Rick McGreal wrote:
wrote in :

And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?
You can't be serious, the running cost of either a petrol or an
electric strimmer would be completely lost in the 'noise' of other
related expenses.

Oh....My neighbour has a petrol mower and his is not that noisy...

But I swear his cuts his grass MUCH faster than mine does does....

What has either of these fascinating facts got to do with running
costs? :-)

--
Chris Green )

Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote:

And where do you keep the extra fuel?

In the garage/shed etc.
Can I use a regular fuel can?

You just use a standard petrol can - a 5 litre plastic can from the
garage is fine.

You are only allowed to keep a maximum of two 5 litre cans of petrol
by the way, it's to minimise the fire risk. I don't suppose there are
petrol can police around but it's a moderately sensible limit anyway.


And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?

I don't think the relative running costs are really significant.

That was entirely my thought.

--
Chris Green )

Rick McGreal wrote:
Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote in
:

And I had a fit of embarressment when I had no idea where to get the
fuel....
In a petrol station........

Oh...Its just normal 4star fuel then?
(Boy do I feel an idiot now!)

You can't get 4 start any more you know! (Well it may be possible but
it's not very easy nowadays)


And where do you keep the extra fuel?
In the garage/shed etc.

Didn't know you could store fuel at home....
Even in such small quantities

As I just said, maximum of two 5 litre cans I think, and they must be
'proper' petrol cans of the approved type and colour.

--
Chris Green )

On 13 Jun 2003 07:19:33 GMT, Rick McGreal
wrote:

Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote in
:

And I had a fit of embarressment when I had no idea where to get the
fuel...
In a petrol station........

Oh...Its just normal 4star fuel then?
(Boy do I feel an idiot now!)

Unless you have a super-duper tuned engine on your lawn-mower, not even 4
star. 2 star'll be perfect. It'll work with 4-star but you're wasting your
money on anything more than the lowest octane you can get.
4-star is needed in high performance engines with high compression ratios,
which a lawn-mower engine is NOT. Using a higher octane fuel than required
is a waste of money and fuel and you'll likely get poorer performance out
of the engine (you'd be unlikely to notice the difference in performance on
a lawn-mower though).

Oops, better stop now, I'm beginning to drift off the subject....
Tim.

On 13 Jun 2003 08:33:50 GMT, wrote:

Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote:

And where do you keep the extra fuel?

In the garage/shed etc.
Can I use a regular fuel can?

You just use a standard petrol can - a 5 litre plastic can from the
garage is fine.

You are only allowed to keep a maximum of two 5 litre cans of petrol
by the way, it's to minimise the fire risk. I don't suppose there are
petrol can police around but it's a moderately sensible limit anyway.


And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?

I don't think the relative running costs are really significant.

That was entirely my thought.

One five-litre can of fuel will last you ages. That little fuel tank on the
strimmer lasts me well over an hour at full throttle. It must be around
250ml so that's a good 20 hours of work, or more.
Just make sure you know whether it's a 2-stroke or 4-stroke engine (most
are 4-stroke). In the unlikely event that it's a 2-stroke you'll *have* to
add 2-stroke oil to the fuel (or to a small tank on the mower) or you'll do
it in. The instruction book will tell you. Tim.

In message , Rick McGreal
writes
Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote in
:

And I had a fit of embarressment when I had no idea where to get the
fuel....
In a petrol station........

Oh...Its just normal 4star fuel then?
(Boy do I feel an idiot now!)


Well, it'll be unleaded I guess, not '4 star' -then only 4 star avaiable
now is Lead Replacement Petrol for older vehicles that can't run on
unleaded - and it's seems to be less and less common.

And where do you keep the extra fuel?
In the garage/shed etc.

Didn't know you could store fuel at home....
Even in such small quantities

I'm not sure what the actual limit is. You can store 5 litres in a
proper plastic container, you might be able to store more in a metal
container - presumably there is limit on the maximum amount.

Apparently petrol 'goes off' in some way and this can cause problems
with some things, but I've had petrol stored for a few years and it's
been apparently ok.

And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?
I don't think the relative running costs are really significant.

Petrol mowers are more powerful so good for larger mowers and larger
lawns, but they probably require more maintenance, are noiser and
smellier to use, heavier and more expensive.

Ok...The smell would be an issue...But I dpon't think that the noise level
would be...Its only for an hour a week or so

The noise issue is an issue for me using it. I specifically looked for
an electric mower that was quieter than average to make it mor e
pleasant (less unpleasant?) cutting the lawn.


Electric mowers are cheaper, the mowers are lighter, it is cleaner and
require less maintenance.

In that case I will stay with my electric....
It just seems easier!

Indeed, for the average domestic lawn it seem to make more sense
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

wrote in :

Oh....My neighbour has a petrol mower and his is not that noisy...
But I swear his cuts his grass MUCH faster than mine does does....
What has either of these fascinating facts got to do with running
costs? :-)

If he can cut the grass faster that means he has the engine running
less...Meaning using less fuel...Meaning less cost
Also possibly a little less wear and tear on the motor....

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003 10:46:50 +0200, Tim
wrote:

On 13 Jun 2003 07:19:33 GMT, Rick McGreal
wrote:

Chris French and Helen Johnson wrote in
:

And I had a fit of embarressment when I had no idea where to get the
fuel...
In a petrol station........

Oh...Its just normal 4star fuel then?
(Boy do I feel an idiot now!)

Unless you have a super-duper tuned engine on your lawn-mower, not even 4
star. 2 star'll be perfect. It'll work with 4-star but you're wasting
your money on anything more than the lowest octane you can get.
4-star is needed in high performance engines with high compression
ratios, which a lawn-mower engine is NOT. Using a higher octane fuel than
required is a waste of money and fuel and you'll likely get poorer
performance out of the engine (you'd be unlikely to notice the difference
in performance on a lawn-mower though).

Oops, better stop now, I'm beginning to drift off the subject....
Tim.


....and before Chris jumps on me[ ;-) ], read 91 RON for 2-star, 98 RON for
4-star, unleaded. Or whatever it's called in the UK now.

Tim.

wrote in :

You can't get 4 start any more you know! (Well it may be possible but
it's not very easy nowadays)

Ok....LRP.....

If it isn't unleaded or diesal its 4 star to me!!! B-)

Didn't know you could store fuel at home....
Even in such small quantities
As I just said, maximum of two 5 litre cans I think, and they must be
'proper' petrol cans of the approved type and colour.

I have one of those anyway.....
I never use it....But I have one....B-)

Apparently petrol 'goes off' in some way and this can cause problems with
some things, but I've had petrol stored for a few years and it's been
apparently ok.

What happens is that the fuel can absorb water from the air if the
container isn't full, but with such small anounts this is unlikely to be a
problem -mostly when you leave a car standing for ages, it absorby water
from the air.
Also some of the more volatile parts can evaporate after a while and leave
a light glazing, like clear laquer on surfaces. Also hardly a problem in a
5 litre container. Even less so with a mower motor.


And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?
I don't think the relative running costs are really significant.

Petrol mowers are more powerful so good for larger mowers and larger
lawns, but they probably require more maintenance, are noiser and
smellier to use, heavier and more expensive.

Ok...The smell would be an issue...But I don't think that the noise
level
would be...Its only for an hour a week or so

The noise issue is an issue for me using it. I specifically looked for an
electric mower that was quieter than average to make it more pleasant
(less unpleasant?) cutting the lawn.

Some of the new motor mowers are very quiet - our neighbour has one and I
thought it was just a louder electric one. Worth checking out if you need a
motor mower. I don't find that the motor mowers are very smelly, except
when I spill fuel topping it up. 2-stroke strimmers on the other hand....

Maintenace-wise, a petrol mower probably needs more running maintenance
than an elecrtic one butat least you can likely fix it yourself if you know
a bit of basics about engines. An electric one may need a serious trip to
the dealer if it goes wrong. All the usual things like cleaning/sharpening
you have to do to both, so the only real practical difference I found is
you should properly overwinter the motor mower(change oil, clean plug etc.)
which only takes about an hour or so each year, whereas you can just stuff
the electric one away in the shed.
Tim.

In message oprqo64gm1wxhha1@localhost, Tim
writes

...and before Chris jumps on me[ ;-) ], read 91 RON for 2-star, 98 RON
for 4-star, unleaded. Or whatever it's called in the UK now.

Drat !! - beat me to it - spoiled me fun.....:-)
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

On 12 Jun 2003 19:56:09 GMT, Rick McGreal wrote:

But my plot isn't really big enough to justify one really...
Only 20ft x about 40ft

You, sir, need to turn into a retro-grouch and buy a manual
(push) reel lawn mower. A 20x40 lawn is small enough to mow
*every* day by hand. Keep your manual (push) reel lawn mower
sharp, mow every day, and soon you will have a 20x40 patch of
green velvet.

No cords, no fuel, no horrible noise. Just quiet peaceful
whirring sounds that will startle your neighbours, confound your
enemies, and amuse your friends.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

You, sir, need to turn into a retro-grouch and buy a manual
(push) reel lawn mower. A 20x40 lawn is small enough to mow
*every* day by hand. Keep your manual (push) reel lawn mower
sharp, mow every day, and soon you will have a 20x40 patch of
green velvet.

No cords, no fuel, no horrible noise. Just quiet peaceful
whirring sounds that will startle your neighbours, confound your
enemies, and amuse your friends.

I'd love one.....!

My brother had one but it was all rusted up....
And would have been more trouble to repair it...

It even had one of those rollers on the back that gave you the nice
stripes!

Maybe I should think about seeing if I can repair it myself....
The parts were all there...And if I treat it like a hobby it may well keep
me out of trouble for a bit!

On 13 Jun 2003 08:31:47 GMT, wrote:

Rick McGreal wrote:
wrote in :

And the biggie.....Are they cheaper to run than an electric?
You can't be serious, the running cost of either a petrol or an
electric strimmer would be completely lost in the 'noise' of other
related expenses.

Oh....My neighbour has a petrol mower and his is not that noisy...

But I swear his cuts his grass MUCH faster than mine does does....

What has either of these fascinating facts got to do with running
costs? :-)

" the running cost of either a petrol or an
electric strimmer would be completely lost in the 'noise.. " :-)
QED
--
martin

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 22:31:44 +0100, "H"
wrote:

snip

The Cabrio 246 that I bought came with a face mask. It is only a basic
mask - no swivelling for example - but it is still far better than
goggles because a) it doesn't mist up and b) it protects the whole of
your face from flying grass and twigs and macerated slugs and snails.
--
Last week while strimming, safety conscious as ever, I wore my mask with
smugness, before jostling with the Trophy Mums to pick up my kid from
school. I thought they were giving me an even wider berth than usual, then
realised i was coated neck-to-toe in a fine slug and nettle puree....

Liz