Mike-H

Hi DN22 - What size Izy did you get and is the fixed speed fast enough?

Local dealer is tiny. Went to store last Saturday and it was closed from midday. I guess they rely on business customers mostly. Looked through window and they only had about 10 mowers.

Thanks to you all for your helpful replies and sorry for delay in posting (been away) I really need to get a mower sorted. Borrowed a JCB petrol mower and it nearly killed me doing half the lawn. Absolutely useless. @Daniel - I may be interested but you are a few hours away and i guess it depends on price and how to collect. I will check out all the recommendations but doubt I will be spending enough to get an Etesia. Its only for personal use. Just one quick question. How much does it cost to get a lawnmower serviced? Some machines have 5 or 7 year guarantees but you have to service them every year. If this is expensive then I you start to question wheter to go cheaper and just replace the machine more often. Thanks again for every reply.

Sorry about putting this in the wrong forum. New around here

I would really appreciate some advice from the professionals around here. I have a garden that is approximately 2 tennis courts in size at the back with a front garden of approximately half a tennis court. There are about 8 trees to steer around, a couple of gentle slopes and a few areas that are a bit bumpy. I currently have an old Honda 194 but as the blade is now bent into the aluminium frame (hidden metal bracket in long grass – I blame the wife), a wheel is hanging off and the rota stop has failed, its time for a new lawn mower. As it is for private use only am I correct in thinking a four wheel rotary petrol mower would be my best option? If so I have been looking at a few options and would appreciate your opinions (professional or otherwise). People seem to rate the Honda mowers and I liked my old one (may it RIP). In the £400-500 price range I have seen the Honda HRG465SD. However, it lacks variable speed and I have read that it operates at a slowish walking pace (I prefer to get a move on), it does not have rota stop allowing the engine to idle while I move kids toys, empty the box etc., and it has a steel deck which I assume will rust faster. There is the Hayter Motif 53 Autodrive which is simlar to the Honda but again has not variable speed or the Hayter R53 which seems to offer extra speed and is also available (for more money) with an aluminium deck. I have also found a Hayter Ranger 53 Pro at £600 which appears to be an older model. This has an aluminium deck with adjustable speed. I have seen mixed reports about Hayter with people questioning the build quality. However, Hayter do offer 3 year guarantees and lifetime guarantees on the blade shaft/thingy. There are so many mowers on the market and some makes I have never heard of like Toro, Wolf etc. I know I can tick all the boxes by spending £1000 on a Honda, but for mowing the lawn once every two weeks this seems a lot of money. An online retailer has suggested the Toro 20897 which ticks the boxes but I do not know anything about this brand or their reliability. (it has a 5 year guarantee if I service it) I would really appreciate your opinions on this. If I have £400 to £600 to spend on a petrol mower what would you recommend? Should I buy a honda with lower spec for reliability or is the Hayter or Toro a good choice? Fingers crossed you nice people will offer some advice.

Hello from Warwickshire. I found this site several times whilst researching gardening projects so I thought I would register, say hello, and seek some professional advice from time to time if possible. See you around the forum. Mike.