New Lawn Mower Need

Joined
9 Mar 2006
Messages
288
Reaction score
5
Country
United Kingdom
Hello,

My Rover SP Petrol lawn mower (Alloy deck EM 46)has packed in as in it no longer self propels itself. Engine is fine but I have to push it and with 450m2 of grass to cut it gets a bit tiring! I've been quoted £200+ to fix it as it needs a new gearbox and drive belt and as it's 6 years old I fell that this is uneconomical.

I have a budget of £500 max, need a petrol engine, 4 wheels not a roller and have looked at the following upon recommendations from local dealers

husqvarna r53sv - Steel deck, 20"
rover 875M103 - Alloy deck, 18"
viking (made by sthil) but don't like the green plastic!

Also I know hayter and honda come well recommended but they had none in stock at the time

Has anyone got any advice on the above lawn mowers or different ones which I should go for or avoid?

Thanks
 
Sponsored Links
is it a decent lawn? for that money you could get a second hand ride on. If not etesia are damn good (2nd hand again)
 
is it a decent lawn? for that money you could get a second hand ride on. If not etesia are damn good (2nd hand again)

It's not bad, part of it had new turf laid 2 years ago.

Ride on is out of the question as i have garden at the front and rear but only a narrow lane down the side of the house
 
Rotary mowers are a complex subject, largely due to the number of makes and models in the market. You have to simplify it by deciding what you want from your mower. Here are a few factors that could be important.

Do you want a wide range of cutting heights? Do you want a centralised cut height adjuster or individual ones on each wheel?

Do you want a Briggs and Stratton or Honda engine and what size?

Do you need a mower that collects the grass well even when conditions are damp?

Of the ones you listed, Husqvarna is not noted for making good grass collectors. Rover is noted for being good at that and are excellent machines at the top end of their range. Viking make v good collectors but I, personally. don't like the way the baskets sometimes need two hand to empty them.

There are all sorts of factors to consider and you'll have to sort them out for yourself.
Thermo is right. You'll have a job beating an Etesia for wet cutting collection and all round durability.

Another good all round make you sometimes see on Ebay is Klippo. They have a simple front wheel drive you may find attractive.
 
Sponsored Links
Do you want a wide range of cutting heights? Do you want a centralised cut height adjuster or individual ones on each wheel?.

Not a huge range and a centralised height adjuster as i have now

Do you want a Briggs and Stratton or Honda engine and what size?.

Which is the best? Old rover had a B&S and apart from the gear box going it was fine. New ones i'm looking at are rated at 190cc

Do you need a mower that collects the grass well even when conditions are damp?.

Yes that would be handy

Rover is noted for being good at that and are excellent machines at the top end of their range.?.

Would you consider the ROVER 875M103 18" Alloy Deck Self Propelled Rotary Lawnmower to be at the top end of the range and a good buy?

Thanks
 
Single height adjuster suits me well. However, Etesia has a very good single wheel adjusters I could live with easily enough.

I like a mower that cuts down to around a half inch so I can cut the grass very short before I have to scarify. This is too low for normal cutting of course.

B & S engines have changed the way they are described. Before this, you had to get at least a 5hp one to get something good. (The smaller engines are carp). So you'll have to ask the seller what a 190cc engine would approximate to.

Honda have engines rated for domestic use and for commercial use. I have read that the cheaper ones are made in China or Mexico or somewhere and don't last long. But Hondas all do start very well.

I noticed in a store recently that the Hayter range use B & S engines on their best models and the Hondas on their cheaper range. Go figure...

The top end of the Rovers are 20 - 22 inch models, £800 upwards. They used to have a proper gearbox with a cork clutch arrangement but this has probably changed. Alloy decks are usually a sign of quality.

I'm out of touch now. I really posted to help you focus on your need in a mower. I'm very tall so have to have a machine with a high handle - this is the sort of individual thing that nobody can advise on.

I would always go for a push mower if I wanted a long term, trouble free life out of the machine. The simpler things are the better.

Hope you get something good.
 
need a petrol engine
Just out of interest; why does it have to be petrol? Do you have a lot of trees in the lawn or something?

That's the size of my back garden and I use a standard electric mower with an 15m extension lead with no problems.

Wouldn't an electric be better for the environment, and more economical?

There's people down my street with much much smaller gardens using petrol mowers :rolleyes: It's boys-and-their-toys in their cases.
 
For me its the Stihl Viking or the Honda - you'll always get spares.
The gearbox on the axle may not be terminally damaged - its worth pulling it apart for a look anyway. Sometimes its just a snapped roll pin that has allowed the gears to get out of mesh.
John :)
 
need a petrol engine
Just out of interest; why does it have to be petrol? Do you have a lot of trees in the lawn or something?

That's the size of my back garden and I use a standard electric mower with an 15m extension lead with no problems.

Wouldn't an electric be better for the environment, and more economical?

There's people down my street with much much smaller gardens using petrol mowers :rolleyes: It's boys-and-their-toys in their cases.

electric for a 450m2 lawn?

why will it be more economical? why will it be better for the environment?

boys and their toys or the right tool for the job :rolleyes:
 
I'd like to make a couple of points,
An electric lawnmower on that size of area jamesa? not a good idea, it will not last as long due to lack of current,you've got extra lead to buy,all that cable over the lawn to run over,greener?what about electic power stations?
The Rover is a good machine but check that your supplier is carrying spares because it is difficult to obtain Rover spares at the moment due to their possible change of importer as Rover machines and parts come from Australia.
Etesia is good at wet collection but as far as new is concerned it is way out of your budget range.
As far as i'm concerned the best lawnmower for you is the Hayter Motif 48 or 53,starts easily,cuts well,collects well and parts for the engine and mower are readily from most dealers.
 
The Rover is a good machine but check that your supplier is carrying spares because it is difficult to obtain Rover spares at the moment due to their possible change of importer as Rover machines and parts come from Australia.

As far as i'm concerned the best lawnmower for you is the Hayter Motif 48 or 53,starts easily,cuts well,collects well and parts for the engine and mower are readily from most dealers.

With regards the parts for the rover will they be easy to get hold of once the change of importer is sorted

I've actuallt been looking at the hayter one online today

Cheers
 
I'd like to make a couple of points,
An electric lawnmower on that size of area jamesa? not a good idea, it will not last as long due to lack of current,you've got extra lead to buy,all that cable over the lawn to run over,greener?what about electic power stations?
The Rover is a good machine but check that your supplier is carrying spares because it is difficult to obtain Rover spares at the moment due to their possible change of importer as Rover machines and parts come from Australia.
Etesia is good at wet collection but as far as new is concerned it is way out of your budget range.
As far as i'm concerned the best lawnmower for you is the Hayter Motif 48 or 53,starts easily,cuts well,collects well and parts for the engine and mower are readily from most dealers.

only other option is to pick one up second hand. I did 5 years ago and it is still going strong being used for all manner of grass cutting in my landscaping business. Good engines, and a plastic deck so it lasts.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top