Neat stripes on the lawn are all the rage at this time of year as we glue our eyes to Wimbledon and drool over the perfect grass on the tennis courts.
Even this year, when there is little green to be seen after the baking hot sun of June, the courts are close to perfection.
And while we may not want lawns cut so tightly as those used for tennis, the perfectly-parallel stripes are precision itself, bound to show off any garden to its best.
To achieve this finish you need a mower with a rear roller and a good steady hand – nothing looks worse than converging stripes on the lawn or those which show a distinct wobble. ‘One too many before you got the mower out?’ is the usual question from unhelpful neighbours.
So if you’re seeking that Wimbledon look, here are ten top rear-roller mowers to leave a striped finish, perfect for strawberries and cream and the dreaded warm Prosecco.
First on our list is the Mountfield HP42R Petrol Push Rear-Roller Lawnmower, exclusive to MowDirect from one of Britain’s favourite garden machinery companies and made with lawns around 500m2 in mind.
Being a mower which you push along rather than being self propelled it is excellent for cutting around flower borders and path edges.
With Mountfield’s own 100cc engine driving the cutting blades it has five cutting heights from 20mm to 70mm and a grass box which holds 55 litres – and this has an indicator to show when it needs emptying.
The steel cutting deck has a powder coated finish to resist corrosion and scratches.
It costs £279, £100 off the recommended price and has a two-year warranty.
And we deliver it free the next working day following receipt of your order.
This next one is made with lawns around 800m2 in mind and has an 18in cutting width.
The Lawnflite 18SPR Self-Propelled Petrol Rear-Roller Lawnmower is another mower exclusive to MowDirect and has Lawnflite’s own 135cc engine.
This engine has a throttle control so you can increase the revs when going uphill of when you sense the engine is struggling.
It has seven cutting heights down to 17mm and has a grass box which holds 60 litres with an indicator to show when it is full.
“Overall an excellent mower with 7 cut levels. You don’t even get this on more expensive mowers” said a recent customer. Other reviews are here.
It costs £299, £100 off the lists price and has a two-year warranty with free next working day delivery.
Here’s another from Mountfield and one which has been a popular mower for a number of years.
The SP180R Self-Propelled Petrol Rear-Roller is made with lawns around 800m2 in mind and is powered by the company’s own 100cc engine.
The rear roller gives it greater stability when cutting close to lawn edges and has a skid plate which protects the lawn from scalping.
It has a cutting width of 46cm and a grass box which holds 55 litres with an indicator to show when it’s full.
This one also has a wash port to make cleaning easier after use – just attach a garden hose. This gives the mower a longer life by minimising corrosion.
One customer summed it up thus: “My recent purchase of this lawnmower was a good choice. I am completely satisfied with performance, handling and end product. I would recommend this particular lawnmower.”
See other reviews here.
The price is £399, £100 off that recommended, and it is delivered free the next working day with a two-year warranty.
This one is new for this year and exclusive and ideal for anyone who wants a striped finish to the lawn and finds tugging on a recoil starter cord difficult.
The Lawnflite 20SPR-ES Self-Propelled Petrol Rear-Roller Lawnmower with Electric Start has a 50cm cutting width and is for lawns around 1200m2 and is from a British brand with a 40 year history.
The engine is Lawnflite’s own 173cc model so it has plenty of power to take on undulations in the lawn.
The grass box holds 60 litres and has an indicator to show when it is full and it has seven cutting heights from 17mm to 75mm.
This mower is priced at £499, £100 off the recommended price and has a two-year warranty. And we deliver it free the next working day.
This next one is a really well-engineered mower with a five year warranty. And it has an aluminium cutting deck with a 15-year warranty.
The Morrison Oxford 48RS Self-Propelled Petrol Roller Lawnmower (Special Offer) is a mower made to really last and has a Briggs & Stratton 163cc engine, easy starting a low on noise and fumes.
A heavy steel roller gives the much-vaunted stripes and made for lawns around 1000m2 it has cutting heights from 10mm to 70mm.
“I am impressed with quality of the build and it looks like the machine will last for years” said a customer’s review.
It costs £599, £200 off the recommended price and has a free petrol can worth £24.95 in the price.
Delivery the next working day is free.
Now one from a British company with a worthy reputation for designing and building some of the best mowers available
The New Hayter Harrier 41 Autodrive Variable-Speed Rear-Roller Lawnmower with Electric Start (Code: 376A) is made for lawns around 500m2 and is powered by the latest Briggs & Stratton engine 190cc engine started with the push of a button.
And it lets you chose the speed at which you mow and has an aluminium cutting deck which has a lifetime guarantee designed to maximise the airflow to give great collection of cut grass, even when it’s wet.
The Vari-Pitch technology increases the airflow in relation to the length of grass being cut.
It has a polypropylene rear roller which is split to make turning easier and is easy to clean when you’ve finished the job.
The grass box holds 60 litres and the Tri-Side design means you can mow close the sides of fences and walls.
New for this year, it costs £699 compared with the recommended price of £835 and it has a five-year warranty and free delivery the next working day.
And another from Hayter, a classic among lawn mowers.
The Hayter Harrier 56 Autodrive Rear-Roller Lawnmower with Variable Speed (Code: 560) has a 56cm cutting width and can handle lawns around 1500m2.
A Briggs & Stratton 190cc engine is not only powerful but has been designed for years of work.
It has been designed around an aluminium chassis and has a cutting deck lined with polymer which not only resists corrosion but improves the airflow giving better grass collection.
There are seven cutting heights from 13mm to 60mm and a grass box which holds 70 litres.
It also has a cutter-bar friction disc which protects the engine in case you hit a solid object – like a carelessly wandering tree.
You set the speed at which you mow and it has a dead-man’s handle to cut the engine should it be released.
One customer summed it up by calling it “The Rolls Royce of Mowers“.
It costs £999, £200 off the recommended price and has a free ten-litre fuel can in the price plus a bottle of engine oil.
Delivery is free within two to three working days.
The Weibang Legacy 56 Pro Petrol Rear-Roller Lawnmower has a wide 56cm cutting width and is powered along by a 179cc Kawasaki engine, often the choice of the professional.
It has three speed settings so you can slow down around paths and flower beds and speed up on long stretches of smooth lawn.
It is a very strong machine built around an aluminium chassis to resist corrosion.
Cutting heights are from 13mm to 67mm and the grass box holds 85 litres.
It has a five-year warranty and is delivered free the next working day. The recommended costs is £1399 but we have it for sale for £1249.
And finally a couple of mowers from a British company whose mowers have been cutting cricket pitches and bowling greens for years.
This first one is new for this year and intended for people who have a small lawn but want a perfect, close-cropped finish.
The Allett Liberty 14 Cordless Cylinder-Mower relies on a 480W powered by the latest lithium-ion battery technology, one which won’t lose its charge when not in use.
It has a cylinder with five blades to give very clean cut with no bruising or discolouration and will cut right down to 6mm.
It has a heavy steel roller at the back to give the classic strips and has an adjustable handlebar and you can also change the front cassette for a scarifier to tease out dead grass and other debris.
It costs £729, £60 off the recommended price and has a one-year warranty with free next working day delivery.
And finally, this is the classis British mower, green and gold, the one you often see puttering along the perfectly-manicured lawns of the finest British houses.
The Allett Kensington 17K Petrol Cylinder Lawn Mower is as traditional as Lords and Wimbledon and delivers a wonderfully-close finish right down to 6mm.
The cutting width is 43cm – 17in – and it has a Kawakasi 98cc engine and a grass box which holds 62 litres.
This mower is fitted with an adjustable rake to clear the grass of twigs and other debris before it is cut, another attribute which leads to a perfect finish.
A large split rear roller and a zinc front one is another feature of this top British mower.
You can buy a 10-bladed cylinder for an even better cut and a scarifying powered cartridge is also available to keep the lawn looking its best by teasing out the moss and dead grass to let new growth flourish.
It costs £1139 compared with the recommended price of £1229 and has a two-year warranty. We deliver it the next working day for free.
You can see our full selection of mowers, including rear-roller models, on these pages.
And if you’re not sure which is the right one for your garden, please give us a ring on 020 3026 8712. We’ve years of experience in garden machinery and are here to help you.
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