The Lowdown on Mowers

by Murray Anderson

Even though you may not be able to tell by looking out the window, spring is coming and with it comes grass cutting season. If your old lawn mower isn't up to getting through a brand new spring and summer of cutting lawns, you might want to consider getting yourself a new one. Lawn mowers (like everything else in life) aren't straightforward so you'll need to make some decisions before you purchase that shiny new mower. Here's some of the things you should consider

Types of mowers available

One thing for sure, when choosing a lawn mower, you have lots of options. Sizes, models and power options for gasoline powered mowers (plus 2 and 4 cycle engines), electric mowers both corded and battery powered and making a surprising comeback in popularity with the environmentally conscientious folks, human powered or manual mowers.

Manual mowers

• The newer manual mowers aren't the heavy balky push mowers you might remember from when you were a kid. Today's manual mowers are relatively light, as easy to push as a walk behind power mower and don't make any demands on the environment for their power -you provide that all by yourself. They're also quiet so you can cut your grass early in the morning without incurring the wrath of your whole street.
• However, manual mowers do have some downsides. To start with they cut a relatively narrow swath so really aren't suitable for larger yards. They will tend to jam up if you let your grass grow too long before cutting it and small twigs or sticks on your lawn will also make them bind. You'll need to add a grass catcher or rake your grass clippings since manual mowers obviously can't mulch them. If you enjoy working in your yard and you're prepared to cut your lawn fairly often (twice a week?) a manual mower might be the choice for you.

Electric mowers

• Electric mowers have some obvious advantages. They start easily, they're relatively quiet, light and by design usually easy to store and can literally hang on a wall. One of the major disadvantages with a corded electric mower is the cord itself. Somehow the cord always seems to wrap itself around trees and shrubs and you need to go back around them to free it up so there's extra steps required. There's also the danger that if you aren't careful you can run the mower blade over the cord and cut it putting your mower out of commission until you fix the cord or get a new one. One way around these problems is to get a battery powered mower but then you're dependent on keeping the battery charged and it could run out of juice before you run out of lawn.

Gas powered mowers

• Gas powered mowers are where you really start running into options. Walk behind gas powered mowers come in a number of size ranges from narrow 20" platforms up to 24" wide platforms that will reduce the number of times you need to go back and forth across your lawn. You need to choose between a walk behind mower where you provide the forward motion by pushing it, or a self propelled unit - where you just walk behind and guide the mower while the engine drives it forward. While the self-propelled mower sounds like a good idea, if you like to walk fast, you'll probably find the mower moves at a pace slower than you'll find comfortable.

• Gas powered mowers are also available in a broad range of horsepower. Mowers commonly have engines in the 4.5 to 6.5 horsepower range, but even larger more powerful ones can be found. The more powerful the engine, the more gas it uses to do its job, but the more powerful engine will also make short work of larger yards and long grass. 

• Up until a few years ago a primary consideration with gas powered mowers was choosing between a 2 cycle engine (mix the gas with the oil) or a 4 cycle engine (straight gasoline). The 2 cycle engines used to be more work (since you had to pre mix the oil and gas) and burned less efficiently than 4-cycle engines. Over the years the small engine manufacturers have addressed these issues by improving the overall efficiency of 2 cycle engines and providing an oil tank that you fill at the same time as you add gas to the engine so they are mixed automatically while the engine is running.

How do you choose the mower that best suits you?

• Consider the topography. Is it sloped? Does it have trees, shrubs, decorations or gardens? These all need to be cut around, making flexibility and ease of motion of the mower an important consideration. If your property has lots of dips and rises, you might want to consider a mower with large wheels, since this design works deals well with bumps.
• What kind of physical condition are you in? Pushing a mower can be strenuous (particularly in the heat of summer) so a self-propelling mower might be the best option.
• What do you want to do with your grass clippings? A mulching mower will cost more, but it cuts the clippings up into fine little pieces that stay on your lawn and actually put the nutrients directly back into your grass. A bagging mower captures the clippings so you can add them to your compost. If you're considering a bagging mower remember a mower with the bag on the side will require more manipulation to get close to trees and fences than a mower with the bag on the rear.
• The size of your yard is an obvious consideration since walking behind a mower of any kind while cutting 1/2-acre lot isn't any fun. If you have a large yard you should consider a ride on mower or even a lawn tractor.
• Finally, how do you feel about cutting your lawn? Some folks enjoy being out in the yard while cutting their lawns while others just want to get it over with as quickly as possible and they'll want the biggest most powerful mower they can afford.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer with over 500 articles published in the United States and Canada. He writes on a wide range of topics, but specializes in home maintenance and how to's.