Lawn Mower Recommendation

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Networkn
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#2087521 11-Sep-2018 14:07

kryptonjohn:

Very kind of you. As per above I have motivation/reward issues where it's not my own lawn though.

These negatives possibly can be suppressed by crisp cold post-mow beer.

Well, great news! I have crisp cold beers available for those who mow my lawns :)

tdgeek

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#2087524 11-Sep-2018 14:13

kryptonjohn:

networkn:

kryptonjohn: I *love* mowing the lawn, have done ever since I were a nipper.

I have a small lawn in Mt Roskill you can mow any time that the feeling grabs you.

Very kind of you. As per above I have motivation/reward issues where it's not my own lawn though.

These negatives possibly can be suppressed by crisp cold post-mow beer.

Have been a bit frustrated for the last few months as the grass has been too soggy to mow. Drying out now but the so-called lawn is such a mess I am considering razing it with glyphosate and starting over. Planning to put the place on the market so may have to cheat and get either a ready-lawn or hydro-seeding done so it will be ready in time.

With Spring growing getting under way, why not overseed and fertilise? My neighbour overseeds every year, just spreads it on top and leaves it. I did that last year, but I thatch raked the lawn, to score the top of the soil, so when overseeded there was something to sit on and grow! 7 days it will strike, say 14 days with overseeded, then fast growth I would have thought

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#2087525 11-Sep-2018 14:15

I will give it a try!

sbiddle

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#2087535 11-Sep-2018 14:33

kotuku4:

I did part time mowing for several years, and have used all manner of petrol lawnmowers. Many commercal guys like the Castlegarden Testarossa, I had one with a Honda Engine.

They are light weight ABS with a fan to push the grass into a decent sized catcher, and cut and catch wet grass well. They fade and break if stones or other debris in your lawn.

My main requirement for a mower is that it needs to be able to withstand some debris - sticks and some stones are are inevitable consequence of having chickens that love digging these out of the garden and somehow getting them on the grass, where they're not always noticeable or avoidable.

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#2087538 11-Sep-2018 14:37

kryptonjohn:

I'm not sure having all that matter settling into the grass is actually good for the grass health though. Most golf courses spend $$$ regularly de-thatching to get rid of organic material in the soil and replace with sand so you get more air and better drainage around the grass roots.

If you maintain the correct soil organisms, mulch will break down quickly. Think of the lawn as mini forest and the soil surface being like the forest floor where leaves etc are quickly broken down. The key aspects are: -

- Don't cut too short;

- Damp down the lawn lightly after mowing (preferably mow at the end of the day in hotter weather);

- Avoid chemical fertilisers. Instead use blood and bone, fish-based, seaweed-based etc;

- Minimise herbicides.

Mike

tdgeek

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#2087539 11-Sep-2018 14:38

sbiddle:

kotuku4:

I did part time mowing for several years, and have used all manner of petrol lawnmowers. Many commercal guys like the Castlegarden Testarossa, I had one with a Honda Engine.

They are light weight ABS with a fan to push the grass into a decent sized catcher, and cut and catch wet grass well. They fade and break if stones or other debris in your lawn.

My main requirement for a mower is that it needs to be able to withstand some debris - sticks and some stones are are inevitable consequence of having chickens that love digging these out of the garden and somehow getting them on the grass, where they're not always noticeable or avoidable.

I'd suggest a steel one, they will just dent. Unsure how much force it would take an Alu body to crack, as they won't dent.

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tdgeek

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#2087540 11-Sep-2018 14:41

MikeAqua:

kryptonjohn:

I'm not sure having all that matter settling into the grass is actually good for the grass health though. Most golf courses spend $$$ regularly de-thatching to get rid of organic material in the soil and replace with sand so you get more air and better drainage around the grass roots.

If you maintain the correct soil organisms, mulch will break down quickly. Think of the lawn as mini forest and the soil surface being like the forest floor where leaves etc are quickly broken down. The key aspects are: -

- Don't cut too short;

- Damp down the lawn lightly after mowing (preferably mow at the end of the day in hotter weather);

- Avoid chemical fertilisers. Instead use blood and bone, fish-based, seaweed-based etc;

- Minimise herbicides.

Can I add

Summer, if it needs watering, water big and leave it, rather than a tinkle every day

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#2087636 11-Sep-2018 15:51

tdgeek:

Summer, if it needs watering, water big and leave it, rather than a tinkle every day

Good point - preferably after dark the day you mow it.

Good rule of thumb for most plants.

Mike

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#2091048 15-Sep-2018 11:52

@sbiddle Have you managed to find one that fits your requirements yet?

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#2091054 15-Sep-2018 12:21

I've been too busy this week to really spend any time looking.

pctek

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#2091596 16-Sep-2018 18:01

I took our who knows how old mower to the lawn repair guy last week.

We bought it used 13 yrs ago.

He said the motor was awesome, attended to some wheel bearings, the blade and gave it a service.

he said Briggs and Stratton nowdays are crap. He said now Honda is the way to go.

I have a chipper on this mower, which is why I am very fond of it, sadly Honda don't have one with a chipper he says.

However, being the old B&S, he expects it to go happily for another 13 yrs....

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sonyxperiageek

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#2091655 16-Sep-2018 19:23

Are you in Auckland? Which lawn mower repair guy did you use?

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richms

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#2091689 16-Sep-2018 21:00

Ive only used one twice, and it was the one on wairau road by jaycar.

The first time he said that he was amazed at how much grass was in the engine cover.

Both times it was just a service, and one time was to get the self drive sorted out since it had stopped going fowards.

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tdgeek

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#2093045 19-Sep-2018 10:43

I used my Masport President AL6000 non self drive for the first time yesterday, very cool. The wider cut is a time saver, the washport worked well, and the mulch is very fine, looks like I used the catcher. In 3 weeks, nutrients will be added from the mulch mow, and weekly thereafter.

A good buy

networkn

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#2093066 19-Sep-2018 11:34

Wow, you'd have to hope it was pretty good for that kind $ :)

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