On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 04:49:15 +1000, len gardener
wrote:

g'day cat,

for me go for the 21" cut and the bigger horsepower, that's been my
experiences.

I too have a substantial 'lawn' - and I've used an assortment of
lawnmowers over the years ( all gleaned from the local tip - £5 a
throw ).
I've found that blades of 19" and above sound fine in theory, but
unless you have the horsepower to drive it, and a reasonably level
lawn, it can take half as long again to cut the grass than with an 18"
blade.
3.5HP seems fine for blades up to 18" on rough or heavy lawns - I'd go
for at least 5HP for a mower with a bigger blade for the same lawn
type.

Similarly, if you have a lot of nooks and crannies you might find that
machines with powered wheels can be a bit impractical - as well as
adding to the weight of the lawnmower.

Never used a mulcher, so can't comment on its effectiveness.

A decent machine is a hefty expense - so perhaps a good idea would be
to hire a couple of different machines over a weekend and see which
suits your situation best.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk