching is often achieved by changing the way the grass exits or not. I have a three wheeled ‘brush cutter’ which normally has a hole in the side of the cutting deck to eject the cuttings but I have a plate that will block the exit to turn it into a mulcher. My Husqvarna normally ejects into a grass collection box but if the box is removed the exit closes and the mower mulches. The blades do not change.

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Yes, it is - but be careful to make sure the blade is adaptable to the machine. Which means this: Rather than buying the blade less expensively over the Internet, take your machine to a professional and have them do it.

I did not, and found myself with the wrong-blade for my machine. Contrary to what I had read on the Internet sales-site, the blade was not adaptable to “all lawn-mowers”.

Otoh, the mulcher grass-cutters are clearly different from the non-mulching versions. I think they are simpler because there is no pretence of having to only the cut-grass but to cut the grass into shorter pieces. The blades are very different between the two-types of grass-cutters.

A mulching FAQ site [here]

Chinese quality has gone down hill steadily, with one exception. If they are suppliers to foreign companies with advanced Quality Control techniques.

The problem, to my mind, is that far too many Chinese companies are competing with the “majors” - these latter being (at first) American of European countries that brought the product-technology to be manufactured at much lower cost in China.

China is graduating a great many engineers every year, and they do some outstanding work (their high-speed train system is a prime example). But, also, at the lower-cost end of the spectrum their quality is increasingly not up to par.

I’ve stopped buying anything just because it is dirt-cheap “Made-in-China” - I’ve had one disappointment too many …

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But James, I’ve had enough of Brexit and we need to get the real things in life like ‘boys and their toys’ - what did you get?
The public need to know :slight_smile:

Fair comment!

I got one of these, or very similar anyway, it’s ace!

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Blimey, 800€ for a mower to cut 250 sq metres, and someone who paid ninety quid to get a chainsaw serviced and didn’t even get a new chain.

Do you normally get a new chain with a service?!

To be honest I’m not sure on the chain, it was a service that my Dad arranged as a gift. Having unwrapped the saw a few weeks ago for the first time since the service it did look like new but I can’t be sure. I do know that it’s razor sharp.
Anyway, the point I was trying to make at the time was that a service (with/without a new chain) is the same cost as a whole new electric chainsaw (motor, guide etc) - where is the incentive to maintain, let alone repair or re-use?
I recently took a pair of Clarks shoes to be re-soled and guess what, the re-heel and re-sole cost as much as it did to buy the shoes in the first place! It’s only worth it because they are a) very comfortable and b) I particularly like the leather on the uppers.

What Trevor has raised is a very valid point that Mark Rimmer has also spotted,

the high labour costs in Southern England (required by the housing costs) mean that even if you think you have a good salary, the higher housing costs and servicing costs (anything you spend that has a labour cost) mean you are churning money very quickly just to stand still.
Could be why I want to get to France ASAP!!!

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i have petrol Webb , 200Euro online last year, does not cut too short so depends what you need the lawn for, if you wan to play cricket or bowls then not for you, the lowest cut is about 12.5 mm, not cutting short keeps the grass greener and protects fro summer sun

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Norman Hall

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