Petrol Lawn Mowers

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Tim
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I'm in the market for a new petrol lawn mower. Looking to spend under £200 and preferably with a mulching facility. I'm finding it hard to find any reviews and the local shops seem to have a limited (and expensive) range.
Can anyone recommend any brands or particular models? Or any to avoid?

Thanks.
 
We bought a really expensive Honda on the advice of the local outlet. After 2 years the gearbox failed. Because we hadn't paid £100+ to service it every year it wasn't covered under warranty so we paid about £300 for a new gearbox. A year later something else failed and I gave it away and bought an Oleo Mac. It's now lasted 3 years and was less than half the price of the Honda - and I still don't pay to get it serviced. Last week was the first mow of the year and it took 4 pulls to start. This week it started first time.

They start around £200. More money will get you a bigger blade or a B&S engine. Watch out though: lots of mulching lawnmowers charge extra to actually make the mulching bit work.
 
Thanks for that.
Mowdirect.co.uk have got 3 Oleo Mac's less than £200 so I'll check them out.

I'll bare in mind what you said about mulching mowers too. To be honest I've got no experience of mulching but it sounds like I wouldn't need to collect all the grass but it would cut it finer than just a rear/side discharge model.
 
That's where I got mine ;) Honestly I'd pay the extra for self propelled.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Honestly I'd pay the extra for self propelled.
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I agree about self propelled.

I bought a Honda probably 7 or 8 years ago. Just fired it up after the winter and it started 2nd pull. Have never had it serviced and it's working perfectly.

Ken
 
I think perhaps Jonathan was unlucky with is Honda. In general they are the most reliable mower engines in my experience working for the local parks department and running my own gardening service for a while. However you haven't the budget for one anyway so that's out of the running anyway.
 
I use a Mountfield, had it for about 5 or 6 years and apart from having the carburettor diaphragm replaced (£50 including a service) it has been excellent. Easy to start even after the winter break.

I don't know about the mulching thing - I know nothing about gardening and I'm happy to keep it that way. I just stand behind the mower once a week and guide it around the grassy bits - job done!

Chris
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
I use a Mountfield, had it for about 5 or 6 years and apart from having the carburettor diaphragm replaced (£50 including a service) it has been excellent. Easy to start even after the winter break.

I don't know about the mulching thing - I know nothing about gardening and I'm happy to keep it that way. I just stand behind the mower once a week and guide it around the grassy bits - job done!

Chris
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That's good to know as there are quite a few Mountfield ones in budget.

rjbell said:
I think perhaps Jonathan was unlucky with is Honda. In general they are the most reliable mower engines in my experience working for the local parks department and running my own gardening service for a while. However you haven't the budget for one anyway so that's out of the running anyway.
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You're right that they are unfortunately out of budget, although I'm sure I saw a cheaper one with a Honda engine.
Can you share any professional opinions on the mulching aspect Robert? Is it a gimmick really, especially at the lower end of the market (the mulching-only mowers are quite a bit more expensive).
 
A word of advice....the cheaper end of the market have four small wheels. The more pricey end have two wheels at the front and a roller at the rear. If you want stripes on your lawn you need a roller. Also the four small wheels have a habit of falling off the edge of the lawn into the borders. That tends to scalp the lawn edges. A big roller keeps the machine on the lawn.
Depends how fussy about your lawn you are.
 
I have two Hayter mowers. The big one costs more for an annual service than OP wants to spend on a new machine! But it's been working every day for 12 years and has another 10 years at least left in it.
As SWMBO says - buy cheap and buy twice, but it all boils down to how keen OP is on his lawn.
 
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately the Hayter ones are all out of my price range :(
I was steering away from the machines with rollers as a decent section of my garden is more like a rough allotment than a lawn. So although it would be nice to have stripes on the proper lawn, I think I need the practicality of the wheels for elsewhere.
 
I would disagree with you on that. If you have rough ground you might find that the lighter four wheel machines are bouncing around too much. A roller has the weight to keep the machine on the ground and will give better results.

I've just come back from my mower man and he had a refurbished Hayter with guarantee for £150. Don't restrict yourself to a new machine and try not to go to a shed on a retail park. Value for money they are not!!!
 
mickledore said:
A word of advice....the cheaper end of the market have four small wheels. The more pricey end have two wheels at the front and a roller at the rear.
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Um, well a roller does cost more than 2 wheels but it's not a simple case of "roller good / wheels cheap". My Honda had a roller and it was a really poor choice for a lumpy sloping lawn. It made nice stripes but it was a b****r to manoeuvre around curves. Also, on damp grass the roller drive is not as good as wheel drive.

rjbell said:
I think perhaps Jonathan was unlucky with is Honda.
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Probably. But for something that gets used maybe 15 times a year I was dismayed that a company like Honda wouldn't warranty it unless you paid half the price of a cheap mower per year for servicing.

Foxbat Flyer said:
I use a Mountfield, had it for about 5 or 6 years and apart from having the carburettor diaphragm replaced (£50 including a service) it has been excellent. Easy to start even after the winter break.
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Mountfield make a huge variety of mowers from B&Q specials for 90 quid up to, well, ones that work :) Some of them even use Honda engines......

Mag1cp2x said:
Get a Hayter mower, you really cannot go wrong with them
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My FIL who is a professional gardener swears by his Hayter. But he also says they aren't the same any more as they aren't entirely made in house. Also, they cost about as much as a car ;) I've used his a couple of times while I was in between mowers. And I have to say for the amateur gardener I prefer my Oleo Mac.
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
I use a Mountfield, had it for about 5 or 6 years and apart from having the carburettor diaphragm replaced (£50 including a service) it has been excellent. Easy to start even after the winter break.

I don't know about the mulching thing - I know nothing about gardening and I'm happy to keep it that way. I just stand behind the mower once a week and guide it around the grassy bits - job done!

Chris
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We have a Mountfield, it must be at least ten years old.
It needed the diaphragm too, I got one from ebay for about £2.
Ours went immediately after it needed a new drive belt underneath as a mouse had chewed it.
It wasn't directly caused by the faulty belt but tipping it on a side for too long while fixing it - which led to some oil getting into the carb I think.

Mulching can work on some areas but be aware how much fine stuff can get tracked into the house, also you can get an excessive build up of material then thinning grass + weed problems, and it will be just awful if you let get too long due to wet weather or being away.
I would get one that can collect but leave the box off if it bothers you, and try do it more often.
The result will be similar.
 
4wd said:
Mulching can work on some areas but be aware how much fine stuff can get tracked into the house, also you can get an excessive build up of material then thinning grass + weed problems, and it will be just awful if you let get too long due to wet weather or being away.
I would get one that can collect but leave the box off if it bothers you, and try do it more often.
The result will be similar.
Click to expand...

Must agree about mulching. It's a lazy person's way of dealing with lawn cuttings. Won't improve your lawn at all and in the end will create more work than it saves. It may be OK for the council mowing their parks and gardens, but it's not really suitable for domestic lawns.
 
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