Petrol lawn mowers come in all shapes and sizes and at first choosing a particular type of brand can appear daunting. In this Buyers Guide we will do our best to set out the differences between types and manufacturers.

Roller Rotary, 4 Wheel Rotary, Recycler, Cylinder, or Hover?

Petrol Roller Rotary Lawn Mowers
This type of lawn mower is more suited to the gardener who wishes to achieve the striped effect on the lawn, but does not necessarily have the type of lawn needed to achieve the 'bowling green' finish which a cylinder mower can produce. Because of their versatility, petrol roller rotary lawn mowers can be used when the grass is longer and when damp (although not wet), but will also give you that close-cut finish when necessary. The rear roller produces the striped effect and also has the advantage of being able to mow over the edge of the borders without scalping. On the average lawn it is difficult to tell the difference between a good quality petrol roller rotary lawnmower and a petrol cylinder lawnmower and the added bonus is that the servicing costs of a petrol roller rotary are considerably less than the cylinder lawnmower. We offer petrol roller rotary lawnmowers from the leading manufacturers - Hayter, Honda, Atco , Alko and Mountfield - Sizes range from 16" to 22", push and self-propelled, and some machines, notably Honda offer a roto-stop system whereby the engines keeps running, giving you drive to the rear roller, but the blade does not rotate. This saves you having to re-start the lawnmower every time you empty the grassbag. Other manufacturers refer to this system as BBC (Blade Brake Clutch). For further information on this feature please telephone us 01285 760799. Most manufacturers also offer the option of electric start on larger models for those who do not wish to pull the starter cord.

Petrol 4-Wheel Rotary Lawn Mowers
This type of lawn mower is more suited to those gardeners who just want to keep the lawn neat and tidy. There is a much wider range of product available in this sector, from the cheaper steel deck machines to the more expensive and more robust aluminium deck models. Do not be put off by steel deck over aluminium - it is true that the aluminium deck has a longer life-span, but most of steel deck lawn mowers now available from manufacturers such as Honda, Hayter, Alko and the new range from Tuffcut are of very good quality and you would expect them to last a considerable number of years. Ranging in widths from 16" to 22", push and self-propelled, we offer a wide choice. We have also been able to obtain an outstanding value-for-money 4-wheeled, petrol rotary mower from the McCulloch range in both push and self-propelled models with Briggs and Stratton engines. These lawnmowers offer you the chance to purchase a very high quality lawnmower at an affordable price.

Recycler Lawn Mowers
Recycler lawn mowers have a number of advantages, primarily that of regenerating the nutrients from the cut grass back into the soil, thereby keeping the grass looking healthy all through the season. The other main advantage is time as with this type of lawn mower you do not spend time emptying the grassbag. There are rules to adhere to, and in the peak season it may be necessary to cut the grass on a five-day cycle. Generally you can only cut a third of the length of the grass in one go to allow the clippings to be finely cut and mulched bag into the ground. Most of these machines are supplied with a grassbag so that should the grass get away from you at the beginning of the season you can cut and collect to get back to the required height. Toro are the leaders in this field and have the following to say -
"Not only does a Toro Recycler mower save you time, money and effort, it really is hugely beneficial in helping create a green thick healthy sward over time.
It's because recycling employs good mowing practice.
Experts agree that we usually cut our grass far too short. This removes most, if not all, of the grass plant's blade content or leaf with every cut, this damaging the plant, which then takes longer to recover. Scalping is even worse.
For that picture perfect lawn, experts will tell you that no more than third of the grass leaf should be cut off at a time; otherwise this may encourage horizontal rather than deep root growth. It's generally agreed that it's better not to cut mush lower than 1 inch.
All this is ideal for recycling as the method relied upon leaving just enough grass into which to inject the clippings, and hide them from view. "

Petrol Cylinder Lawn Mowers
This is the type of lawn mower for the gardener who has taken great care in the preparation of his/her lawn and wants to achieve a bowling green finish. Generally the lawn will be flat and have a mixture of finer grasses. A petrol cylinder lawn mower will demand more time from the gardener as in the peak growing season it may be necessary to cut your grass on a five-day cycle. this type of lawn mower will also give you a much closer cut than those mentioned above. It is important to keep the lawn free from debris as the cylindrical blade system is much more expensive to sharpen than that of the rotary lawn mower. Leading manufacturers in this field are Atco (incorporating Qualcast and Suffolk Punch) who offer their unique QX system of cassettes, which allow you to change from the standard 6-bladed cassette to a 10-bladed cassette or a scarifier cassette.

Petrol Hover Mowers
Finally in this section are the petrol hover mowers which are most suitable for uneven ground, pathways, banks and difficult to reach areas. This type of lawnmower is easy to use and light to handle, and can be manouevred in any direction. Powered by 4-stroke engines, with a cutting width of 20". We offer products from Flymo who are the market leaders in this field.