The Four Basic Walk Behind Mowers

There are push reel mowers, electric mowers, cordless mowers, and gasoline powered mowers.  They all have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.  Once you explore what these are it will become much easier to choose which is right for you.

Push Reel Mowers

The ultimate green machines.  They produce no pollution because they are human powered.  This not only makes them extremely friendly to the environment but also a smart economical choice as there is no fuel cost. Other great positive attributes to consider are the lack of engine noise, no need for burdensome cords, and they don’t require recharging. 

Even with keeping all of these positive aspects in consideration, the practicality of a push reel mower diminishes with larger sized lawns.  If you own a larger lawn, you obviously won’t be in the market for the back breaking workout that mowing it with a push reel would require.

Another thing to keep in mind is that their effectiveness tends to wane as the grass becomes taller.  In fact they begin to become much less effective on grass that is taller than two inches.  This means that you may be required to mow your lawn more often than you would with other types of lawn mowers.  Also keep in mind that thicker lawns and lawns that are loaded with weeds are harder to mow using a push reel mower.  If you have a smaller sized lawn that you don’t mind keeping trimmed on a regular basis and you are concerned about the environment, then the push reel mower may just be your machine.

Electric Mowers

These require the use of an electrical outlet to power them.  This means that you may run into the problem of finding a convenient place to plug them in.  You are also limited to only being able to mow within the limited reach of the power cord.  Another thing to consider is avoiding tangles or snagging the cord as you are mowing.  If your lawn is small and you don’t want the extra exercise that mowing with a push reel provides then an electric mower may be your answer.

 

Cordless Mowers

They get their power from an onboard rechargeable battery.  On the positive side, you don’t have the aches and pains of dealing with an electrical cord to worry about but you do have the added weight of the battery to deal with. There is also the limitation of the length of the mowing time per charge.  It all depends upon the capacity of the battery, the height and thickness of your lawn, and the size of your mowing area.  Taking all of these variables into consideration, you can determine whether or not you can finish the job with just one charge.  Figuring this out will go a long way to helping you to decide if using a cordless mower would be practical for you.

Gasoline Powered Motors

These have the obvious advantage of added power, which is great if your mowing an area that is full of dense, thick, or tall grass.  They are also a must for larger yards that measure beyond 2,000 square feet.  The main downsides are the added cost of gas and oil as well as the regular maintenance that gasoline powered machines require.