Thanks so much for the quick reply, BB. Notwithstanding your bad news, it's still good to know where it sits. Unfortunately I did pay a bit more than $50 but not too much - and as I said, it does work for now so I might get some use out of it.
Can I please just confirm with you - and please excuse my ignorance here - but when you say it will revert to a push mower, does that mean that the blades would spin independent of the drum? If so, this might not be too disasterous for me, given that the area for me to cut is only going to be about 25m2 and so, whilst heavy, it would be do-able until I could get a decent 45.
Thanks again for your help!
