Buy a decent sit-on lawnmower

[vancheese]

Apart from the obvious exchange of cash/livestock/beer/anything to swap, What should I look for when buying a good sit-on lawnmower? I've about 2 acres of a grass land to mow and the grass isn't good enough for livestock so I'm looking for tips on what kinda of mower to get. Which model/brands are recommended, what is a typical price, what should I look for if I buy second hand, what are typical problems with these mower....

Sorry for the vagueness, I'm a complete novice in this area and would love some input

Andy

[oldfella]

Andy I have a sit on mower and and my advice is that you should find out what makes are sold by your local dealer who has a repair shop, and the reason I say this is, that for example, a super market make will present problems for spare parts and repairs. One other point if possible buy a make with Briggs and Stratton motor as the spares for them are readily available. Of course the Japanese are readily available, so it depends on your preference. As to price I suggest you talk to your local stockist , but I would avoid supermarket modlels as the staff know shall we say "Not a lot"
about Sit -on Mowers.

Good luck in your search.

Regards Eddy

[Millymollymandy]

Everything that Oldfella says - also they need regular servicing if you can't do that yourself so your dealer should do that - ours comes to collect it and brings it back. You have to think about repairs/servicing and how you will get the thing to where it needs to go... might take a bit long to drive it there.

[grahamhobbs]

What about a wild flower meadow and a scythe? Austrian scythes are modern, light and very efficient

[Millymollymandy]

For 2 acres Graham? Now I know that Stonehead could do it but anyone else on this forum up for it?

[grahamhobbs]

How long does it take with a strimmer? With a scythe, properly sharpened and in good hands, a half of the time, with no more real effort than swinging and lugging around a strimmer and I'd infinitely prefer to listen to the swish of a scythe than the whine of a strimmer.
The strimmer will beat the scythe only if the ground is very uneven, you don't learn to use it properly or don't bother to sharpen it.

[Millymollymandy]

Er Graham, this is the sit on mower thread which are a lot quicker than either scythes or strimmers.

(My OH couldn't manage a few 100m2 with a scythe as he found it absolutely backbreaking. Yes it was sharp and he did it all correctly - but he also found the strimmer just as hard work. That's what happens when you get real April showers and the grass gets too long for your ride on mower thus blowing the fan belt and needing to go off for repairs whilst the grass keeps growing..... tip for ride ons, keep mowing in spring even when it never stops raining...... )

[oldfella]

What about a wild flower meadow and a scythe? Austrian scythes are modern, light and very efficient

And the Austrian using them are probably young, don't have back problems, arthritis, and other assorted ailments, anyway I enjoy lawn mowing in the early morn sitting on my little mower.

[grahamhobbs]

I'm old and use a petrol mower on the paths of my allotment because nothing else is practical as they are too uneven, narrow, etc. So I'm not against power tools where appropriate but I do question acres of lawn in the first place and the need to mow it every couple of weeks. Surely we need to be thinking of more productive, ecological uses and ways of dealing with such areas, even taking into consideration our arthritis, back aches, etc, no?

[Minnesota]

I've about 2 acres of a grass land to mow and the grass isn't good enough for livestock so I'm looking for tips on what kinda of mower to get. Andy

what do you mean...Not good enough for livestock ?
What about a couple of Goats ?
maybe a neighbor has some goats to put on your land once or twice a month ?

My opinion...
Power mowers used for aesthetic purposes are such a waste of time and fuel.

[oldfella]

Living on the side of a limestone mountain, with two football pitch size fields,each with about 6 inches of soil covering, under which is solid rock, I find that that my Lawns only exist for the first few months of the year after which, unless I continuously water turn brown and barren, with the exception of weeds, so I water the ground and grow whatever can plants can survive, and have even a used a pneumatic drill to make holes to enable me to grow shrubs, so yes I prefer to to spend money and waste my time purely for aesthetic reason.

[Millymollymandy]

Me too, I don't want to have to hack my way through a waist high jungle to get around my land so we have to mow. What do you lot expect us to do, tarmac it all?

Right now it's a brown wasteland although it is greening up with the foot high 'weeds' taking over, mostly hawkbit which I hate but certain wildlife eat the fluffy seedheads (moorhens and green and goldfinches) and knapweed, lovely purple flowers which the butterflies love, though sadly there are very few butterflies this year.

[vancheese]

For my wife and I,We also don't want a "waist high" Jungle. Our grass (according to the local vet) isn't good enough for 100% sustainability for livestock. The sheep (walking tick-bombs!)we've had weren't interested in the grass and Wife refuses to have goats! We've dogs and cutting the grass reduces ticks(one has already nearly died from tick disease) and the grass can get stuck in their paws/coat and get nasty infections. To cut 1/8 of the grass with a strimmer, took me 2.5 hours in 28°C heat at 8pm and I was bitten by mosquitoes till the cows came home! Also, It was very tiring, and with a full-time job, not at all practical!

I've found some local websites(sorry in Hungarian!) with suitable devices
http://tinyurl.com/2f9dxqy
http://tinyurl.com/24wla8l

What do people think about grass collection devices on sit-down mowers(staying on topic ;) )? Are they worth the extra expense or am I better off getting a separate tow-behind lawnsweeper (example http://www.amazon.com/Agri-2dFab-Tow-La ... B000NBF3I0) ?

[Millymollymandy]

Yes to the collection box if you make your own compost - obviously don't collect from the whole area but some green stuff is invaluable in spring to add to the woody stuff. I imagine in Hungary you have dry hot summers so you won't be needing to mow much from summer onwards? I use grass clippings on my paths in the veg patch to try to suppress the weeds and we add it to all the compost we collected in winter which was 90% woody stuff (straw and duck and hen poo) to help it rot down during the summer months.

Now I'm desperate for green stuff for my compost again!

Ours has an inbuilt mulcher as well so it either collects or it cuts up the grass that it chucks out behind very fine and that is supposed to feed the lawn as well as not landing in big lumps/rows where you need to rake it up.

[oldfella]

I agree with MMM, and in my book it is really not a saving to buy a mower that only cuts the grass leaving you to pick it up, and the mulching option, is well worth while.

"and of course the OH may well enjoy doing the mowing"