Thread: HELP - Choosing A Lawnmower

EGO Lawn Mowers | Total Tools

are ego mowers cheap... not really

are they really good...yes. I managed to snag one 2nd hand (but pretty much new) for around the $400 mark. Battery mowers have really come along way and if you do some investigating into them ego get a really good wrap from alot of people.

plus no more petrol to worry about or spark plugs... just pull the trigger and away it goes. plus they're ALOT lighter then petrol.

How big is your yard? Is a corded mower an option?

I came to Aus in 2003 and lived in Vic, NT and WA for the first 7 years; in modern 3 bed homes built on estates. Nowhere was out of reach of my corded mower, whipper snipper and hedgetrimmer and when I finally sold them all I had spent money was power usage and trimmer line; the mower was still on it’s original blade. I didn’t get any petrol powered machines until I moved to QLD and lived on acreage; now I get the joys of buying petrol, doing oil changes and basic servicing of a ride-on

I forked out for the AEG 58V whipper snipper, hedge trimmer and push mower; they have been beaut. If corded tool’s aren’t practical for you and you can afford the initial outlay then have a serious think about giving petrol the flick.

My last lawn mower is a Honda. I saw a lot of commercial people use them and thought if it's good enough for them it'll be good enough for me.

Nah! Mistake.

It's perfectly good. No problems there. But it's heavy. Pushing it around up and down hills takes its toll.

So two things: My next mower will be lightweight, and it will have a low profile.

My previous mower would easily go under shrubs and right up to the trunk. This Honda I have is so big it can't get under anything with low branches.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

But it's heavy. Pushing it around up and down hills takes its toll.

If you can afford it, get a self-propelled one. I've had a Rover one for years. Much cheaper than Honda self-propelled but does the same job. Also has a mulching plug, so you can use it as mulcher, catcher, or plain. Some mowing contractors use them, so they can't be total rubbish. Mine is just used at home.

Originally Posted by smidsy

I was taught that when installing mower blades you leave them loose enough to swivel so if you hit a rock or the like the blade can swing out of the way and absorb less damage.
My front yard has a very large tree with lots of exposed roots so I see the single bar blade getting bent or blunt in a hurry.

Definitely go for the disc with swivel blades. The bar transmits any shock directly to the bearings and crankshaft and shortens the motor life if it's working on roughish ground. Although I think bars are becoming dominant nowadays.

Originally Posted by smidsy

My other thought is this, I never use a catcher anyway so the side discharge I find very appealling, but is Masport worth the cost?
Masport don't actually say where they're made, they simply say "designed & engineered in Australia" so it would be safe to assume they're now made in China.
Masport 139cc Utility Lawn Mower

Only issue with a decent side discharge with an open chute is the higher risk of flinging stones or other hard material and damaging something or somebody. They also make little windrows - lines of cut grass - if you're cutting grass that isn't pretty short. If that's not an issue, go for it.

The biggest advantage of the Masport and other utility mowers is that they don't have about 100mm+ of chassis / deck holding the front wheels to push through and flatten grass before the blade starts cutting. Much easier work. The best mowers I've had for that sort of work were - and are as I still have one - old 1960s - 1970s Victas or similar with a removable skirt at the front so the blade actually cuts where the front of the deck is when the skirt is removed. Can't work out from the picture whether your Masport is similar as I can't see any bolts on the front but there is some sort of lip formed on it, perhaps just for strength.

You might find that old mowers do what you want at a much lower cost than a new one, especially if you can revive a supposedly dead motor. Many years ago I tried to encourage my 12 or 13 year old son to make some, for him, decent money by picking up supposedly dead motor mowers and reviving them, because many of them just needed a carby clean and new spark plug and a bit of adjustment on the throttle cable and stop, and so on. I showed him how to do it on maybe half a dozen mowers picked up from tip recycle shops, but he preferred to spend my money on skateboards and basketball shoes. The point is, an awful lot of supposedly dead mowers and other small petrol engines are just sleeping if you know how to wake them up.

Originally Posted by smidsy

My other option is $200 for a chinese replacement engine of ebay and repower the rover.

If everything else on it is still okay, maybe. But if it's a pressed steel deck and it's rusty and tired, might be better spending more and avoiding PITA work removing old motor and rust seized disc and starting with a completely new mower like the Masport. The other issue with discs is that they don't last forever and can become unsafe and risk throwing a blade if they've had a hard life. Rare, but possible. Pure luck that I noticed that one of my old Victas had started a split in the disc from a bolt hole to the outer edge of the disc, and was bound to get nasty sooner or later.

Originally Posted by smidsy

We havea Mitre10 in town, I call it Mitre5 as it only ever has half what you need.

Depends a bit on your individual circumstances but the big feature difference with most newer mowers is that they have mulch function that disperses the cuttings back into the lawn. I have a Toro self propelled because of slopes and the catcher has never even been used as I leave it in mulch mode. There are no clipings to deal with. So much better over my old school mower , it is a game changer

Originally Posted by smidsy

Hey folks
Hoping someone can help me out with some advice.

So I had an old rover mower, got it for free, fixed its issues and baby'd it for six years - then brother went & killed it.

I was going to get this, until I saw that it has the single bar blade like what you get on ride on mowers.
Yard Force Petrol Lawn Mower 127cc 16"

I was taught that when installing mower blades you leave them loose enough to swivel so if you hit a rock or the like the blade can swing out of the way and absorb less damage.
My front yard has a very large tree with lots of exposed roots so I see the single bar blade getting bent or blunt in a hurry.

My other thought is this, I never use a catcher anyway so the side discharge I find very appealling, but is Masport worth the cost?
Masport don't actually say where they're made, they simply say "designed & engineered in Australia" so it would be safe to assume they're now made in China.
Masport 139cc Utility Lawn Mower

My other option is $200 for a chinese replacement engine of ebay and repower the rover.
The other thing I should mention is that I am 200k's from a bunnings, my options are Mitre5* or mail order.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
Smidsy

We havea Mitre10 in town, I call it Mitre5 as it only ever has half what you need.

I bought a plastic chute made specifically for my victa mower, it clips on where the catcher would normally go and doesn't seem to leave rows of clippings behind
it was only $25 from the mower shop

my victa has done everything I've thrown at it for 22 years

Originally Posted by smidsy

Hey folks
Hoping someone can help me out with some advice.

So I had an old rover mower, got it for free, fixed its issues and baby'd it for six years - then brother went & killed it.

I was going to get this, until I saw that it has the single bar blade like what you get on ride on mowers.
Yard Force Petrol Lawn Mower 127cc 16"

I was taught that when installing mower blades you leave them loose enough to swivel so if you hit a rock or the like the blade can swing out of the way and absorb less damage.
My front yard has a very large tree with lots of exposed roots so I see the single bar blade getting bent or blunt in a hurry.

My other thought is this, I never use a catcher anyway so the side discharge I find very appealling, but is Masport worth the cost?
Masport don't actually say where they're made, they simply say "designed & engineered in Australia" so it would be safe to assume they're now made in China.
Masport 139cc Utility Lawn Mower

My other option is $200 for a chinese replacement engine of ebay and repower the rover.
The other thing I should mention is that I am 200k's from a bunnings, my options are Mitre5* or mail order.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers
Smidsy

We havea Mitre10 in town, I call it Mitre5 as it only ever has half what you need.

i'd spend a few extra dollars to get the brigs and straton powered version, Masport 150cc Utility Lawn Mower (mitre10.com.au)
side discharge will be lighter etc if you never use a catcher

As for single bar cutting blade v disc and blades --- went from Victa mowers all with individual blades to a 21" self propelled with single bar, it is thick and highly unlikely to get bent, it can be sharpened. Considering what the pros on ride-ons run over I would never be concerned about single bar cutting blade.

Originally Posted by havabeer69

EGO Lawn Mowers | Total Tools

are ego mowers cheap... not really

are they really good...yes. I managed to snag one 2nd hand (but pretty much new) for around the $400 mark. Battery mowers have really come along way and if you do some investigating into them ego get a really good wrap from alot of people.

plus no more petrol to worry about or spark plugs... just pull the trigger and away it goes. plus they're ALOT lighter then petrol.

If I was going to go electric I'd go Makita as I already have a heap of their 18v gear so all I'd need mower wise is a skin.