Mountfield Mowers.

[Sue Ellen]

Thinking about getting a new Mountfield petrol rotary mower and just wondering if anyone has any experience of hand-propelled (€199.98 B&Q) or self-propelled (€299.98) versions?

Him indoors has heard in the past that the self-propelled can be more troublesome and harder to repair than the hand-propelled cheaper models

 

[DrMoriarty]

I'd say there's certainly 'more to go wrong' with a self-propelled mower, sueellen. Drive/gearing mechanisms, extra strain on the motor, etc., etc. My old Moriarty-propelled Mountfield 3.5Hp is still going strong, 12 years on... (touch wood!)

Presuming it's 'Him indoors' that does most of the mowing outdoors — why would you want to deny him the occasional bit of light exercise..?

 

[Carpenter]

I'd tend to agree with the good Doctor, mechanically the hand- propelled machine has less moving parts and should last forever- my father had a Briggs & Stratton machine that went for 14 years before it was retired. The most important thing to consider when buying a lawnmower is the deck of the machine. Go for an alloy or composite deck which will resist corrosion and is easier to clean. A pressed steel deck is light but will start to corrode pretty early on. You'll probably need to spend about €300 though to get a machine with an alloy deck.