Small Sit On Lawn Mowers

[Hysteresis]

I have a reasonably sized lawn at around 1000 Sq Mts. Not large enough for a sit on is the advice from a 'DIYnot' posting from 2009, and I must agree with that conclusion and as such I have used petrol self propelled mowers for many years.
However advancing years (I am 80) makes the task of lawn mowing a bit tiring and the thought of a Small Sit On would ease the effort considerably.
I have looked around at the small sit ons (Not the large tractor type) and the availability is quite large, reliability and performance are fantastic according to the retailers and manufacturers, but they would say that wouldn't they. I have bought quite a few self propelled mowers over the years and almost without exception they have been of VERY poor quality and reliability with the inevitable starting issues, the last I bought three years ago was an electric start. This machine has proved to be as much rubbish as all of the others, dropping to bits after three years.
So, has any one any advice as to the suitability and reliable of small sit ons for an 80 years of age 'Old Giffer'?

 

[Burnerman]

If the piggy bank will stretch to a Honda Ride on, look no further.......!
Viking are also tough and hardy.
John

 

[Hysteresis]

Thanks John, They are pricey at around £3k. There are a few on eBay but I am wary of Second Hand Mowers.
Do you think such a mower is suitable for 1000 sq mts lawn?
I'll Have search for Viking.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Often these mower places have ex-display or second hand stuff that will come with a limited warranty rather than chancing your luck with an ebay purchase.

 

[Burnerman]

Sure, a ride on is just what you need!
You could get lucky on the second hand market, but avoid anything owned by local authorities or landscape gardeners like the plague!
Honda or Briggs engines will give you good electric starting and the make Countax are strong and well built.
Steel decks rust of course and that needs to be taken into consideration.
John

 

[lostinthelight]

If you can find a nice used one an Etesia Bahia is a nippy little thing and easy to get in and off

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but how much use would you get out of it? Have you considered paying someone to do the mowing instead?

 

[Hysteresis]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but how much use would you get out of it? Have you considered paying someone to do the mowing instead?

Fair Point. But Quotes are between £100 and £150, So,10 cuts a year, at the lowest quote is £1000, The mower would therefore pay for itself in a couple of years.

 

[Lower]

I have a mountfield 827H compact ride on and mow a lawn that is of a similar size to yours. Its been totally reliable and is easy to drive.

Make sure you have a way of emptying the grass collector though. Its designed to be tipped out whilst your still on the mower if you a suitable area to dump your cuttings, or you can lift it off and tip the cuttings into a bin. However, the collector is large (which makes cutting the lawn so much faster) and its quite heavy and unwieldy.

 

[Bosswhite]

For your size of lawn you should be able to pick up a small sit on for about £ 850/1200 which if serviced regulary should last , whether you need a collector is debatable , I dont bother just let the cuttings mulch down gone within a couple of days or so . , refeeds the grass .

 

[pete01]

Never used one but how about one of them robot mowers?
I did consider one myself but my lawn is in 3 sections and I'd have to move it.

Not sure if they are good for your size lawn but worth a look into.

 

[scbk]

It's not just the size, but the shape and awkwardness of the area. You can get articulated mowers like stiga, with the deck out front, or zero turns mowers, they are both better for when you don't have a huge square of grass.


Robotic mowers are worth a look, saves a lot of time, much less noise, reliable, no fuel to buy, etc.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I went to ride-on tractors long ago, you cannot beat them for getting the job done efficiently and quickly. I began with a large hover, tried a walk-behind, a self propelled, but nothing compares with the speed and ease of a ride-on. It used to take me a full day, to complete, I now do it in an easy 30 to 60 minutes. Because it's so quick, it also seems more fuel efficient.

Mine is like a small tractor, with a massive collector on the rear. Problem is, the UK grass is so moist, it chokes the deck to collector bin duct, so I would advise one with a side discharge. I stopped using the collector years ago, and just rely on mulching. I'm now on my second one, a Lawnflite 703. B&S engine, has never been an issue, but the drive belts are complex and expensive to replace, as are all replacement parts. I do all my own repairs, so all it has really cost me is a belt and fuel, bought second hand 5 years ago. I sold the first on, still working fine, to a fishing club for cutting a path around their lake. Last I heard, it was still running.

I built it a garage, to keep the worst of the weather off, at the very back of the garden, a lean to at the rear of the summer house.

 

[Hysteresis]

For your size of lawn you should be able to pick up a small sit on for about £ 850/1200 which if serviced regulary should last , whether you need a collector is debatable , I dont bother just let the cuttings mulch down gone within a couple of days or so . , refeeds the grass .

Tried the Mulching business, what I found was that although it rots down and feeds the grass, it always leaves the lawn heavily thatched which takes a lot to remove even with an electric scarifier. I also found that if mulching, the process leave all of the weed seeds to regenerate yet more damn weeds. So I stopped the practice.

 

[Hysteresis]

It's not just the size, but the shape and awkwardness of the area. You can get articulated mowers like stiga, with the deck out front, or zero turns mowers, they are both better for when you don't have a huge square of grass.


Robotic mowers are worth a look, saves a lot of time, much less noise, reliable, no fuel to buy, etc.

Now an Articulated Stiga Mower is undoubtedly good, it costs an arm and a leg to buy.
A robotic thingy would not really be suitable as the lawn is too big and would need constant recharging to get the lawns cut, and their fuel costs are NOT zero, they need to be charged and electric power is an expensive form of energy.