Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy

On Sun, 3 Jul 2011 22:23:47 +0100, Janet Tweedy wrote:

Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

That might require change of use permission from the local council.
It may affect what is considered to be the curtailage of the main
building which has other knock on planning implications.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.

I'd expect there to be a loose relationship between the size of the
mower, the area to be cut, what that area is like (obstructions like
trees or rocks), flat, on a slope or changes in gradient.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Jul 3, 10:23*pm, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy

Probably cheaper to get a 2nd hand agricutlural tractor and a topper.
Also much more robust than this garden crap.

Best to get a new topper, they get some hammer. Or at least cheack
out very carefully.

Tractor also much more useful than the garden things, lots more
accessories can be obtained/used. Also runs on red diesel, much
cheaper than petrol.

Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

They should find a supplier who also services (Not one of the sheds, a
place that has its own repair and servicing workshop) who will advise them
on the right size and performance of mower for their circumstance/needs
and should offer to bring one out for a free demo. Authorised Countax
dealers do that.

Another consideration, is to choose a supplier who offers collection
and return for servicing and repairs.

In my experience and friends', ride on domestic mowers will NOT cut
tall rough meadow grass (a foot high +) whatever the brand and ads say.
So, they are really only any good for regular mowing.

We have a Kubota diesel ride-on mower and that *does* mow just about
anything, basically if you dare drive through it the mower will mow it.

I lent it to a friend just this week-end to top his paddock which was
full of thistles and he said it did a brilliant job where his ride-on
simply couldn't cope.


If they are thinking in terms of a wildflower meadow or just topping a
paddock maybe a couple of times in the six-month growing season, they will
need some other means to make the long coarse cuts(like a powerful
strimmer, or paying a nearby farmer to run his haycutter round it, or
buying a professional grass tractor like a Kubota).

Our Kubota *isn't* a tractor (we have a little Iseki tractor for
tractor type jobs), it really is a ride-on mower, just a very tough
one. (Model T1600, I think the latest is at least a T1700 now)

--
Chris Green

harry wrote:
On Jul 3, 10:23Â*pm, Janet Tweedy wrote:
Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy

Probably cheaper to get a 2nd hand agricutlural tractor and a topper.
Also much more robust than this garden crap.

Best to get a new topper, they get some hammer. Or at least cheack
out very carefully.

Tractor also much more useful than the garden things, lots more
accessories can be obtained/used. Also runs on red diesel, much
cheaper than petrol.

If you can get red diesel in small quantities.

As per my previous response, consider Kubota ride-on, it's a half-way
house between 'domestic' ride-on mowers and a full blown tractor. It
runs on diesel too.

--
Chris Green

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as big
as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.


I would recommend a garden machinery specialist. Not only can they advise on
the size of machine, but they normally have second-hand machines traded in.
I have just bought my third second hand machine in about 15 years. All have
been quality machines and have given trouble free mowing despite costing
below half their new price.

The biggest advantage of a ride on it that it will mow faster than you would
walk.

If funds are ample a small diesel engined tractor plus mower would be more
versatile, and cheaper to run.

Mike

On Mon, 4 Jul 2011 08:51:39 +0100, wrote:

If you can get red diesel in small quantities.

I just took a jerry can down to the local garage and signed the book
saying what I wanted it for (small diesel gen set). But then we are
remote and rural not urban...

That garage is in the process of being redeveloped, I hope they keep
the red pump. If not there is another garage but not sure if they
have red. Failing that if I approached many of the local farmers with
a crisp £20 note they'd let me have 20l from their tank. I should
imagine red is about 60 to 70p/l ATM.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 07/04/2011 09:50 AM, wrote:
Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

They should find a supplier who also services (Not one of the sheds, a
place that has its own repair and servicing workshop) who will advise them
on the right size and performance of mower for their circumstance/needs
and should offer to bring one out for a free demo. Authorised Countax
dealers do that.

Another consideration, is to choose a supplier who offers collection
and return for servicing and repairs.

In my experience and friends', ride on domestic mowers will NOT cut
tall rough meadow grass (a foot high +) whatever the brand and ads say.
So, they are really only any good for regular mowing.

We have a Kubota diesel ride-on mower and that *does* mow just about
anything, basically if you dare drive through it the mower will mow it.

I lent it to a friend just this week-end to top his paddock which was
full of thistles and he said it did a brilliant job where his ride-on
simply couldn't cope.



I broke a T1600 in heavy wet grass. My impression of it wasn't that
great, sorry. It did clog up somewhat. (Luckily it was a loaner from
the shop). I also had a 2100 for about a month, it seemed a bit more rugged.

I currently use a Countax and although they do make a high-grass cutting
deck which I think works quite well I can no longer recommend the
quality. I even had to replace the transmission last year after only
about 650 hours. Basically it works well when it works at all.

For field work a small Kubota or Iseki is better (I use the former,
there are lots available on the gray market) but they don't offer much
for a finished lawn unless you invest in grass tyres and an expensive
cylinder cutter.

-E

Our experience is similar. We have a Countax lawn tractor which we bought from the previous owners of the house. It's about thirteen years old and going fine on the large lawn. It can't cope with tall grass - our 'meadow' gets waist high by August and it definitely can't cope with that. We have once had a farmer in to mow it for hay, once strimmed it, and this year are planning on hiring a heavy-duty mower for a day to cut it down.

Laura

On 2011-07-03 22:23:47 +0100, Janet Tweedy said:

Friends who have a paddock which they want to bring into some sort of
order are debating about a sit on mower. The paddock is quite large and
they may well develop two more and make one a garden with lawn.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.
If recon. Where would you recommend they go? They live near Aylesbury.

If you choose a ride-on with a decent engine (15hp minimum), 4WD and
good sized wheels, and are prepared to mow regularly, you could manage
with something like my Stiga out-front mulching mower. It's fine for my
1 acre lawn (no emptying!) and my friend has an identical machine which
he uses to maintain a 1 acre paddock. It has a pedal to raise the deck
up so it can cut grass up to approx 1ft high; and with the deck down it
gives a good and easy finish to the lawn. Plenty around second-hand or
approx £3500 new:
http://tools4thegarden.co.uk/Tractor...wer/p-343-290/

If

he has let the paddock get out of control, ie over 1ft tall, he uses a
wheeled Billy Goat petrol strimmer to knock it back into shape.

In article o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
That might require change of use permission from the local council.
It may affect what is considered to be the curtailage of the main
building which has other knock on planning implications.

Is it worth them going down the second hand recon. Path and getting as
big as possible or go for something smaller but brand new.

I'd expect there to be a loose relationship between the size of the
mower, the area to be cut, what that area is like (obstructions like
trees or rocks), flat, on a slope or changes in gradient.



No it's fine where they are. Not agricultural any more. Used to be a
farmhouse and then a kennels, then a cattery now a house and stables etc
being turned into a house. They won't make it a manicured perfect garden
just cut the grass a bit and plant some big shrubs well, big until the
blinking deer get hold of them no doubt.


It's a flattish bit of paddock/pasture/ex pig field.
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article ,
Janet writes
Another consideration, is to choose a supplier who offers collection
and return for servicing and repairs.

In my experience and friends', ride on domestic mowers will NOT cut
tall rough meadow grass (a foot high +) whatever the brand and ads say.
So, they are really only any good for regular mowing.

If they are thinking in terms of a wildflower meadow or just topping a
paddock maybe a couple of times in the six-month growing season, they will
need some other means to make the long coarse cuts(like a powerful
strimmer, or paying a nearby farmer to run his haycutter round it, or
buying a professional grass tractor like a Kubota).

Janet.


Oh good info. Janet I'll pass this on to them.

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , writes
Our Kubota *isn't* a tractor (we have a little Iseki tractor for
tractor type jobs), it really is a ride-on mower, just a very tough
one. (Model T1600, I think the latest is at least a T1700 now)

--
Chris Green


Thanks Chris, food for thought!
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , MuddyMike
writes
I would recommend a garden machinery specialist. Not only can they advise on
the size of machine, but they normally have second-hand machines traded in.
I have just bought my third second hand machine in about 15 years. All have
been quality machines and have given trouble free mowing despite costing
below half their new price.

The biggest advantage of a ride on it that it will mow faster than you would
walk.

If funds are ample a small diesel engined tractor plus mower would be more
versatile, and cheaper to run.

Mike



The tractor bit sounds the best bet then as they have put a couple of
acres or rather an acre and a bit to an orchard so the grass there could
be presumably mowed as well?

Thanks for all the information, I'll pass it all on

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Stan The Man
writes
If
he has let the paddock get out of control, ie over 1ft tall, he uses a
wheeled Billy Goat petrol strimmer to knock it back into shape.


Ooh now a goat or two first, That might be an idea! They cleared the
original area with two sets of pigs over a couple of years , it's now
just grass so maybe a goat for a while?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk