The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: harry on August 28, 2014, 09:12:28 pm
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anyone recommend a walk behind self propelled rough cut mower for a bumpy acre of rough grass..... cant justify price of an old sit on ie £400.... maybe an old hayter????/..... anyone use an old allen sythe
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I did have an old allen scythe once, and whilst it would go through most things I'm not sure they're any better or faster than a good brushcutter.
I decided to sell mine when I moved here even though I have a lot of land to clear - the land here's very steep and the scythe is quite a cumbersome, heavy thing to manoeuvre. Also, mine was one of the early ones with the clutch 'the wrong way round' - i.e. you had to squeeze the handle to make it stop - so if you got tangled in cut brambles and fell over it would go off on its own, circle round and come back at you.
On the other hand, if you can pick up one at the right price, (mine was £12 - the engine was in pieces in a box) they are effective.
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I bought a pedestrian turner flail mower, it had some problems but I replaced the bearings £16 and it now works a treat. http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=44603.msg416962#msg416962 (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=44603.msg416962#msg416962)
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+1 for an old hayter - mine manages our occasionally overgrown paths pretty well.
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The Italians have some nice finger-bar machinery, ride-on and walk behind. Their smallholding sector is well catered for machinery and tractor wise as they have it in their culture and there are lots of them.