On 12/07/16 10:46, John Rumm wrote:
On 12/07/2016 09:11, Tim+ wrote:
Stephen wrote:
Hello,

Well my repairs to my lawnmower have not been particularly
long-lasting, so I am back looking for a new mower. I see that petrol
mowers come in 41cm or 46cm width of cut. That doesn't seem much of a
difference: is it? Which width is best to go for?

The reviews about self-propelled mowers seem contradictory. I think a
variable speed one would add more to the cost. Some reviewers say the
single speed ones are too fast; others say they are fine. What is the
reality in your experience?

Thanks,
Stephen.


Just a couple of other things you might like to think about.

Deck material. Steel decks will rust eventually, a good plastic/GRP deck
will last until you do something really stupid. ;-) Mine is 25 yrs old and
still going strong.

With emphasis on the "good"... My Hayter has what appears to be an Ali
deck, but the lower rear section is actually plastic. This is fine
except for one design feature, where the rear axle is fixed to this with
a couple of plates screwed over a notch in the plastic. Eventually the
plastic cracks, and the rear axle falls off! I am on my third or
possibly fourth rear plastic bit in 25 years...

Rear roller. Not just good for putting stripes on the lawn but also makes
it easier to mow over the edges of the lawn as it's easier to stop the
mower tipping and scalping the grass.

Horse power. The B&S 3.5 Hp engine is pretty ubiquitous on 16" mowers and
does a pretty good job. That said, I was using a 5 hp Honda engined mower
yesterday and the extra oomph was nice for longer grass. Personally think
that cold starting isn't as good with the Honda engine.

More power is important if you want to be able to mulch as well.

A rear roller is only useful if you have a decent lawn and short grass
to begin with. I use an electric self-powered mower with 50% overlap on
the return cut for the lousy grass I have. If there was a roller the
grass would be flattened and there would be no point in an overlap cut.

I find the self-power useful on long straight cuts, but it is too
difficult to control on some curves, as it is too fast.

--

Jeff