Trailoftears

The problem with battery mowers I see is they have to be lightweight,which means plasticky and non-durable from a commercial point of view, also,some aren't s.propelled which is a no-go work-wise.I would think there's a long road to go before they're acceptable to the commercial community unless you have the luxury to carry 2 or even 3 mowers for your daily schedule

Fair play to you, I'm not sure are you A:a husky evangelist B:A husky lithium battery evangelist. C:A husky user who's never suffered the absolute HORROR of having the misery of extended use of their appalling briggs+crappen engines. D:A long time use of huskies shocking petrol engines and said thank you Lord for lithium batteries!

I suppose its a horses for courses thing really, I'm usually out on my own a fair way from my vehicle.so,then I make (hopefully)educated choices.Might take the little mak duc 245 +2 5 amp batts+a little ms 181,on another day same little battery saw +the stihl ms 261.On another day,the little makita petrol top-handled saw +a stihl ms 441.It just depends.Also,Im painfully aware I'm on my own if things go wrong!Plus as a general landscaper I usually have to take a biggish stihl b/cutter,petrol etc,etc too.So there's much head/arse scratching before stumbling off.

Lol,good for you. I think your missing the point.This is intended as a battery vs petrol topic re:ope. Not a 'my lithium battery is better than yours' gig. Still glad to hear your happy with your choice.

So in what way do you imagine that husky/stihl battery technology is better given their extremely late arrival to the market (some would accuse them of belatedly jumping on the bandwagon extremely late in the day),Say,to Milwaukee/makita who have a solid reputation going back over 15+years,gained both in the diy+pro builder/shopfitters community?Who in my experience will soon call out rubbish gear online.Do stihl/husky have some magic lithium battery unknown to to lithium battery users over the last 20 years that they have decided to share with us uneducated battery users extremely late in the day?Or possibly could it be they have thought-'effin hell',we need some of this moolah right now!

Re:the makita blower, it has enough puff to do all my summer jobs-clearing out drives/lanes after covering the whole area with strimmer debris!Also cleaning off lawn edges,tarmac areas after strimming edges etc.Plus it comes with an extra curved nozzle too,good value for £170 notes tbf.No anti-vib,but not an issue for quick 20 min clean-ups.

I agree re: 4 stroke machines-not convinced by the concept.But took a punt on a £167 makita blower.All I can say is it is weirdly quiet and not overly heavy.I find the idea of its sump only holding/needing 70ml of engine oil quite scary!But I seriously doubt I would ever consider buying say-a £700 4 stroke brushcutter over a 2 stroke one.

Check out the latest husky/stihl catalogues!

In a way its totally stupid that the major manufacturers are attempting to push the battery system as a like for like re:petrol.In truth,mis-selling and lying about the battery products.In truth,most of us will accept slight compromises with battery products given the obvious gains-less decibels/lower noise levels,lack of fumes etc.But for instance,the stihl hs 87 r WILL cut 23mm stems for fun most of its life due to a low blade speed/heavy duty clutch+a 1" blade spacing.On the other hand my similar looking makita duh754s which spec says it too will too cut 23mm hedges-might do-straight out of the box with razor-sharp blades,give it a couple of weeks-with resin build up/unlucky nicks of hidden chicken wire etc-no way will it.All I want it to do is cut soft privet hedges,and I dont even expect it to cut 10mm hedges=therefore,I shant be dissapointed.But PLEASE dont tell me that a 18v battery hedgetrimmer can live its life cutting 23mm mixed ash/sycamore thorn trimmings-thats just plain silly+dishonest!

A good like for like comparison is the stihl hl 94 c-e petrol long reach hedgetrimmer with a 24" blade-which aint cheap.Compare to the hla 135 battery version-if you are buying it+realistically 2 batteries+charger too-its shockingly,much more expensive.More pertinately tho,objectively-you have a heavier machine (with battery inc.)+ a 4"shorter blade to boot,so that for me,kills the very idea of buying it even if I have the infrastructure to support it.Anyone who regularly uses these long-reach hedgetrimmers doesn't need me to tell them how taxing they are to use fully extended,and thats why I doubt sadly we are unlikely to ever see 30" cutting heads in the near future which would be ideal.So,I see no sense in buying a unit with a 20" blade that actually weighs more than a 24" blade petrol unit.

This sadly-and like lots of people I have many of the drill/impact drivers/circ.saws etc-which for my casual landscaping/diy use are totally brilliant.But as to outdoor power equipment on large country properties,they aren't there yet

Still experimenting with battery vs petrol options and keeping an open mind.My battery infrastructure is makita due to heavy investments over the years,equally petrol-wise,its mainly stihl,again due to huge purchases over the years.On a negative note,my 36v mak. blower has been retired due to the annoyance of blowing down a say,600 metre drive then finding the batteries run out down the far end and a disconsolate trudge back to the car to change 2x 5 amp batteries-solution=a cheap makita 4 stroke blower that will run for several hours. Also,a slight fail- the duc254 18v ch.saw-which I really like,but semi-retired due to the fact my tiny Mak.23cc top-handled saw will out perform it with virtually no weight penalty.Still,I keep an open mind,and am just using the makita 18v 15l backpack with NO pumping 👍A 10l would have suited me better,but I suspect that wont come to our shores. Also just purchased the makita duh754s,which is basically the same config as the animal-aka stihl hs 87 r which will take a foot off a privet/lonicera hedge without breaking into a sweat!still this makita single-sided 30" bladed hedgetrimmer looks just the job for soft hedge cutting of privets/lonicera post the july 31st target of not cutting garden hedges due to nesting activity.so the weight save over the stihl is really good too.Being something of an old fart,my first criterion re:petrol vs battery,is to find out is the battery version lighter or heavier than the petrol version,if not, I'm afraid thats the end of the debate!

Some useful rain last night locally 👏 slow and steady.Then going home it just briefly pissed it down with flashes of lighting thru dense mist.Really noticeable how much louder and more frequently the birds were singing today,I suspect it could be translated as "thank fekk for that".😄

Its a personal preference/bias I guess,but all the briggs engines I've ever used have been total shite-and I'm being v.diplomatic here.The sprint/the quattro/the quantum-all were equally appalling.A shoddy tin cover over the exhaust that vibrated/broke asp.A hugely exposed plug boot(made as cheaply as poss),a primitive non-bowl carb with a diaphragm that shrunk back really quickly,a crude governer both of which issues led to the engine surging/falling in rpms during work.Also horrifically greedy on both oil and petrol consumption.I dont dislike the loncin engines personally,overspec the oil changes is a good plan,as far as I can see,they are cheap honda clones,which is useful in that aftermarket honda parts tend to fit.Amusingly,briggs q.control got vastly better after moving production to China from the States!However,they I think have now gone to the land of liquidation/administration-fully deserved imo.I would make an honourable exception to the now vintage i/c elderly briggs engines.

These poor devils should be OUTSIDE of a G.house

Some customers DO like their bedding tubs/hanging baskets-NOW they are gonna be fun to keep happy this year!As to veg, There's deffo a huge uptick in customers who want organic fresh veg in their garden with no airmiles,no chemicals and available on demand.Interesting that I've come full circle with this.Is it cost effective now-or 20 years ago to pay someone like me to grow your veg re:supermarket prices (even in these crazy inflationary days),noway hose!Still,its heartening to see a younger generation than myself get the quality over quantity argument and understanding you should eat whats in season on your doorstep seasonally.

Grass works amazingly well,a good inch blanket on pre-watered soil (ideally),and replenish as it browns off and you see hints of the soil surface.Also should you feel the need to water it takes in water really well.The worms/surface soil life love it to bits!.I was taught that technically its a loss of nitrogen if you mulch,use uncomposted materials,but really, as long as you look after your veg beds re:manure etc,Ive had absolutely zero issues over many years.If you have loads of surplus grass clippings (he laughs bitterly on day 34 of zero rainfall),its silly not to use it.

Leaving aside the physical discomfort,it really sucks the joy out of planting out-fretting about watering as soon as a plant is in.Also planting out trays/cell packs of bedding into tubs/pots/h.baskets is a complete nightmare-half the stuff is dry as bones before you start using it.Also most of my last lawns mown (gently) just burn immediately.Its like gardening in Barcelona or something. ☹️

Think of it as akin to a vaguely left-wing newspaper-but without the hand wringing. 😋

What was a useful technique a few years ago,now becomes a must -do imo.If you have large deep borders to maintain,or veg patches/raised beds.Mulching after watering.Use your grass clippings to mulch over the areas to a depth of an inch odd,and replenish as much as poss.A huge difference to water loss-solar radition/evaporation is taken out of the equation.However,running out of useful grass here now apart from deeply shaded lawns ☹️

Also,I know its a bit non elf n'safety,but with a brushknife with no public/workmates nearby,the guard comes straight off-in big areas of brables etc,it makes a huge difference to fatigue levels-70/80% less drag.Obviously appropriate safety gear/clothing is a given.