# Gardening



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Do we have any members on here that can recommend a ride on mower for a 100ftx 30ft, grass cutting. I could not find a section for gardening, do we have one.:grin2:


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## TeamRienza (Sep 21, 2010)

For many years I used a snapper. The current label is 'classic'. It looks quite basic and gives the appearance of being a bit Micky mouse. I used it on my garden which was about an acre with lots of Apple trees and some quite steep slopes at one section.

It performed very well considering it was the basic model. Over its lifetime it needed a new battery and occasional clutch adjustment, which was good considering the abuse it got. It was still working well when I sold it after downsizing.

Davy


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Honda every time  Unless you have large acreage in which case you need a John Deere.


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

You will find that most small(ish) ride ons all have the same engines...Briggs Statton. So it really depends on what colour you like &#55357;&#56842; And whether you want to collect.
We have had all sorts. All much of a muchness. They all work. 

Best one we have is an Iseki. But that is a serious machine....


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Something you should form a view on is what you expect from the machine in terms of grass collection and / or mulching. I know I find both functions very useful but not everyone does. I'm presently looking at the John Deere range in order to replace a 10 year old Toro that I've not been too impressed with. I also have a much older Westwood which is a fantastic workhorse. The Briggs and Stratton engines in both of them have been excellent though.


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## baldlygo (Sep 19, 2006)

cabby said:


> Do we have any members on here that can recommend a ride on mower for a 100ftx 30ft, grass cutting. I could not find a section for gardening, do we have one.:grin2:


 *ride on mower for a 100ftx 30ft, grass cutting* - sounds very OTT to me. I'm very pleased with my Honda driven walk behind mower for an area nearly twice that. Plus I get the extra pleasure and exercise when walking about in my garden - but here in France not between 12 and 2.0 or on Sundays


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Not for me, my cutting grass days are over, I have a man who does though.This garden is on a slope and my daughter fancies a ride on mower, If I get the privilege of paying for it I like to know what to buy.:grin2::grin2:


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## H1-GBV (Feb 28, 2006)

I have had two Stigas over a period of 30y: Swedish design with the cutting deck on the front and articulated in the centre. Absolutely ideal for cutting in and around bushes, awkward shapes etc.

Gordon

PS Downside is the cost! (inc spares, although the motor is the ubiquitous Briggs & Stratton and the gearbox is Tecumseh.)


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

cabby said:


> Not for me, my cutting grass days are over, I have a man who does though.This garden is on a slope and my daughter fancies a ride on mower, If I get the privilege of paying for it I like to know what to buy.:grin2::grin2:


If you really have a slope then you will have to be careful. An Iseki is way OTT for that size :frown2: but its effectively a 4x4 and does slopes great. Rolling a lawnmower is very easy and going up and down a slope is a right pita. 
Decide whether you want collect, mulch or both. Then decide width of blades. For that size, HP is irrelevant. But the slope could be an issue.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

It obviously depends upon the degree of slope but I would seriously question whether a ride on is appropriate for a relatively small area. I would have thought a self propelled petrol mower may be a better bet. 

One thing to be mindful of when cutting on a slope on a ride-on is turning. This can obliviously reduce the stability of the mower depending upon the degree of the slope but it will also put pressure on the castor wheels on the cutter deck as the turn is made. What ideally you should do is raise the cutter deck on each turn and then lower it again once straight. This will quickly prove to be a nuisance if frequent turns are being made. 

Obviously the best people to advise are probably your local independent tractor mower specialist.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Thank you all for the very helpful comments, They a chap come and make a first cut, it has been decided that they should engage him for the rest of the year.:grin2::grin2:


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We have a sloping garden (1Ha) with trees, ditches, bees, banks and anything else I can think of....

When we came here we had a very old B&S powered cheapie from Homebase - worked well for years in Devon but a bit small for here and the engine decided to blow up by the con rod snapping and going through the cylinder wall - spectacular but irreparable. New engine £1000+, e-Bay old one £75 although 1.5hp less powerful - it works well.

We now have a bigger and much easier to use John Deere, nice but pricey and made in China.....

Ride-ons are easy to use on the flat but harder if there are edges or ditches as the cut is not absolutely flat - the width means oe side can be lifted up or pushed down by the terrain.

For that size do not go for a large mower, have a small one, if you have a suitable trailer, take a trip across the channel and buy a cheapie in the hypermarkets - IMO the cheap ones are perfectly adequate for that size and will last 10 years+. That may cost 1000€ (£800) - which IMO is less than in the UK.

Also have a look at second hand, either via a dealer or via e-Bay - it must be demo'd before buying, my son-in law sold a great little machine for £250 and it looked new, he decided he did not need it and went back to a self-drive one to walk behind. He had bought it for £200 and simply cleaned it and resold it, so bargains can be found.

Go for a Briggs and Stratto engine - there are millions of them around and they are easy to get to work properly. Our B&S is now a 10hp, it was 11.5 and that works well even in our garden although I mainly use it to tow a trailer to the woods for cut up tree chunks....

Hope that gives you some thoughts, happy to give more details if you want,

Dave


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