Rotary Mowers

[Dod101]

My old Fly Mo is giving up the ghost after nearly 30 years of faithful service. Does anyone know what would be the nearest current equivalent? Petrol driven 46 cm cut is what I want. I am not interested in anything very great as my grass is not a lawn and i just want to keep it short.

Dod

[servodude]

My old Fly Mo is giving up the ghost after nearly 30 years of faithful service. Does anyone know what would be the nearest current equivalent? Petrol driven 46 cm cut is what I want. I am not interested in anything very great as my grass is not a lawn and i just want to keep it short.

Dod

Have you had a look at getting it serviced/repaired?
They're simple machines and most parts are available for decades

Otherwise anything with a Honda or Briggs & Stratton engine is normally quite reliable

-sd

[Dod101]

My old Fly Mo is giving up the ghost after nearly 30 years of faithful service. Does anyone know what would be the nearest current equivalent? Petrol driven 46 cm cut is what I want. I am not interested in anything very great as my grass is not a lawn and i just want to keep it short.

Dod

Have you had a look at getting it serviced/repaired?
They're simple machines and most parts are available for decades

Otherwise anything with a Honda or Briggs & Stratton engine is normally quite reliable

-sd

I have had it serviced fairly regularly over the years but I think it is now nearing the end of its life. I notice Briggs & Stratton seems to crop up quite regularly, thank you.

Dod

[mutantpoodle]

I would far prefer HONDA engine to B and S....though it will cost you more
(I say ENGINE...if you get 100% Honda mower it will be expensive)

as for where to buy.....masses are for sale on Facebook group pages
or
WORK AID are a good place to find one...fully serviced etc
if you are anywhere near CHESHAM i BUCKS..they are having a street sale next Saturday!!

I got mine ther 3 years ago and so far my only grief is that it runs out of petrol when used often

[jackdaww]

.

can recommend Honda izy41 hrg416pk 16" cut - plenty for average lawns .

not keen on briggs stratton .

[scrumpyjack]

I got a Hyundai last year to replace a 30yr old Hayter. It is excellent and I particularly like the electric start which works very well. No more tugging at starter cables! Another good idea is that you can plug a hose on to the chassis after mowing and run it for a short period. Cleans the underside very efficiently.

[BullDog]

Beware Chinese rubbish being sold under formerly respected brand names. Last year, I bought a self propelled Mountfield petrol rotary mower. After maybe 6 hours use it began smoking very badly and engine oil was running out of the exhaust port. A warranty claim directed me to a local service agent. After a few weeks he told me Mountfield couldn't supply the new engine it required. Not available. Mountfield told him to order a complete engine in spare parts form and build one. Needless to say, that would have been very time consuming and vastly uneconomic for the repair guy given the peanuts Mountfield would pay him. In conversation he told me that there's lots of formerly respected names out there now selling what's basically rubbish. In the end, the bloke has actually given up his mower repair agencies and just services motorbikes instead.

Apologies for the long winded post. In a nutshell be careful what you buy. Buy a known premium brand preferably known not to have Chinese engines.

I am now using a Bosch electric mower again. The one I used before the Mountfield mower fiasco.

In the end, I did get a full refund on the Mountfield petrol mower.

[GrahamPlatt]

I recommend you check out robot mowers. bit of a faff to set up, but once installed, effortless.

[simoan]

Don’t think much of your green credentials going from electric to fossil fuel when most people are going the other way. Given all the bother you get with petrol engines I have no idea why someone who’s been happy with an electric mower for so long would want to change.

All the best, Si

[servodude]

Don’t think much of your green credentials going from electric to fossil fuel when most people are going the other way. Given all the bother you get with petrol engines I have no idea why someone who’s been happy with an electric mower for so long would want to change.

All the best, Si

I took Dod's Flymo to be a petrol mower not the hover electric they were famous for originally

[swill453]

Don’t think much of your green credentials going from electric to fossil fuel when most people are going the other way. Given all the bother you get with petrol engines I have no idea why someone who’s been happy with an electric mower for so long would want to change.

I assumed the one he's replacing is petrol.

Scott.

[simoan]

Don’t think much of your green credentials going from electric to fossil fuel when most people are going the other way. Given all the bother you get with petrol engines I have no idea why someone who’s been happy with an electric mower for so long would want to change.

All the best, Si

I took Dod's Flymo to be a petrol mower not the hover electric they were famous for originally

Oh. That’s the only kind of Flymo I know; Never seen a petrol one and didn’t even know they existed! Depends how big your lawn area is I guess. When I replace my Hayter it will not be with another petrol mower…

[88V8]

Beware Chinese rubbish being sold under formerly respected brand names. Last year, I bought a self propelled Mountfield petrol rotary mower.

Oh dear.
I'm still using the push rotary Mountfield we bought in 1984.
The alloy deck has corroded through and the repair I made by riveting the lid of an egg poacher over the hole has also corroded through, I'm waiting for an opportunity to raid the OH's pan collection again.....

New mowers have a dead man's handle which is very annoying. They can easily be bypassed though...

V8

[Gerry557]

Would an electric battery operated jobby work for you better?

[DrFfybes]

There are some good battery mowers out these days, but they are expensive.

I already have a selection of EGO cordless tools, but when it came to a mower for around the trees and the nooks and crannies, they were too much money so it was a cheap end of season green one from Toolstation. B&S engine, 42cm IIRC and self propelled, which makes a big difference on uneven ground under the trees. The label says "hawksmoor", but basically they're nearly all made in China these days, including (whisper) some Honda ones.

[Dod101]

I recommend you check out robot mowers. bit of a faff to set up, but once installed, effortless.

Not ignoring the other posts and thanks for all the advice but I would imagine that a robot mower would need a fairly flat surface. My grass is not a lawn and is subject to humps and hollows. Would they work on that?

Dod

[Dod101]

Don’t think much of your green credentials going from electric to fossil fuel when most people are going the other way. Given all the bother you get with petrol engines I have no idea why someone who’s been happy with an electric mower for so long would want to change.

All the best, Si

Poor old Si. I have noted this 'jumping to conclusions' in his posts on investment matters. As I said in my first post, currently I have a petrol driven mower and I am simply looking for a replacement. Over the years I have used electric mowers with a long lead. That is simply not suitable for my situation. I have had no bother whatever with the petrol engine. Every two or three years or so I get it serviced and refuel it of course but the engine has given me no problems.

OK I see that Si has retracted to some extent. An electric one with a battery might work but I am afraid I am not going to go to that expense at my time of life so a petrol one it will be.

Dod

[GrahamPlatt]

I recommend you check out robot mowers. bit of a faff to set up, but once installed, effortless.

Not ignoring the other posts and thanks for all the advice but I would imagine that a robot mower would need a fairly flat surface. My grass is not a lawn and is subject to humps and hollows. Would they work on that?

Dod

If you’re able to mow it with a normal mower, then I’d expect a robot to be able to. Perhaps a little better actually, as the wheelbase is probably a bit shorter, so you’d get a better cut at the rims and peaks. Depending on model, they are usually quoted as being capable of working on up to 30 degree inclines.

[simoan]

Poor old Si. I have noted this 'jumping to conclusions' in his posts on investment matters. As I said in my first post, currently I have a petrol driven mower and I am simply looking for a replacement. Over the years I have used electric mowers with a long lead. That is simply not suitable for my situation. I have had no bother whatever with the petrol engine. Every two or three years or so I get it serviced and refuel it of course but the engine has given me no problems.

OK I see that Si has retracted to some extent. An electric one with a battery might work but I am afraid I am not going to go to that expense at my time of life so a petrol one it will be.

Dod

I'm sorry but this is both rude and incorrect. Both something you seem susceptible to IMHO. Maybe if you had bothered to re-read your original post you'd see that it was not clear that you currently had a petrol mower at all. Here it is in full so you can chew on some humble pie:

My old Fly Mo is giving up the ghost after nearly 30 years of faithful service. Does anyone know what would be the nearest current equivalent? Petrol driven 46 cm cut is what I want. I am not interested in anything very great as my grass is not a lawn and i just want to keep it short.

As for what I think of your thoughts on investment matters and your overall approach to investment, I think I'd better keep schtum.

[GrahamPlatt]

Worx Landroid. https://youtu.be/3IQhM0dkiiE


Comparison test - various makes. https://youtu.be/Z7flPe_Rogo


Heavy duty…

Raymo. https://youtu.be/xtrOaOyN1Dk

Spider. https://youtu.be/Xhsbgq9f3Kw

Tank. https://youtu.be/q8uKeXWm_LY