I have what is usually described as a Medium sized lawn.Quite a few ups and
downs and many difficult edges to negotiate.
My old Hover motor does a fair job of cutting, but not having any
adjustments for height of trim, means that I never can get a reasonable
close finish.
I am thinking of either getting a replacement mower or a second mower to go
over it when I want a closer, and nicer finish.
I am also undecided about petrol or electric, concerned that the petrol may
need regular servicing.
What suggestions can you make.
Many thanks

"caged lion" wrote in message
...


I am also undecided about petrol or electric, concerned that the petrol
may
need regular servicing.


Petrol all the time other than for small (define small?) lawns. The
cable-hassle factor is a real faff, once you've tried petrol you won't
consider electric again! Maintenance is trivial!

pk

"Paul Kelly" wrote in message
...

"caged lion" wrote in message
...


I am also undecided about petrol or electric, concerned that the petrol
may
need regular servicing.


Petrol all the time other than for small (define small?) lawns. The
cable-hassle factor is a real faff, once you've tried petrol you won't
consider electric again! Maintenance is trivial!

pk
i agree keep it cleaned and check the oil clean the plug now and then simple

On Sat, 19 Apr 2003 19:30:00 +0100, pied piper wrote:

i agree keep it cleaned and check the oil clean the plug now and
then simple

Change the oil once a year, some camps recommend at the end of the
season so it sits through the winter with nice clean oil in it rather
than nasty, possibly slightly corrosive, stuff. Also once it's sat all
winter any sludge is less likely to drain out easy.

--
Cheers
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.

"caged lion" wrote in message
...

I have what is usually described as a Medium sized lawn.Quite a few ups
and
downs and many difficult edges to negotiate.
snip
When I set out to buy a new rotary mower I was advised that if I had
difficult corners, small beds etc to negotiate I needed a mower with a rear
roller instead of the usual 'wheel at each corner' because if one rear wheel
went into a dip then the blade would dig into the lawn. With a rear roller
you can cut along the edge of beds by overhanging the rear roller which
keeps the mower level but allows the blades to cut up to (and beyond) the
edge of the grass.
Seemed logical, and works for me.
The rotary with a rear roller also gives a nice stripe to the lawn.
Four stroke petrol is fine - my mower (called Harry for some strange reason)
always starts easily and requires very little servicing.
It is a lot easier to use than previous electric or two stroke petrol
mowers.
HTH
Dave R

"pied piper" wrote in
:


I am also undecided about petrol or electric, concerned that the
petrol
may
need regular servicing.


Petrol all the time other than for small (define small?) lawns. The
cable-hassle factor is a real faff, once you've tried petrol you
won't consider electric again! Maintenance is trivial!

pk
i agree keep it cleaned and check the oil clean the plug now and then
simple

I disagree, unless you have a small estate down to grass.

Grew up with horrible oily, heavy, petrol mowers. Damn thing never
started first time, was a git to manoever over kerbs and round tight
bends, had to be serviced (and got into the car to get it to the service
place) - and expensive to replace too. It had driven wheels, and
consequently tended to take off like a skittish horse with the operator
racing desperately behind it on a downhill straight.

You can bark your knuckles pulling the starter cord thing if you aren't
tall enough too.

Of course, male friends of my father would see it and nod sagely.
'That's a proper mower' they would say. 'None of your cheap stuff' and
go on to talk of manly stuff like beer and spark plugs, probably.

Now I have a tiddly electric rotary made mostly of plastic. It's so
light! And so easy to move about my largish but hilly garden! And so
cheap! And it starts immediately as soon as I press a button. I don't
service it: if it goes wrong I shall simply buy a new one. I don't need
to keep petrol in a can in my shed, and I don't find the cable a problem
at all. Long cables are widely available and very easy to move about.

I bet Harry Potter's Dursley relatives would have a petrol mower.
You can keep 'em!

Victoria

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

I disagree, unless you have a small estate down to grass.

Grew up with horrible oily, heavy, petrol mowers. Damn thing never
started first time, was a git to manoever over kerbs and round tight
bends, had to be serviced (and got into the car to get it to the service
place) - and expensive to replace too. (snip)

Nah. When we sold our last house, I threw in the 8 yr old sit-on mower
to persuade buyers that they really could manage acres of grass, and
took with us the Hayter petrol mower which I bought second hand,
ex-hire, in 1984. It has been serviced once since I owned it, around
1988 iirc :-). When it rolled out of retirement this spring, it started
on the first pull ( I'm 5ft 2") and cuts as well as ever.

Janet.

Thanks for those helpful comments you kind people
John


"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

I disagree, unless you have a small estate down to grass.

Grew up with horrible oily, heavy, petrol mowers. Damn thing never
started first time, was a git to manoever over kerbs and round tight
bends, had to be serviced (and got into the car to get it to the service
place) - and expensive to replace too. (snip)

Nah. When we sold our last house, I threw in the 8 yr old sit-on mower
to persuade buyers that they really could manage acres of grass, and
took with us the Hayter petrol mower which I bought second hand,
ex-hire, in 1984. It has been serviced once since I owned it, around
1988 iirc :-). When it rolled out of retirement this spring, it started
on the first pull ( I'm 5ft 2") and cuts as well as ever.

Janet.

Paul Kelly wrote:


Petrol all the time other than for small (define small?) lawns. The
cable-hassle factor is a real faff, once you've tried petrol you won't
consider electric again! Maintenance is trivial!

Just got my first petrol mower - well happy with it.

I had a qualcast 10" cylinder and flymo 12" rotary electrics.

It is a wider cut, and more powerful so does not slow down the same as the
electrics, has a bigger grass collection box so does not need emptying as often
- I can do both lawns then empty it rather than having about 4 stops.

Lack of lead is brilliant - no messing about plugging in, slightly less worries
if everything not bone dry, no moving wires away from where I want to cut.

It is just a cheap £100 job with a B&S engine.
--
Paul Matthews

http://www.hepcats.co.uk