Ride On Mower Insurance

[WestwoodGazelle 103]

Hi folks, been away for a while, work's been mad. Anyway if this is the wrong place to post this I apologise but have any of you heard about the EU's plan to force gardeners to pay insurance on their ride on mowers?

 

"Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, has been told that all owners of ride-on mowers may be forced to pay for the cover, even if the vehicle never leaves their garden."

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11008809/Gardeners-with-sit-on-lawnmowers-face-buying-motor-insurance.html

 

I have several questions about this story:

 

1) Does this effect professional gardeners, or everybody?

 

2) The story says it will be £100, is this per mower? What about those of us who collect them?

 

3) Will the premium be more or less depending on the year and model of mower?

 

4) How do you go about proving this, eg on my Gazelle that has a new engine fitted and therefore no date?

 

5) This whole idea is so stupid am I living in reality of some sort of nightmare where humanity has gone insane?

 

Anyway, hope to get some pics up of my Westwood Gazelle and Wheelhorse out and about soon!

[pmackellow 2,738]

All of my collection of garden tractors are insured through Cherished Car Insurance, it works out at about £35 per annum per tractor and gives you

Public Liability cover for shows and third party fire and theft cover...

 

Its also available from the NFU...

 

Hope that helps

[WestwoodGazelle 103]

Thanks for the info! I would definitely consider that for if I ever go to shows with my mowers.

 

I just think it's unfair that those who don't wish to buy insurance have yet another bill to pay, especially if they only use their machine on their own land.

Edited August 4, 2014 by WestwoodGazelle

[the showman 4,074]

Ive just insured a Wheelhorse today with the NFU that I want to take to a rally at the weekend. Fully comp and public liability for £32.

I have all my Wheelhorse's insured with them , its something we all have to have to exhibit at shows

[Charlie Smith 192]

I have a policy with NFU, it covers third part fire and theft, it also covers goods in transit public liability etc, I have 2 tractors on this policy and it's £36.55 per tractor per year,

[Triumph66 1,256]

As a professional gardener via the National Trust and now running my own gardening business, it come as no surprise that ride ons will have to be insured specifically for a number of reasons. In the wrong/ inexperienced hands they can be lethal and of course they are very desirable on the black market after pedestrian mowers, chainsaws, strimmers etc. I myself have public liability for my business but check that you're sufficiently covered to yes machinery etc as part of your work. I think if you are running a Kubota or Iseki garden tractor/ ride on costing £7/10 k then it's a small price to pay. As pointed out elsewhere, the classic/ collect able garden tractors can be insured very reasonable on a par to classic cars etc. I have seen knackered ride ons still be used by people with little experience and regards to themselves and others. I heard of an owner recently who rolled over his ride on on a slope he was attempting to cut to save time. If we could rely on everyone to be sensible with servicing/ maintaining their ride ons etc, then we wouldn't need this potential legislation.

[Stormin 4,458]

Barmy idea to say the least. Insurance for shows etc, is sensible, but for your own garden? How would it be policed?! Then what? Self propelled walk behind mowers?

[sten 84]

Hi folks, been away for a while, work's been mad. Anyway if this is the wrong place to post this I apologise but have any of you heard about the EU's plan to force gardeners to pay insurance on their ride on mowers?

 

"Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, has been told that all owners of ride-on mowers may be forced to pay for the cover, even if the vehicle never leaves their garden."

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11008809/Gardeners-with-sit-on-lawnmowers-face-buying-motor-insurance.html

 

I have several questions about this story:

 

1) Does this effect professional gardeners, or everybody?

 

2) The story says it will be £100, is this per mower? What about those of us who collect them?

 

3) Will the premium be more or less depending on the year and model of mower?

 

4) How do you go about proving this, eg on my Gazelle that has a new engine fitted and therefore no date?

 

5) This whole idea is so stupid am I living in reality of some sort of nightmare where humanity has gone insane?

 

Anyway, hope to get some pics up of my Westwood Gazelle and Wheelhorse out and about soon!

I think your all taking this comment the wrong way, WestwoodGazelle is talking about compulsive insurance for home use on your own private grounds being made compulsory, even if you never show.

[Wristpin 400]

I'd sit tight and see what transpires. If it's just one machine that doesn't leave the garden , assuming that you have buildings and contents insurance it will almost certainly include Public Liability cover - typically 3-5 million. This should cover the householders liability to those visiting the premises - postman, paper boy, tradesmen etc and personal visitors. Some contents policies will include some cover for garden equipment but sometimes with conditions concerning security or even only when in a garage attached to the house.

For anything other than basic standard cover, especially for multiple machines the best route is to insure through a specialist company or broker.

[WestwoodGazelle 103]

Yes, I am not refering to insurance in regard to going to shows but for lawnmowers you use on your own private land. For example my Dad would have to pay to insure his Husqvarna that he never uses anywhere but the garden, which I think is effectively just a new unnecessary tax.

 

Also it leads to the possibility of many old mowers being scrapped, as people who are not interested in them but happen to own them thanks to this new law now find they have to pay to keep it, so scrap the old machine down the shed and get a push mower instead.

[neil 524]

Hmmm , I have over 15 garden tractors , to insure all of them would cost me nearly a thousand pounds each year.

[Triumph66 1,256]

Neil, I can take one off your hands if that helps......

[meadowfield 1,900]

Mine are all insured with the NFU too...

[Robins 55]

It say ride on mowers, not garden tractors, so as long as you dont have a cutting deck fitted then theres your loop hole   Just attach the deck if you want to use it. And at the end of the day how on earth will anyone know you have one to say 'you must have insurance on that' ? 

[Ian 2,417]

Where the hell did this come from!!      That's a nut's idea aimed solely at getting us to pay more!        Reading the article it's say that NFU expects it to cost about £100 a year!  Now correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I've just read above that it's only costing people a little over £30 a year with NFU??

 

How would they police it anyway?  Will we have to watch the streets for "Mower detection vans", that have a couple of blokes in the back trying to match an engine sound they have heard coming from behind a house, to a list of "known" mower engine sounds?

 

And what about those "project" mowers that may not run or are not even bolted together? Are we going to have to get insurance on them just in case some "low life" breaks into your workshop and hurts him/her self while running past your project that's up on the bench and hasn't moved under it's own power in years???

 

What's next? Insurance on leaf blowers just in case a leaf you have blown manages to find it's way in next doors window, makes the owner sneeze and knocks over an expensive vase??

 

I remember reading a few winters back that you shouldn't clear the snow off the path in front of your house just in case someone slips and trys to sue you!!!

 

The world is going mad I tell you !!!

[Stormin 4,458]

Where is this article?

[Ian 2,417]

Here you are Norm.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11008809/Gardeners-with-sit-on-lawnmowers-face-buying-motor-insurance.html

[Stormin 4,458]

Found it.

[Anglo Traction 1,016]

Er .....it's the 5th of August today! , or should it be April Fools Day?. I won't be drawn any further on this one, wouldn't want to get political here         

[ranger 373]

Good idea :hide: Look at all the tax revenue the treasury is losing by all the uninsured car driivers about. How can we possibly pay MP's saleries & expenses without something like this