Mower help needed

[Harold_Shand]

Looking to start a little side line in garden maintenance. At work we use the best machines, I, however will not for out £800 on a machine.

I need something rotary, petrol, light, portable, reliable for about £300.

I would like a rear roller, but they weigh a ton, I have seen light, plastic ones on the new Spirit 41 Hayters, but the new Hayters are said to be cheap, chinese shit. I'm a bit at sea, it's different when it's actually my money.

I've been told that rear rollers are unneccesary for domestic gardening jobs... but then you would have to use shears for the edging... right?

Eeeh, there's so much choice, I really don't want to buy the wrong one, to make it worse, like bikes the market is now full of chinky crap that have bought once prestige names.
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[silky666]

Its been a good 15 years since I was in the game ... and unsure exactly what sort of work you will be doing .... but:

1) Commercial work (ie: cutting grass, hedges, clearing leaves etc etc) . ... no need to have a striped lawn .. so no need for a heavy roller or cylinder cut (which is what really creates the stripes).
A tried and tested rotary make like Mountfield should come in at £400 max ?
2) If you are really going to use the hand tools on a daily basis ... then go for the good stuff.
nothing worse than trying to do edging with a cheap tool, and having the grass half cut and half bend in the blades ... really really grating after,,uuumm,, 2 minutes
3) Buy a good pair of secateurs ... nice pair of Felco no.2 's will do the trick.
https://www.douggreensgarden.com/images/felco.jpg

List of general tools off the top of my head:
Lawnmower
green bags with handles to carry leaves/grass etc.
half moon
edging blades
secateurs
pair of loppers
rake
broom
shovel
strimmer
hedge cutter
hand saw

That should do the trick .. i think.

I have been thinking about giving up the corporate schlong sucking game for years now, and going back to working outdoors and gardening.
Got me chainsaw and herbicide qualifications and everyfink ya know
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Gaffa tape is like "the force" - it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

[The View Askew]

[Raffles]

Until quite recently I owned a Husqvarna self-propelled 21'' rotary mower. It always started 1st time and was ultra-reliable. Similar models can be bought new through ebay for around £350.
If you opt for one of these models make sure to get the Honda powered version. Avoid Briggs & Stratton engined units like the plague.
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A good loser will always be a loser.

[lukamon]

what's wrong with briggs + strat engines? our little mower was cheap and has worked coinstantly for the past 5 years (blades needed replacing / sharpening once) old sidevalve engine methinks
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killa wrote: Im an ass man myself

[silky666]

[Walloper]

Look at scarafying, top dressing and re-seeding lawns. Great results for low tech.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[Harold_Shand]

Thanks for the help chaps.

I'm leaning towards the new design Honda Izy, it's blade is wider than the wheels, so going over deep borders is no problem at all. Excellent, why aren't they all like that?

I'm excited... Getting some magnetic signs for the car... got the majority of hand tools and can 'borrow' hedge trimmers, pole saws, chemicals. Need a pick/tipper to seal the deal. Geddin, never had a go at anything like this before, but for such a little initial outlay, there's really no harm in trying.
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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[Flip]

[Harold_Shand]

I'm going to need one of each

Van needed
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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[silky666]

[Flip]

[Harold_Shand]

My £300 side line has turned into £3000 with a sign written van and I haven't cut a blade of grass yet. Fuck... this might be happening next season now.

unless.... MUM! MUM! MU-UM!!!


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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[WildGoose]

Bored of the bowling greens or is it a money thing?

Be interested to hear of progress when you get going
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[Azonicben]

We use alsorts at work.

Victa: brilliant 2stroke "sport" mower, does a neat job with a mulching deck, downsides very noisy and although neat with mulch deck customers won't return trade if they trapse cuttings everywhere after you've done. Being a 2 stroke you can run it at all angles trouble free too.

Hond izy: very very light, doesn't leave much in the way of track marks, ours has just gone pop though, even though it's very well looked after, regular plugs, oil, etc. The grass box could do with bein a little bigger and it clogs the chute pretty easily.

john Deere: maybe a bit clumsy on smaller patches of lawn, though it takes ages to drain a tank of fuel, and has a huge grass box, it is heavy and does leave tracks.

My choice would be the victa, if you can get hold of a decent one with a grass box, it may be noisier but I'm guessing a majority of your work won't be at 3am.

Cheers

Ben

(commited lawn basher)
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[Harold_Shand]

Got my first customer today and I haven't got a lawn mower

I have two hours work at £10ph cutting grass, edging and digging her borders back in.

Got the car all set, van is overkill tbh, got some business cards, nearly all hand tools, I can borrow a lot of stuff from work... this time next year Rodney...

Probably going to buy an AL-KO

https://www.alkogarden.co.uk/product/alko-410br-classic-bs.aspx

German made, B & S engine, hard, reliable and good value for money, so the salesman said. Gardeners World gave the bigger blade version 'Best Buy' award.

Found out the edging shears we show so little respect to at work retail at £82.50

Well, we'll see how it goes, I'm hoping this will be a nice little earner with the potential to go full-time in 3 years, after I've done my PA1 PA6, NVQ3 and CS30/31. Do that for 5 years relentless and then get the fuck out of this hell-hole and get a cushy council job in Sydney. I like day-dreaming.
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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.