Ride on Lawnmowers

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High Green Farm

Joined: 30 Nov 2004
Posts: 349
Location: Mid-Suffolk

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 11:51 am Post subject: Ride on Lawnmowers

Anyone out there with any experience of ride on lawn mowers? I am wasting too much time walking behind a silly little mower for 4 hours each weekend and want something bigger! Need a mower that will cut about an acre of lawn etc, plus something big enough to do some of the paddocks on an occasional basis.

Have a second hand John Deere on loan from a local supplier, and am very impressed with it. I have heard someone say that the pasts for John Deeres can be expensive though....any ideas or experiences to share?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 11:55 am Post subject:
I'm really not being silly - what about sheep?

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-�a)

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 11:59 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

I'm really not being silly - what about sheep?

No, you want a proper shearing tool for sheep. A ride-on-mower will get the fur all messy.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:04 pm Post subject:

We have an arrangement with one of our neighbours - he stores his ride-on in our barn and we get free use of it. This is a Murray - very basic and an ex-Council machine. I think our neighbour paid about �300 for it at auction.
Even without a grass collector bit on the back, it certainly beats the heck out of using a scythe, which was what we were doing before the neighbour took pity on us!
If you can find an auction house that specialises in ag equipment, you should be able to get one for a lot less than the as-new prices.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:29 pm Post subject:
I heard on the radio the other day that lawnmowers are worse for the environment than cars, a lot worse. Something to do with a two stroke and oil being in with the petrol causing different emmisions. Can't remember all the exact details. I sure sheep are a lot more environmentaly friendly if you don't like sheep what about goats

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:32 pm Post subject:
Goats will probably prefer the rose bushes, and doesn't Seymour say something about them spending all their time working out how to escape? What about rabbits?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:33 pm Post subject:
Or a wildflower meadow? That's an excellent excuse. What on earth do you want an acre of lawn for?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45702
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:40 pm Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

What on earth do you want an acre of lawn for?

That's the real question, what a monumental waste of space....

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:45 pm Post subject:
Give the man a break . Sheep and goats will wreck everything in sight - would you want all your favourite trees and shrubs to be ring-barked? It isn't a pretty sight. And wildflower meadows still have to be cut down after they have flowered. Anyway, ride-on mowers are fun!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:49 pm Post subject:
But, but, but...so much lawn! What about fruit trees and asparagus beds and shrubs and things. Anyway, he keeps pigs, he's teetering on the edge...I bet he really wants sheep (PS High Green Farm, I'm not having a go, I'm just jealous - you don't strike me as the lawn type so there must be a reason behind it!)

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45702
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:49 pm Post subject:
Not being mean, just saying that there's plenty of low maintenance food producing ideas for that acre out there....

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:51 pm Post subject:
How about guineapigs? They are apparently very tasty, and would keep the lawn down without doing too much damage.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 12:52 pm Post subject:
That's the spirit, Judith

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45702
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 1:23 pm Post subject:
How do you keep them in, don't they burrow?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 1:35 pm Post subject:
No, I don't think they burrow. I was thinking of 8 x 4 guineapig tractors. Perhaps 10 beasts per tractor. 20 tractors to the acre. Move these every day to keep the grass nibbled and the ground sweet. Probably needs a bit more thought, but do you think it is a goer?

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