Lawnmower!

[Rusty]

Hi all, been too busy to come online lately and thought this would be a decent question for you guys and gals:

Am looking for suggestions of a decent, reliable and fairly lightweight lawnmower to buy for my mother.

What lawnmower does everyone use here and would you recommend it for someone who is getting on a bit in age? Prerequisites are reliable, easy enough to start and fairly lightweight if possible.

No point in suggesting that I go around and mow the lawns for her as she thoroughly enjoys it for some reason (odd....yes).

Thanks in advance!

[Problemchild_87]

what about those electric hover lawn mowers? my grandmother had one 10 to 15 years back

[Jacko84]

plus one for electric mower, never brake down on here lighter and easier.

[EDGE3]

You don't want to get her one that has the electric cord attached to it,get her the battery operated mower the charge lasts for about 3-4 hours and they are very quiet all she needs to do is recharge the battery before she needs to use it and they are also lightweight,I think Bunning's sell them.

[Rusty]

Never thought about the electric ones and did not even know that battery ones existed! Will look into it a bit now! Thanks guys

[detox_nath83]

yeah battery one man,,,, might wrap the extension cord around the blades and Zappo.... fried gran

[Lumps of cheese]

Honda. Easy to start, quiet 4 stroke and easy to push around. Also has a mulch attachment so no need to catch grass. Had mine for 7 years and wouldn't have anything else.

[ClairBear]

I just purchased a new lawn mower. I popped in to see what was around, not expecting to purchase, and how much I could expect to pay as it's been a few years since I purchased one. I went to a dedicated lawn mower sales/repair shop and ended up walking out with a Rover Challenger, latest model - $535.00

The man who owned the shop served me and gave me some excellent advice and sold a mower suitable to me (being a female in her late 40's) and for my lawn. He said "I could sell you anything based on price and size but it would probably not do the job and you would struggle." As I have a 1/4 acre block that is mostly Kikuyu and a cow to mow the correct size motor was imperative, otherwise I would be forcing the mower through the grass and the mower would struggle and cut out often." Not only that I can adjust the handle to my size. The starter cord is mounted half way up the handle and with a gentle pull the mower starts. No more foot on the mower while I am bent over then five or six very hard pulls to get the bastard going.

Point being, maybe you need to find a lawn mower specialist that can sell your Mum exactly what she needs.

I must say after struggling with my old one for years, mowing is enjoyable now. Like your Mum I actually like doing the lawns, as does my Mum. Dad says he might buy one like mine for Mum lol. Must run in the family. My sister does hers to........

[rb26dett]

[gopher]

i have a masport mulching mower
very easy to start every time and because its a mulcher you don't need a catcher so reduces the weight

[Jonno]

weve been using a old briggs and stratton lawn mower scince dad was a kid, never broken down :P

[ClairBear]

i have a masport mulching mower

My new one has a mulcher attachment.....

weve been using a old briggs and stratton lawn mower scince dad was a kid, never broken down :P

..... with a Briggs and Stratton engine.

[STEEV888]

if your just trimming a small area of lawn once a week an electric one will do very nicely. not a prefered choice if you have a large area or fast growing thick grass.
a honda HRU17D was pretty much the mower of choice for older people as it was extremely easy to start and reliable, powerful small honda motor smaller 17" alloy bass and weighed not much at all so easy for them to get out of the sheds and car when they would bring them in for servicing.

if its never going to leave the ground level and you will take it to the shop for them, then get a self propelled honda they are ace and it will be passed down from them to you to your kids you will never break it.

[Tsunamix]

Rover Diehard frame with a briggs and stratton 4hp motor. Very old single float carb.

Starts first time, every time. Cuts trees down if you mow over them. Gutsy enough t blow the catcher off if it clogs up a vent. mulches bones, dog turds and small children with ease.

Thriveson abuse. I regularly put iron filings in the oil reservoir, and measure the bearing clearance with a ruler.

(Go electric)

[vkberlina]

My Perkins powered Jarret 6' slasher has never let me down

+1 for the Hondas, After sorting out the carb probs on my Briggs & Stratton 4.5hp Rover its a great mower. If I didnt get such a bargin on it I would have bought a honda.

Seriously take her shopping and get her to push them around with a 5kg weight on it to simulate grass

Scott

[hi_ryder]

i should snap a pic of my neighbours, its a 1950's victa looks like this one, only his looks like its been through the gaza strip, kinda like the owner lol. but still going....

[Cracka]

I would love an old mower like that, would be pretty cool.

My mother basically buys whatever is easy to start, she will talk over every point of hedge trimmers and lawn mowers and whipper snippers at bunnings and any other store for that matter, but at the end of the day if she cant start it, the unit is useless to her.

+1 for the suggestion that she go see people who know and understand the technology and her needs.

[Krisp]

when buying a mower you see so many brands, your just paying for the branded chasis. 2 strokes are easy to maintain aslong so you dont straight fuel them but noiser. the newer briggs and stratton engines have a weak ally gudgeon pin. mind you there are performance camshafts available if your looking to make a briggs go harder. masport quality has taken a dive in the last 2 years.
Hondas are a good mower but out of the price range for many. There is a light four stroke going around. its called a lawn beetle. Plastic chasis more like a womans kind of mower. Electric mowers are getting quite pricey these days. Then there is the bosch cordless mower.
At the end of the day, just go second hand. save yourself a few hundred, check the oil , blades are cheap so are plugs and if its a briggs carby kits are like 7 dollars and 3 screws to fix.
If anyone here needs a tee up with some new lawnmowers or stihl equipment and are in perth gime a shout. Im still chummy with my old boss where i worked as a small engine mechanic.

[STEEV888]

when buying a mower you see so many brands, your just paying for the branded chasis. 2 strokes are easy to maintain aslong so you dont straight fuel them but noiser. the newer briggs and stratton engines have a weak ally gudgeon pin. mind you there are performance camshafts available if your looking to make a briggs go harder. masport quality has taken a dive in the last 2 years.
Hondas are a good mower but out of the price range for many. There is a light four stroke going around. its called a lawn beetle. Plastic chasis more like a womans kind of mower. Electric mowers are getting quite pricey these days. Then there is the bosch cordless mower.
At the end of the day, just go second hand. save yourself a few hundred, check the oil , blades are cheap so are plugs and if its a briggs carby kits are like 7 dollars and 3 screws to fix.
If anyone here needs a tee up with some new lawnmowers or stihl equipment and are in perth gime a shout. Im still chummy with my old boss where i worked as a small engine mechanic.

DO NOT EVER BUY A LAWN BETTLE. or any SANLI equipment, ever.

[VS 5.0]

I've had my Victa 4 stroke (Corvette of all models) for about 15 years and it's a beauty.

The one in post #16 is cooool.

[glenn l]

i have a honda, and as the ad say it starts first time every time, with little effot to pull it.

[hi_ryder]

I've had my Victa 4 stroke (Corvette of all models) for about 15 years and it's a beauty.

The one in post #16 is cooool.

i wonder how many of those old mowers are still out there... its guys like my neighbour that never throw anything away is why some are still around. up his driveway is a yellow vk, an lj 4door, an ej, c somthing chrystler ute (1975), and in the shed thats tipping over onto it is an fb holden... all one owner cars rotting away...

[Tsunamix]

My Grandad retired in about 1970, then spent the next 25 years, sitting under his houise in Maryborough, rebulding, repairing and MAKING mowers.

Cannibalising old frames, motors, motorcycle carbs, 2 stroke outboards...

Nothing is cooler than a handle mounted spindle tank of a 1950's outboard motor (user to power a fisghing punt), hooked up to a 4 stroke Geiger branded pump motor from a well head, driving through an inverted Kraus worm drive t Box, to a flywheel mounted above the baseplate. The flywheel had 2 coild mounted on it that would go past a permanent magnet to generat a spark. This drove through the other end of teh t box to the cutting plate, which had 3 blades made from shaped angle iron.

Starting was by a knotted rope pull like the photo above.

We pinstriped it.

[NeddyBear]

We bought a $399 Bushranger 450 series for our mother, its a beautiful lightweight mower and for the 399 does a really good job.
I have a Honda residential myself at home which is a tad heavy but for a great light weight mower the Bushmans are outstanding.



ENGINE TYPE
Briggs & Stratton 450 Series
ENGINE CAPACITY 148 cc
WEIGHT 28 Kg
CUTTING WIDTH 18" 460mm
BLADE HOLDER Standart disk
CHASSIS MATERIAL Pressed Steel
WHEEL SIZE 7" Front / 8" Rear
WHEEL BEARING TYPE Ball bearing
HIGH ZONE AIR FILTER No