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A Guide to Lawn Mowers: Find Out the Steps in Choosing the One that Works Best for You

Long are the days when cutting grass and creating your urban garden was time-consuming, required challenging equipment and frequently a lot of patience! Today’s technology offers a wide range of powerful but easy-to-use machines that make mowing the lawn a breeze!

Lawn mowers are easily one of the most favoured types of tools for gardeners around the globe. Nevertheless, picking the ideal one might be challenging, particularly if you have never purchased this kind of equipment before. The following guide will help you pick what works best for you and your yard!

Types of Lawn Mowers

Battery Lawn Mower

Cutting grass in a garden with electric lawn mower
Source: lowes.com

If you want to make your yard maintenance easier and more efficient, eco-friendly battery lawn mowers are the name of the game! The greatest battery-powered or cordless lawn mowers now cut grass just as well as their gas-powered counterparts. Battery mowers come in push and self-propelled models and use rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs.

Although they are significantly simpler to store and maintain than gas mowers, they are better suited to smaller yards due to their relatively limited battery run durations. Regardless of the battery’s capacity, run times with battery mowers are typically 30 to 45 minutes. However, battery technology is constantly evolving, and some of the top models now have run times of up to 60 minutes.

The wheels of battery-powered self-propelled models consume up to 20% of the battery charge, so unless you get a larger or additional battery, you won’t be able to cut as much grass. Additionally, they cost more than gas models, though you will eventually recoup that expense.

However, the biggest selling point of battery lawn mowers is the fact that they reduce power cable problems. This means that you won’t be constrained in your movement and won’t have to struggle with the rope every time you want to turn the mower to go in a different direction.

In addition to being convenient, the battery lawn mower requires very little upkeep. It requires extremely less maintenance compared to petrol mowers, which need frequent repair and care if you want the engine to last for many years.

Moreover, they are affordable to run. To reiterate, owners of petrol mowers must buy oil, fuel, and spare parts in case the engine needs maintenance. In contrast, the cost of charging the battery for your cordless mower will just be a few pennies on your power bill.

Gas Lawn Mower

Gas Lawn Mower on a grass
Source: lawnstarter.com

For those who have enough gas on hand, tried-and-true gas-powered mowers can cut much larger yards in one pass and are not constrained by rechargeable batteries. They are typically less expensive than their electric equivalents and available in push and self-propelled forms, however, you might end up paying more in the long run for gasoline and maintenance.

The majority of gas lawn mowers can handle long or thick grass and weeds, cut a swath of 21 or 22 inches, and bag, side-discharge, and mulch cuttings. In addition, they are cheaper and operate for a lot longer than battery-powered models. But gas lawnmowers emit emissions, are noisier, and need servicing more frequently. Regular tune-ups, oil changes, and blade sharpening are also necessary!

Zero-Turn Mower

Zero-Turn Mower in a garden
Source: spartanmowers.com

Consider them to be modified tractors. Instead of using a wheel, a zero-turn mower is controlled by two levers – by pulling one forward and the other back, the mower turns in situ. They are more manoeuvrable than tractors and have faster top speeds. Zero-turn mowers have a rear engine and rear-wheel steering like the mowers used by landscapers.

They can easily go around barriers like trees and flowerbeds. Some modern vehicles come with steering wheels. They typically mow a 42- to 50-inch swath and have the ability to side-discharge, bag, and mulch clippings. They are simple to manoeuvre around your property rapidly due to their nimble handling and high-top speed. Typically, zero-turn lawn mowers run on gas, but a few battery-powered models have recently hit the market.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Great quality battery lawn mowers
Source: lawnstarter.com

Push vs. Self-Propelled

When it comes to price, push mowers are more affordable than self-propelled ones. However, self-propelled models are easier to navigate if you have a larger lawn or live on a sloped property because they use the engines of electric models’ energy to power the wheels. Rear-wheel drive is second in terms of traction on slopes, after the all-wheel drive.

Front-wheel drive, which you’ll see on most models, is still well-suited for flat parcels though it’s not the best choice if you bag clippings. The front wheels can begin to lose some grip as the bag fills.

Lawn Size

One of the main factors to take into account when selecting any kind of lawn mower is the size of your yard. The type of lawn mower that is best suited to the size of the lawn will be determined by the size of the grass among other things. Therefore, a petrol mower is best for very big lawns, while a cordless mower is best for small to medium landscapes.

Why then does the size of your lawn play such a significant role in determining which cordless mowers to buy? In general, you would need to think about the mower’s cutting breadth because, depending on the complexity and size of the grass, this will make it much simpler to mow your lawn successfully and fast.

The battery’s operating period is the second consideration. The ideal situation would be for you to be able to mow your lawn without stopping to recharge the battery. Even though you can always buy an extra battery and swap it out as needed, batteries are typically the most expensive part of any cordless lawn mower.

Ease of Use

Nobody wants to utilize a challenging piece of equipment. Fortunately, the majority of the latest lawn mowers, especially battery-powered ones are simple to operate. The mower’s adjustability—for instance, if the handle height may be changed or whether it is simple to switch between cutting heights—is one of the most frequently raised problems.

Additionally, you might take into account how simple it is to store the equipment. Make sure to check the size and whether the handle collapses for simpler, or even vertical storage, before purchasing that brand-new lawn mower since the last thing you want is to get it home only to discover that it won’t fit in the garden shed.

Safety

Safety is of vital importance when operating with a lawn mower. Generally, most models come with a handle that must be held in place while you are mowing. To avoid mishaps, when this is released, it turns off the blades.

Look for a style that is both simple to operate and secure because some people feel that these handles are extremely stiff and can make mowing the lawn quite tiring. For instance, all cordless lawn mowers feature a safety button that must be depressed while the operator presence control lever is being engaged with the other hand.