Evening all,

Decided I need a petrol mower as I have some big ol green to cut at the new place and can’t be doing with extension leads etc.

What to look out for when buying second hand?

Only got a budget of about £50-£60, there’s loads on gumtree but no idea what to look out for?

Any help or pointers are much appreciated.

Not sure £50-60 is going to get you much of a petrol mower to be honest fella.
Buy one you can collect, see it running and see how it cuts the grass.
If it stalls all the time or the engine constantly races I would walk away.
If it cuts like a bag of poo then you’ll need a blade sharpen at the least. (easy job if you can be arsed)
A big grass bag makes the job easier as you stop less.
That’s about it really.
Oh, check the oil level as well. SAE30 is cheap but an engine rebuild isn’t.
Hope that’s helpful.
Tim
(if you are near Lewes then I have a ratty petrol mower you can have for a few beers)

Cheers mate, that’s a starting point for me.

Appreciate the offer on the rattly mower but I’m based in the midlands.

There’s a fair few come up for that sort of money. Any brands to avoid?

http://www.gumtree.com/search?q=petrol+mower&search_location=Nottinghamshire&category=all

Any mowers with a Briggs & Stratton 35 should do you fine, and they go on eBay for the price you mention. I’ve got three, they all start second pull at worst, but usually first pull.

Check it start easily and runs nicely (leave it running for 5 minutes), check metal decked mowers for rust holes (indicative of a lawnmower that hasn’t been cleaned and stored correctly at the end of the season).

I second the Briggs abd Stratton motor.
We inherited one from the previous tenants of our old house. It was left outside under the apple tree all winter. In the spring we turned it over to empty the old oil and refill. As said, started first or second time, every time. It didn’t just do grass. It was often used to clear the meadow of the stuff the sheep couldn’t munch…

IMO petrol mowers are not suited to every type of lawn, even the bigger ones. They can be proper heavy and as a result dig into the turf creating divot after divot, especially on uneven stretches.

Just my tuppence.

I got a petrol Flymo for £60 on ebay and picked it up a few miles away. I’m constantly surprised at its grass munching abilities – gets through pretty much anything. Doesn’t pick up after itself – I just run over the clippings and leave them to mulch the lawn, as advised by Gardeners’ Question Time 🙂

petrol mower and box off the grass to a compost heap…

unless you want grass clippings all inside your house and a layer of thatch on your lawn that will stifle the grass completely

don’t let anyone tell you electric mowers are ok – they are crap!