# Need Advice On A Lawn Mower



## barls (7/9/07)

anyone in sydney work at a mower shop, cause mine just shit itself big time and im looking to replace it but am unsure about the current models. id rather deal with a member of this forum than anyone else?
anyone in the other states have any advice on the new models?


----------



## Gerard_M (8/9/07)

Barls
Type the word forum into google, I am certain one of them will be focused on lawn mowers, other than that there is a guy in Dempsey St North Ryde that does work on mowers & will probably fix yours up. Might even accept beer for payment!
Cheers
Gerard

Edited part
try this http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&...=cr%3DcountryAU


----------



## Fents (8/9/07)

Get a honda mate you will not beat it hands down.

Honda HRU195 Mower. Had mine for 6+ years and it still starts firtst time everytime. Get it serviced once a year and its happy.

Seriously i've owned honda Cars (Integra and CRV), Bikes (XR's and CBR's), The mower HRU195 and Whipper Snipper as well. Every single honda product i've eer had has never failed me and if it has its cause it was my fault.

Cannot recommend them highly enough.


----------



## warra48 (8/9/07)

I've used the same generic brand mower for the last 13 years. I bought it at a mower shop in Hornsby Sydney. It has a Briggs & Stratton motor. Still starts first pull every time. I drain and change the oil about every 12 to 18 months, and have replaced the blades a few times.

My previous mower was a Victa 2 stroke. It was a bitch of a thing, and would only start if I took the plug out, and dipped the end in powdered graphite. It would then start only when it was cold. If it stalled when hot, my mow day was over. I finally got so frustrated with it that I took to it with a log splitter, and showed it who was boss. You have no idea of the wonderful calm feeling that gave me when it was over. Sort of like you feel after downing 3 or 4 of your best HBs.


----------



## barls (8/9/07)

i tried searching but most had no prices and only the info they wanted you to have so i was just after opinions on the new mowers and what people thought about it.
our current mower is a pain in the arse and wont start easily


----------



## blackbock (8/9/07)

That's good advice to get something with a brand-name engine of some sort, whether honda, B&S or whatever. There are some mowers on sale around the place lately which seem very cheap, but they have chinese-made engines. 
I'm thinking of GMC in particular.
Time will tell whether they last long, but I reckon it's buyer beware.


----------



## Fents (8/9/07)

UMK422 1HP 4-Stroke Brush cutter, now only $499.00 Click Here for more Details.

HRU 195 5HP 4-Stroke lawn mower with catcher, now only $775.00 Click Here for more Details.













Although i do agree on the briggs and stratton, my brother is a light engine mechanic (mowers, bikes etc) and heloves the B&S too as well as honda.


----------



## barls (8/9/07)

my old man has a honda but i wasnt sure about the others


----------



## blackbock (8/9/07)

Honda is the Toyota (or Lexus?) of small engines. The only downside is they are pricey now.


----------



## lovemybeer (9/9/07)

barls said:


> anyone in sydney work at a mower shop, cause mine just shit itself big time and im looking to replace it but am unsure about the current models. id rather deal with a member of this forum than anyone else?
> anyone in the other states have any advice on the new models?



where are you at ? i know a good mate that owns a shop in western sydney. depends what your budget is, i have a briggs and stratton both push and ride-on. used the push one last week after not been used for a year started after the second pull. after changing fuel.


----------



## Kai (9/9/07)

You'll need some good lawn mower beers once you're sorted.


----------



## barls (10/9/07)

im near west ryde mate


----------



## apd (10/9/07)

Ever thought of a hand mower? I've just been given one and they're really not hard to push at all.

ALKO site

One for sale on ebay 

I'm sure there are other manufacturers. I think mine cost $100 or so without catcher.


----------



## barls (17/9/07)

ended up buying the honda now only have to wait for the gf to try it out on the weekend


----------



## microbe (17/9/07)

barls said:


> now only have to wait for the gf to try it out on the weekend



:lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Fents (18/9/07)

nice one, you will not be dissapointed! honda for life!


----------



## BrissyBrew (19/9/07)

I use to be a victa mower fan, but I brought a new one recently and was a little disappointed that it did not have the same grunt that my old mower had (suppose to be the same HP) but the carbie has been throated back, need to be able to give it just a little bit more stick after it is broken in a little. No water no rain in brissy has slowed down the lawn mowing process of late.


----------



## petesbrew (19/9/07)

apd said:


> Ever thought of a hand mower? I've just been given one and they're really not hard to push at all.
> 
> ALKO site
> 
> ...


ALKO.... what an appropriate name!

Gotta love the handmower!
Great for those tiny yards they make these days for townhouses & duplexes.
I scored mine for free, when my father in laws tennants moved out and left their sh!t behind.
I think it's a flymo. Never breaks down, don't have to worry about fuel, and gives me a workout.
It doesn't have a catcher though, and it does take longer. But I ain't complaining.

The next door neighbours have massive front & back yards, and they went out and bought an electric mower! 
Seriously it's a benny hill show watching them "mow". The thing can't handle long grass, they were working as a team feeding the extension leads (all joined together of course!), and it took frikkin' HOURS for them to do.


----------



## fw00r (24/9/07)

apd said:


> Ever thought of a hand mower? I've just been given one and they're really not hard to push at all.
> 
> ALKO site
> 
> ...




AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!!!

My push mower annoys me so much its just not funny.

The handle section loves to seperate from the mower section and does so repeatedly. If I could change my mower to a petrol one I would do it right away without hesitation.


----------



## brettprevans (1/10/07)

i just bought this bad boy after my old man's victor dies (which he had for 20 odd years).

TORNADO 300
Fitted with the reliable, easy to start, high torque Victa ECO TORQUE 'VE50' 2-stroke engine.
: . Tornado 300 Victa 2-stroke Model # T3S482 
Engine Chassis Function Warranty 
Victa ECO TORQUE VE50 19" steel Cut & Catch 2 years 


Gotta love the auto choke. its its not cutting its revvs doen and idles, once it hits grass it revvs up appropriately. its awsome. i think its about $400. but it will last 25yrs so its worth it


----------



## petesbrew (17/10/11)

My flymo hand mower seized up a couple of years back, big time. I put it out with the council cleanup and replaced it with a cheaper hand mower.
Bad Move.
I tell you cheap handmowers are shit. Not enough weight to hold it down, plastic wheels that don't have enough traction to get the rollers going properly.
I threw the f$$king thing across my yard yesterday in frustration. I tell you it felt good, I hurled it another 2 times.

anyone got a small electric mower? Any good? My front yard is so small it's not worth going petrol.


----------



## Bribie G (17/10/11)

An Ozito electric mower from the Green Shed is perfectly good for small yards - I think they are about $120 but I bought one for around $99 3 years ago. They come with proper catcher. I had one when I lived at A and it was perfect for the little rectangle of green out the front. 
However when I moved to B, Where the yard was big enough for a marquee plus a full camping site for my brew day at Easter :lol: the Ozito couldn't hack it so I gave it to the daughter who's in a townhouse, and I just went back the the GS and got the cheapest "Racer" petrol model. Has a genuine Briggs and Stratton Engine, just one year old and starts first pull. I just got it serviced at the mower place and all good. It was only around $200. 

A




B



The trick with the electrics is to plan your cutting "pattern" and always keep the cord under control and in view. If you can have a mate or SWMBO spotting you they can feed the cord out to you - you work nearer to the power point then gradually mow further and further away.


----------



## komodo (17/10/11)

Honda. 

I have a honda line trimmer and the thing kicks arse. I've got it out for the first time this season on the weekend. I left the plug loose after the end of the season and this time I unscrewed the plug fully gave a spray of some CRC pulled the cord twice screwed the plug in and away she went.
Its so quiet I can use it for house without getting the shits up. 

Dad has a honda lawn mower and I have some serious mower envy (mind you I think I'm more jealous of is husqvarna ride on)
That thing kicks arse. Its a cast chasis but its still light. Being 4 stroke it starts first time every time and no need to faff around with 2 stroke mixes. No smoke. Quiet. Just brilliant.

I've got an older Rover 4 stroke Easy Start with a 20" cast alloy deck. I'm forever sharpening blades and replacing them. Replacing the blades is a fricken pig of a job it seems to weld them in place making it neigh on impossible to release them. Other than that its a dream. Occasionally it needs the plug cleaned - mind you thats probably because I mix the sump oil into the fuel when I change it annually to get rid of it. 

Basically I don't think you can go wrong with a 4 stroke mower with a reputable brand name motor (briggs and stratton, honda etc) provided it has a cast chassis. These pressed steel POS mowers going around aren't worth the hassle. You see them every council hard rubbish with the motor having torn the chassis or the chassis being all bent and twisted. 

As far as I can see provided you change the oil with some regularity (once every year or two), make sure the air filter is clean, keep sharp blades, good/clean spark plug and avoid hitting too much in the way of burried stumps, large rocks etc. a decent lawn mower basically should out last the bloke (or lady) using it in the average domestic back yard (say <1200sq/m) type situation. I really cant see someone replacing a decent lawn mower more than once every 15 years anyway.


----------



## petesbrew (17/10/11)

Honestly, i should just have a go at hooking up my powerdrill to my barrel mower


----------



## barls (17/10/11)

go honda pete you wont regret it, had mine now 4 years love it.
also have a still electric trimmer works great.
btw nice grave robbing


----------



## J Grimmer (17/10/11)

6 months ago i would have said go honda but recently need to replace one myself and could not go past John Deer Push Mowers seriously a lot of mower for your $$$.


----------



## Kai (18/10/11)

petesbrew said:


> My flymo hand mower seized up a couple of years back, big time. I put it out with the council cleanup and replaced it with a cheaper hand mower.
> Bad Move.
> I tell you cheap handmowers are shit. Not enough weight to hold it down, plastic wheels that don't have enough traction to get the rollers going properly.
> I threw the f$$king thing across my yard yesterday in frustration. I tell you it felt good, I hurled it another 2 times.
> ...



I love old threads

I'm using a hand mower, it was the right price (free) and an ALKO model (same as the brand on the compression bucket on the old spent grain dewatering unit from Little Creatures, to make a brewing-related segue).

For maintenance, all it needs is pulling the old grass from the axle and a little WD-40 on recalcitrant mornings. 

I've learnt to communicate well with it to reach the best results for all involved. I agree to mow my lawn before it's over 3-4" high, and it agrees to brutalise it into submission with the help of some well-acclimatised brawn.

Much harder to push when you have two two-year-olds 'helping' though.

What I love most about a hand mower on a small lawn though, is it's quiet.


----------



## Dave70 (18/10/11)

Seriously. 
A tethered goat makes not only an efficient mower / mulcher / kitchen scrap disposal system but a great talking point and pet. Kids love them. 
Why not get a dairy goat and there's your milk and ricotta taken care of.

And if it doesn't work out, like when my neighbors goat over the back got into the next door neighbors immaculately presented azaleas and trampled and ate the lot, you can kill it and convert it into a spicy Indian or Moroccan curry dish.
Try doing _that _ with your Briggs & Stratton.


----------



## petesbrew (18/10/11)

Kai said:


> I love old threads
> 
> I'm using a hand mower, it was the right price (free) and an ALKO model (same as the brand on the compression bucket on the old spent grain dewatering unit from Little Creatures, to make a brewing-related segue).
> 
> ...


I tell you the Flymo was so much better built than this bunnings cheapy... can't remember the brand right now.
The flymo has set height adjustments, when the cheapy has to be finely tuned. As I said before, it felt good throwing the f##king thing across the yard.
As I'm garage free, and my shed is taken up by bottles & brewing gear, a small sized mower for a small yard is a priority.

Hehe, yeah old threads are great.


----------



## petesbrew (18/10/11)

Dave70 said:


> Seriously.
> A tethered goat makes not only an efficient mower / mulcher / kitchen scrap disposal system but a great talking point and pet. Kids love them.
> Why not get a dairy goat and there's your milk and ricotta taken care of.
> 
> ...


Pretty slack killing a goat with a Briggs & Stratton.


----------



## Dave70 (18/10/11)

petesbrew said:


> Pretty slack killing a goat with a Briggs & Stratton.
> View attachment 49268



Not to mention messy and time consuming. 
You think clearing a stuck sparge is a pain in the arse..

A branch shredder with at _least_ a 5hp engine would be the minimum I'd shoot for.
Plus some garbage bags and dark clothing I wasn't particularly fussy about burning.


----------



## petesbrew (18/10/11)

Dave70 said:


> Not to mention messy and time consuming.
> You think clearing a stuck sparge is a pain in the arse..
> 
> A branch shredder with at _least_ a 5hp engine would be the minimum I'd shoot for.
> Plus some garbage bags and dark clothing I wasn't particularly fussy about burning.


I dunno.
Yes the branch shredder will be quicker, but I'm thinking it would make mince... I don't think mince is the best cut you'd go for in an indian/moroccan curry. The briggs & stratton should leave bigger chunks.


----------

