Petrol Lawnmower Recommendations

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Comments

  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,832
    Just to finish this one off...

    Thanks for all the advice on this thread. In the end I narrowed the choice down to either a Honda or a Hayter. I've got a local dealer who stocks both so went to have a look at the weekend.

    In the end I think I'm going for a Honda. They just look totally bombproof pieces of kit. It's hard to find anything bad said about them online despite presumably millions having been sold worldwide. Loads of reports of them running well after 20 years plus.

    The Hayter Spirits are nice but I decided that they are just a bit small at 41cm blade size. The new Hayter Ospreys look good for the money but are clearly built to a price and seem a bit less well built and less robust than the Honda.

    The model I'm going for is the Izy 466 push. While a self propelled would be nice, they're quite a bit more money and would be over budget. In any event our garden in pretty much pan flat and we've got a few awkward corners, nooks and crannies where a push mower may actually be easier to manoeuvre.

    Now I need to start researching cordless strimmers...
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,035
    Ah ours is an Izy - now you mentioned it, I suddenly recalled it.

    Can't remember the numbers that go after it, but potentially the same or equivalent model - ours is also push along.
    Unless your lawn is massively uneven, or on a big slope, I think push along is fine - our lawn is fairly up and down.

    Do we now need a 'Show us your mowers' thread, And a Grasscutting forum area?
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,832
    Daniel B wrote:
    Ah ours is an Izy - now you mentioned it, I suddenly recalled it.

    Can't remember the numbers that go after it, but potentially the same or equivalent model - ours is also push along.
    Unless your lawn is massively uneven, or on a big slope, I think push along is fine - our lawn is fairly up and down.

    Do we now need a 'Show us your mowers' thread, And a Grasscutting forum area?

    This is the fella
    https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/prod ... gLJ2fD_BwE

    I'm wondering if the N+1 rule applies to lawnmowers...
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,035
    That looks remarkably similar - my cats like to use the grasscutting box to sleep on if we happen to leave the shed open - it gives enough to make a nice bed for them, and keeps them dry and or warm!

    EDIT: Just checked e-mails, we have an Izy 415, bought virtually 10 years ago to the day, and cost us £220.
    We did consider the 465, predecessor to yours I guess, but plumped for the slightly smaller one.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • davesnothere
    davesnothere Posts: 620
    I bought a Honda mower in 1998, regularly used ever since. Other than a couple of spark plugs and sharpen the blade have never needed to do anything to it.

    Still going strong, approaching it's 20 year anniversary
    GET WHEEZY - WALNUT LUNG RACING TEAM™
  • singleton
    singleton Posts: 2,523
    MrB123 wrote:
    This is the fella
    https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/prod ... gLJ2fD_BwE

    I'm wondering if the N+1 rule applies to lawnmowers...

    I did look at those, but with the size of our garden, I thought the wife would really benefit from a self-propelled machine.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,488
    MrB123 wrote:
    I'm wondering if the N+1 rule applies to lawnmowers...

    Nah, a strimmer is my fail safe and with the old girl, that's more often than not.
    Singleton wrote:
    I did look at those, but with the size of our garden, I thought the wife would really benefit from a self-propelled machine.

    Depends how big her bum is getting :wink:
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,832
    Singleton wrote:
    MrB123 wrote:
    This is the fella
    https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/prod ... gLJ2fD_BwE

    I'm wondering if the N+1 rule applies to lawnmowers...

    I did look at those, but with the size of our garden, I thought the wife would really benefit from a self-propelled machine.

    I'll be responsible for cutting the grass. Don't want to distract the wife from her duties elsewhere around the house.
  • Zendog1
    Zendog1 Posts: 816
    Can you test drive the mower or borrow a push version from someone local to try your lawn?

    I suspect that you might change your mind about self propelled. If not think about your body 20 years on combined with a very gungy high friction mower.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Stiga - we've had one for 10+ years
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,488
    Zendog1 wrote:
    Can you test drive the mower or borrow a push version from someone local to try your lawn?

    I suspect that you might change your mind about self propelled. If not think about your body 20 years on combined with a very gungy high friction mower.

    It's a good thought. Perhaps buy a beach buggy and stand on it, behind the mower.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    In the spirit of raising old threads. It might be worth checking out if your mower can take E10 unleaded petrol which the pumps are switching to. It sounds like you can use super unleaded instead.
  • skyblueamateur
    skyblueamateur Posts: 1,498
    focuszing723 said:

    In the spirit of raising old threads. It might be worth checking out if your mower can take E10 unleaded petrol which the pumps are switching to. It sounds like you can use super unleaded instead.

    If it's got a GCV160 engine on it which most Izy's do I think you'll be sound. Some of the dodgy, dirty fuel that gets put into these engines and they still run is amazing.

    May just need a change of carb more often but these are readily available.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    Cheers.
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    edited August 2021
    Honda.
    Better engine, better body basically better mower.

    fwiw, I worked in a lawnmower shop from 15-18 and then 19-20 years old (selling, pdi, servicing, repairing them).

    Honda outsold everything else, the IZY was by far the biggest seller. Easy to start, use and lightweight for what it is.
  • skyblueamateur
    skyblueamateur Posts: 1,498
    dannbodge said:

    Honda.
    Better engine, better body basically better mower.

    fwiw, I worked in a lawnmower shop from 15-18 and then 19-20 years old (selling, pdi, servicing, repairing them).

    Honda outsold everything else, the IZY was by far the biggest seller. Easy to start, use and lightweight for what it is.

    Yep, this in a nut-shell.

    B&S are decent engines but because of the variations it is difficult to come across non-genuine engine spares which makes servicing and repairing more expensive.

    You can pick up non-gen spares for the Honda GCV160 which is fitted on the IZY for next to nothing.
  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Also top tip for storage over winter.
    Either run the tank dry and let the engine stall, or tip the mower over (carb in the air) and empty the fuel tank, then run the engine till it stalls.

    One of the biggest issues we used to see every spring was fuel that had gone off and people couldn't get them started.
  • skyblueamateur
    skyblueamateur Posts: 1,498
    dannbodge said:

    Also top tip for storage over winter.
    Either run the tank dry and let the engine stall, or tip the mower over (carb in the air) and empty the fuel tank, then run the engine till it stalls.

    One of the biggest issues we used to see every spring was fuel that had gone off and people couldn't get them started.

    Yep, and if there's fuel left in the primer bulb it makes it brittle and will need replacing which isn't a massive job but still frustrating.

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