Need a new mower- go electric?

[herb fellows]

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.

'I, for one, don't feel like stroking out on my lawn'
Aw, come on, you might make an interesting lawn ornament;-)
I would feel sorry for you if it wasn't for this pesky thing we have up north here called 'winter'. Perhaps you've heard of it?
So, we've established that climate and lawn size are important factors here.

Next questions:
1) what is the lawn size?
2) how bad is the wet grass situation in Minnesota? I know it can be wet here in NY also, but we usually have the luxury of doing it in the evening after the sun has been drying it out all day. As long as we don't let it get too long, and we don't have steady rain for a week or so, it eventually dries out and can be cut.

[herb fellows]

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.

Again, only my experience with an electric and a 25 x 25 lawn, but it wasn't slow and it never stalled out in 5 + years.
Type of grass probably plays a part here also, I'm guessing. My friends in Fl have this zoysia(?) grass, and that stuff is like razor blades, very coarse and tough. I think mine is rye and fescue, probably easier to cut?
As far as going around obstacles, just go as close as you can (usually within inches) and then trim the few inches left manually, really not a big deal. It took me 10-15 minutes to do the 25 x 25, including trimming manually, I was more than happy with that.

[natausch]

The main reason we went with gas when purchasing our new mower was the weight of electric with battery. While our gas is heavy it is also self-propelled.

On the other hand I think I made the right decision to go with the Black and Decker battery trimmer. While it isn't the most powerful they've solved the problem of short battery life on an 18v, they give you two batteries. I use one for the front and another for the rear.

[jking]

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.

You should have started charging him for what ever he ruined.

[jking]

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.

I get about a 2 month break. It gets so hot & dry here, that if I mow 2-3 times max in July-August. Even then, it's more to knock down the weeds than it is to mow the brown, crunchy grass.

[BigguyZ]

The lot size is 40x128. But 800sqft if the house, minus the garage and these stepped flower beds that the previous owner built. Right now, the grass is very thin. I seeded, so hopefully that'll change, but it's not carpet thick at this point. There's very few flower beds (I'm NOT a gardener), and two trees. There is also a slight hill that goes down to the sidewalk...

As far as wet grass goes- it's humid in Mn, but I'd say there's enough opportunity to mow once a week and do it while the grass is dry.

Menards has a 190cc Briggs and Straton engine mower on sale for $250... I'm thinking of picking that up. But I still like the idea of not having to worry about maintaining a small engine and getting gas and the noise....

So I'm still on the fence at the moment.

[thrytis]

I replaced my dying 4.5 hp gas mower with the B&D CM1936 cordless mower a couple of months ago. One thing that drove my choice for this mower was the need to remove the battery to charge (i don't have power where i store my mower). I fully expect to replace the battery in a couple of years, but i couldn't see myself fighting a cord.

I'm fairly happy with the mower. Counting all of the messing with the gas and oil, i can get the lawn done faster. I never have had the battery weaken or run out on my 1/4 acre lawn. It has had plenty of power including when the grass is long and the gas mower probably would have started to bog down a little. It stores in a very small space when folded and flipped on end.

The biggest issue i have with it is that it misses some blades of grass, occasionally making me take another swipe. It is heavier (with the battery) than my old mower, but not enough to bother me. It is narrower, requiring more passes, but this doesn't slow it down enough to be slower overall than my old mower. It doesn't cut as close to the house and fence as my old mower did. The mower is louder than i expected from an electric mower, though still quieter than a gas mower.

So far i'm still glad i picked this one, but if you have power where you store the mower i would suggest looking at the Toro.

[atgcpaul]

The lot size is 40x128. But 800sqft if the house, minus the garage and these stepped flower beds that the previous owner built.

Menards has a 190cc Briggs and Straton engine mower on sale for $250... I'm thinking of picking that up. But I still like the idea of not having to worry about maintaining a small engine and getting gas and the noise....

So I'm still on the fence at the moment.

You are in a tough spot. That's not a very big yard and if your house is in
the middle, then you shouldn't have a problem getting a cord to reach all the
spots--if you go corded.

I bought a 190CC B&S Craftsman mower for $235 from Sears. I also got a
2 gallon gas can which I have only filled up once. I've cut the grass at least
8 times now for at least 1hr 15min each. There's still enough gas in the can
for probably another 2-3 mows.

If I were in your situation, I'd probably go electric. I paid $200 for the B&D
Lawn Hog. Got 3 years of mowing out of it and sold it for $125. During that
time, I had to sharpen the blade, replace one of the knobs on the handle that
shook loose and got lost in my lawn, and repair the plastic starter handle. That
last one could have been a game ender but it broke in a convenient spot. It's
probably a standard part to reorder, though.

Paul

[jziegler]

That's a pretty small yard, only a little bigger than mine. You might consider a push reel mower for it. I can finish mowing faster with mine than when I had to borrow my father-in-law's gas mower (because I'm not walking it back and forth the couple of blocks). You really get away from the gas and noise and maintenance, it is easier to puch than a non-self propelled gas mower (much, much lighter, even a wimp like me can lift it easily in one hand), and is much easier to turn corners with. Just another thought to throw out there.

This is the one that I have:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008IHSK

Jim

[BigguyZ]

Yeah, I saw those too. But for that price, it seems a little too low tech. I'm open to alternatives to gas mowers, but I find it hard to believe you can get a good cut with that.

Can you pick up limited amounts of leaves with an electric mower? With my old gas mower, I never had much of a problem with leaves.

[atgcpaul]

Can you pick up limited amounts of leaves with an electric mower? With my old gas mower, I never had much of a problem with leaves.

Define limited amount?


The B&D will pick up leaves covering a lawn but not in multiple layers. It will
take multiple passes. I always try to rake as many leaves as I can before
running the mower over it. It's also better if the leaves haven't been sitting
a while and had a chance to stick to the grass.

The Sears gas mower I mentioned definitely has more oomph and suction than
the B&D. My neck was grazed by a pinecone shooting out the back on my
first mow. Luckily it didn't hit me dead center. I'm gun shy about running
over pine cones now.

[jziegler]

Actually, a reel mower cuts grass more cleanly than a rotary mower, since it is more of a scissors action. That's why golf courses use tractor pulled versions on their greens. Unfortunately, they don't cut thicker weeds very well.

They aren't for everyone, but I would not give mine up for my small lot in town.

Another bonus for anyone with grass alergies is that they don't put as much grass into the air. If I use a powered mower, I'll be sneezing for at least an hour afterwards. No sneezing at all with the reel mower.

Jim

[SHADOWFOX]

Have you thought about one of these? If engine maintenance is what deters you from buying a gas powered one. Sounds like your yard is small enough to use one of these and not worry about maintaining a small engine.



http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-2000-20...8015034&sr=8-1

kind regards,

[LCHIEN]

Have you thought about one of these? If engine maintenance is what deters you from buying a gas powered one. Sounds like your yard is small enough to use one of these and not worry about maintaining a small engine.



http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-2000-20...8015034&sr=8-1

kind regards,

i'v looked and looked and I can't find a pretty girl who does lawns and maintains her own equipment.

[charliex]

Um BigZ! I live about 2 hours south of you and I'm mowing at least every third day and taking at least an inch off each time. What's your secret?

Chas