FAQs

Yes,
We service and repair all brands of petrol powered outdoor power equipment, whether you’re a Commercial Contractor or a Domestic user. At GENERAL MOWERS we offer a guaranteed service for 3 months on the work we’ve done.

There was a time when weekends were for spending hours out on the spacious front lawn, sweating over a roaring mower that covered you in fumes and clippings. Back then, giving any lawn a haircut required a petrol mower, and this may still be the case for large properties. However, electric and battery options have improved substantially, delivering more power and value. We help you decide whether to go the petrol, electric or battery route to keep your lawn well groomed.

A Lawn mowers Brisbane with a wide cutting diameter means less time mowing the lawn and more time enjoying your weekend. Petrol lawn mowers commonly have a wide cutting diameter of 45–50cm. Electric and battery powered models are more commonly available with cutting widths from 30–40cm. 10 or 20cm may not seem to be significant and may not be an issue if you own a smallish inner-city lawn; large lawn owners will definitely notice if you have to make a dozen more runs for each mowing session.

Types of mowers

Compared to electric- and battery-powered models, petrol lawnmowers can be a hassle to start if they are not tuned properly and need refuelling. The cost to the local environment with fumes and noise may also be an issue. But if you have a huge lawn, petrol models should remain at the top of your list.

If you don’t mind the minor hassle of dragging a cord around and you have a power point close by, then an electric lawnmower is easy to run and maintain, and would be a good option if your lawn is around 50 square metres or less.

If you looked at battery-powered mowers 10 years ago and dismissed them as useless, well, you’d have been right. But improvements in cutting performance and battery life have been significant, and battery-powered options are now well worth a look. You get the low-maintenance advantages of an electric mower without having to drag the cord around, and batteries give you up to 90 minutes on one charge. Avoid the older models – many give you just 15 minutes of use – and remember to charge the battery the night before mowing, as it can take several hours to get the battery up to full power.

To find out more, visit our huge air conditioned showroom and one of our friendly staff would more than happy to help you make the right choice. We assemble your mower, fuel it, oil it, and test run it FREE of CHARGE, if it’s petrol powered.

Ease of use
The handle should be comfortable to hold and preferably height-adjustable. A turned-up handle is easier on your wrists and gives better control over the lawn mower.
Major controls should be close to hand and easy to see. The engine control lever should be on the handlebar for easy access and you should be able to operate it without too much effort. Make sure the cutting height is easily adjustable and you have several positions available.
It’s generally easier to operate a petrol-powered mower when the cord is located on the engine, but a handle-mounted cord is good if you can’t easily bend over – but make sure it’s not mounted too high, as this can require a lot of shoulder strength to pull.
The mower should be easy to push and manoeuvre in all the conditions you’ll use it. Big wheels improve handling on rough ground and a lightweight model is easier to push and turn. The catcher should be made of rigid plastic; with a bag-type catcher you can get showered in dust. The catcher should have two handles, one for carrying and one for emptying.
Mulcher mowing
Mulching mowers produce more of a compost than a mulch, chopping grass finely and forcing the clippings back down between the blades of grass and back into the lawn. Normal catcher-only lawnmowers produce grass clippings that are much longer and need to be removed from the lawn to avoid suffocating the cut grass. While the vast majority of mulcher mowers are petrol, this feature may become more common on battery models.

Ride-on mowers cut a wide swathe of grass – anywhere from 65cm to 1.8 metre. Compare this with the 46–48cm width of the standard walk-behind rotary mower – not to mention the fun factor of zooming around the yard – and you can see how appealing a ride-on is to anyone who owns a big property.

Most ride-on mowers look like small tractors with a cutting deck suspended underneath. These tractor-type mowers are a bit like driving a car: most now have automatic transmissions, headlights for after-sunset mowing, and even a drinks holder. But we’d recommend an iced tea over a lager. You know what they say kids – don’t drink and mow!

Try before you buy

Hop on and get your bearings. Is the seat cushioned for comfort with a back support? Are the controls easy to use? Can the controls and any foot pedals be reached without stretching? Is the steering wheel or levers at a comfortable height and angle for you? Check how easy it is to remove, empty, and reattach the mulch-plug or catcher.At GENERAL Mowers & Power Equipment, we have one of the largest range of ride on mowers on display.

Zero Turn Mower Brisbane

Ride-ons with a steering wheel are popular options, but owners of comparatively smaller lawns and those with trees or awkward-shaped garden beds should consider a zero-turn model. Zero turn mowers Brisbane have a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel-brake steering, delivering a very tight turning circle. You’ll need a bit of practise to get the feel of using lever steering controls.

There are also smaller rear-engine ride-on mowers that are not zero-turn but still have a tight turning circle. They have a steering wheel, and are often less expensive to buy.

Mowing, mulching/catching options

Mulching is an option on many models, including both side discharge and rear-catcher mowers. They can quite easily be converted to mulching mowers using a mulch-plug that holds the clippings inside the mowing deck, chopping them up more finely before blowing them into the lawn.

Side discharge works better on longer, rougher grass, and on models with wider mowing decks. For finer lawns, rear-catcher models will collect the grass as you go.

Watch the weight and watch the slope

Ride-on mowers are heavy, typically weighing in at 150kg or more. When the rider’s weight is on top of the mower (particularly with tractor-style models) it raises the centre of gravity. It’s not advisable to mow sideways across slopes greater than 10 degrees. Zero-turn models designed for commercial use are wider and the driver sits lower, allowing them to handle greater slopes.

Drive safe

While manual transmission is a solid budget choice, an automatic/hydrostatic transmission model will allow you to speed up, slow down and reverse without changing gears. You can even get cruise control on some models, to make long mowing sessions more comfortable.

If you will have to back up, look for models that either automatically stop the blades when you select reverse or have a reverse override switch. A seat shut-off switch that stops the blades if you get off the mower is also an essential safety feature.

How big is your rig?

Use the size of the mowing area to determine the size of your mower. As a rule of thumb:

Up to 4000m² (1 acre) of grass requires a cutting width of 110cm (42″) and a 16–20HP (horse power) engine.
4000m² to 1 hectare needs a cutting width of around 120cm (48″) and a 20–24HP engine.
Over a hectare, get the largest cutting width possible and at least a 24HP engine.
Note: cutting widths are typically given in inches, as imperial measurements are still dominant in the US.

Prices for new machines range from just over $2000 to more than $25,000, depending on engine size, mowing width, catcher features, design and transmission type (manual or automatic).Check our comprehensive range of ride on mowers on display. Our friendly and experienced staff are happy to discuss your needs at a price to suit your budget.

Most manufacturers recommend each piece of equipment be serviced at least once a year. All small engines use petroleum-based products. As the additives in the petroleum break down and the oil & gas is left to settle over long periods of time, it can cause sludge and a gummy residue. This residue can cause engines to run rough and even sometimes not at all. Also, the sludge can block key lubricating points which can cause rapid and excessive wear. Eventually, the engine could become completely ruined.

No.

Your equipment is specifically designed and manufactured to operate at optimum performance levels using the oil recommended by the manufacturer. The engine on your equipment is a small engine, either two stroke or four stroke, and is not made to run on engine oil produced for larger engines.

Many manufacturers will not guarantee warranty coverage if your machine is run on oil other than that which is recommended.

This depends on the type of oil you are using.

If you have 25:1 ratio oil, it is 200ml per 5 litres or 40ml per litre. This applies to most oils you can purchase from hardware stores and department stores.

If you have 50:1 ratio oil, it is 100ml per 5 litres or 20ml per litre. This applies to the high quality oils available at your garden equipment specialists, and branded by manufacturers such as Husqvarna, Shindaiwa, Echo and Stihl.A range of high quality 50:1 synthetic and semi synthetic oil is available at GENERAL Mowers & Power Equipment

A rule of thumb tip…. if you are not sure, you are best to use a 25:1 ratio mix as you are far better to run your machine too rich than too lean.

Bar and chain oil ensures that your chain runs smoothly through the bar when cutting. A dry chain will heat up extremely quickly, damaging your chain, bar and sprocket and in some extreme cases, ends in clutch and brake damage, and possible engine failure. We recommend that you top up your bar and chain oil every time you refill your fuel mixture.
You should also regularly check that the oil holes in the bar are free to release the oil and clean the bar rails to ensure smooth movement of your chain. A good quality bar and chain oil should be used, as recommended by manufacturers.

A chainsaw chain can become blunt very quickly, depending on what you are cutting, and on what you sometimes can hit in the process. If you find you are having to put more pressure on your bar than you normally would to get through that piece of timber, then your chain most likely needs to be sharpened. A blunt chain will stretch quickly, and cause damage to your sprocket and bar, leading to a costly replacement due to lack of maintenance.
If you do not use enough two stroke oil in your mix, you run the risk of serious and often permanent damage to your equipment.

Belts will break, no matter how long you have had them, if they are put under too much strain. The most common problem we see is a belt broken due to overloading. This can be caused by many things including:

cutting thick, lush or wet grass which builds up and clumps together under the deck
cutting at a deck level which is too low, causing a build up of grass which can’t be distributed
cutting at a speed which is too fast for the grass to be distributed, therefore causing a build up of grass
hitting a solid object hidden in long grass
Our advice is to check the area you are about to mow thoroughly for any debris before your start, and cut at a steady, slow pace with your deck set at a height suitable for the grass you are about to mow. In the months where the grass is lush or moist, set your deck height higher than normal to avoid build up of heavy grass clumps.

If there is any question unanswered or you wish for us to explain any of the above further, please email or call us and we will be happy to assist. We would also like to hear any suggestions you may have to add to this section.