Lawnmower - should I buy self-propelled?

[Garden (archive)]

Hi,

I am in a market for buying lawnmower and at this point I am not sure if I should consider self-propelled one or just push mower. Up to now I used electric mower and it did good job, just I am tiered of wires hanging around me - so I definatelly want gas mower. I want more freedome when mowing my lawn. It is flat (no hills) land, 50x120 with the house in the middle and pool in the corner. So there is not that much grass, but still... Now should I consider buying self-propelled lawn mower? If yes, then it is better to have front or back weels propelled? What else should I look in a grass mower? I live in Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for all answers

 

[Doug Kanter]

Hi,

I am in a market for buying lawnmower and at this point I am not sure if I should consider self-propelled one or just push mower. Up to now I used electric mower and it did good job, just I am tiered of wires hanging around me - so I definatelly want gas mower. I want more freedome when mowing my lawn. It is flat (no hills) land, 50x120 with the house in the middle and pool in the corner. So there is not that much grass, but still... Now should I consider buying self-propelled lawn mower? If yes, then it is better to have front or back weels propelled? What else should I look in a grass mower? I live in Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for all answers

If I were you, I'd go to www.consumerreports.com and pay for (if I recall correctly) one month of access to their product reviews. It's less than ten bucks, and while you're there, you can retrieve product reviews for anything else you might be buying in the near future. Or, find out if your library has back issues. They did an excellent review of lawnmowers a while back.

I've always found that a self propelled mower did a better job if the lawn was bumpy. Not sure why.

 

[Doug Kanter]

One more thing: Even though it's good to have a mulching lawnmower, and let the clippings stay on the lawn, there may be times when you want to bag some grass. It makes a good mulch for vegetable and flower beds when added in thin layers. So, get a machine with a bagging attachment, even if you only use it 2-3 times a year.

 

[Hound Dog]

Hi,

I am in a market for buying lawnmower and at this point I am not sure if I should consider self-propelled one or just push mower. Up to now I used electric mower and it did good job, just I am tiered of wires hanging around me - so I definatelly want gas mower. I want more freedome when mowing my lawn. It is flat (no hills) land, 50x120 with the house in the middle and pool in the corner. So there is not that much grass, but still... Now should I consider buying self-propelled lawn mower? If yes, then it is better to have front or back weels propelled? What else should I look in a grass mower? I live in Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for all answers

Go to Google and look for "Battery + Self Propelled Lawn Mowers"

You may be able to have the best of both the gas and electric worlds.

I have a Toro Self-Propelled Gas Mover and it's a good mower. The older I get the more I appreciate the self-propelled feature.

 

[John (archive)]

One more thing: Even though it's good to have a mulching lawnmower, and let the clippings stay on the lawn, there may be times when you want to bag some grass. It makes a good mulch for vegetable and flower beds when added in thin layers. So, get a machine with a bagging attachment, even if you only use it 2-3 times a year.

Somthing else you might want to think about is a rechargable electric mower..We have a Black & Decker, we have had for five years..It works great, not noisy, no maintainance, ect. Even on the original set of batteries..They are wonderful for smaller yards like what it sound you have..Being they are not very heavy you really don't need propelled..Just a thought..
John

 

[No]

If you DO go for self propelled, make sure you can adjust the walk behind speed. I have a yard machines something or another. Its a single speed. Its a real pain, it goes way too slow for me. It makes mowing the lawn take twice what it should. I, quite often, do not use the feature so I can mow faster. I just engage it on some steep parts. What also stinks is that the self propelled typicly have a larger motor and are heavier. That makes my life even worse. I'm pushing around a 6.5HP engine and the drive mechanisim. Argh. I want a Torro or Husqvarna. Too bad I don't have a pile of money or I would just go get a new one. I cant wait for this beast to die.

 

[Beeper]

Can only give you my opinion, I prefer to push the lawnmower. I go at my own speed. There is also less things to break such as the drive system. It also gives me some exercise. a friend of mine bought self propelled front wheel drive. Although he prefers the self propelled he said he will not buy front wheel drive again. I can't remember the reason, sorry.

 

[larrybud2002]

Hi,

I am in a market for buying lawnmower and at this point I am not sure if I should consider self-propelled one or just push mower. Up to now I used electric mower and it did good job, just I am tiered of wires hanging around me - so I definatelly want gas mower. I want more freedome when mowing my lawn. It is flat (no hills) land, 50x120 with the house in the middle and pool in the corner. So there is not that much grass, but still... Now should I consider buying self-propelled lawn mower? If yes, then it is better to have front or back weels propelled? What else should I look in a grass mower? I live in Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for all answers

Or you might want to consider a robot lawn mower:

www.friendlyrobotics.com

This is the 3rd year I've had mine, and it's awesome. The only maintenance I had to do this year was a battery replacement, which, after you open up the pack, they're generic lead acid batteries. Total of $60.

Your lot is similar size to mine, and I put the mower out to feed every 3 days or so (takes a whole 30 seconds to get it going). Since it misses a bit every time it cuts, you don't notice it if you cut often. Otherwise you can manually drive it over the small spots it might miss.

Plus, it's QUIET. I can sit on the deck, and if it's 20 feet away you can't even hear it. Kinda fun to watch with some tunes on, drinking a beer, relaxing in the evening.

Search for my review from a year or two ago if you want more info.

 

[jaykchan]

Regardless the size of the lawn, if you have been pushing a mower without any complaint for many years, this means you don't need the self-propelling funtionality. In this case, you can get a battery-powered lawn mower. I used to use one and it was very quiet. I could have used it early in the morning on a quiet Saturday without disturbing anyone around me. I cannot do this with my gas powered self-propelling lawn mower. I didn't have it now because its height adjustment mechanism was broken and that specific model was discontinued (no more spare part), and I wanted one that can self-propel.

On the other hand, if you hope that your wife or your kid may help out with mowing, you may want to get a self-propelling model in order to give them one less excuse not to help.

Jay Chan

 

[unknown user]

I used the old craftman front wheel drive for 8 years, and it worked fine going the hilly .4 acres yard. Then after I ruined the mower (no oil change, not replacing deck mounting screws when they got lost, etc), I replaced it with a rear propelled craftman.

The rear propeled one is easy going over the hills. But it is really difficult while making sharp turns. In stead of tipping the mower as in the front propelled, I have to raise the rear wheel to make a U-turn.

 

[BocesLib]

The engine is one of the biggest things in mowers other than it being self propelled.

Honda makes some real good engines (not all necessarily on honda decks either)

Briggs has some decent stuff out now.

Tecumseh, I just hate them.

Decide if you are a mulcher or bagger. The larger the bag, the better.

As for self propelled? Bah dont need it, just something else that will break down the road.

 

[Kathy]

Yes. Unless you can get a ride-on.

 

[Andy Hill]

I am in a market for buying lawnmower and at this point I am not sure if I should consider self-propelled one or just push mower. Up to now I used electric mower and it did good job, just I am tiered of wires hanging around me - so I definatelly want gas mower. I want more freedome when mowing my lawn. It is flat (no hills) land, 50x120 with the house in the middle and pool in the corner. So there is not that much grass, but still... Now should I consider buying self-propelled lawn mower? If yes, then it is better to have front or back weels propelled? What else should I look in a grass mower? I live in Ontario, Canada.

For that small of a yard, and considering that an electric did the job for you, I'd just get rid of the wires and get a rechargeable electric (non-self-propelled).

IME, self-propelled are a PITA in tight spaces unless you shell out the $$$ and get something with a hydrostatic drive (e.g., Toro Personal Pace). And that's just way overkill for a 50x120 yard (assuming that's feet...if it's meters then a Toro Recycler might not be a bad way to go).

 

[barry (archive)]

Depending on your tastes, the current generation of human-powered reel mowers might be an option. Quiet, easy to start, and some are very light too.

I chucked the bagging rotary. And enjoy a few minutes' exercise smelling the grass.

We've become addicted to cheap energy.

HTH,
John

 

[Doug Kanter]

Haven't used one in 20 years. The one I had did a good job of cutting, except in tight spaces where I couldn't get enough speed to make the reels turn fast. Maybe there are better ones now.

 

[Garden (archive)]

Thank you everyone for answers.
This is summary of what I found with help from all of you so far:
There are chargeable electric mowers, but I do not like them because " A review in The New York Times estimates that it takes about twice as long to mow a lawn with a cordless mower, compared with a gasoline-powered model". (http://www.consumersearch.com/www/lawn_and_garden/lawn-mower-reviews/fullstory.html) I did consider looking into robotic mowers as here someone sugested. I do have roomba vacum cleaner and it does perfect job when rooms are Roomba-proffed (so it will not stuck). But beacause some of my lawn is in front of house and some in the back of house and because of price this is not an option right now. I believe human-powered reel mowers would be too much hasle. I belive my lawn is a bit too big for them. So I am stuck with gas powered mower. I understood that some of you hate front weel powered mowers and some of you hate back weel powered movers. No consensus here. But I am sure now that if I'll go with self-propelled, I will buy just a mower with multiple speeds. My current electric mower is 4.5HP and I assume I should gas mower will have to be also at least 4.5HP. Not sure if it is worth going 6.5HP. I went to HD during luch and was surprised to find that these gas mowers are so much havier than electric ones, especially ones with over 6HP power and self propelled.

Thanks again for all your help. I am still doing my research.

 

[Mark (archive)]

I couldn't immagine pushing a lawnmower ever again. I do enjoy taking my walk around the yard, but I'm not going to be pushing something as well.

 

[Andy Hill]

Thank you everyone for answers.
This is summary of what I found with help from all of you so far:
There are chargeable electric mowers, but I do not like them because " A review in The New York Times estimates that it takes about twice as long to mow a lawn with a cordless mower, compared with a gasoline-powered model". (http://www.consumersearch.com/www/lawn_and_garden/lawn-mower-reviews/fullstory.html) I did consider looking into robotic mowers as here someone sugested. I do have roomba vacum cleaner and it does perfect job when rooms are Roomba-proffed (so it will not stuck). But beacause some of my lawn is in front of house and some in the back of house and because of price this is not an option right now. I believe human-powered reel mowers would be too much hasle. I belive my lawn is a bit too big for them. So I am stuck with gas powered mower. I understood that some of you hate front weel powered mowers and some of you hate back weel powered movers. No consensus here. But I am sure now that if I'll go with self-propelled, I will buy just a mower with multiple speeds. My current electric mower is 4.5HP and I assume I should gas mower will have to be also at least 4.5HP. Not sure if it is worth going 6.5HP. I went to HD during luch and was surprised to find that these gas mowers are so much havier than electric ones, especially ones with over 6HP power and self propelled.

Thanks again for all your help. I am still doing my research.

The NYT opinion notwithstanding, you're already mowing with an electric (which sure as hell isn't 4.5 "true" HP -- that's 28 amps @ 120V...no way). A decent rechargeable isn't going to be any more gutless that what you already have.

It'd sure help to know if the dimensions of your yard are in feet or meters, 'tho.

 

[Garden (archive)]

Andy,

Size of lot is in feet 50x120. Again, in the middle of the lot there is a house and in the corner in backyard there is a pool. Although I am happy now with electric mower, if based on NYT I'll be able to cut grass 2 times faster with gas mower, I would be very happy.
Thanks

 

[Doug Kanter]

I know what you mean, but the reel mowers are quite a bit lighter than a power mower. However, I think they're best for long, straight mowing where you can maintain a constant speed. For weird corners, they can be less than spectacular.