Ride on lawnmower newbie
Discussion
Hi all
As a complete newbie to garden maintenance I need to buy a ride on mower to tackle 2 acres. I've done an initial search and it would appear a mulching twin bladed mower would be a good feature to avoid endless trips to empty the collection box etc? Not really after manufacturer recommendations yet as the property is In France so not that straightforward.......
Some seem to have a hydrostatic transmission??? Do I need this? Any other pointers gratefully received. I'm probably going to buy new as finding a second hand one in France wont be easy etc - budget around £2k if I can get away with that ;-)
TIA
Ian
As a complete newbie to garden maintenance I need to buy a ride on mower to tackle 2 acres. I've done an initial search and it would appear a mulching twin bladed mower would be a good feature to avoid endless trips to empty the collection box etc? Not really after manufacturer recommendations yet as the property is In France so not that straightforward.......
Some seem to have a hydrostatic transmission??? Do I need this? Any other pointers gratefully received. I'm probably going to buy new as finding a second hand one in France wont be easy etc - budget around £2k if I can get away with that ;-)
TIA
Ian
I totally agree with you about getting a twin balded self mulching mower as opposed to endlessly collecting the grass. I have a property with a similar acreage to you and have just bought my third ride on, we've lived here 43 years. I know you're not after manufacturers but all of mine have been Husquavarna, the last one lasted over 20 years. I've just bought a TS112 for just over £2k it has hydrostatic transmision and so far so good. I use a rubber bungee to hold open the flap by the side exit so that the cuttings are scattered as opposed to being left in lines. There are loads of manufacturers out there to choose from, best of luck.
Rako said:
Some seem to have a hydrostatic transmission??? Do I need this?
My last ride on was a Husqvarna with hydrostatic - highly recommended. As I understand it, the hydrostatic bit means that the engine stays at a constant revs and cutting blades are rotating via belt driven off engine spindle. The drive to the wheels is via the hydrostatic, so the more you press, the faster you go. Stop pressing and the drive stops. If you didn't have the hydrostatic, I guess there would be a clutch mechanism to engage drive.I was in similar situation to you a few years ago.
Absolutely mulching is the way to go with 2 acres.
What sort of terrain is it? Paddock rough grass or neat lawn, steep or flat?
You might struggle with that budget depending on how many hours you are happy to mow.
Will you be regularly mowing (say weekly in high growth periods)?
If not then you will need something with good power to take off an mulch what will be quite a lot of grass
I used to use a Countax with relatively small deck (38inch) and it took 3 to 4 hours to do 3 acres.
Absolutely mulching is the way to go with 2 acres.
What sort of terrain is it? Paddock rough grass or neat lawn, steep or flat?
You might struggle with that budget depending on how many hours you are happy to mow.
Will you be regularly mowing (say weekly in high growth periods)?
If not then you will need something with good power to take off an mulch what will be quite a lot of grass
I used to use a Countax with relatively small deck (38inch) and it took 3 to 4 hours to do 3 acres.
For that size of lawn you really need to be looking at something with a 7ft cut or larger. I would start with a scan of the tractor market, probably a classic / vintage type from the 60's /70's. Otherwise a hydraulic self propelled gang mower.
Reel cutters give the best finish if looked after but triple rotary are not far behind and easier to keep in good order.
The up to date answer would be a robot with GPS but you are looking nearer £5K. On the upside, the grass always looks mint and you save a load of time.
Don't waste your time and money on a domestic ride on intended for small lawns. You will be forever cutting grass and repairing the mower. Given the size of your grass you need to be in the zone of commercial grass cutter.
Reel cutters give the best finish if looked after but triple rotary are not far behind and easier to keep in good order.
The up to date answer would be a robot with GPS but you are looking nearer £5K. On the upside, the grass always looks mint and you save a load of time.
Don't waste your time and money on a domestic ride on intended for small lawns. You will be forever cutting grass and repairing the mower. Given the size of your grass you need to be in the zone of commercial grass cutter.
Edited by stukno on Saturday 18th July 13:55
I agree 2 acres is too much for a regular ride on - I cut 0.6 acres with a ride on and it was a long job, and as said, you'll be putting belts back on here and there. I also hold up my exit flap - to spread the cuttings - you'll want this when you do initial cuts especially. Mulching only really works when it's already cut and you are doing small maintenance cuts. - it loads the engine and blades up a lot more too.
My dad mowed around 2 acres at his place and he ended up with one of those things with dolly wheels at the front and tank-steer levers. Went like the clappers! (zero turn mower).
p.s. Hydrostatic is basically an "auto". Two pedals - forward and reverse - heel and toe. Excellent it you have a fiddly garden and need to reverse and change speeds a lot (the pedals are also the "throttle). Kind of irrelevent if you are mowing a huge open space mind you.
My dad mowed around 2 acres at his place and he ended up with one of those things with dolly wheels at the front and tank-steer levers. Went like the clappers! (zero turn mower).
p.s. Hydrostatic is basically an "auto". Two pedals - forward and reverse - heel and toe. Excellent it you have a fiddly garden and need to reverse and change speeds a lot (the pedals are also the "throttle). Kind of irrelevent if you are mowing a huge open space mind you.
Edited by Griffith4ever on Saturday 18th July 14:10
I have a honda 2417 which has a collector on the back. I've got 1/2 an acre and it still takes me an hour or so. And I'll fill 10 council collection bags of grass every two weeks.
Mine would do 2 acres I'm guessing but it would take a long while and having a collector, unless it's a very large one, would be a pain in the arse.
Mine would do 2 acres I'm guessing but it would take a long while and having a collector, unless it's a very large one, would be a pain in the arse.
Many garden tractors have the Tufftorque K46 hydrostatic transmission. They don't like uphill slopes or heat.
If the ground is flat maybe OK.
My 2 acres has a slight slope and the hydrostaic transmission on my Westwood T1600 failed after 7 years.
IRO £500 for a new transmission which fortunately I was able to fit myself, not an easy job
If the ground is flat maybe OK.
My 2 acres has a slight slope and the hydrostaic transmission on my Westwood T1600 failed after 7 years.
IRO £500 for a new transmission which fortunately I was able to fit myself, not an easy job
Pretty tight budget for something up to maintaining 2 acres of lawn. The domestic grade stuff available new at that sort of money is very light duty/Chinese crap and will quickly frustrate/break if subject to that kind of workload.
Either keep an eye out for a better machine secondhand, spend more money or maybe even decide to cut less of it.
Leaving some areas to go wild with neat paths mown in can be a good option if it fits the style of garden.
Either keep an eye out for a better machine secondhand, spend more money or maybe even decide to cut less of it.
Leaving some areas to go wild with neat paths mown in can be a good option if it fits the style of garden.
If it’s a nice flat lawn get a robot mower like the Luba 3 or the Segway Navimow and let them work.
I have 2 robot mowers, a Stiga ride on, hayter push mower plus the rest and just get the robots deal with it. It was an eye opener after years spent cutting grass. I have a bit more than 2 acres to look after so similar situation to yours…
I have 2 robot mowers, a Stiga ride on, hayter push mower plus the rest and just get the robots deal with it. It was an eye opener after years spent cutting grass. I have a bit more than 2 acres to look after so similar situation to yours…
CrgT16 said:
If it s a nice flat lawn get a robot mower like the Luba 3 or the Segway Navimow and let them work.
I have 2 robot mowers, a Stiga ride on, hayter push mower plus the rest and just get the robots deal with it. It was an eye opener after years spent cutting grass. I have a bit more than 2 acres to look after so similar situation to yours
We got rid of our stiga park and went Husqvarna robotic mower (520EPOS) for a little over an acre and our neighbour does 4 acres with his slightly bigger model. It works well if the paddock/grass is reasonably flat ie no rapid undulations, and slopes are fine. I have 2 robot mowers, a Stiga ride on, hayter push mower plus the rest and just get the robots deal with it. It was an eye opener after years spent cutting grass. I have a bit more than 2 acres to look after so similar situation to yours
Apologies for the slow reply have been playing with other petrol related stuff!! Thank you all for your very helpful replies, I knew I would get good advice on here.
So the property is a petrol heads dream, I can't quite believe what we've bagged for the money, it's the garden that's intimidating. It's pretty flat with grass to all four boundaries there are a few trees dotted all around with a small copse in one corner which you can just about mow under and around etc. It has been empty for over a year so fairy overgrown and unloved.
It sounds like we need to get a bigger mower so I'll dial that in to my thinking, there is a neighbour quite close on one side so spending 2 hours running around annoying them (it would annoy me) is a big consideration. Ill look into some of the suggestions and get a feel for what's on offer, a long warranty is on the tick list...
After digging more further to your replies some have the cutting blades ahead of the front wheels others under the seat, is this a manoeuvrability thing?
Cheers E
So the property is a petrol heads dream, I can't quite believe what we've bagged for the money, it's the garden that's intimidating. It's pretty flat with grass to all four boundaries there are a few trees dotted all around with a small copse in one corner which you can just about mow under and around etc. It has been empty for over a year so fairy overgrown and unloved.
It sounds like we need to get a bigger mower so I'll dial that in to my thinking, there is a neighbour quite close on one side so spending 2 hours running around annoying them (it would annoy me) is a big consideration. Ill look into some of the suggestions and get a feel for what's on offer, a long warranty is on the tick list...
After digging more further to your replies some have the cutting blades ahead of the front wheels others under the seat, is this a manoeuvrability thing?
Cheers E
Gone fishing said:
We got rid of our stiga park and went Husqvarna robotic mower (520EPOS) for a little over an acre and our neighbour does 4 acres with his slightly bigger model. It works well if the paddock/grass is reasonably flat ie no rapid undulations, and slopes are fine.
Those look like great bits of kit, my garden is 1/2 acre'ish and is flat. Hmmmm, got me thinking now. Any issues at all?I was in a similar situation earlier in the summer, had even decided on a Husqvarna ride on and after visiting my local dealer came home with a robot mower. We have four separate areas totalling about 2.5 acres and although I initially had my doubts it’s been an absolute god send.
There’s a thread already running here and you’ll get some great advice, as always. It’s definitely worth considering.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
There’s a thread already running here and you’ll get some great advice, as always. It’s definitely worth considering.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Old old Stiga had the blades up front, it makes it more manoeuvre able and you can drive in and back out to cut under things. I thing the front deck ones tend to be double cutters (2 spinning blades) whereas the under seat cutters are one big cutter, at least on the ones I’ve seen
Robots are however the future. No issues to report, the quality of the cut is much better, we can cut our whole garden every day, my. Eight larger garden takes 2 days, but as you just leave it to it he can cut his grass 3 times a week when needed. We’ve bought a small electric hand mower to tidy up the odd edge that the robot doesn’t cut, we could have used a strimmer I guess. We’re also picking up windfall apples at the moment, the mower doesn’t seem that bothered but you can’t just mow them into oblivion, but you can’t really with a ride on.
The only real downside is after you’ve cut hedges you could pick the worst up then use the ride on to mulch the debris, the robot doesn’t do that. It’s a small price to pay.
Robots are however the future. No issues to report, the quality of the cut is much better, we can cut our whole garden every day, my. Eight larger garden takes 2 days, but as you just leave it to it he can cut his grass 3 times a week when needed. We’ve bought a small electric hand mower to tidy up the odd edge that the robot doesn’t cut, we could have used a strimmer I guess. We’re also picking up windfall apples at the moment, the mower doesn’t seem that bothered but you can’t just mow them into oblivion, but you can’t really with a ride on.
The only real downside is after you’ve cut hedges you could pick the worst up then use the ride on to mulch the debris, the robot doesn’t do that. It’s a small price to pay.
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