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How to use a hover mower

Updated: October 2026

The deck is on the grass, the lead runs back to the house, and the first switch does nothing you can see. How to use a hover mower is the order that stops that: check the cable and the RCD before the plug stays in, tilt so air can get under the deck, set the spacers with the plug out, then mow away from the socket. Prices sit on the [hover mower comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower). What you bought is the [hover mower buying guide](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-buying-guide). A bank is [hover mower for slopes](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-slopes). A short list is [best hover mower](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/hover-mower/sub/hover-mower-best). The steps follow Flymo’s manuals. There was no lab cut. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The deck is on the grass, the lead runs back to the house, and the first switch does nothing you can see.

Our top picks

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250

Best overall

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250
8.4/10about £68.95
View offer
Flymo Flymo SimpliGlide 360

Alternative

Flymo Flymo SimpliGlide 360
8.4/10about £110.99
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BEMWH551-GB

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BEMWH551-GB
8.4/10about £49.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the plug goes in
  2. 2.Start so it actually lifts
  3. 3.Spacers, with the plug out
  4. 4.Cable, edges, and when to stop

Before the plug goes in

Clear sticks, stones, toys, and the hose. The blade is under a deck you cannot see once it is on the grass, and the fan needs a path for air. Walk the lead from the socket to the start of the cut. UK mains are 230 V. The SimpliGlide manual requires an RCD at no more than 30 mA. The Health and Safety Executive says you should use the test button, and that an RCD does not stop every shock. Automatic on a specification cell is not a drive. Do not plug the mower in while the blade is being secured, and do not splice a cut lead.

Start so it actually lifts

Flymo’s note on a mower that will not hover is simple. If you drop the deck flat onto thick grass or thatch, the cushion never forms. Tilt the side away from your feet, let the motor come up to speed, then lower the deck. Where the manual shows a two-hand start, use it. Give the deck that tilt before you decide the motor has failed. If it still will not lift, unplug, scrape a dirty underside, and raise a cut that is too low. In long grass, take narrower strips so the blade does not clog. Do not hold a struggling deck in one place.
Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250

Testsieger

Flymo Flymo Turbo Lite 250
8.4/10about £68.95
View offer

Spacers, with the plug out

On the Flymo sheets used here, more spacers mean a lower cut, and the spacers go between the blade and the fan. The manual caps how many you may fit. Do not add extra spacers beyond that book. The Hover Vac manual tells you to wear gloves and to fit the blade with the marked side to the grass. One Turbo Lite 270 review says the bolt will not tighten when three spacers are used, and that two spacers do work. If the nut will not clamp, stop at the stack the bolt will hold. Unplug before you change the stack.

Cable, edges, and when to stop

Start at the edge nearest the socket so the cable lies on grass you have already cut, and mow away from the socket. Keep the lead out of the blade. A BLACK+DECKER review notes a black lead that is hard to see. For a collect model, Flymo says straight lines, and a clockwise pass at a hard edge so the fines blow back onto the lawn. Stop if the cord is cut. The SimpliGlide manual says a damaged cord is replaced by an approved service centre or a similarly qualified person. Stop if the motor smokes, or if the RCD trips and will not reset.

Common questions

Why will it not hover when I switch it on?
Flymo’s account is that the deck is flat on thatch or long grass, so the cushion does not form. Tilt the side away from you, let the motor reach speed, then lower it. If it still sits down, unplug, clean the underside, and raise the cut. A line that says Automatic is not a drive. If the cable is damaged, or the RCD stays tripped, leave the start routine and get the electrics seen to.
Do more spacers cut lower?
On the Flymo manuals used here, yes. More spacers between the blade and the fan lower the cut, up to the number that manual allows. A LawnMaster sheet that maps zero spacers to the higher figure and three spacers to the lower one points the same way. Read that model’s sheet. One Turbo Lite 270 review says three spacers stop the bolt tightening and two spacers work. If the bolt will not clamp, that stack is too tall.
How do I stop grass spraying onto the path?
Flymo says you should edge so the fines blow inward, described as a clockwise pass, and that some fines still escape even with a box. Collect models are pushed in straight lines. A mulch model has nothing to catch the bulk, so you rake the edge afterwards. You should not expect a hover to leave a patio bare. B&Q has written that a box stops side-to-side movement. Flymo still describes a direction. Use the straight-line habit for a collector.
Where should the cable sit?
On grass you have already cut, running back towards the socket, and never in front of the deck. Begin at the edge nearest the socket and mow away from it. A dark cable, which reviewers mention on the BLACK+DECKER, is easier to mow because you lose sight of it. An outdoor extension has to be intact and on the 30 mA RCD. A taped join in a cut lead is not the repair.
What if the motor will not speed up in long grass?
You are asking the blade to swallow too much. Stop, lift the deck, and take a narrower strip, which is the Royal Horticultural Society’s point for a hover in long growth. Raise the cut for that first pass, then come back lower once the bulk is down. If it still labours, unplug and clear a blockage under the deck. Do not hold it in one spot. Smoke is a different stop. Unplug and leave it.
When do I stop and get help?
Stop when the lead is cut, when you would have to splice a cable, when the motor smokes, or when the RCD will not reset. A new outdoor socket or a fixed RCD is work for someone competent. Stop as well if you cannot keep your footing or you would be standing downhill of the deck. The across-the-face rule, and the 20° line where a manual prints it, are on the slopes page. This routine does not make a steep bank safe.

Related pages

Hover mower vs rotary mower

Hover mower

Best hover mower: mulch, a box, or the saved price

Hover mower buying guide: clippings, width and cable

Hover mower for slopes: small banks, across the face

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings for this set. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. HSE: electricity FAQ (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001, Schedule 3 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for use Outdoors Regulations 2001, Schedule 4 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. RHS: lawn mowing (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Which?: how to buy the best lawn mower (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Flymo: hover FAQs (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Flymo: reasons a lawnmower may not be working (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Flymo SimpliGlide manual (retrieved 22.10.2026)