Petrol Lawnmowers - new vs old

January Man

Hi folks

I need to get a lawnmower.  I've got two "lawns" and a whole load of paths to cut.  None of it is particularly flat, and it's not really a lawn as such - more just an area of grass!  So no need for it to look like Wembley, no need for stripes, etc  Up until not I've been doing it with a strimmer.  And I might continue to use the strimmer on the paths.  But for the two "lawn" areas it takes ages with a strimmer.  

What are people's thoughts on old vs new?  There are a few old Honda Izys about, and some old Mountfields and Kawasakis and similar.  All around the £150-£200 mark.  Not knowing much about such things, I'm not sure if I am better off with one of those or getting a brand new budget machine in the same price bracket.  

Any thoughts from those more in the know?

Cheers

Hostafan1

Mine is a Honda, I've had it over 25 years and I bought it second hand.
I used to commercially for 15 years and it's still going strong

nick615

I'm always worried about buying second hand - why did the previous owner get rid of it?  The main thing is to go for a mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine.  We have two, one is a 'Viking' which is very reliable, the other smaller one is a 'Parkside' from Lidl that is equally reliable.  

KT53

My Honda is the best I've had for years.  I had a wheeled Flymo rotary for a long time and, when that finally was going to cost more to repair than buying a new mower,  I bought Mountfield and had nothing but trouble with it.  A different mower but with another B&S engine was no better.  I then got the Honda which I've had for well over 10 years and it starts first or second pull every time.

Slow-worm

nick615 said:

I'm always worried about buying second hand - why did the previous owner get rid of it?  The main thing is to go for a mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine.  We have two, one is a 'Viking' which is very reliable, the other smaller one is a 'Parkside' from Lidl that is equally reliable.  

Maybe because they thought a hover mower would be easier.. which it is, if you're getting on, or have health problems, and a perfectly flat lawn.  
Glad I kept the old petrol one, put it that way! 

KT53

nick615 said:

I'm always worried about buying second hand - why did the previous owner get rid of it?  The main thing is to go for a mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine.  We have two, one is a 'Viking' which is very reliable, the other smaller one is a 'Parkside' from Lidl that is equally reliable.  

There can be many reasons for getting rid of a mower.  Aging, and a petrol mower being to heavy to use and/or hard to start is probably a major reason.  I know when I next have to change the mower I'll be looking for a cordless one.  I'm now the wrong side of 70 and can still start it OK, but my wife certainly can't.  If I was unable to cut the grass it would have to remain uncut.

Hostafan1

Mine was sold by the company I used all the time. The manager is my elder daughter's Godfather. 
The previous owner bought it to get to the bits his ride on mower couldn't get to, but traded it back in, along with his old ride on to buy a better, more agile ride on.
If you buy second hand from a reputable dealer they'll probably give you a warranty with it. Mine was still under Honda's warranty.

a1154

I’d vote for a Honda too. Ours has had a tough life and is still great. 

ColinA

I always used to say to customers the best of British machine was Hayter but if they wanted to go better it had to be Honda, Just watch for rust penetration on any steel or alloy deck and listen to the engine also check for smoke 

Perki

Be careful on the Honda Izy as ColinaA has mentioned the decks are steel they are usually rust buckets second hand machines, the engine will keep going though . B&S engines aren't what they used to be the cheap engine have plastic carburetor etc they do the job still though but the engine may need upping / increase revs to tackle rougher grass . 

Personally I'd avoid seconds domestic mowers unless you can clearly see it hasn't had much use . I'd go screwfix or where ever and pick a mountfield up for £200-300 new Ideally with a honda engine on but the B&S will be fine .  Not sure what Kawasaki mower you are looking at but the engines are bullet proof.

Allotment Boy

I have a Hayter that I bought second hand. The dealer told me that the lady who bought it didn't realise it was manual,  not self propelled so she traded it in. It was obviously hardly used. It seems that the Hayter is not made in Britain anymore.  Briggs Stratton engines are one of the most widely used in horticultural machines, Honda's engines are legendary for reliability , make sure the rest of the machine has the same build quality and you won't go wrong. It sounds as though you have quite big areas to cut so go for a decent cut width.