for those with a stuffed back - can anyone recommend a good self propelled lawn mower

[h0ughy]

well my back is cactus Jack, and the lawn is getting thicker and harder to mow. I currently have a 4 stroke B&S5.5 HP mower made by masport (about 10 years old now) with alloy chassis it was top of the line when I bought it. now I am faced with thicker grass and a stuffed back and was wondering if a self propelled mower would be better for me (no not a sheep or a goat).

Genuine question this one!!!!!:help:

[Omaroo]

Sounds like you have the same problem as myself, oh H0ughfster. I thought about buying a new lawnmower that was motor driven too, but by the time I paid good money for one, I figured that at $20 a week (front & back) I'd just get someone to do it. We use one of those franchise blokes, and they do the edges as well and cart it all away when they're done. THat way I've got far more room in the shed and don't have drums of volatile yukky stuff hanging around in drums....

[Doug]

Well there are alternatives.
The Dog is demonstrating the comfort of ride on models at an Agrodome.
Genuine answer too. If you have enough room for a ride on, one of these low consumption jobs should handle the load.

[jase]

Houghy,
I used a Greenfields ride-on down on my block (around the farm house) -http://www.greenfield.com.au/rideon.php. Easy to use, belt driven making maintenance extremely easy, no gears. 22hp with a 24" cut deck. Not sure how large an area you need to mow...

Alternatively, buy some goats and tether them. You only have to move them now and then. Indeed a franchise contractor to do the lawns is also easy if you have the money.

[janoskiss]

OMG, 22hp for a mower! :scared: I used to have cars that have less power than that.

[Doug]

Seriously, franchise lawn contractors are fine if you don't have a lawn. They mow in all sorts of places and carry a wide assortment of weed seeds to reseed your lawn with. If you have a lawn, insist on them using your mower, not theirs, or goodbye lawn, hello fields of weeds. Mum had a good Buffalo lawn until....

[mickoking]

Cutting the lawn is one job I cant stand. I pay someone to do it for me :thumbsup:

[[1ponders]]

I've got the perfect one h0ughy. It's called "my wife" :lol:

[xelasnave]

Sorry to hear about the back Houghy did you get it loading all your astro gear for a star party.
Seriously think about it this way your comfort must come first its time to give up stuff that your cant do so get a contractor notwithstanding Doug's excellent input use their gear but ask them how they control the spread of weeds.
The cost of buying and maintaining a mower will be gone from your life. The outgoing may be hard to take at first but like petrol prices you will adjust.
Most people can earn more by application to their own career and I expect that you may find such in your case. If averaged over a year the weekly cost may not be as high as you expect. If your lawns suffer so be it better the lawns go downhill than you my friend. When in real estate I saw a good idea and this guy was in the landscape business ..no lawn just ivy which sortta self regulated and could be cut with a machette once in a blue Moon..
alex

[h0ughy]

that's just it Paul my wife did it just recently, and I do feel so guilty as she does everything else in the house. plus I need the exercise, badly!! but pushing the mower twists my back somehow aggravating the lower back, same with the whipper snipper, need a trolley to take the weight some how for that one, someone must have made a gadget for that?

being self propelled might make it easier for me, and having a key start so I don't rip my back starting it (like I did 3 weeks ago).:whistle:

[h0ughy]

bit bigger than a postage stamp but smaller , way smaller than your yard, probably 6m*18m and 5m * 18m out the front and 25m * 14m out the back, and the back is Sir walter. So a ridon is out of the question

[h0ughy]

That's why I want to mow my own lawn:thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

umm the tranist of Mercury didn't help, but it was worth the pain:thumbsup: . however living with myself afterwards was a different matter;) :whistle:

I hurt my back at work last year, and I have a protruding disk now that gets upset whenever i stand or get into bad positioning, never do that at the scope now as I have my wonder astro chair from wavelandscott:thumbsup: :whistle:

[xelasnave]

mmmm did it work eh? this is more serious than I thought ..pain and suffering, medicals, I will have to read some case law but I think we can go for a ride on mower and driver of course...sorry old habbits die hard.
alex

[RB]

Dave how much are you looking at spending mate?

There's some great self prep models out there.

[acropolite]

h0ughy, I have a mate who has quite a few acres, some of which he mows. He recently bought a self propelled mower and absolutely loves it, he claims it makes mowing the lawn effortless. His kids even get out and have a go, something they would never do before. Personally; I'm with Jase, I have a ride on, not practical for postage stamp lawns though.

[2late]

I purchased a Toro 6.5hp for a similar reason as yours, it has 22 inch cut, is self propelled and has electric start, so no yanking on the cord, but if you have to it is right up high on the handles. The self propelled is controlled by a push bar on top, it will go from very slow to about 6 kmh, the more you push the faster it will go, stop pushing and it will stop also, even the wife can use it, one of the best inventions I have seen for a long time :thumbsup:

[mickoking]

I have never had a problem with a contracted Lawn mowing guy spreading weeds :shrug: To be honest if I had my way I wouldn't have a lawn at all. too much maintenance particually considering the water shortages that many of us have to endure.

[h0ughy]

:thumbsup:

umm how much was it, got a picture? key start, so it has a battery? Thanks for the reply and welcome, were you a "guest" for a while or just become a member?:D

[h0ughy]

well, cheap, not nasty and practical, good quality and reliability and good warranty. so probably as much as it takes to complete the mission. my observatory is on hold because of this, so I am not happy, but SWMBO is happy with me for the minute, she landed that job, found out today.

[RB]

Hey...well done, congrats Mrs Houghy........:2thumbs:

I'd say check out Bunnings just in case there's a mower there that might suit.
I'll check out the local country suppliers and see.
The one that 2late suggested sounds nice. (Again Bunnings might stock those).

[h0ughy]

Might try some of the mower shops, toro would only be a dealer methinks!!!

wonder if they will do a tradin:shrug:

[Ric]

Hi Houghy, I have a 2 speed Honda 6.5hp self propelled which is a ripper. It cost $400 about ten years ago but has never missed a beat, it has a sharpened bar rather than blades which sharpens easily on the bench grinder and will pulverise small wattles up to an inch thick, reeds around the dam and grass up to knee height.
I can knock over 3 acres in a day so it's no slouch.

cheers

[wasyoungonce]

h0ughy, sorry to hear of your demise. I can sympathise with bad backs, I’ve had 3 back operations: surgical spinal infections; many many moons on bad medicine and know places I’ve been to by their hospitals!:sadeyes:

As for the mowing...bad karma here. We don't have a big yard, around 680 m squared, so sometimes i get up the courage or feel ok enough to do it, usually just the front or back but not both. I usually end up paying the ferryman the cost for doing the task......pain. My ever suffering wife always pitches in and does it most of the times.

The Lawn always gets too long between mows, which makes it harder to do, so we have gradually had work done to reduce the Lawn size, paving, planter boxes. In fact, in places like South Australia, there are lots of yards with "au natural lawn" aka: all mulch; bare; bushes; or scoria rock. This is due to lack of water...or the SA water kills plants! :rofl:So you could do the same!

One thing, our mower is a mulcher type, no clippings to pick up or catcher to pick up. This is a great help but not so good when the grass is long. Still any mower is hard to push in long grass.

I'd suggest a self propelled mulching type or mulching ride on. I believe you can drink beer when using a ride on as long as your inside your property boundary.:eyepop:

[xelasnave]

I have it. I have not looked on the net but someone must be making remote controlled mowers. If not it would be relatively simple to convert an exsisting unit by adding servos and relays, gee you can even have a web cam set up so you can drive it from your desk. AND if there is not one out there any one wanting to make a quid take note Houghy would be one of many who needs such an invention..mind your sales of such an item would be mostly be to people who just love new toys.
Guidance can be done using the system employed in cat tractors..they brake on the side to turn use bikicle brakes for that..hang on I will whip one up in the shed. I recall a system where the mower followed wires laid under the turf , that could be a dream but such a method again would be simple to put together.
alex

[xelasnave]

or a unit which is solar powered that crawls around your lawn all the time with lazers under to trim the grass ( and blast anyone trying to cary it off) and at the end off the day it docks with the 240 supply for a rejuvinating sleep.
alex

[h0ughy]

Alex you have too much time on your hands

[2late]

From memory the Toro was around the $400 mark, it is a brand from the US of A, key start, battery is a sealed lead acid 4.2 amp, will start numerous times without recharge, mower does not recharge battery, that has to be done with supplied power supply. Hopefully have attached 2 photos. All way out my territory:scared:. Have been a guest for about 6 months, feel can learn more just watching sometimes.

[xelasnave]

Oh Houghy I wish more than anything that you were correct in that observation.
alex

[xelasnave]

and in the lawn mowing dept I now have a lawn in Sydney to mow besides the two at Tabulam :eyepop: add to the mix a hernia:sadeyes: I think I had better go to the shed and start building a rc mower for myself:D ... er three actually:lol: :lol: :lol: .
alex

[venus]

gee h0oughy we have similar problems, is your 'masport' the same model as mine?

Good Luck with finding a 'self propelled mower'

[ving]

astrobelle is doing her hair and is unavaliable at the moment ;)

[Harb]

I have one of these as well.............best thing I have ever brought with a motor on it.....starts easy all the time and mulches the lawn so no raking involved if you do it regular.......I highly recomend one of these.

cheers
John

[h0ughy]

thanks for that, I did some shopping around and bought myself this mower (http://www.toro.com.au/consumer/content.cfm?page=28) for 849. traded in my other mower. I know i could have sold it for 150 but this way I avoid the hassle. i know I lost money on the trade, but thats:shrug: life. it has key start ignition and mulches, easy to use. I should have got one ages ago. MCard took a hiding;) :lol:

[h0ughy]

ok just did trial run (I am home sick , cough, cough)and it did the lawn out the back no problems,:thumbsup: was easy to use and manoeuvre. Top buy I recommend it, my back is fine. Yet to do the front, but do that after working hours;) .

Absolutely the best money spent after the eq6, the PST and the pier. Just a pity it was my observatory money:scared: . Oh well a few more computers:D to fix and build

[Harb]

You won't regret it,
I have a ride on Toro as well, both are a pleasure to use :thumbsup: Good chioce

[[1ponders]]

Do they come with a remote control joystick? Now that's my type of mower ;) :thumbsup:

[h0ughy]

I am sure xelasnave will have it worked out:lol: ;)

[Sausageman]

Hey Houghy,
I found this for you.

Mike.

[h0ughy]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Sausageman]

How about this one Houghy.
You said you need the exercise.

Mike

[Shawn]

There are three really cheap varieties available on the market, that I know of.

1/ Goat
2/ Sheep
3/ Horse

And if you want to invest in freezer stock, there is allways the upgrade to "cow"

All self propelled

:lol:

Or, pay someone.

S

[h0ughy]

a little too green power for me I am afraid!:P ;)

[Sausageman]

I employ a team of handicapped people to mow my yard, I feel fortunate to be able to help out in their employment, and they do a great job for only $27.50 a fortnight.
I did have an issue with one of their (normal) supervisors once, who treated them like sub-human slaves, but I fixed that, he no longer works there.
If I am home when they come I always tell them that they have done a great job. The smiles on their faces makes it worth the small effort on my part.
I only wish they could mow after dark, then I could show them the night sky.

Mike.

[tbentley]

SirDystic, you've never owned a horse have you? "Really cheap" is not part of the equation.
Frankly I'm a little disappointed that no-one mentioned children as a suggestion. Perhaps the back isn't up to that either!
Travis

[h0ughy]

mine too young;)