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[Sir Tigger KC]

I fear my trusty Bosch Rotak electric mower is not long for this world and I've been eyeing up cordless mowers for when the time comes to buy a new one. 

So... Anyone here got one? Are they any good?      

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I fear my trusty Bosch Rotak electric mower is not long for this world and I've been eyeing up cordless mowers for when the time comes to buy a new one. 

So... Anyone here got one? Are they any good?      

They are shite. Get a petrol jobbie.

I seem to remember that Ogri stuck a V8 in his.

[redelitev6]

Wife got something similar to clean between the joints in the block paving , supposed to do X square meters on a single charge , does it sh*te , dismal bit of kit 

[Kevin Wood]

I was going to say, I've got a great cordless mower. Pour petrol in and off it goes. No cords required.

[TheBoy]

I keep looking, as I have a tiny amount of grass to cut.  But don't think they are close to being viable yet, looking at reviews - most people complain that if the grass is thick or more than 2mm long, it struggles, and that kills the battery.

Also, battery care is a problem.  They all use proprietary expensive batteries that last about a year, and then its almost as cheap to buy a new machine.  Obviously, you cant store lithium batteries in a garage and expect them to work again after a cold winter, so maybe thats part of the problem?

I half eyed up the Ryobi one advertised on telly, as I assume it uses the standard Ryobi batteries, and comes with a strimmer as well for about £200...   ...and my current Wank and Decker cordless strimmer is shite (the old NiCad based one was excellent, and lasted about 8yrs (with regular battery replacements)), even in "Turbo mode", which should be classed normal mode, as normal is a waste of time, and just a stunt to allow them to claim a 20 minute run time.

But I'm sticking with my B&S engined Hawk for now, as there is nothing better available.  Remember a stupid mains powered mower can't match the crappiest petrol one, and it appears a battery mower can't get near even a mains powered one.


Which is how far backwards we seem to have come - Dad had a battery powered cylinder mower in teh 70s, and on a single charge of its (car) battery, it would easily do both reasonably sized lawns.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Even the best of the best cordless mowers is only 500W (e.g. the Husqvarna) which is sub 1 hp, I know they fit super thin blades and make the cutting width small (340mm or less) to try to get the cut capability up but, its a fraction of the power you get out of a decent Briggs and Spratton 3.5hp petrol engine.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I rather think Tigger has had his question answered.

[TheBoy]

The trouble with me demonstrating to all the neighbours that electric mowers are just hard work and completely pointless is I currently have my immediate neighbours' B&S in kit form, strewn across the garage floor

I should actually be tinkering with mine, as the revs are a tad low, but buggered if I can work out how the governor works!  Removing the springs and wedging the throttle in place, whilst might work, is defeatist....

[YZ250]

………..
I should actually be tinkering with mine, as the revs are a tad low, but buggered if I can work out how the governor works!  Removing the springs and wedging the throttle in place, whilst might work, is defeatist....

As they lack adjustment screws, either bend the governor arm to tighten the spring or shorten the spring to increase rpm.    What is it, a Hayter with a Briggs engine.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I rather think Tigger has had his question answered.

I can replace my electric Bosch for about a hundred and twenty notes like for like, so that's what I'll probably end up doing. 

Although I have quite a big lawn, I expect that I'll have plugged mine in, whipped around and would be enjoying a cold beer while admiring my handywork, by the time you get your petrol jobbie started up. 

[YZ250]

I rather think Tigger has had his question answered.

I can replace my electric Bosch for about a hundred and twenty notes like for like, so that's what I'll probably end up doing. 

Although I have quite a big lawn, I expect that I'll have plugged mine in, whipped around and would be enjoying a cold beer while admiring my handywork, by the time you get your petrol jobbie started up. 

I agree that electric mowers just work, until they die, so are less hassle. 
Stale fuel is the biggest culprit of poor starting on a petrol mower. We fill the mower tank, mow the lawn and put it back in the shed, where it sits for a while until the grass needs cutting again. We then leave them over winter, with fuel in, in a tank that’s vented. 
Two stroke equipment is the worst when not used regularly, as the petrol/oil ratio changes when left for long periods. Ditch the fuel, fill with fresh and away you go. 

[Rangie]

Had our petrol mower for several years only serviced once in all that time totally neglected by me I have to admit, but starts first time every time and our lawns look great.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

https://youtu.be/pTRxZ878pQY

Tigger says he has a large lawn. I believe he owns half of 'Darzett'

This is what he needs.

[YZ250]

Had our petrol mower for several years only serviced once in all that time totally neglected by me I have to admit, but starts first time every time and our lawns look great.

 
I had a Honda Izy in my garage that hadn’t been started for at least four years. The fuel had long since evaporated so I put fresh fuel in it ……. and it started first pull. Some of them are just super reliable. 

[TheBoy]

………..
I should actually be tinkering with mine, as the revs are a tad low, but buggered if I can work out how the governor works!  Removing the springs and wedging the throttle in place, whilst might work, is defeatist....

As they lack adjustment screws, either bend the governor arm to tighten the spring or shorten the spring to increase rpm.    What is it, a Hayter with a Briggs engine.

I since saw a gaytube vid about bending arm, but mine is like a cock in a sock, so might be wrong spring - what I assume is the actual throttle bit (towards the rear of the engine, when the 2 springs attach) can be moved over its full range without troubling the spring to have any tension.

But now I know what I'm looking at.  Still not quite sure how it knows how high it's revving though.

And, yup, Hayter Hawk  , donated to me by a colleague at work, following the garage incident.