Hello,

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well. Perhaps this
is a problem with all mowers? My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

Tonight I got the wire caught on something and the mower has stopped
working. I think the switch may have been pulled out of position. I
will have a proper look when I have more time, but it has made me
wonder whether it is time to look to upgrade.

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, a greenhouse, raised
beds, etc. but it is finding the time and the weather to do all that.

What do you think I should go with? No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that? Could I consider a petrol model or isn't the lawn big
enough for one of those? I'm thinking there would be no pesky cable
then. I know there are rechargeable electric ones but I'm guessing
they are expensive and presumably the batteries do not last forever?#

Thanks,
Stephen.

On 04/05/2016 20:18, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well. Perhaps this
is a problem with all mowers? My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

Tonight I got the wire caught on something and the mower has stopped
working. I think the switch may have been pulled out of position. I
will have a proper look when I have more time, but it has made me
wonder whether it is time to look to upgrade.

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, a greenhouse, raised
beds, etc. but it is finding the time and the weather to do all that.

What do you think I should go with? No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that? Could I consider a petrol model or isn't the lawn big
enough for one of those? I'm thinking there would be no pesky cable
then. I know there are rechargeable electric ones but I'm guessing
they are expensive and presumably the batteries do not last forever?#

Thanks,
Stephen.

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about
£30 at a car boot sale. Works a treat.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

Roger Mills wrote:

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, ......

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about
£30 at a car boot sale. Works a treat.

Try this:
http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk/30...cylinder-mower

On 04/05/2016 21:30, Robert Harvey wrote:
Roger Mills wrote:

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, ......

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about
£30 at a car boot sale. Works a treat.

Try this:
http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk/30...cylinder-mower

In my previous house I had a petrol which I bought so I could use in
the rain (fear of electrics) I did have an electric prior to that and
found a pattern of cutting that eliminated getting the cable caught.

new house with small wall so had to lift the petrol mower over it, so
back to electric, cheap lighweight with plastic blades , fekcin useless,
metal blades I should have got.

My preference would be a cylinder push mower but it only takes a stone
or two and the setting can be ruined. Only downside is if the grass gets
too long but with regular cutting I enjoy using them.

"Robert Harvey" wrote in message
. ..
Roger Mills wrote:

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, ......

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about
£30 at a car boot sale. Works a treat.

Try this:
http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk/30...cylinder-mower

That's a heart attack machine.

On 04/05/16 20:18, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well. Perhaps this
is a problem with all mowers? My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

I've got a Bosch battery mower and it is pretty excellent (with 2
batteries, one charging, the other in the mower). Powerful, grass does
pick up pretty well into the box even when damp and light and no cables.

Stephen wrote:

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well

A more powerful petrol machine will do better at that, but there are
limits. Don't forget that, thanks to cell phones and hybrid autos,
batteries have gotten vastly better, so you may well find a cordless
electric machine (make sure it has li-ion or something like it) that will
suit your needs.
If you're moderately handy, a used petrol one may serve, though they do
need more care.

--
Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

The big issue i have had with electric lawn mowers apart from mowing cables,
is torque. These induction motors do not have a lot and hence when grass is
wet they slow down and the grass then gums up the wrks big time.

I now employ a gardener with a petrol mower and strimmer and everything is
fine.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Stephen" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well. Perhaps this
is a problem with all mowers? My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

Tonight I got the wire caught on something and the mower has stopped
working. I think the switch may have been pulled out of position. I
will have a proper look when I have more time, but it has made me
wonder whether it is time to look to upgrade.

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, a greenhouse, raised
beds, etc. but it is finding the time and the weather to do all that.

What do you think I should go with? No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that? Could I consider a petrol model or isn't the lawn big
enough for one of those? I'm thinking there would be no pesky cable
then. I know there are rechargeable electric ones but I'm guessing
they are expensive and presumably the batteries do not last forever?#

Thanks,
Stephen.

If you really want to use electric, put the cable over your shoulder and
work away from the side where its layer down.

However as has been ssaid, uch like corded hedge trimmers the cable ends up
getting shorter and shorter after every accident!
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
On 04/05/2016 20:18, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

I bought a Bosch electric lawnmower around 2001-2002. It has an
induction motor, so it's fairly quiet. I have only had to change the
capacitor once. I have two grumbles with it: if the grass is slightly
wet, it doesn't go into the collection basket very well. Perhaps this
is a problem with all mowers? My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

Tonight I got the wire caught on something and the mower has stopped
working. I think the switch may have been pulled out of position. I
will have a proper look when I have more time, but it has made me
wonder whether it is time to look to upgrade.

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, a greenhouse, raised
beds, etc. but it is finding the time and the weather to do all that.

What do you think I should go with? No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that? Could I consider a petrol model or isn't the lawn big
enough for one of those? I'm thinking there would be no pesky cable
then. I know there are rechargeable electric ones but I'm guessing
they are expensive and presumably the batteries do not last forever?#

Thanks,
Stephen.

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about £30
at a car boot sale. Works a treat.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

On 04 May 2016, Stephen grunted:

My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

[...]

No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that?

OK, you asked! Here's a bird's eye view of a hypothetical rectangular
lawn which takes 6 swathes with the electric mower to cut, as indicated
by the dashed rows. The mains socket or source of power is at the top
left of the diagram.

Start mowing by the socket (*) and head down the first swathe dragging
the cable behind you. At the end of the swathe, turn the mower
anticlockwise by 180 degrees, and return up the lawn down the second
swathe. You will be pushing the mower parallel to the cable which
you've left lying down swathe 1, and which you're now also dragging
directly behind you up swathe 2.

When you get to the top of swathe 2, you then turn CLOCKWISE by 180
degrees, and set off down swathe 3, etc etc.

The key to not tangling with the cable is always to cut *away* from the
plug socket, and always to turn the mower in the correct direction!


Mains
Socket
[X]
__________________________________
| (*)| | | | | |
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|__________________________________|



--
David

Robert Harvey wrote:
Roger Mills wrote:

My lawn is roughly 12m by 5.5m because at the moment it is all grass.
I hope in time, there will be a smaller lawn, ......

In a similar situation, I bought a second-hand petrol mower for about
£30 at a car boot sale. Works a treat.

Try this:
http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk/30...cylinder-mower


I got a hand push mower a few years ago, and it is easily the best mower
I've had. Much easier than I thought it would be, and it's dead easy to
get out and put away afterwards. Have to keep the blades oiled, though,
otherwise it screeches a bit, which I find embarassing :-)

On 04/05/2016 20:18, Stephen wrote:


What do you think I should go with? No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that? Could I consider a petrol model or isn't the lawn big
enough for one of those? I'm thinking there would be no pesky cable
then. I know there are rechargeable electric ones but I'm guessing
they are expensive and presumably the batteries do not last forever?#

For my lawn (20m x 4m) I went with cheap petrol model a dozen years ago
- I wish I had done it a lot sooner.

Cuts long wet grass with ease. No more trailing cables. About 3x faster
than with a previous hover mower

I do the edges with a rechargeable strimmer which does around
25m of edges in my garden after which the strimmer gets slower as the
battery discharges and becomes less efficient. I suspect a battery in a
lawnmower would be the same so maybe OK if the grass is kept short and
dry but possibly not to good on longer damp grass.




--
mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

Lobster wrote:
On 04 May 2016, Stephen grunted:

My other grumble is no matter which
direction I go in, I always seem to get the cable in the way.

[...]

No doubt electric is the cheapest
to buy but what about that cable getting in he way! What is the trick
with that?

OK, you asked! Here's a bird's eye view of a hypothetical rectangular
lawn which takes 6 swathes with the electric mower to cut, as indicated
by the dashed rows. The mains socket or source of power is at the top
left of the diagram.

Start mowing by the socket (*) and head down the first swathe dragging
the cable behind you. At the end of the swathe, turn the mower
anticlockwise by 180 degrees, and return up the lawn down the second
swathe. You will be pushing the mower parallel to the cable which
you've left lying down swathe 1, and which you're now also dragging
directly behind you up swathe 2.

When you get to the top of swathe 2, you then turn CLOCKWISE by 180
degrees, and set off down swathe 3, etc etc.

The key to not tangling with the cable is always to cut *away* from the
plug socket, and always to turn the mower in the correct direction!


Mains
Socket
[X]
__________________________________
| (*)| | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
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|__________________________________|



Exactly how I do mine and it works flawlessly.

In addition I loop the cable over my shoulder from the front, behind my
neck, over the other shoulder and down to the mower. Machine is a second
hand 1970s flymo in blue and white livery with a direct drive brush
motor. It has needed a little TLC over the years but on the odd
occasions I purchase spares, the dealer says hang on to that machine,
they don't make them like that any more and they are right.

I start in the corner furthest away from the shed in which it lives and
end up with it outside the shed and the cable diagonally across the cut
grass ready to unplug and coil up.

On Wed, 4 May 2016 23:00:36 +0000 (UTC), Lobster
wrote:

OK, you asked! Here's a bird's eye view of a hypothetical rectangular
lawn which takes 6 swathes with the electric mower to cut, as indicated
by the dashed rows. The mains socket or source of power is at the top
left of the diagram.

Start mowing by the socket (*) and head down the first swathe dragging
the cable behind you. At the end of the swathe, turn the mower
anticlockwise by 180 degrees, and return up the lawn down the second
swathe. You will be pushing the mower parallel to the cable which
you've left lying down swathe 1, and which you're now also dragging
directly behind you up swathe 2.

When you get to the top of swathe 2, you then turn CLOCKWISE by 180
degrees, and set off down swathe 3, etc etc.

The key to not tangling with the cable is always to cut *away* from the
plug socket, and always to turn the mower in the correct direction!


Mains
Socket
[X]
__________________________________
| (*)| | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
| |
| | | | | | |
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| |
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|__________________________________|


Sorry for the late reply but I wanted everyone to know I had read
their replies. Thanks.

I managed to fix the switch, the plastic innards of the dead man's
handle had fallen out of alignment, so I am back mowing for now.

I will look to replace it in the near future. I was thinking of a
Honda petrol mower but I notice that the cheaper models have a steel
deck that reviewers say rusts. I have been encouraged by the posts
here about Lithium powered mowers, so I will look into those when the
time comes.

At previous houses, I have not had the problem with the cable. I think
the problem is the position of the socket. In the diagram above, the
socket is in a corner. That's the best position for it but here my
socket is in the middle (of the edge). I guess the only way would be
for me to cut from the middle of the lawn out.

Thanks again,
Stephen.

In message , Stephen
writes

I will look to replace it in the near future. I was thinking of a
Honda petrol mower but I notice that the cheaper models have a steel
deck that reviewers say rusts.

I bought one of the cheaper Honda petrol mowers a few (at least five)
years ago, and must say I am delighted with it. Easy to start, and does
exactly what it should do. No signs of rust yet. The only minus is the
size of the collection bag which is not terribly large.

--
Graeme