Need a new mower- go electric?

[BigguyZ]

So, I just got a new house and I need to get a new mower (ok, I WANT to get a new mower- I share one with my brother and I'm tired of hauling it back and forth).

So I'm looking at the mowers that are available, and I'm wondering if it's time to try an electric mower- either corded or battery operated. I'm not a fan of corded anything, but they are much less expensive than the bettery operated mowers and I don't have that big of a yard.

Has anyone used either a battery or corded mower? Any brands you'd reccomend? The ones that have the highest/ most ratings on Amazon are B&D mowers.... I'm hesitant to get anything B&D- so if you've used one of those I'd like to know that as well.

Thanks!
Travis

[dbhost]

If the difference in power between electric and gas mowers is similar to the differences with other outdoor power equipment, don't bother with electric, you will HATE it every single time you use it...

[charliex]

When I lived in Hopkins I had 1 of each B&Ds. Fairly small yard and poor, thin grass. The battery power was my favorite but the corded had more power. Batteries lasted about 3 years and cost $70.00 to replace but it's a PITA to haul a 75 ft. cord around especially if you have trees. If I could get by with a cordless here I would love it. My problems are 1. No room for 2 mowers 2. Very thick lawn. 3. I have several large mature maple trees. I mulch leaves in the fall and it takes all the power of my gas mower to handle that. That said, I am seriously considering this one.
http://www.worxyardtools.com/cordless/lawn-mowers.htm
I have several of the Worx products and I am very impressed with the quality. Makes the B&D stuff look positively cheap.

Chas

[Uncle Cracker]

The first time you use your electric mower on wet grass with a couple extra days growth, you will curse the day you thought of buying it...

[herb fellows]

You don't want to use any mower on wet grass, but I had an electric for 5 years and loved it. My backyard was all of 25' x 25', but it worked flawlessly.

[williwatt]

I like the B&D electrics!

The first time you use your electric mower on wet grass with a couple extra days growth, you will curse the day you thought of buying it...

The first rule when mowing grass is to NOT mow when the grass is wet. There aren't many mowers that do a good job with wet grass, gasoline or electric.

I have owned two B&D electric mowers and I really like them, but if you are going to buy one, make sure you get one with the flip-over handle. The power cord is always on the same side and you start close to the electrical outlet and mow away from it as you mow. My neighbor has a mower without the flip-over handle and it is a PITA to use and it is heavier than the other model. That is also my objection to a cordless mower -- they weigh about 80 lbs as compared to about 40 lbs for the mowers that I own. The mulcher works well on the mower that has that feature.

I was able to catch the last B&D mower I bought on sale on Amazon.com for about $125.

[Monyet]

I know I'm not being very helpful here, but just wanted to share someone else's experience about building their own electric mower.


http://www.arttec.net/Solar_Mower/

At the very least, it would provide some sort of reference to compare commercial electric mowers along the lines of realistic volts and amps and runtime.

On the other hand, how about a propane powered one?

http://www.golehr.com/
And click on the mower.

[atgcpaul]

How big is your new lawn? I started with a corded B&D for my 1/3 acre. The lawn is twice as long as wide. I can cut the grass faster with my new gas
mower by at least 1/2 hour. It is heavier but not having to deal with a cord is
a bonus. Gas also has more power so I don't have to work as hard if the grass
gets too long.

If you have a smaller yard, maybe consider electric. Anything bigger and it will be a PITA. I also have trees, shrubs, and a 3' fence in the middle which made
cutting with a cord a challenge.

[Uncle Cracker]

The first rule when mowing grass is to NOT mow when the grass is wet. There aren't many mowers that do a good job with wet grass, gasoline or electric.

Gentlemen, that's a pipe dream, at least in my neck of the woods... The real first rule in mowing is to mow when the grass needs it. In Florida in the summer, the grass is almost always wet. If you don't mow it wet, you don't mow it at all. This is complicated by the fact that the temp and humidity are both 95+ after 10am, and I, for one, don't feel like stroking out on my lawn... You cannot afford to wait for favorable weather, unless you have a bushhog, because the grass grows a half-inch or more a day. Of course, if your lawn is 25' by 25', the choice doesn't matter; you can mow with scissors.

[pelligrini]

Several years ago I rented a 1920's house on a 50' wide lot. With a two car pad in the front the there wasn't much yard. I used a rotary push mower most of the time. It worked great as long as I kept up with the mowing. If I let it get too long a neighbors lawn-boy was in order. The best thing was that I could mow at night when it was only 90 degrees.

[gsmittle]

The real first rule in mowing is to mow when the grass needs it.

I'm confused—I have teenagers to mow the lawn. I thought that's what they were for.

My personal first rule is get somebody else to mow.

g.

[Pappy]

john deere!

[Uncle Cracker]

I'm confused—I have teenagers to mow the lawn. I thought that's what they were for.

Tried that when mine was a teenager... He had a plan, though. He mowed over shrubbery, hoses and practically everything else, so that I would (and did) relieve him of that little chore.

[eccentrictinkerer]

I'm on my 3rd B&D electric in 36 years. I love engines of any sort, but small engines hate me!

I have a small city lot that takes me about 15 minutes to mow. It's quieter, always starts and no gas to buy. After I mow, I use the cord to power my leaf blower!

[LCHIEN]

there was a longish thread on mowers about 3-4 months ago, here:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ighlight=mower

battery mowers I think you'll be fighting the batteries every two- years and they will be underpowered if you have thick grass.
Electrical corded ones you have to be careful about your yard - you can't go in circles, you have to go back and forth. any plantings in the middle will screw you up totally trying to drag the cord around. probably limited power for thick lawns too.
Typically a gasoline walkbehind lawnmower has 3.5 to 5 HP. Rememeber all you can get from a 15 or 20A AC outlet to power a motor is about 1.5 to maybe 2 HP. Translated that means slow and tedious cutting and stalling motor.