New internal combustion or electric powered versus repair/renovate existing?

[Chris A]

Big dilemma. On Friday my 2009 Italian built beast lost a wheel, well not lost broke off. I thought it time to review my options. Looked up the webby thing about replacements either petrol engine or electric. Saturday morning a visit to my local salesrooms. Being ‘careful’ with my money I didn’t like the amounts being asked for either version and wondered should I try and repair the old beast. The bodywork has already been significantly repaired (rust). Well, repaired is a bit strong – let’s say bodged. On a scale of 1 to 10? Doesn’t make it to the starting point.

Can it be repaired? The parts are available. Can I dismantle the old wheel assemblies – if 1 has gone the other won’t be far behind I assumed.

Saturday afternoon did a part dismantle to confirm I could do it – no point in buying new parts if I can’t fit them? Confirmed it was possible so ordered the bits.

This morning decided to disassemble both units, clean the parts that would be reused ready for when the bits arrive. I now feel very pleased with myself, large sum of money saved BUT most importantly (honest) a good eco/green gesture. Plus a proper repair not a bodge*.

So for 51 Euros including delivery I get the 2 wheel bits plus a new blade. All should be in order by the time the grass needs cutting again; it was a pain doing it with only 3 wheels on the beast.

*The bodge would have been to refit the wheels without the mechanism to adjust the cutting height.

[dougbgt6]

Make your life easier, get one of these. I did, I could watch it for hours. 

's robotic, init.

Doug

[Chris A]

3 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

Make your life easier, get one of these. I did, I could watch it for hours. 

's robotic, init.

Doug

Rich B*st**d!

Difficult as my green space is in 3 seperate sections. Note I call them green spaces not lawns, the remains of the Englishman in me won't accept them as being up to the required standard.

[dougbgt6]

I got it half price in B&Q autumn sale. It has a wire carrying a signal around the periphery of the garden, the mower reaches the wire, senses the signal and turns in a random direction. If your sections have an interconnection the wire goes on either side of the interconnection and the mower moves from one section to another. As the cut direction is random there are no neat strips, but who cares! It cuts every day, so only a tiny amount comes off and mulches down. No more collecting grass cuttings!

Doug

[Steve P]

I like stripes on my 2 lawn areas so i renovated an old petrol mower with a roller.

S

[PeteH]

I did away with Grass altogether, I have a modest area of rather fetching gravel with paths and a large patio, now covered where I can loaf and drink Sundowners. Two circular "features" which also act as "sumps" for any exces rain, break any monotony (the whole area is not large) one with a Water Feature the other where the Sun Dial sits. I fell out with grass when I had over 1/2acre of the stuff which needed considerable mowing, and SWMBO, veto`d the purchase of a Ride on. So Downsized instead. The front had already been turned into a Parking Area by the P.O. to whom I am eternally gratefull.

Pete (the "non" Gardener)

[Chris A]

12 hours ago, PeteH said:

the other where the Sun Dial sits

I'm not having one of those in the garden. It's bad enough having to reset all the clocks, phones, timers, coffee machine etc twice a year without having to struggle with one of those things 🙄

[Colin Lindsay]

I've been debating one of those electric thingies for a while; 'Er Indoors wanted to buy me one last year. I have a large garden in three sections but a) I need the exercise and b) I'm always worried that someone will lean over the wall and steal it.

There are new ones that don't require wire boundaries but I haven't seen one in the flesh yet. I suppose I could rig it that it cuts two of the areas and I do the third but I don't want it disappearing off down the drive some day if it misses a boundary while crossing over.

[dougbgt6]

1 hour ago, Colin Lindsay said:

'm always worried that someone will lean over the wall and steal it.

They have a keypad and LCD so you can tell it the date, the time and when you want it to cut. But you can't do that until you put in your carefully chosen password.

They also come with a stick on label that says PASSWORD PROTECTED.

The LCD also gives error codes.

TILTED (The slope is too steep, move the wire!)

OUT OF BOUNDS (I've fallen down the slope, I told you it was too steep!)

LOSS OF TRACTION (stuck in the mud, why are we doing this in the rain?) 

And on 1st November STORE FLAT (Winter's coming, put me in the shed)

Doug

[Dick Twitchen]

But it's No Mow May, so sit back and do ........

https://www.countryfile.com/news/no-mow-may-why-you-should-lock-up-your-lawnmower-on-1st-may/

[mark powell]

No mow May not helpful. Can't find the dog s**t to clear up...  Our new house (when we move) has nice long grass area at rear, may be able to use the Atco....

[Colin Lindsay]

20 hours ago, Dick Twitchen said:

But it's No Mow May, so sit back and do ........

https://www.countryfile.com/news/no-mow-may-why-you-should-lock-up-your-lawnmower-on-1st-may/

That's fine until back-breaking June, when more than a month's growth has to be cut again without clogging the mower, and the cuttings disposed of. My garden is teeming with wildlife, the flowerbeds are full of dandelions, and absolutely everything wants to bite me, sting me, or jag me. I plant flowers for the bees etc and the slugs eat them, but the current advice is to 'deter' them. Harsh language doesn't seem to work. 

[GrahamB]

2 hours ago, mark powell said:

may be able to use the Atco....

Unguarded chains and minimal protection from the fan, probably not going to get approval from the works safety officer! Perhaps in those days people just used their common sense.

[dougbgt6]

2 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

I plant flowers for the bees etc and the slugs eat them

I recently lined the cavities on my Telecaster with copper backed tape. The reel of tape that came said "Ideal for electromagnetic shielding, and deterring slugs off plants" They don't like it up 'em apparently! So my tomatoes are safe and my Telecaster is humless, well, the best that can be done with single coil pickups. 

Doug

[mark powell]

1 hour ago, GrahamB said:

Unguarded chains and minimal protection from the fan, probably not going to get approval from the works safety officer! Perhaps in those days people just used their common sense.

Its about old enough for a telegram from HRH!   My other grass cutter is half as old and just as hazardous, 1965 Hayter 24" motor scythe. Kick start kicked back and ruptured my Achilles tendon...

[Peter Truman]

up to around 30 years ago our caretakers had some of them slashers to cut the grass around the service reservoirs, also petrol flymo's for the steep banks with 2 operators holding a rope each then lowered the flymo down the bank and walked along the top of the bank back and forth, soul destroying work!.

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, dougbgt6 said:

I recently lined the cavities on my Telecaster with copper backed tape. The reel of tape that came said "Ideal for electromagnetic shielding, and deterring slugs off plants" They don't like it up 'em apparently! So my tomatoes are safe and my Telecaster is humless, well, the best that can be done with single coil pickups. 

Doug

I've NO intention of wrapping all the plants in my garden in copper tape. I never knew slugs ate guitars, thought it was just woodworm.

However if you can't beat 'em, play 'em...

[Chris A]

1 hour ago, mark powell said:

My other grass cutter is half as old and just as hazardous, 1965 Hayter 24" motor scythe. Kick start kicked back and ruptured my Achilles tendon...

That's progress for you

[Chris A]

1 hour ago, dougbgt6 said:

The reel of tape that came said "Ideal for electromagnetic shielding, and deterring slugs off plants"

I've put some fairly thick copper wire from old electrical cables round a number of garden tubs that used to suffer from slug attacks, does seem to have worked.

[Wagger]

Lovely material is copper. Finger plates on doors kill most bacteria and on operating tables. The green verdigri does not quite match natures colours though. The domes on the Herstmonceux telescopes hardly blend in.

One of my nephews used to work replacing astraturf at sport centres. He gave me the less worn parts for a shaded garden where nothing grew. Fit and forget. Just needs an outdoor vacuum cleaner. As with mowers, don't use it to pick up poo. (Thought it was a leaf). The smell never goes away it just stinks out the whole village. Worse than any farmer's muck spreader.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Wagger

[mark powell]

21 hours ago, Wagger said:

Lovely material is copper. Finger plates on doors kill most bacteria and on operating tables. The green verdigri does not quite match natures colours though. The domes on the Herstmonceux telescopes hardly blend in.

One of my nephews used to work replacing astraturf at sport centres. He gave me the less worn parts for a shaded garden where nothing grew. Fit and forget. Just needs an outdoor vacuum cleaner. As with mowers, don't use it to pick up poo. (Thought it was a leaf). The smell never goes away it just stinks out the whole village. Worse than any farmer's muck spreader.

Ooo, bought back memories of a short spell working for Horsham District Council back in the early 80's.  Mowing recreation areas with a pedestrian Ransomes 36" rotary mower in the summer. Pre-poo bag era, so not a pleasant job....

[Chris A]

Having sorted the mower out the strimmer decided to play up last week.

It started up as usual but part way through the job started to cut out, the frequency of the cutting out got worse until I was spending more time restarting it than strimming. When I examined closely I saw tell tale signs of petrol on the top of the tank and around the carb. Yup, the petrol pipe had started to perish, so soon I only bought it in 1994. the pipe used for the return of excess petrol is made of a different material but the same diameter so a quick swap over of the pipes and away it went. New pipe is on order as the return pipe is a bit short so the petrol level has to be kept high and there is no filter on it. cheap fix 5€ plus a lot of 'gros mots'. So not just Triumph petrol pipes that suffer.

Beginning of this week it was the wife's wheelbarrow that needed repairing. Loss of air from one of the wheels - her wheelbarrow has 2 wheels as she has no sense of balance. Removed inner tube, haven't done that for decades, dunked the partially inflated tube in the rain butt and bubbles from the valve. Brain wave! Every time the garage changes a tyre for someone they fit a new valve so he must have a bin full of secondhand ones . . . Modern is due for a service so quick nip up the road, car booked in and a couple of old valves in my pocket. Job done and cheap at 0€ plus several 'gros mots' (getting the inner tube off was a pain and not really necessary to find the leak).

If I wanted to spend my days repairing old machinery I'd buy a Triumph!

Oh, I have . . .

This afternoon's job is cut the hedge, unless the hedge trimmer knows otherwise!

[68vitesse]

At least with petrol you have an idea, my Bosch battery strimmer will not start sometimes but if you remove and replace the battery all is well untill you stop and try to restart.

B***dy modern stuff.

Regards

Paul

[Steve P]

Interesting report on the news today that said some older style  multi storey car parks could collapse under the extra weight of electric vehicles if they get more common.That`s progress for you.

S

[PeteH]

13 minutes ago, Steve P said:

Interesting report on the news today that said some older style  multi storey car parks could collapse under the extra weight of electric vehicles if they get more common.That`s progress for you.

S

So did that ever figure in the calculation over the hidden cost of going electric?. Report over the weekend stated that sales of new e-v`s are down as oposed to a year ago, conversely Diesel Car sales are actually up?. The "pundits" are saying the lack of charging infrastructure, cost of home chargers, and the increase in Electricity prices, coupled with the threat of the Zero VED being stopped, is to blame? Who would take bet`s against the 2030 deadline being Stretched by a few years or even a decade or two, not being on the future agenda?.

Pete