Manual lawnmower

Pep

Anyone here has experience with a push lawnmower, compared to electric or petrol?
I've only ever used electric lawnmower.
We will soon have a huge garden, and I really do not fancy the idea of a mile long cable always around when I mown.
Battery not ideal either, too much surface area.
Petrol could do. But I'm put off by maintenance etc.

Manual one: no noise, other than a pleasant clipping. Cheap. No pollution, not CO2. Not having to pay for the privilege to damage our planet.
But they seem to be suitable only for small surfaces....???!!

Your experience?

Darius_Jedburgh

Used to use one years ago. Glad I got rid. Hard work if grass is a bit too long or a bit too wet. If you have a big lawn get petrol. You wont regret it.

dabber

Get a petrol.... I can recommend Honda.

Harry182

Parents had a manual mower when I was a kid - no fond memories. Depending on length of grass/sharpness if blades/etc they take more effort to push than a powered mower - potentially a lot more. They also tend to mow a narrower strip than a powered mower.
We now use a gas mower. It’s noisy, smelly but gets the job done fast. 10-years old and no maintenance beyond gas once or twice a year and oil top off every 2-3 years.

eric_draven

Another one here for a petrol mower,I have not an overly big lawn but the grass is quite thick and the area holds dampness as well,i have an electric mower and it is quite hard work wished i had bought a petrol one now,my late mother had an electric Honda mower and it was really good,somehow my brother ended up with it

robert88

Get one of those robot lawnmowers. I have no idea if they are any good but they look kind of cute.

DeVlaeminck

I'd just put up with a cord or look at rechargeable mowers - petrol garden machinery is a faff in my experience.

FocusZing

I would like to try a Lithium Brush-less but the lawns too big for the mAh available at present. Never had a problem with petrol all you've got to do is change the oil/filter twice a year and clean the air filter (takes half an hour).

I have to laugh about the pollution comment, it's not exactly a car, bus, lorry, train, plane (Hi Theresa May), ship, Elon Musk hypocrite rocket....I wouldn't let that deter your choice of efficiency, practicality and convenience.

Just watching Le Mans where they go round and around... a track for 24 hours for the sh1t of it! I will do the grass then.

mrb123

Honda petrol would be my recommendation. Get a self propelled one with a roller if you can stretch to it.

The mower will last you a lifetime.

There's no real hassle involved. A can of petrol lasts a summer season. Get it serviced every year or two. That's about it.

Stevo_666

MrB123 wrote:

Honda petrol would be my recommendation. Get a self propelled one with a roller if you can stretch to it.

The mower will last you a lifetime.

There's no real hassle involved. A can of petrol lasts a summer season. Get it serviced every year or two. That's about it.

I agree with that. But if you really want to be eco then get a sheep or a goat.

monkimark

I wouldn't worry about maintenance, I have a petrol Honda mower that I got from my father in law. He thinks he had it for about 20 years and never did more than filling up the petrol.

I've replaced the oil and filter because it seemed about due and the pull cord because it snapped, I also sharpened the (very blunt) blade last year. It's done me 4 years with no more than that so far - never had any issues with it.

orraloon

Good value and reliable petrol option is Masport, Briggs & Stratton engines.

craigus89

Get a gardener.

bonk_king

One thing's for sure, if you decide to go down the manual route you'll probably end up the fittest guy on the the forum!!

Corded mowers are a right pita, petrol would be best but if you can get a cordless one with a really good battery life then that would be good too. I've just recently gone cordless and it's fantastic. I can do front and back lawn in one go but that said, my lawns aren't that big.

Darius_Jedburgh

I spent 20 years working in garden maintenance. If you get a man in just tomow your lawn it will cost far less per annum than any method you opt for yourself.
Up isn't frozen north even a big lawn will cost little more than £15 per fortnight. That's £7.50 per week. Do the maths.

rjsterry

Franco di Banco wrote:

I spent 20 years working in garden maintenance. If you get a man in just tomow your lawn it will cost far less per annum than any method you opt for yourself.
Up isn't frozen north even a big lawn will cost little more than £15 per fortnight. That's £7.50 per week. Do the maths.

Blimey. How much are you spending on your lawnmower?!

mouth

I inherited my monster-in-law's old petrol Honda when she downsized, and ran it for a few years. needed a service, sharpen and new pull cord so I offed it for a corded electric when we moved house a couple years later. Many, many regrets.

surfercyclist

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pep

rjsterry wrote:

Franco di Banco wrote:

I spent 20 years working in garden maintenance. If you get a man in just tomow your lawn it will cost far less per annum than any method you opt for yourself.
Up isn't frozen north even a big lawn will cost little more than £15 per fortnight. That's £7.50 per week. Do the maths.

Blimey. How much are you spending on your lawnmower?!

My present one i paid 40eur 6yr ago and still as good as new.
Do the math.

de_sisti

I'd recommend using a manual mower. Just make sure you don't leave the grass too
long before you mow and preferably when it's not too long. One tip for a healthy
lawn: don't cut it too short. Aim to cut the height of the blades of grass down by
about one third.

robert88

SurferCyclist wrote:

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pedal powered?

surfercyclist

Robert88 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pedal powered?

Briggs and Stratton powered. Supposedly a "quiet" engine but in reality it's noisy as but I always mow with headphones on listening to music so doesn't disturb me. The cats on other hand are not impressed.

orraloon

Robert88 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pedal powered?

Hmmm, there's an idea. Low carbon, tick; fitness, tick...

surfercyclist

orraloon wrote:

Robert88 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pedal powered?

Hmmm, there's an idea. Low carbon, tick; fitness, tick...

Good luck with that. It's takes me an hour on my ride on, if you had to pedal it by time finished cutting be time to start again. The Forth bride of lawn mowing.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

A herd of guinea pigs, move their run each day, they will do the rest... Just remove any plants that aren't good for them.

rjsterry

orraloon wrote:

Robert88 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

I have a huge garden so have a ride on mower. Simples.

Pedal powered?

Hmmm, there's an idea. Low carbon, tick; fitness, tick...

Ahem.

https://lawnmowerwizard.com/featuredart ... dal-power/

Just a concept, I think and at a price of £3K, probably will stay like that.

Or for something a little more homemade.

orraloon

Wot's that phrase, "great minds think...".

The green one needs some TLC, that cassette is looking sad.

pinno

Get a ride on mower.

Stevo_666

Pinno wrote:

Get a ride on mower.

If he's in Wales then I've already suggested that.

pinno

NitrousOxide wrote:

A herd of guinea pigs, move their run each day, they will do the rest... Just remove any plants that aren't good for them.

...or Chickens.

robert88

Chickens are not good for Guinea pigs?