Bosch Rotak 40 Rotary Mower
There are two main tools that give me loads of problems in my life, printers and lawnmowers and I really don’t know why. If I could I’d happily live without both of them but I can’t, well some of the year I can’t! It’s time now to bring out the lawnmower and do you know what for once I don’t mind as I’ve finally found a decent one – the Bosch Rotak 40 Electric Mower.
I don’t really want a lot from a lawnmower but that’s exactly what I’ve got over the years. I’ve been down the horror that is hover mowers, if you’ve travelled that road you will commiserate I’m sure. I’ve also spent a fortune on big, well built lawnmowers even though I hardly have a huge sized garden – my latest lawnmower in that area is a petrol driven Hayter which set me back several hundred pounds. It does cut the grass well, or should I say did cut the grass well – my wife who could never start the huge thing, pointed out a small little tear in the rubber next to the primer – which is enough to make sure it now never starts for me also.
I did start the detective work trying to find a supplier willing to sell me this small rubber bulb thing for some extortionate amount but in the end just got fed up. I just want a mower that is quick light and simple, something that requires little maintenance and just cuts the grass.
So step forward my latest try and finding such a lawnmower.
Bosch Rotak 40 Rotary mower
The first thing you’ll notice with some dread is the enormous box that it arrives in, fortunately this is quite deceiving as really the Bosch Rotak 40 isn’t actually that big. In fact it’s actually quite light when you do extract it from the huge amount of cardboard – I had mine delivered but I can imagine it would be a struggle to get in a small car in the box!
It does take a little putting together, the grass box is a little fiddly to clip together but nothing too difficult. When you look at the finished item, the initial impression I have to say its plastic, and a slight worry that it looks a little flimsy. Will the Bosch Rotak 40 be able to survive a few summers of grass cutting is initially a worry.
Bosch Rotak 40 in Action
Well there’s not much to tell really, the cord is plenty long enough in my average sized garden even without an extension, it really is very light and you can move it around as easily if not more so than a vacuum cleaner. Being so light you can easily pick it up to avoid obstacles or if you have an odd shaped lawn. A task that was not possible with my cast iron hayter mower I can tell you.
The rotary blades cut quickly and efficiently, the little grass combs on the mower help force the grass back for a very low cut. The grass collection box, holds a surprising amount as it seems to compress the grass in the box, although it does need emptying a few times for most lawns I suspect. The blades seem to cut through everything, any length, leaves, weeds and it even cuts the grass quite easily when it’s damp although I’m not certain that’s a great idea.
It doesn’t actually feel like mowing the lawn, more like you’re running the hoover over it, you actually wouldn’t expect a great finish from the rotary blades in the Bosch Rotak 40 but it is surprisingly good and there are defined stripes which always look good on a lawn.
There is little to dislike, it cuts the lawn quickly and easily, you obviously need to be aware of the cord when mowing but it’s not too hard when you get used to it. It folds up pretty well and I hang it up in my shed. It cuts right up to edges very well and it cuts my average lawns in no time at all. You do have a worry about how well it will last as the majority is built from plastic, but in truth I’ve had mine for three years now and it is still going strong. At the time of writing it’s being sold for around about £125 which I think is a bargain. The Bosch Rotak 40 Electric Rotary Lawn mower is the mower for someone who just wants to cut their lawn quickly and easily, if you want more recommendations look at the reviews on the Amazon web site – here
Updated Links to the new Bosch Ergoflex model (basically the same but cheaper, with different handles)
This really is a cracking lawnmower, I think the only regret I’ve had with the Bosch Rotak 40 is that I didn’t save up and buy the battery one thinks it’s the 43li. I’ve had mine 4 years now and it still cuts brilliantly, the cord is annoying for me though as I have a tree in the middle of my lawn.
Anyway still recommend this but going to buy the battery one when mine stops working !
Well I have had one of these for 18 months. The lever for adjusting the grass height snapped off and I can not get a replacement. Searched the net and even the exploded view diagram does not include it which is a bit weird. Also the thing cuts out when the sun shines on the cable – even after a minute or two. So damned poor is what I reckon. Oh and it is impossible to take apart – I suppose it is made to break and throw like many modern equipment not very green either then
I must admit, I can imagine that happening to the lever, it’s a real pain to use until you get used to it. Must have been something wrong with yours though – my only problem was with the blade caused by hitting some stones on my lawn. There’s a couple of mentions of similar problems in the Amazon reviews but not many – hope you get it sorted!
I agree it’s not a mower you could take apart easily!
We had our Rotak 40 3 years and it now requires £155 of repairs due to needing a new motor – it only costs £120 to buy a new one! As Bosch could not provide a repair centre within 50 miles they offered their repair and collect service. Saying it would be free collection, I would be informed of the cost within 5 days and if the quote was rejected the lawnmower would be returned free of charge. It was collected by Fedex the next day, 7 days later I called to find out the bad news and then they say it costs me to get the machine returned. Also the warranty is defunct because we opened the handle casing to look at the cable, as advised by Bosch to see if we could get a spare part ourselves!
We’ve had the rotak 40 for about 5yrs and it has been perfect – even next door borrow it!! Only problem is now cable has been loosened in the casing and keeps shorting out. I’ve taken the plastic casing off and found that the switch unit cannot be rewired as most other appliances can (usually very handy when you cut through the cable). Any ideas for this?? Also, checked the price and cannot find any 1st hand rotak 40 replacements for les than £170!!!
I bought my Rotak 40GC in 2006, with a view to use it for my business, therefore it would be used on a large range of grass types. It performed very well on all lengths of grass wet and dry and enabling me to cut close to walls and trees negated the need for strimming.
My main niggle was that the trigger kept breaking, I would smooth it down and carry on. Tried to get a replacement, but always out of stock. Then the motor seemed to strain and the sound deepened, there was something wrong internally. Being out of warranty, I took a look at the motor and found the brushes had worn down. I contacted Bosch (no response) and 8 online suppliers, but found only one supplier had something similar. They fitted and I was off again, 2 months later it stopped altogether. It was duly stripped down only to find the brush holders had dis-intergrated. Contacting the same supplier, it turns out that these are on back order for 6 months, with no end date from Bosch!
The only alternative is a new motor with prices ranging from £90>£289 for the same item and allowing for the age of the machine in relation to the latest model at £150; it looks like a new machine has to be bought. It also seems that this is a very common problem, I have viewed many web sites with owners describing similar problems; it sounds more and more like a design fault, but Bosch would never admit to it.
So what to spend my hard earned money on, another Bosch or an alternative? I was rather smitten with my old Bosch, but now I am in two minds!