How big a garden do you need to justify a sit-on lawnmower?
Discussion
The lawnmower packed up this week (so the wife tells me) and I took it to a local garden center to be fixed. However, got chatting the bloke who said I could part exchange for a new or refurbed one. Saw this little 'sit on' mower and fancied buying it. However, our back garden is not small but it's also not that big (circa 150ft X 150ft). Anyway, wifie says it's not big enough to justify a sit-on mower but the petrolhead in me wants to get one! Also, I would actually mow the lawn rather than the missus so that would be a benefit! 
An old neighbour had one though their garden was about 40 x 20 feet, so to be honest if you feel you want one, and you can justify it to yourself then just get one. Remember that they need yearly service really, as they (can) get lots of use. Costs as much to service my John Deere sit on as the car...
My lawn's 60 by 80ft at the back and about 2/3rds the size at the front. I've a 36" cut (i.e. one of the smaller) ride-ons and every now and then I decide it would be just as fast to use our little self-propelled Hayter 16" mower. I'm always amazed how wrong I am - probably by at least a factor of 3.
For a start the ride on does in one stripe what it takes the Hayter 3 overlapping stripes to do. The ride-on's grass collector holds the equivalent of a couple of wheelbarrows and takes it straight to the compost heap where you pull a lever to empty it whilst remaining seated; No repeatedly emptying grass-boxes into wheelbarrows. It'll easily do all the grass on one tank of fuel. The pure brute force of an 11HP engine means long wet grass still cuts (although obviously less cleanly)
The only downside is that you need a ride-on shaped lawn otherwise expect to have to use a strimmer or small mower to go into the places where the ride-on is too big to fit or has too wide a turning circle to go up to the edge.
When our's dies it'll get replaced sharpish.
For a start the ride on does in one stripe what it takes the Hayter 3 overlapping stripes to do. The ride-on's grass collector holds the equivalent of a couple of wheelbarrows and takes it straight to the compost heap where you pull a lever to empty it whilst remaining seated; No repeatedly emptying grass-boxes into wheelbarrows. It'll easily do all the grass on one tank of fuel. The pure brute force of an 11HP engine means long wet grass still cuts (although obviously less cleanly)
The only downside is that you need a ride-on shaped lawn otherwise expect to have to use a strimmer or small mower to go into the places where the ride-on is too big to fit or has too wide a turning circle to go up to the edge.
When our's dies it'll get replaced sharpish.
Edited by FamilyGuy on Sunday 25th April 17:33
I used to do this with a rotary;
It's about 2000sqm and took too long. Borrowed a ride on from a friend who was building his own house and didn't need it for a couple of years - revelation.
Since then it's been returned and I've added the same area again behind the house and obtained a replacement ride-on. This time a John Deere mulching mower, so no need to keep collecting grass cuttings.
It's even got cruise control - but you do have to remember how to disengage it before you turn
It's about 2000sqm and took too long. Borrowed a ride on from a friend who was building his own house and didn't need it for a couple of years - revelation.
Since then it's been returned and I've added the same area again behind the house and obtained a replacement ride-on. This time a John Deere mulching mower, so no need to keep collecting grass cuttings.
It's even got cruise control - but you do have to remember how to disengage it before you turn
srebbe64 said:
However, our back garden is not small but it's also not that big (circa 150ft X 150ft).
Ask the wife to cut it a couple of times with the push mower 
I would get one .
Decided to replace out ageing Countax yesterday,totally fed up with the constant maintenance required , just got to wait for Wednesday when a new John Deere X140 gets delivered.
Half an acre of lawn and up, although I'm sure there is an age coefficient to worked in.
Or if you are into racing then http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&as_epq=lawn...
Or if you are into racing then http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&as_epq=lawn...
Edited by jeff m on Sunday 25th April 17:26
My parents lawn is probably at least hald an acre, and my father bought a Stiga mower last year that makes a fantastic job of it. I mulches the grass so you don't need to collect it, and you don't seem to pick up bits of chopped grass on your shoes afterwards.
Not sure exactly wich model, but it looks very professional.
Not sure exactly wich model, but it looks very professional.
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