Lawnmower Question

sist_si

sist_si

sist_si

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Joined
28 Nov 2004
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1,237
Location
Birmingham
Hi guys,
Been doing a bit of gardening today and my housemate accidentally cut through the power cable of the lawn mower. Luckily no-one got hurt but I am wondering if it can be replaced?
The mower is a Bosch Rotak and the cable actually goes into the power lever on the mower. On closer inspection of this though, the cable is just the live and neutral wires into the on/off switch.
 
should be easy enough, next time make sure you have a saftey plug with a trip on it ( cant remember what they are called )
 
Get one of these mate:

50202_m.jpg


JoJo - Power where you need it…

· Black coloured.
· Integral cord grip.
· Compliant with BS1363.
· Lifetime quality assured guarantee.

JoJo electrical wiring accessories are designed and manufactured to exceed UK and European standards.

Can get it in most leccy wholesale places.
 
That looks like the same sort of connector you used to find as standard on most gardening devices (strimmers/hedge trimmers/mowers), until a few years ago - about 3-4 foot (max) of cable from the mower to one of those, then a replaceable/easily swappable cable to the house.
Used to be quite handy having a cable that could be easily replaced if damaged, or swapped for a longer one if your garden was bigger than average.

I suspect they stopped using them because the connector is probably worth about 50% of the cost of the average modern cheap (disposable) strimmer etc :p


As mentioned one of those connectors, and make sure you use an RCD at the wall (if the house/garage where it's plugged in doesn't already have RCD).
 
Werewolf said:
I suspect they stopped using them because the connector is probably worth about 50% of the cost of the average modern cheap (disposable) strimmer etc :p
Click to expand...



my cheapo strimmer packed up recently so bought a big Ryobi petrol job, good blokes toy but a bit scary :eek::D
 
Werewolf said:
I suspect they stopped using them because the connector is probably worth about 50% of the cost of the average modern cheap (disposable) strimmer etc :p
Click to expand...

100% truth :D.

Give your nearest place a call for price, failing that just buy new flex and redo the entire thing. Most of the connector types in the handle are a doddle to replace. Just a glorified plug really ;).
 
platypus said:
How do you cut through the lawnmower power cable, ya daft apeth :p.
Click to expand...

I did that once, and then touched it and got shocked, it was while i was mwoig under the washing whirly-gig while it had clothes on, and a mowed the cable, crawled round to see what had stopped the mower and acidentally touched the cable, cue me being catapulted across the lawn lol.
 
cool. i'll try getting one of those fittings and a new flex. I just didn't want to have to replace the lawn mower because of a cable!

He was shearing the bush nearby and the cable got in the way. The mower wasn't in use but it still made a nice bang! We turned it off at the wall straight away and no one got shocks luckily! Scary stuff this gardening!!
 
platypus said:
How do you cut through the lawnmower power cable, ya daft apeth :p.
Click to expand...

I've done it....no RCD either and I feel stupid admitting that after one of my school teachers was killed by a hedge trimmer. (prolly before the days of RCDs)
I was always extremelly carefull and used to lay the lead out etc etc but one cold day a coil in the lead just rolled over and poof.
The cold had made the cable brittle and where it had been rolled up it didnt lay flat.
I wasnt hurt, and now I use an RCD always.

I think the law should be changed here as it seems "In Europe, the UK is the only country that does not mandate the use of RCDs"

I'm not sure if thats meant on appliances or in the house itself.
 
Rotty said:
my cheapo strimmer packed up recently so bought a big Ryobi petrol job, good blokes toy but a bit scary :eek::D
Click to expand...

I hope you remembered the ear protectors to go with that toy ;)

We actually need to get a new strimmer sometime, but i don't think we'll go for a petrol one (not enough use to justify it, unlike the mower which we always get petrol models).
 
You can still buy those connectors, they're called duraplugs iirc. I bought some from ebay to use on my dewalt recip saw as the vibration ruins the battery contacts, so its now plugged into the tool outside the tool via a small lead. I had to make a 3rd pin in the middle off center to stop the plug being put in the opposte way as the tool is dc.

Regarding the severed lead, just twist the wires back together and wrap it up in some insulation tape, job done.
 
I've just cut mine this evening thanks to wife distracting me wanting to have a go! Only used the lawnmower 3 times as well. Was two minutes away from ordering the cordless lithium battery powered version till I saw how much they cost (£300!!!).

Thanks to this thread I went out and bought a Duraplug from B&Q £3 job done. Only cut a third of the lawn before I ruined the cable and it has a mushroom cut going on but for goodness sake I'll sort it tomorrow evening!!!

Thank god I used an RCD extension too! Could have died?!
 
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