Lawnmower - Petrol, Self Propelled, Lots of Power

dimitryp on 06/03/2023 - 12:28
Last edited 06/03/2023 - 13:45 by 1 other user

Hello,

Hoping someone knowledgeable about lawn mowers could help me out and also point me to a decent deal? Very few lawn mower deals being posted, I've noticed, and those are mostly electric also.

Have a biggish yard that's on a slight slope which also very often gets overgrown with thick weeds (stalks early get to an inch thick sometimes).

Hoping to buy a powerful, quality lawn mower to tackle this lawn. My understanding is petrol just gets you more raw cutting power than electric on battery, but perhaps I'm out of the loop? Self-propelled would also be useful, because it's hard to push a mower up our slope, when I've done the lawn with the neighbour's mower previously. A catcher also useful.

My budget? Dont know what i should be paying for a good mower, but certainly want to stay below $1000.
I'm in central Sydney, so can get to a Bunnings or some other Sydney brick & mortar store, if necessary.

Thank you very much in advance!

Find Me A Bargain Lawn Mower

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 06/03/2023 - 12:33
    +1

    Anything with a Honda 4T motor would be sufficient.

    Can you mow across and work from top to bottom of the slope?

    • dimitryp on 06/03/2023 - 12:40

      for part of the lawn, yeah, but for another part, not really, as its long and thin (the long part is what slopes), so doing across a thin strip back and forth would get really annoying i think.

  • Nugs on 06/03/2023 - 12:35
    +2

    "also very often gets overgrown with thick weeds (stalks early get to an inch thick sometimes)"
    cut it more often and this won't be an issue
    .

    • dimitryp on 06/03/2023 - 12:40
      +5

      you'd think that'd be the best solution, but its one im not willing to entertain :)

      • p1 ama on 06/03/2023 - 13:38

        you'd think that'd be the best solution, but its one im not willing to entertain :)

        Unfortunately it means you'll have to spend more time mowing in aggregate and with higher effort.

    • SF3 on 06/03/2023 - 12:45

      agree, if cut often, could cut without the catcher, saving heaps of time.

  • SF3 on 06/03/2023 - 12:46
    +4

    I'm in central Sydney
    Have a biggish yard

    Seems like a contradiction.

  • teacherer on 06/03/2023 - 13:06
    +3

    Best money can buy is commercial Honda HRU216 for $1800 with GXV160 engine
    HRX217 is nicer and more user friendly but residential GCV190, about $1600
    Bush ranger are similar but cheaper and not as durable.

    I went petrol for the thick stuff

    For battery powered, you could look at EGO 52cm select cut with their 30 day guarantee

    • Summoner on 06/03/2023 - 14:22

      I have EGO 52cm mower (LMLB2135E-SP) that i bought about 16 months ago. While i love my mower, this might not work for OP as it stalls when cutting tall and dense area.

      • iamwinner on 06/03/2023 - 18:25

        Same I got a smaller ego self propelled and it cuts out on buffalo when going uphill.

    • Hamish125 on 06/03/2023 - 13:27

      Out of interest what would you recommend in the $1000-1500 price bracket?

        • Hamish125 on 06/03/2023 - 13:36

          No worries! I’ll send you a PM, don’t want to take over OPs thread

    • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 11:42

      hey mate.
      Gotta guesstimate yard m squared, it's actually 2 yards, one is L-shaped and the other is sort of cone shaped. Together maybe 130m squared? not sure if that's considered large or not, but its large for me when im dreading the lawn maintenance :)
      Not wedded to catching the clippings, but i've found previously when i mow tall grass (with lender mower), the clippings are so thick that they are quite noticeable on top of the lawn and make the under-clippings area turn yellow.
      it seems all advice here is to mow more regularly, and i guess that's something i'll have to keep in mind.

        • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 15:17

          your point is taken. i have confidence that i can work out the maintenance for a mower, but less maintenance would be a positive
          i'd go for a electric mower if it would do the job on an irregularly cut lawn. I can deal with the jungle i have now, somehow, thats fine, but in the long term realistically i dont have the time to cut the lawn on a weekly basis, so some overgrowing is essentially a given for my lawn.

          a gentleman in the comments mentioned that his EGO stalls when trying to cut some tall grass sections?
          If that shouldnt be a common problem, i'd be more than inclined to go for a powerful electric mower

  • oscargamer on 06/03/2023 - 13:24
    +2

    What's your actual m2 of grass?

      • oscargamer on 06/03/2023 - 15:27
        +1

        It's ozbargain. They neg because….

    • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 11:44

      estimating 130m squared, but it's actually 2 lawns and they're all "irregularly" shaped.
      I do actually have a set of garden steps (5 steps) between the lawn areas, which is something i've not mentioned so far.
      Will need to get the wife to help me carry the mower up/down the stairs as cant really be done alone i think.

  • Archi on 06/03/2023 - 13:47

    overgrown with thick weeds (stalks early get to an inch thick sometimes)

    Sounds like you need a brush cutter

    • iamherenow on 06/03/2023 - 13:51

      or weed killer.

  • sumyungguy on 06/03/2023 - 14:47

    If your yard is small enough for a single battery, you could stretch slightly to a Honda HRG466 Battery with the lower total cost of ownership compensating for the higher initial purchase price

      • sumyungguy on 06/03/2023 - 14:59

        I have a friend with one of these. It's an actual self-propelled Honda mower, just with an electric motor instead of petrol. The specialist battery gear makers are heavily into lightweight plastics that will become irrepairable in a few years. The Honda mower bits are bulletproof. My trusty HR214 was first introduced in 1983 - still going strong.

          • sumyungguy on 06/03/2023 - 15:39

            @Daniel Plainview: I do agree Honda over the years added all sorts of stuff that became a point of failure, but there is a use-case where the battery models work well. They did a promo price on the battery & charger initially which made the investment a little lower. I’m the consumer type who will always buy a mower from a mower company, not a battery tool maker. If I had to get a new mower today (my yard is a 1-hour job) I’d be looking closely at that Honda…

  • nubzy on 06/03/2023 - 14:57

    HRU216 is the self propelled king of mowers. If you want a cheaper option, i'm hearing good things about this one: https://www.dmcmowersaustralia.com.au/lawnmowers/self-propel… which uses the same GXV160 engine

    I actually prefer using a push mower to be honest and use the HRU196 which is over 20 years old and still running great, it's heavy but not as much as the 216. Honda mowers go forever and don't struggle with anything, that's why all the contractors use them.

    Battery mowers are only good if you have a smaller lawn and maintain it religiously

  • altomic on 07/03/2023 - 01:09

    petrol mower if your grass is often let to grow too long.

    I have a victa motor with a honda motor. grabbed off marketplace for $80. bought from a guy who sells mowers. awesome motor which starts pretty much first time every time. body is a bit rusty, but hey . had it for 3 years.

    I'm pretty crap with the frequency of mowing the lawn and the victa slashes through shin high grass/weeds

    my previous mower (of 10 years) was a second hand briggs and Stratton powered mower (no idea of the actual brand). decent mower that finally couldn't be started (even with the most delicate of care).

  • meddy on 07/03/2023 - 08:54

    I mow approx 1000sqm of nature strip (rural town, corner block) and use a self propelled Victa Mustang which is well over ten years old still starts first pull. I have looked around at what I coulld replace it with when the time comes, and for me it would be a Victa 560 series self propelled utility mower. They are pricey, but nothing else in the self propelled line gets close to these when you take weight and cutting width into consideration.

  • Bitplay33 on 07/03/2023 - 10:55

    56 volt battery 1.5 kW battery produces the same power as a 1.5 kW petrol mower.
    Both have downsides. Petrol needs oil and fuel and air filter and is noisy and smelly.
    Battery is a nuisance if you run out of power. No consumables though.
    My next mower will be battery, likely to be Ego or AEG 58v as I have a few powerful AEG implements, chain saw, blower and line trimmer. The saw and line trimmer are very torque. AEG is in short supply or has been discontinued though.

  • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 11:50

    based on all the feedback, and if i want to stay under $1000, looks like going for a honda petrol mower second-hand might be the go?
    Could someone please give me some exact model numbers to look out for? HRU216 and HRU217 have been mentioned. Any others?

    As far as maintenance goes, i can generally get anything done as long as there's a youtube video on how to do it :), so maintaining a petrol mower should be ok i think, even though i've never done it.
    thanks!

    • sumyungguy on 07/03/2023 - 11:58

      Based on the info you've provided, I suggest including used battery mowers in your search. Pros: adequate battery capacity for your small lawn; lightweight to carry between levels; some (Stihl) models include side discharge; push-button convenience may encourage you to mow more often - consider how we use battery vacuum cleaners. Cons: selecting a model with enough power & torque to maintain the jungle part of your property

    • sumyungguy on 07/03/2023 - 12:36

      HRG416 $719 narrow deck will work fine for irregularly-shaped lawn

    • nubzy on 07/03/2023 - 12:40

      Yes avoid the battery mowers would be my suggestion, and go straight for Honda. I have Honda HRU196, Masport President 4000AL and Stihl battery self propelled mower (RMA510V). Honda is heavy but it never struggles with anything. If self propelled is not a must, then don't rule out the HRU196, it is a lot lighter and I enjoy the exercise from a push mower.

      • sumyungguy on 07/03/2023 - 12:43

        How do you rate your RMA510V? I'm expecting my next mower will be battery self-propelled

        • nubzy on 07/03/2023 - 17:39

          It’s ok but cheap made in China quality. The cut quality is not as good as my petrol mowers and it can drag on the grass sometimes. I hate the way self propelled lock up movement for a few seconds when you want to change direction. It’s a good mower if you maintain your lawn every 2-3 weeks, and I like the reduced noise and instant start, but overall I still prefer using my petrol mowers.

  • Darayus on 07/03/2023 - 11:57

    I used SANLI a great lawnmower with local service centre. https://www.sanli.com.au/push-mowers-new/

    Very powerful machine and value for the money. I gave away my last lawn mower to my needy friend after using for 10 years and it did not missed the beat.

    i bought another new Sanli mower and don't regret it.

  • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 13:25

    do the inches in mower descriptions refer to it's width? So a wider/bigger mower would cut more grass in one "lane" as it simply covers more square inches underneath itself? But also means heavier and more difficult to store, is that right?

      • dimitryp on 07/03/2023 - 15:04

        no, not entirely free of obstruction, its somewhat uneven and there's some roots and other bits&bobs.
        point taken regarding a bit more research.

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