Hi
As a Groundsman i might be able to help with some advice.
Before deciding upon any mower in particular, here are some genreal buying advice .
How level is your lawn?
Cylinder mowers give a better finish than rotary mowers, but are harder to set up and cost more to maintain.
The cut is only as good as the sharpness of the cylinder blades against the bottom blade.
these need adjusting as they ware.
The drive chains need to be checked for ware lubricated and of course the clutch will ware depending upon how much stop start turning you do.
Do want to collect the grass arisings or simply let them drop back on to the lawn to rot down, producing nitrogen ( which in turn promotes new growth).
Cylinder mowers tend to cut and throw the grass foward into a grass box mounted out front.
These type of mowers tend not to be very forgiving on uneven lawns.
The heavier the rear roller the better your striped lawn will be.
The Suffolk Punch/Colt range has always been a reliable domestic mower.
Atco/Qualcast mowers.
They range in cutting width depending on your budget and size of your lawn.
One very useful add on to these mowers is the ability to take the cylinder out and put a scarifying cartridge in its place.
Now for Rotoray Deck mowers:
Cheap mowers in DIY stores are made to sell at a throw away price and as such they are false economy!
A Steel cutting deck will rot out eventually as grass contains acid when cut!
Go for either a Strong Polymide( not cheap plastic) deck, which is easy to clean and lightweight.
Or go for the stronger, but heavier Cast alloy deck.
These often have an internal deck liner that helps to prevent stones smashing through the casing.
If you want sripes then you need a rear roller.
One thats made in 2 sections( a split roller) will aid you to turn with less effort.
Againd its a choice of steel or Plastic roller.
A rear roller mower will cope better on lawn edges than a 4 wheel type.
The 4 wheel mower will cut better in damp conditions as the roller one will slip on the damp grass.
The width off the cutting deck determines how many times you walk up and down and how wide your stripes are.
For an average size garden a 17 or 19" will do, but most pro mowers are 21" deck.
Look at height adjustment, does the mower have one lever that does front and back at the same time, or front and back seperately.
Wheels with roller bearings will travel better and smoother ( not to found on cheap mowers).
The size of the wheel helps determine the speed of travel.
Mowers with wider, bigger front wheels cope better with uneven lawns.
Look for a mower with a fan assisted deck !
this is important as it helps blow the grass round the deck and into the grass bag.
Less clogging in the deck itself!
Do the handles move up and down easily as not eveyone is the same height and if its wrong then its off with a bad back every time you cut the lawn.
Some are fixed.
The best mowers have grass bags that can be eaily lifted through the middle of the bar essembly, with an open end for easier emptying.
Now on to the engine.
You mention you want a driven mower, so you need allow a big enough engine to cope withy the drive and cut.
Anything less than 5hp will be underpowerd.
5.5 or 6hp is best.
this is where the cheap mowers cut the cost down by using a less powerful engine.
The Honda Engine is King of all Engines along with a Kawasaki , these run forever if looker after will not let you down.
Yamaha dont sell mowers in this country anymore, but if you can find one second hand then it will the best mower you will ever own.
Briggs and Stratton are ok , but can be more troublesome.
The 6hp Quantum engine is top of their range and proven in pro use.
Health and safety!
Since someone in the EU decided we are all tempted to put our hands in lawnmowers and cut our fingers off, all modern mowers will have a safetey cut out on the engine.
basically if you let go of the handle then the mower will stop and you will have start it again.
Honda have a rotostop system that stops the blade, but not the engine ( fantastic idea).
Kawasaki have a similar system, as do some other top of range mowers.
Some hondas have a built in system to stop damage to the Enginge Crank if you hit something a bit harder than your blade.
When it comes to blades, dont buy cheap copies as they dont work as well.
The genuine honda blades have holes in them and Fins on the blade to create a vacume to suck the grass upright for a better cut.
Where to buy?
This a personal thing and only you can decide.
You can either find a local Garden center , a Lawnmower specialist etc.
These people should know their stuff and will advise you for the right machine for your needs.
Like a good garage for a car, you may want spares or to take it in for a service.
You can be cheeky( or savvy) and pick their brains, then order off the net.
Just remember that any warranty might involve you packing up your mower and sending it back to the point of purchase ( might prove expensive and cost more than you saved).
If you can find a local Stihl dealer, then they will probably sell Viking garden machinery which is owned by stihl.
Its good stuff and i Did have a good look at one of their mowers for myself.
You may find a mower shop that takes in mowers in PX and sometimes you can pick up a bargain!
Here are some links for you:
Petrol Lawnmowers - UK’s biggest Petrol Lawn Mower selection here!
They are based in Norwich and i have bought mowers from there myself mail order.
Always check out the clearence and ex demo section.
CHEAPMOWERS UK BUY Petrol Lawnmowers Mountfield Hayter Atco and more online
GardenLines - Lawnmowers
Seriousmowers | Everything you need for a perfect garden > Home > Lawnmowers
Lawnmowers, Lawn Mowers from Just Lawnmowers
If i can help anyone with advice on any Garden Macinery, from Mowers, Hedge Trimmers, Chainsaws etc.
Sorry for the long post but i'm very passionate about what i do for living.
Regards
Stihl 260
