[Pansypots]

Hi, hope someone can give the benefit of their experience here.
We’ve recently bought half acre which we’ve planted thirty fruit and nut trees in, a chicken area and some fruit and veg beds. Generally I’m leaving the grass (rye) areas to grow and die back to encourage wildlife and owls etc. But I’ll need to mow round the trees and keep a path cut up and down the field. It was a grazing field so it’s flat but rough.

I’m looking at a self-prop mower that does rough terrain (or so it says!) as I want to get rid of some nettle beds but him indoors says we need a ride which is substantially more expensive! I think he just wants to ride around on a big mower 

What do other people think? Do we really need a big boy’s toy to mow a relatively small area?
Thanks in advance. 

[stufe35]

Depends if you want mowing to be chore or tolerable 

Imagine how many new things you can have for yourself based on 'him'  getting a ride on !

On a serious note, with that much land its definitely justified and with a decent sized trailer for the back you may find it useful for other jobs too.

Of course you could 'get by' with a push mower...but who wants to just 'get by' ?

[Louise Gaunt]

Mowing round the trees may be easier with a push mower, but having a trailer on a ride on mower is really useful - we use our mower to tow a trailer almost as much as we use it for mowing.

[Fleecewife]

Half an acre, covered in other stuff?  No, I don't think that warrants a ride-on, but a large, good quality motor mower to walk behind would be fine.  It would be easier to cut around the trees too.  On a ride-on, once the trees get big with overhanging branches, it's easier to duck under them with a walk behind, than get your face smacked and your hat swiped off by branches on a ride on. You have a smaller turning circle too.
However, if you are older or unfit, or either of you would get to hate doing the grass if it took time and was hard going, then maybe a small ride on would be ok, but for rough ground you would really need a big toughy, which would cost and not be manoeverable, so back to square one.  If you're rich and can afford two machines, then an Allen scythe would do the rougher bits - I think you can hire them in fact, which would work better as you would probably only need to use it occasionally.

[bj_cardiff]

Half an acre wouldn't justify a ride on IMO. As other have said their useful for carrying tools if you have a trailer, but realistically if its half an acre you don't have to walk far!

Just be careful to keep the areas you intend to keep mown short at all times. Its a nightmare when you've left it slightly too long and the mower clogs or stalls every couple of metres. Self propelled is a must too! I'd probably look around for second hand. Lots of new mowers just aren't made to last.

Could compromise and get a strimmer?

[Ghdp]

Well we have a ride on, which came with the house, and which is rather fun but after using it for a couple of years we realsie that a self propelled petrol mower for round the trees is just so much quicker.

[Rupert the bear]

I have a MTD  scythe mower its self propelled , easy to handle  , and even I can stagger round a acre chicken paddock, even Mrs RTB uses it, cost a bit new but v reliable and a modern 4 stroke engine makes it a delight.

Buy "  him indoors  " a pair of shears or a hand scythe for half a acre its good exercise.

[juliem]

I cut the grass down my long lane with a good quality self propelled..I go for the key start...far less frustrating /that will mulch the cuttings rather than collect.I lever to adjust height is less of a hassle.Ride on mowers more expensive to service and if you do accidentally hit something ..costly to repair.
Self propelled easy stored in sheds where ride ons might use up valueable garage space if storage is an issue.
Self propelled is the way to go but go for a good quality one.....avoid B &Q.

[chrismahon]

We had half an acre in England, pretty much as described. Secure storage was a big issue there. We had a sit-on but, even though it was small, it was a pain to get round the trees. We also had a self-propelled mower which did the job in the same time but cost far less to buy and run. You may find that a strimmer, grass rake and a wheelbarrow will do the job and mowers just aren't necessary.


Nettle beds need digging out and then re-seeding. Get a packet of wild flowers- they look really pretty.

[bazzais]

Lookup 'dr string trimmer mower' on google - I got one, but its unpowered but not to hard to handle.

Its great for doing areas that are uneven and stoney - slightly less tiring than a strimmer and give a more level cut.

[pgkevet]

money, time, enegry and enthusiasm dictate the answer.
1/2 an acre isn't so much but a ride-on may make it soemthing you do regularly compared with being lazy about walking around. I have greater acreage of curtilage with loads of trees and mow aroudn them with my front deck husky ride-on - some I can ride round and some i do around in a forwards/reverse star pattern. To be practical and quick I've pruned off the low hanging branches of the more mature trees.

Compare yhat with my parents (deceased) grounds.. about 1/2 acres of grass and a self propelled walk behind mower and it takes as long to do as my 3 acres of lawn.

[macgro7]

For long grass that you are only gonna cut once in a while for this rather small area you are better of getting a good strimmer, or even better put mulch around the trees and you don't have to mow around them at all!