Mowing ..

[roddy1960]

We have had nearly 200mm of rain this month...consequently grass is literally growing as you look at it . Today I was cutting my jungle but it bloody rained again ...will have to be tomorrow night after work I guess..Bugger..I had to force myself to re watch the Tigers win in the Grannie again..A tough chore but someone has to do it . !!!!!!!!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

We have had nearly 200mm of rain this month...consequently grass is literally growing as you look at it . Today I was cutting my jungle but it bloody rained again ...will have to be tomorrow night after work I guess..Bugger..I had to force myself to re watch the Tigers win in the Grannie again..A tough chore but someone has to do it . !!!!!!!!

I would rather mow the lawn than watch the football!

[DFB FGXR6]

Took on a new job today that needed a bit of help getting the edges back in order, a job for the little Atom, which has been running very well after a carby service.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

We have had nearly 200mm of rain this month...consequently grass is literally growing as you look at it . Today I was cutting my jungle but it bloody rained again ...will have to be tomorrow night after work I guess..Bugger..I had to force myself to re watch the Tigers win in the Grannie again..A tough chore but someone has to do it . !!!!!!!!

Go and wash your black and yellow mouth out!!!!

[Tassie f100]

Son in law has a Dewalt which I think does a pretty good job,but I’m not sure the battery cutting time is all that good,but then he doesn’t cut as often as he should,so it works fairly hard when he does get around to it.His isn’t self propelled.Mate has an 18v Ryobi which he is happy with to trim his about 70-80 sq mtrs

[whitelion65]

https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...RoCRoAQAvD_BwE
??????
Expensive, but the prices are coming down rapidly.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by whitelion65

https://www.husqvarna.com/au/product...RoCRoAQAvD_BwE
??????
Expensive, but the prices are coming down rapidly.

Yeah nah, nice idea but way too expensive, and our front and back would be too complicated for it

[MITCHAY]

I mowed today after letting it go for a while after aerating, weed and feed and cutting it right down low.

It's filled in nicely since we have had decent rain except struggling where this tree and bushes are. It has some runners but mostly dirt still.

I don't think it is getting enough sun or as much water because of them. With the bushes I'm gonna cut it back and bring out the edge since it doesn't grow there anyway.

The tree I'm going to look at how much to remove but it is fairly big so probably a decent amount.

[LG17]

I mowed part of the house paddock today. I'm pretty sure it's the first time since March 2020 that I've done it.
We've had no grass, just dirt since then.

The 107mm of rain we got last week has transformed the place for the time being.

[whitelion65]

OK gurus! I have to pull the engine out of my ride-on...it's blown out (or sucked in) the sump gasket.Its a B&S V-twin. You can hear the leak when you pressurise the crank case.

Anyway, whilst I have it stripped down, I've cleaned up the deck and am looking at painting the underside. Is this worth doing, and how long will it last? What is the best product to use?

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by whitelion65

OK gurus! I have to pull the engine out of my ride-on...it's blown out (or sucked in) the sump gasket.Its a B&S V-twin. You can hear the leak when you pressurise the crank case.

Anyway, whilst I have it stripped down, I've cleaned up the deck and am looking at painting the underside. Is this worth doing, and how long will it last? What is the best product to use?

I dunno the best product per say. But maybe try something like this https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/...100405#start=1 . Sounds like, well off the description, should give some form of protection.

[DFB FGXR6]

My employer picked up this beast this afternoon.







This Ferris mower is powered by a Yanmar 3 Cylinder diesel water-cooled engine. Replacing a well used Toro, the added strength and comfort features should see serve the company for years to come. I had a bit of a spin and was impressed with how fast the ground speed was and the engine is surprisingly smooth and quiet. Independent suspension and a suspended seat make it extremely comfortable to ride.

The only bad thing? Well, my role doesn't involve mowing the lawns so I will never get to use it.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Thought I would add to this thread seeing as I have been doing a little mowing of late.

Mostly finished my house however the backyard was a mess:





Time to get the job done. Poured the footing for the retaining wall:









Got my hands on a ton of free blocks:



Retaining wall done:



Sold off the spare blocks on Ebay.

Sprayed all the grass and weeds, some took a while. That spiky weed that puts out shoots like asparagus and has little potatoes in the roots is near impossible to kill! When the excavator dug it up it peeled away from the ground like carpet - amazing how that stiff spreads out.







All up, needed 100t of fill:

The little lady was happy to help out where she could



Pushed the rubbish sandy stuff down the back where I could bury it under the better stuff.







Got some more fill of better quality and spread that out on the sandy stuff:



Got some turf underlay and spread that out, mixed in with a heap of aged chook poo from my parents farm.







First delivery of turf - around 280sqm of Kikuyu grass:





Wasn't enough :(



Did the top half the following week - another 250 sqm.



Came out pretty good... took straight away and did get much die off.





Time to cut...... The green bin was full, as was several large containers and an old 1t sand bag I had floating around... and I was only half way done. Needed to tip the rest in the trailer.



Let it grow for a few weeks, then had a ton of rain and sun.... Big mistake.





Was way too high, so a few days before I mowed I tried to knock it down a bit with the whipper snipper... It sorta worked, but the grass below was dry and woody. Then the dead grass blocked the sun and made it worse...



I have a self propelled Masport - It did very well considering the size of the yard and the grass height.







Probably several hundred kg of grass there!

Biggest waste of time was the constant travel to empty the catcher... Would walk 20 metres and it was already full.

Next time I'll park the trailer down the back where I'm mowing.

Still cutting it very high - won't ever leave it to get so long as the brown patches really annoy me.





After that trailer load I decided a different strategy to try and fit near 550sqm of grass into at least my bin and with a little left over.

I cut the new shoots after 3 days and tipped it into several large tubs I had lying around - but not my bin. Whole yard only took about 1hr and I would have emptied the catcher perhaps 7 times.

Then, every day I would tip those containers up side down into another one so that the sun dries it out. I found when I filled the green bin to the top with damp grass there was nowhere for the moisture to escape even with the lid off. When I took my full bin out last time it had only settled half a foot but the thing weighed easily 100kg - I was worried they were not going to collect it.

Anyway, after 3 more days the clippings were reduced by half and I tipped them into the bin then did another cut and did the same thing with the containers.

After 2 weeks and 2 cuts it all fit in the bin. Not bad.

Granted we have had 2 weeks of hot sun and no rain, I'm sure if it rained heavily my grass will shoot up like before and I will need the trailer again.

Whole job would have only set me back $6-7k including fill, topsoil, grass and the retaining wall. Did all I could myself, got most of the fill for free and paid for the top layer of turf underlay.

Rolled the turf myself with some help. Not a perfect job but it's a whole lot better than before.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Thought I would add to this thread seeing as I have been doing a little mowing of late.

Mostly finished my house however the backyard was a mess:

image

image

Time to get the job done. Poured the footing for the retaining wall:

image

image

image

image

Got my hands on a ton of free blocks:

image

Retaining wall done:

image

Sold off the spare blocks on Ebay.

Sprayed all the grass and weeds, some took a while. That spiky weed that puts out shoots like asparagus and has little potatoes in the roots is near impossible to kill! When the excavator dug it up it peeled away from the ground like carpet - amazing how that stiff spreads out.

image

image

image

All up, needed 100t of fill:

The little lady was happy to help out where she could

image

Pushed the rubbish sandy stuff down the back where I could bury it under the better stuff.

image

image

image

Got some more fill of better quality and spread that out on the sandy stuff:

image

Got some turf underlay and spread that out, mixed in with a heap of aged chook poo from my parents farm.

image

image

image

First delivery of turf - around 280sqm of Kikuyu grass:

image

image

Wasn't enough :(

image

Did the top half the following week - another 250 sqm.

image

Came out pretty good... took straight away and did get much die off.

image

image

Time to cut...... The green bin was full, as was several large containers and an old 1t sand bag I had floating around... and I was only half way done. Needed to tip the rest in the trailer.

image

Let it grow for a few weeks, then had a ton of rain and sun.... Big mistake.

image

image

Was way too high, so a few days before I mowed I tried to knock it down a bit with the whipper snipper... It sorta worked, but the grass below was dry and woody. Then the dead grass blocked the sun and made it worse...

image

I have a self propelled Masport - It did very well considering the size of the yard and the grass height.

image

image

image

Probably several hundred kg of grass there!

Biggest waste of time was the constant travel to empty the catcher... Would walk 20 metres and it was already full.

Next time I'll park the trailer down the back where I'm mowing.

Still cutting it very high - won't ever leave it to get so long as the brown patches really annoy me.

image

image

After that trailer load I decided a different strategy to try and fit near 550sqm of grass into at least my bin and with a little left over.

I cut the new shoots after 3 days and tipped it into several large tubs I had lying around - but not my bin. Whole yard only took about 1hr and I would have emptied the catcher perhaps 7 times.

Then, every day I would tip those containers up side down into another one so that the sun dries it out. I found when I filled the green bin to the top with damp grass there was nowhere for the moisture to escape even with the lid off. When I took my full bin out last time it had only settled half a foot but the thing weighed easily 100kg - I was worried they were not going to collect it.

Anyway, after 3 more days the clippings were reduced by half and I tipped them into the bin then did another cut and did the same thing with the containers.

After 2 weeks and 2 cuts it all fit in the bin. Not bad.

Granted we have had 2 weeks of hot sun and no rain, I'm sure if it rained heavily my grass will shoot up like before and I will need the trailer again.

Whole job would have only set me back $6-7k including fill, topsoil, grass and the retaining wall. Did all I could myself, got most of the fill for free and paid for the top layer of turf underlay.

Rolled the turf myself with some help. Not a perfect job but it's a whole lot better than before.

Good job!

Freshly laid Kikuyu is unstoppable, I certainly don't envy that mowing job!

[Citroënbender]

Sort of a “noob” question, sorry.

My Shindaiwa 2-stroke straight shaft trimmer: Is it feasible/sensible to put a brush cutter disc on it for occasional use (clearing Patterson’s Curse, mostly)?

I’m presuming you swap the whole driven head. I note most brush cutters have broader twin handles than a trimmer.

Asking to see if it’s possible or safely practical from a view point of economy and less clutter.

[AU-Hog]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Sort of a “noob” question, sorry.

My Shindaiwa 2-stroke straight shaft trimmer: Is it feasible/sensible to put a brush cutter disc on it for occasional use (clearing Patterson’s Curse, mostly)?

I’m presuming you swap the whole driven head. I note most brush cutters have broader twin handles than a trimmer.

Asking to see if it’s possible or safely practical from a view point of economy and less clutter.

It shouldn't be a problem if you have the flat washers to clamp the disc.
I would only use a 450 Universal head with 2.7 to 3.0 mm maxicore diamond string for Pattersons Curse. A disc is harder to control the speed on, and would not mulch the weed, but risk continuously getting wound around the shaft.
Also, if there are any rocks around, you risk damaging the disc and the brushcutter head by using a disc.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by AU-Hog

It shouldn't be a problem if you have the flat washers to clamp the disc.
I would only use a 450 Universal head with 2.7 to 3.0 mm maxicore diamond string for Pattersons Curse. A disc is harder to control the speed on, and would not mulch the weed, but risk continuously getting wound around the shaft.
Also, if there are any rocks around, you risk damaging the disc and the brushcutter head by using a disc.

It looks like this is where I come un-stuck, the trimmer is one size too small for the 450 type head (I use it with 2.0 round line).

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Sort of a “noob” question, sorry.

My Shindaiwa 2-stroke straight shaft trimmer: Is it feasible/sensible to put a brush cutter disc on it for occasional use (clearing Patterson’s Curse, mostly)?

I’m presuming you swap the whole driven head. I note most brush cutters have broader twin handles than a trimmer.

Asking to see if it’s possible or safely practical from a view point of economy and less clutter.

I'd try a heavier grade cord, it'll get through tougher stuff and last alot longer aswell.

[FTE217]

Great hard work from start to finish YT.
Rule 101 - never let the grass over grow in the summer/humidity/rain/sun - too much bloody work otherwise as you said.
Due to our weather nowdays here in Sydney, I'm on fortnighly cuts religiously, its 3" high easy in 2wks.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by FTE217

Due to our weather nowdays here in Sydney, I'm on fortnighly cuts religiously, its 3" high easy in 2wks.

You're lucky, it's weekly here

[Citroënbender]

At your age, that’s not bad going!

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

You're lucky, it's weekly here

Trust me, I could do it weekly BUT at my age as mentioned F it

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by FTE217

Trust me, I could do it weekly BUT at my age as mentioned F it

I told The Dragon Lady that if she wants it mowed weekly I'm getting one of these......I should've bought one years ago

https://www.totaltools.com.au/141646...-kit-lm1903esp

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

I told The Dragon Lady that if she wants it mowed weekly I'm getting one of these......I should've bought one years ago

https://www.totaltools.com.au/141646...-kit-lm1903esp

If you buy it for her she can use it as often as she likes.

[FTE217]

Dragon Lady - love it
Mine's the Boat Anchor - if I suggest what I need or want to buy and the cost - why do you need that ?! or no not right now
After 30yrs I end up just buying it - then with online banking I'm rounded up normally at the most odd time
In the end I just walk away muttering away to myself, she says, what did you say ? suffering succotash, like Sylvester I picture to myself

[MITCHAY]

Well after trimming back the bush it was just what the lawn needed. Getting more sun so it is filling in more. So I reckon I will take out 1-2ft on that side when making my lawn edge.

I'm looking at using these in charcoal colour since it roughly matches the patio.

https://www.adbrimasonry.com.au/home...ings/lawn-edge

[danzvtil]

Mowed my pit bull lawn today, it’s been a month, as last fortnight was adelaides lockdown, kik was a foot tall. I took it down without the catcher then picked it up after a notch higher, what a mess. Good news is the house is sold, the customer has bought a baller place nearby which he needs me to take care of, and I’m knocking back work left and right. Doing this full time is on the cards within 12 months I reckon.

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Mowed my pit bull lawn today, it’s been a month, as last fortnight was adelaides lockdown, kik was a foot tall. I took it down without the catcher then picked it up after a notch higher, what a mess. Good news is the house is sold, the customer has bought a baller place nearby which he needs me to take care of, and I’m knocking back work left and right. Doing this full time is on the cards within 12 months I reckon.

Uhmm, so I resigned from my full time,secure,well paid job this week to go out on my own in the new year! My boss is giving me 3 of his properties to look after because he is awesome and believes in my vision. Now I feel a little bit sick, but game on!

[Mr_G6ET]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Uhmm, so I resigned from my full time,secure,well paid job this week to go out on my own in the new year! My boss is giving me 3 of his properties to look after because he is awesome and believes in my vision. Now I feel a little bit sick, but game on!

You wanting to do it is most of it. You know whats needed, having drive is most of it. Being keen is all I ask of people that work for me

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Uhmm, so I resigned from my full time,secure,well paid job this week to go out on my own in the new year! My boss is giving me 3 of his properties to look after because he is awesome and believes in my vision. Now I feel a little bit sick, but game on!

Well done for taking the step.

And the best thing is, YOU are the boss!