Should I buy a petrol hovver mower?

[JumboBeef]

My old petrol mower has died .......so that means I can buy a new one

Now, my lawn is never going to win awards. It is frankly very 'rustic': very up-and-down, the moles love it, and so do the dogs.

The problem I had have with my old mower is that it doesn't like a non-flat lawn....so I was considering one of these:

NEW! FLYMO XL500 PLUS PETROL HOVER MOWER (FOUR-STROKE)

Would it be any good? Anyone got one?

 

[stevieb15]

Personally I wouldn't use a metal bladed Flymo and I am amazed that in our current H&S obsessed climate these dangerous tools are still on the market.

 

[renault12ts]

Back to the good old basic design from the 70s (except for the 4 stroke engine). Great work-horse. Buy one.

 

[umedc]

My old petrol mower has died .......so that means I can buy a new one

Now, my lawn is never going to win awards. It is frankly very 'rustic': very up-and-down, the moles love it, and so do the dogs.

The problem I had have with my old mower is that it doesn't like a non-flat lawn....so I was considering one of these:

NEW! FLYMO XL500 PLUS PETROL HOVER MOWER (FOUR-STROKE)

Would it be any good? Anyone got one?

get a sheep

 

[tim.100]

Personally I wouldn't use a metal bladed Flymo and I am amazed that in our current H&S obsessed climate these dangerous tools are still on the market.

It has a dead man's switch for the Honda engine. Common sense can also be used.

 

[bennesspipers]

IMHO,Flymo have never made a decent machine. They just are'nt made to last, & the early ones were absolute swines to start,even when brand new. If you want a good mower, buy a Honda.

 

[renault12ts]

^ Don't agree. We had our first one in the 70s absolutely no problem to start. Easy to strip though if needed. 4 strokes are more complex, but modern engines should be much better.

 

[Meldrew2]

If you want a good mower, buy a Honda.

+1

We have 3 acres of caravan park grass to cut. We have been using Honda mowers (just the domestic models, not the fancy, high priced professional range) for the past 5 years or more, and have found them to be excellent.


.

 

[Benzowner]

The problem you may encounter with the Flymo, is that it also will not like up and down lawns. It floats on air and when the nose goes up, air pressure is lost and the flymo blade is like a hedge trimmer and bits of your lawn down to the dirt will go missing A cylinder will probably be better.

 

[w124coupe]

We have 1/2 acre of apple orchard as the garden and dogs/moles/badgers to prevent it from ever being flat.

The trees mean I have stuck with a walk-behind mower and have settled on a mulcher as the weekly pile of clippings was in danger of being larger than the house...

Tried:

Honda - great bagger but hopeless mulcher (unless grass is short and bone dry it just gums up underneath and then leaves a clump-trail before stalling)

Mountfield - cheap and er cheap. Better get a used decent make.

Toro - recommended by the dealer and used as a swap for the Honda when I sheepishly returned it (as he knew I would). Reasonable bagger and excellent mulcher - the grass is cut and re-cut and then blown down into the lawn.

I used it today to obliterate a carpet of about 2,000,000 oak leaves across the whole wet lawn - they have disappeared into brown dust. Excellent machine and very simple, robust design means easy DIY.


I would stick to a rotary mower, choose a 4-wheel one (instead of a roller) unless your lawn is very flat.

Go Honda for bagging and not if mulching!

 

[w124coupe]

The problem you may encounter with the Flymo, is that it also will not like up and down lawns. It floats on air and when the nose goes up, air pressure is lost and the flymo blade is like a hedge trimmer and bits of your lawn down to the dirt will go missing A cylinder will probably be better.

Same happens over the edges - it then scalps.....

I have a hover for a steep ditch bank - used from the top on a rope! Brilliant for this but still fires stones etc out at 100mph so needs goggles etc for safety.

 

[jonnyboy]

I actually wouldnt agree with the advice to get a 4 wheel rotary. I would go with a roller Honda rotary. Whilst the mower will move around a bit more as it crests the bumps, it wont scalp where the 4 wheels are lower than a high spot in the centre of a pass. And the wheels wont fall down into a mole hole again causing scalping. Plus you can drive a couple of inches over the edge and the roller will keep the machine level so you dont scalp the edges. You can mulch very well with a Honda rotary but it MUST be cut weekly minimum. I absolutely disagree about using a cylinder model, they are unsuitable for bumpy ground and will scalp it/go off sharp/oout of alignment very very quickly.

If you insist on a hover mower, get an Allen with a 4 stroke Honda engine. We have a none-pro model which uses two lengths of h/duty strimmer line which you just replace when it gets short. No blades to sharpen, and a hell of a lot safer. Not a bad cut at all, and we didnt pay much more than the Flymo you mention. I wouldnt touch one of those with someone else's barge-pole, never mind my own........

 

[w124coupe]

I actually wouldnt agree with the advice to get a 4 wheel rotary. I would go with a roller Honda rotary. Whilst the mower will move around a bit more as it crests the bumps, it wont scalp where the 4 wheels are lower than a high spot in the centre of a pass. And the wheels wont fall down into a mole hole again causing scalping. Plus you can drive a couple of inches over the edge and the roller will keep the machine level so you dont scalp the edges. You can mulch very well with a Honda rotary but it MUST be cut weekly minimum. I absolutely disagree about using a cylinder model, they are unsuitable for bumpy ground and will scalp it/go off sharp/oout of alignment very very quickly.

If you insist on a hover mower, get an Allen with a 4 stroke Honda engine. We have a none-pro model which uses two lengths of h/duty strimmer line which you just replace when it gets short. No blades to sharpen, and a hell of a lot safer. Not a bad cut at all, and we didnt pay much more than the Flymo you mention. I wouldnt touch one of those with someone else's barge-pole, never mind my own........

I think it depends how "un flat" his lawn is - roller models are hopeless on uneven ground - they just leap around leaving a very uneven finish and also wear out the roller bearings quickly.

The Toro wheels are inside the line of cut so you just run the wheels along the edge and the blade overcuts it..

 

[JumboBeef]

Thanks for the replies. That Flymo up there is fitted with a Honda engine.

 

[w124coupe]

My view is that the Flymo original advantage was the engine could run at extreme angles - e.g. on a steep slope that would cause a convention mower to lose lubrication - so is useful for varied terrain.

Not sure what other advantage they have? Do you really want long cut grass left on the surface of the lawn?

 

[yachtman]

My old petrol mower has died .......so that means I can buy a new one

Now, my lawn is never going to win awards. It is frankly very 'rustic': very up-and-down, the moles love it, and so do the dogs.

The problem I had have with my old mower is that it doesn't like a non-flat lawn....so I was considering one of these:

NEW! FLYMO XL500 PLUS PETROL HOVER MOWER (FOUR-STROKE)

Would it be any good? Anyone got one?

still using a late 1970s flymo with 2 stroke engine, so the honda engine one will last for ever. Only problem I find is as there is no grass pickup, it encourages moss. However a leafblower is a usefull tool for moving grass clippings .


steel blade = low running cost, no farting about with strimmer line etc. Wear safety boots as a cap doff to the health and safety!!

 

[JumboBeef]

I have a leaf blower, but having said that, I cut with my old mower without the grass box (can't be ar$ed to keep emptying it ) so I don't mind cut grass left behind.

Really, my 'lawn' is someway between a paddock and a motorway embankment It wasn't helped by the fact that the people who lived here before fixed a drainage issue by using a mini digger to dig up the old pipes which ran accross the lawn......

 

[w124coupe]

I have a leaf blower, but having said that, I cut with my old mower without the grass box (can't be ar$ed to keep emptying it ) so I don't mind cut grass left behind.

Really, my 'lawn' is someway between a paddock and a motorway embankment It wasn't helped by the fact that the people who lived here before fixed a drainage issue by using a mini digger to dig up the old pipes which ran accross the lawn......

A mulcher would be ideal for you. cuts the grass into tiny bits and blows them down into the surface of the lawn. No box to empty and (almost) nothing on the dogs feet!