Ride on mower?
Discussion
I wonder if anyone can help, I've got a reasonable size garden but nothing excessive. The problem is I absolutely hate mowing the lawn, so I was thinking could I get a relatively cheap ride on mower to make it a little more entertaining and speed the whole process up?
What sort of money would I need to spend and is there anything in particular I need to look out for when buying one?
What sort of money would I need to spend and is there anything in particular I need to look out for when buying one?
After trawling the DIY stores yesterday, I reckon you've got to be looking at £180-£200 as the starting point for a half-way reasonable (and self-propelled) petrol mower.
Flymo and McCulloch come in around this price; Mountfields are around £250 for their entry level SP model.
B&Q were doing a clearance on a Honda powered Mountfield - normally £500, down to £349 - so I grabbed one of those. It replaced a £170 B&Q own brand mower which had lasted about 6 years. After running the new mower over the lawn last night, it was clear that you definitely get what you pay for.
I did consider a ride-on mower, but we've a few too many [round] flower beds and I'm not convinced it would have been any quicker than a regular 'mower.
Pistonheads - lawn matters.
Flymo and McCulloch come in around this price; Mountfields are around £250 for their entry level SP model.
B&Q were doing a clearance on a Honda powered Mountfield - normally £500, down to £349 - so I grabbed one of those. It replaced a £170 B&Q own brand mower which had lasted about 6 years. After running the new mower over the lawn last night, it was clear that you definitely get what you pay for.
I did consider a ride-on mower, but we've a few too many [round] flower beds and I'm not convinced it would have been any quicker than a regular 'mower.
Pistonheads - lawn matters.
As ever, if you buy a ride on mower pay more and it will last a long time.
I have a Westwood with a 36" deck (mulching) and about 1 acre of lawn. I bought it new 7 years ago and it has been serviced every other year and never missed a beat.
Budget around £2k - £2.5k + accessories from new, or look around for a bargain on ebay/local papers. I have a powered scarifier, roller, seed/lawn sand spreader and a trailer and need no more. Bear in mind, large lawns still need care and attention
I have a Westwood with a 36" deck (mulching) and about 1 acre of lawn. I bought it new 7 years ago and it has been serviced every other year and never missed a beat.
Budget around £2k - £2.5k + accessories from new, or look around for a bargain on ebay/local papers. I have a powered scarifier, roller, seed/lawn sand spreader and a trailer and need no more. Bear in mind, large lawns still need care and attention
Bernie-the-bolt said:
As ever, if you buy a ride on mower pay more and it will last a long time.
I have a Westwood with a 36" deck (mulching) and about 1 acre of lawn. I bought it new 7 years ago and it has been serviced every other year and never missed a beat.
Budget around £2k - £2.5k + accessories from new, or look around for a bargain on ebay/local papers. I have a powered scarifier, roller, seed/lawn sand spreader and a trailer and need no more. Bear in mind, large lawns still need care and attention
Cant help thinking of that annoying rap DJ when you said that! Bling that mower!I have a Westwood with a 36" deck (mulching) and about 1 acre of lawn. I bought it new 7 years ago and it has been serviced every other year and never missed a beat.
Budget around £2k - £2.5k + accessories from new, or look around for a bargain on ebay/local papers. I have a powered scarifier, roller, seed/lawn sand spreader and a trailer and need no more. Bear in mind, large lawns still need care and attention
I've also thought about one, but my garden is too small and I've been informed a normal mower would "only take 5 minutes"...
NDA said:
You should be able to get an OK ride on for £2k. You really need over half an acre to get the benefit.
Petrol mower - pick up a cheapie from homebase, they go on for years.
OP, you dont need to spend £2k to get a decent ride on. You can buy decent second hand mowers on ebay for 500-600 quid. Its what we did.Petrol mower - pick up a cheapie from homebase, they go on for years.
Go for anything with a honda or briggs and stratton. As long as it has the right oil in it, regular oil changes and sharp blades it'll go forever.
smifffymoto said:
I bought my ride on second hand,£600.If you are patient you will find a good one as most are not worked very hard.The majority are made in the same factory just branded differentley(apart from top price range).Just get the biggest deck you can with a honda or Briggs&Stratton engine
Before posting next time, ill read the entire thread. Took the words right out of my mouth...smifffymoto said:
Just get the biggest deck you can with a honda or Briggs&Stratton engine
Briggs & Stratton have got enginesmatter.com so they get my vote on that alone.Also they've got a great video that explains torque.
http://www.enginesmatter.com/walk/power.html
It's not quite rad to the power of sick, but hey, it's aimed at american lawn enthusiasts.
If your garden isn't huge and there are a few trees/obstacles etc as most have, rather than vast expances of lawn then don't be tempted by anything big.
You will spend 10% of your time cutting 80% of the area and the other 90% doing the rest with something smaller as you can't get the ride on in.
I choose a Lawnflite - the smallest one they do - my wife calls it a Barbie ride on and the local kids laugh! It doesn't look like a tractor but it is small enough to man handle if you need to and get into the small gaps between things. It has reduced my cutting time from a 2 hour sweaty mess twice a week into a 1 hour saunter once a week with 30 minutes with a push mower to tidy the rest. Hell its even got drinks holder. Works for me.
You will spend 10% of your time cutting 80% of the area and the other 90% doing the rest with something smaller as you can't get the ride on in.
I choose a Lawnflite - the smallest one they do - my wife calls it a Barbie ride on and the local kids laugh! It doesn't look like a tractor but it is small enough to man handle if you need to and get into the small gaps between things. It has reduced my cutting time from a 2 hour sweaty mess twice a week into a 1 hour saunter once a week with 30 minutes with a push mower to tidy the rest. Hell its even got drinks holder. Works for me.
I have a Husqvarna LT12 which I have had for 13 years. It is just about knackered now but I have 2 acres including a paddock that I used it in for years before I worked out that sheep do a better job without any effort from me. The equivalent now has 15 rather than 12 HP and is called an LT 151 and can be had for under £1500. I also have a Husky trailer that the tractor pulls which is really useful for shifting stuff.
You can pick castle garden units up with a good discount. My dad got one and its not bad. 22 hp twin, electric opening grass collector, mulch kit, battery conditioner and a trailer chucked in for £3k.
The simplicity model with the floating deck and rollers gives a really good cut but a hassle to convert to mulch. They are a 21hp twin.
If you are going to mulch only get yourself a front deck Husqvarna. They do a Kawasaki single cylinder 15hp unit. Bloody hoot to drive, the floating deck cuts really well and you get that all important really tight turning circle. It's the one I would have.
If you have a real big lawn and want a bit of luxury go for a twin cylinder mower. Reminds me I have an acre to chop tomorrow.
The simplicity model with the floating deck and rollers gives a really good cut but a hassle to convert to mulch. They are a 21hp twin.
If you are going to mulch only get yourself a front deck Husqvarna. They do a Kawasaki single cylinder 15hp unit. Bloody hoot to drive, the floating deck cuts really well and you get that all important really tight turning circle. It's the one I would have.
If you have a real big lawn and want a bit of luxury go for a twin cylinder mower. Reminds me I have an acre to chop tomorrow.
Unlucky, I've just last week sold mine..
Murray Sentinel. 100/76
10hp Briggs & Stratton engine 30" deck
Not the most pretty of Ride on's but done the job excellently.
None, Side, or Rear grass box discharge.
Sold for £200.
You can pick them up for about that on Ebay.
Having one saves so much time you wouldn't believe.
Good luck.
Murray Sentinel. 100/76
10hp Briggs & Stratton engine 30" deck
Not the most pretty of Ride on's but done the job excellently.
None, Side, or Rear grass box discharge.
Sold for £200.
You can pick them up for about that on Ebay.
Having one saves so much time you wouldn't believe.
Good luck.
Only comment with a ride on (Or any wide cut mower), you're better to have a reasonably level lawn.
The wider the cutting deck the more it will rise & lower with wheels going into dips etc and you can end up with a very uneven finish with scalped bits etc. Turning at the ends can alse be untidy. And you may need to keep driving on & off the grass to empty it.
I have a about 750m2 of lawn in front of the house but the ride on doesn't get near it as it makes an awful job.
I'd tend to go for a self propelled, walk behind mower (19 - 21inch cut) driven by a roller (not having a wheel in each corner makes it easier to keep level), this has the added advantage of leaving a nice striped finish.
(If it's just because your lazy why not get a robot one, they're not that expensive)
The wider the cutting deck the more it will rise & lower with wheels going into dips etc and you can end up with a very uneven finish with scalped bits etc. Turning at the ends can alse be untidy. And you may need to keep driving on & off the grass to empty it.
I have a about 750m2 of lawn in front of the house but the ride on doesn't get near it as it makes an awful job.
I'd tend to go for a self propelled, walk behind mower (19 - 21inch cut) driven by a roller (not having a wheel in each corner makes it easier to keep level), this has the added advantage of leaving a nice striped finish.
(If it's just because your lazy why not get a robot one, they're not that expensive)
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