How to Choose the best lawn mower to suit you

10 Oct 16

Choosing a lawn mower can be hard. Maybe you have never purchased one before or maybe you are upgrading, no matter what the reason is it the options can be overwhelming.

Preference and budget can play a large role in the lawn mower you choose. Some people see lawn mowing as a chore that needs to be finished as soon as possible while others enjoy time out on the lawn in the sun.

The largest part of choosing the lawn mower will be determined by three factors:

• 1. The size of your lawn,
• 2. Level of terrain (flat or hilly)
• 3. The number of obstacles in your path (trees, flower beds etc)

Push Lawn Mower

This lawn mower best suits small patches of grass. You have to physically push the lawn mower and move faster to acivate the blades properly. There is no engine so it is low maintance and enviromentally friendly, and it can be stored easily against a wall in your shed as it isn’t an overly large machine. This is perfect for homes with small yeards and limited space.

Walk-Behind Lawn Mower
 

Walk-behind lawn mowers are the most popular option for most people. These lawn mowers are powered by two-stroke engines, and with proper care you’ll have it for years.

These lawn mowers are available in a range of sizes to suit your lawn needs and the storage space you have.

One of the main decisions you will have to make is whether you should go with petrol or electric mowers:

Petrol or electric:

• Petrol mowers have a longer runtime and offer more power than electric mowers. However they can be messy and more maintenance than electric mowers.
• Electric mowers can be corded or cordless and are cleaner to operate than petrol mowers. However, unless you have two sets of batteries for the cordless model, there is always a chance you could run out of power to operate. With a corded model you’re limited by the length of your cord.

Walk-behind mowers deal with grass clippings in one of three ways:

• 1. Side discharge, which distributes the clippings back onto the lawn

• 2. Mulching, which cuts the clippings into fine pieces which break down and release nutrients back into the soil
• 3. Bagging, which collects clippings into a bag which is disposed of with your green waste.

Ride on mower
 

Ride on mowers are designed for larger lawn sizes that are beyond the size of anyone wanting to push a walk-behind mower.

Ride on mowers have a rear-mounted motor. Just like a car you can get specs added to your ride on mower like four-wheel steering, headlights, high-back seats, 12 volt outlets, and cruise control.

Ride on mowers offer faster speeds and precision turning, but can take some time to learn the ropes of this design. The ride on mower is suited for large flat lawns. It is able to manoeuvre large obstacles such as trees or ponds.

Before buying any lawn mower, try out as many as you can from friends or relatives. You would never buy a house without an inspection or a car without a test drive, so don’t do the same with a lawn mower.

You want to make sure you make the right choice for you and your lawn.