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Someone talk me out of getting an electric mower
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Posted by: Demandred

Okay, so we bought a house in December. The grass has been pretty much dormant since then, but it's getting about mowing length now, so I need to get a lawn mower. (first house, never owned a mower before)

Growing up, my family always had a gas mower. I started mowing the lawn when I was around 14, until I went to college at 17. The one thing I really remember not liking about it was it was hard to start. At the time the mower wasn't that old - maybe a few years. Also, it was really a pain to get halfway through mowing, and have the thing run out of gas, and then have to wait for it to cool down before I could put more gas in and continue mowing.

So, when I started looking at mowers at Home Depot and Amazon, I see they make these new-fangled electric mowers. Sounds like a great idea to me. Here are the drawbacks, or the ones I've found, to having an electric mower. One, the cord. I'd always have to watch out for the electric cord and make sure I didn't run it over with the mower. The way my yard is laid out, I don't think that will be much of a problem - it's mostly just a big square. Two, I understand electric mowers have a hard time with thick or long grass. I don't expect this to be a problem either, because I intend to mow it once a week.

So, for gas mowers, the "cons" are that they're hard to start, and you have to fill them with gas and oil to operate them.

For electric mowers, the "cons" are dealing with the cord, and that you can't mow super-thick grass with them.

I'm seriously thinking about going to Home Depot tomorrow and getting an electric mower. But here's why I'm posting this: Does anyone have or has anyone had an electric mower, and not liked it for reasons other than the ones above?

Posted by: rhuntington3

My family never had one but I can imagine an electric mower being very annoying as the cord wraps around every object as you mow. Gah!

Richard...

Posted by: doom1701

Don't do it! They're the mark of the beast! They'll cut your soul into little clippings and stuff them in a bag!

Talked out of it yet?

Anyway, I wouldn't put so many cons on a gas mower--most use separate oil and gas (no mixing), and most new ones start really well. Except for ours, of course.

I have a friend that actually has a manual mower. Not just a push mower, but a mower with the spinning blades that revolve as the wheels move. It actually works quite well.

Posted by: johnmoorejohn

1) People driving by will laugh at you.
2) It may not have enough HP to make a clean looking cut.

Posted by: Mabes

You sound like you are asking "is this stealing?" You know the answer already, don't buy one!

Posted by: JPriller

How big is your yard? I've got a John Deere self-propelled gas mower and it'll do almost my entire yard - 1/2 acre - on one tank of gas.

Texas, huh? Lawn mowing season here is still a month away. :)

Posted by: JPriller

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701
I have a friend that actually has a manual mower. Not just a push mower, but a mower with the spinning blades that revolve as the wheels move. It actually works quite well.

I remember those, I spent a good portion of my summer childhoods behind one. For tall grass you just had to get a running start. They're great if you have a postage-stamp lawn, though.

Posted by: Southpaw

My neighbor has an electric mower. We point and laugh at him on Saturday mornings.

On the plus side, he's nice and quiet when he mows, though dorky.

Posted by: nextguard2

One reason to think electric is that to produce that much power from a small engine without being too expensive, gas lawn movers lack pollution control equipment found on cars. They pollute more than a car.
--------------------------------
Mower Pollution
Tillers, mowers, blowers, weed-whackers and other lawn-and-garden power equipment are all sources of pollution. These gas-guzzling gizmos account for 5 percent of U.S. air pollution overall, and for that reason the EPA is requiring manufacturers to increase their efficiency. New regulations are expected to reduce hydrocarbon emissions and carbon-monoxide.

In the meantime, however, there are two excellent alternatives to traditional mowers, especially for those of you with small lawns. One is the old-fashioned, human-powered reel mower, for which sales have increased in the past five years. Another is the cordless electric mower. These rechargeable machines will cut the average lawn on a single charge, and they cost about as much to run as a toaster. They also don't require much in the way of maintenance.

Given the cost of lawn mowers, it's important to service yours regularly as a means of protecting your investment and keeping it running at peak efficiency. After all, a 3.5-horsepower lawn mower, if it's poorly tuned, will emit the same amount of pollutants in one hour as a new car driven 340 miles. Mowers should be serviced on a regular basis, ideally at the beginning or at the end of every mowing season. A typical lawn mower tune-up is much like a car's, including installing a new spark plug, belts, hoses and filters and inspecting all the parts. Also, remember to drain the gas from the tank before you put your mower away for the winter. Old gas left in the tank can gum up engine parts and cause all kinds of problems. And speaking of gas, the EPA claims that 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year just fueling lawn equipment. That's more than all the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez, in the Gulf of Alaska.

Lawnmower pollution

Posted by: johnmoorejohn

Most people who get an electric end up getting a gas mower within the next year. Nothing to cite but my own observations.

Posted by: Southpaw

Can anyone recommend a good battery powered/rechargeable mower?

Also, I think you should buy this, just cause I can't afford to:

http://www.robomow.com

Posted by: zaknafein

Well, they do have cordless electrics.

There is one major benefit, noise. Most electrics put out about the same noise as a standard box fan on high. Most are quiet enough that you could probably mow in the middle of the night if you wanted to.

Never used one myself, but I like the idea.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by Southpaw
Can anyone recommend a good battery powered/rechargeable mower?
[/url]

I'd be concerned about the life of the battery, and the actual cost of keeping it charged (assuming you keep it plugged in all the time or forget to unplug it). I'm not sure what these tend to come with, but if they are Ni-cads, I'd stay away completely since it would be a real pain to need to drain the battery all the time.

Posted by: scooterboy

Here's something that should address your concern about gas mowers being hard to start.

Get one with a primer bulb. If you don't know what that is, it's a rubber bulb on the side of the engine that sprays gas directly into the carburator when you push it.

The instructions for my mower say to press it 3 times before a cold start. I've had mine for 8 years, and I swear to God after pressing the bulb 3 times it has started on the first pull every single time.

I am clueless when it comes to engines so this was a godsend to me.

As far as electric mowers, all the ones I've seen were pretty gutless. Newer models might be better though.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by scooterboy
Here's something that should address your concern about gas mowers being hard to start.

One other thing. Champion makes a more expensive spark plug. It really helped the starting problems on my mower. For the extra buck or two it was well worth it.

Posted by: stangm

1. lots of new gas mowers have electric starters.
2. Most new gas mowers run on regular gas.
3. I have had my mower for 8 years and it starts fine, as long as I prime it.
4. Electric mowers still cause pollution at the electricity generation plant. This is probably not as much as a gas mower, but it is there.
5. Electric mowers are typically very underpowered.

Posted by: Mark Lopez

If I didn't have a gardener :) I would probably get a cordless electric. I think they have come a long way on battery life and power.

Posted by: doom1701

KaryK, I know nothing about spark plugs--are they pretty much universal for mowers, or do I need to find one for my specific engine type?

My mower has a primer bulb, but it takes about 20 squishies to get the mower to start on one pull. Then it smells of gas for about 30 seconds afterwards.

Posted by: dslunceford

I went with a Honda gas-powered from the Depot when my wife and I stepped up to a SF from a Town House last year. My neighbor has an electric and he seems to struggle more around the tight turns for flowerbeds and trees as he doesn't want to get the cord all tangled.

And don't rule out the power thing -- as a once a week trim may be your plan, but I guarantee you take a week or so off every now and again.

Another consideration, do the electrics do an adequate job of mulching if you are leaving the clippings in the yard? That was a biggie for me -- I probably only bag clippings once every three mows or so.

Posted by: Bryanmc

Are electric mowers alot cheaper than gas?

I would guess they'd have to be since you trade your manhood to get one.

Posted by: trojanrabbit

I think you'll find that the typical electric mower is smaller than the typical gas mower, because of the (non)available power. So it will take you longer to mow.

I would suspect that a rechargeable mower would use sealed lead acid cells, since they are best for high power applications like that. If you don't take care of the battery properly, it won't last long.

On the pollution front, I thought I heard that California has/is going to have a law prohibiting 2 cycle engines (u mix oil & gas) such as those found on weed whackers and leaf blowers because they are the worst, pollution wise.

Posted by: Tasky

As long as you keep your gas mower inside and not out in the weather, you will have no problems starting it. Even on cold days my mower starts in one pull. It is fairly quiet, Gas mowers are way better than they were just a few years ago!

Oh, and the letting it cool off before putting more gas in thing is silly. Pop her open, add more gas. The only time you shouldn't do it is if your mower is ON FIRE!!!

Posted by: kschelle

Have had both. The electric is nice because it's light... but the chord is a real nuisance, much more than you can ever imagine.

How big is your yard? Is an old-fashioned push mower an option? In my area, the county reimburses you part of the cost if you buy a push mower vs. gas. Plus, it's great exercise!!!

Posted by: willardcpa

OK, a lot of folks have taken the position that your neighbors might think less of you if you have an electric. Well I have the answer for that cr*p. Buy one of those solar powered jobs, you string a buried wire around your yard (similar to those no fence dog systems). The mower looks like a little ladybug, essentially it is mowing all the time the sun shines, just cruises randomly around your yard keeping the grass the optimum hieght. Only drawback is the cost IIRC they are about $3,500.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701
KaryK, I know nothing about spark plugs--are they pretty much universal for mowers, or do I need to find one for my specific engine type?.

Yep, they are specific to each engine, although there are only a handfull of types. I'd get the basic information off your mower (Type of engine, make, model, serial number) and go to either where you bought it or Sears.

They are relatively easy to install on mowers, but if you don't have a spark plug socket you should check to see if you can use an ordinary wrench on your mower engine. If the spark plug is not recessed into the head, you should be able to get by with a wrench.

Posted by: betamax

quote:
Originally posted by doom1701

My mower has a primer bulb, but it takes about 20 squishies to get the mower to start on one pull. Then it smells of gas for about 30 seconds afterwards.

Doom, it sounds like your mower needs some maintenance. Usually there are shops that specialize in small engine or mowers. Mowers need maintenance just like your car does.

And for those considering a new mower, I've got 2 words for you, Briggs & Stratton. Make sure the mower has a Briggs & Stratton engine.

Posted by: Leon WIlkinson

quote:
Originally posted by Southpaw
Can anyone recommend a good battery powered/rechargeable mower?

Also, I think you should buy this, just cause I can't afford to:

http://www.robomow.com

I thought just last yr they cost 2 or 3 k?

$400 from amazon is not bad. To bad I can't afford that, it would help save my Knees which are about bone to bone. but the self propeld mower I have is alot better then my beast I did have. ;)

It almost makes me want to sell my new playstation 2 to get it.

Posted by: Leon WIlkinson

quote:
Originally posted by betamax

Doom, it sounds like your mower needs some maintenance. Usually there are shops that specialize in small engine or mowers. Mowers need maintenance just like your car does.

And for those considering a new mower, I've got 2 words for you, Briggs & Stratton. Make sure the mower has a Briggs & Stratton engine.

I have found any car engine works nicely :D

Posted by: bluenoise

I currently have a gas mower and it starts in one or two pulls. I don't let it cool off before adding more gas, but adding gas is a pain. The key is getting a good gas can so you don't end up dribbling gas all over the place. I always wipe up the spilled gas with a paper towel but it's still a hassle.

If I were to consider an electric, it would have to be cordless. To get any power and runtime, though, it would have to have sealed lead acid batteries (SLA) and these get heavy. I don't know the answer to this but I would think the power-to-weight ratio for gas mowers is much better than cordless electric.

Don't count on mowing once a week, either. You may go out of town the for weekend or be too busy/lazy like me sometimes. I've let mine go a few weeks a couple of times and it took all 6.5 (so they claim, anyway) horsepower to get through the stuff.

With any mower, keeping the blade sharp probably makes the biggest difference in your mowing experience. The grass cuts more cleanly and the mower doesn't bog down as much in the thick stuff.

I have a cordless lawn trimmer that uses a SLA battery. It's fine for the small lawn I have but I would go gas if I had anything bigger. It's pretty quiet, but it's also slow. If I had a gas trimmer I wouldn't have to go over the same grass over and over to get it all.

Does anyone sell aftermarket mufflers for gas mowers that are more quiet than the "stock" ones? Maybe there's a market for mufflers and catalytic converters for mowers. :)

bluenoise

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by bluenoise
Does anyone sell aftermarket mufflers for gas mowers that are more quiet than the "stock" ones? Maybe there's a market for mufflers and catalytic converters for mowers. :)

I have a rather powerful electric string trimmer that makes more noise than my gas lawn mower. I've actually taken to wearing hearing protection when I run that thing.

Posted by: AndyK

When we got our home, we asked a neighbor who used an electric(B&D) and his advice was to go gas. He claimed the cord was a major pain, wrapping around plants and shrubs and occasionally getting mowed down (add extension cords to the cost of ownership). He also said it wouldn't mow cleanly if the grass was more than an 1/2 inch or so over the max deck height, though newer models may cure this (needs more power). The corded models are light, the cordless are not! If you're thinking of cordless, make sure you can do the whole yard on one charge.

BTW, I have a simple 5hp Sears mower, nothing special, and it starts on one pull every time. I don't know your yard size, but I get ~3/4 to 1 acre per tank and it's dual stroke so no mixing of oil and gas. After 5 years of mowing every 5 days or so (were natural gardeners and mow high to prevent weeds), this season I've given up and hired a service just to mow. Too many other things occupy my time!

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by AndyK
BTW, I have a simple 5hp Sears mower, nothing special, and it starts on one pull every time. I don't know your yard size, but I get ~3/4 to 1 acre per tank and it's dual stroke so no mixing of oil and gas. After 5 years of mowing every 5 days or so (were natural gardeners and

Just so there's no confusion, he means 4 stroke. 2 stroke engines require mixing oil and gas (unless they have an injection system). I think 2 stroke is fairly rare or non-existent in mowers these days, but common in string trimmers.

Posted by: baober2

Well I have a solution for the gas mower hard to start problem. Just get a Honda and it will always start very easily on the first pull. Honda's are a little more expensive, paid about $450 for mine, but worth it. They are known for being quiet and starting easily.

I used to have a sears craftsman and the honda is 10 times better at starting easily.

Posted by: Gigabit

quote:
Originally posted by willardcpa
OK, a lot of folks have taken the position that your neighbors might think less of you if you have an electric. Well I have the answer for that cr*p. Buy one of those solar powered jobs, you string a buried wire around your yard (similar to those no fence dog systems). The mower looks like a little ladybug, essentially it is mowing all the time the sun shines, just cruises randomly around your yard keeping the grass the optimum hieght. Only drawback is the cost IIRC they are about $3,500.

Umm, there's one more drawback. You come home from work the day after setting it up to find that some twerp stole it!

Posted by: Tasky

I would love to have one of those robot mowers.

Imagine, it takes itself to the charger, it goes out and mows every few days, you do nothing. Would be cool. Lawn would always be mowed!

$700 at SmartHome.com

Edit: It does not look like the one at SmartHome returns to its own charger, I have seen some that do!

Posted by: bluenoise

quote:
Originally posted by bluenoise
Does anyone sell aftermarket mufflers for gas mowers that are more quiet than the "stock" ones? Maybe there's a market for mufflers and catalytic converters for mowers. :)

bluenoise

Answering my own post, I found mower mufflers.

bluenoise

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by baober2
Well I have a solution for the gas mower hard to start problem. Just get a Honda and it will always start very easily on the first pull. Honda's are a little more expensive, paid about $450 for mine, but worth it. They are known for being quiet and starting easily.

I bought my Sears mower at one of their close out centers for $100 ($250 unit in the regular stores). Add the cost of a $3 spark plug and you get a one-pull machine for $103.

The local Sears clearance center is where they also sell parts. I went there looking to get a new part and a bag, and ended up getting an entire mower instead.

BTW, Honda makes some excellent small engines. I just don't think it's worth it for a mower.

Posted by: Flogduh

Here's a tip about refueling that might eliminate a few of the hassles.

I use an old water bottle to refill my mover tank whenever I need to re-fuel. Its one of those water bottles with the cap and the pull up spout. Since it's pretty close to the same capacity as the tank on my mover, I always have just the right amount gas to fill the tank up and I'm not playing Russian Roulette with a gallon or two of fuel hovering over a hot cylinder head waiting torch myself if I spill.

It's not perfect, but its much easier to it the tank opening and somewhat safer than the alternative. Think of it as a mini NASCAR fuel can!:D

Posted by: Gigabit

quote:
Originally posted by Flogduh
I use an old water bottle to refill my mover tank whenever I need to re-fuel.

Might be rather unpleasant if you got your water bottle and your fuel bottle mixed up!:D

Posted by: rickertk

Allright, I'm in the minority here, but I like my electric (corded).

I've got a teeny yard, without a lot of obstacles. What I do have,
though, is a pretty steep slope. My neighbor has tried to mow it with
his gas, and doesn't get as far as I do.

Mine's pretty new (1.5 yrs), got about as big an electric motor
as you can get, and does fine with mulching, and with
grass that has gone a little bit too long without mowing.
(maybe 4-5 inches total, but that tends to be in spots. Also
tends to be after I've been sick and didn't feel up to mowing;) )
So I wouldn't recommend it in all situations, but in some, I think it
works pretty well.

Keith

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by Gigabit
Might be rather unpleasant if you got your water bottle and your fuel bottle mixed up!:D

On one of the Star Trek programs (Next Generation?) they used MSR camping stove fuel bottles as water bottles because they look sort of futuristic. Every time I saw that it made me want to gag.

Posted by: Southpaw

The RoboMow is actually only about $399. Found it at Amazon.com today. I don't have to tell you, my gadget meter is pinging pretty loudly right now. It doesn't return itself to the charger, as some have noted here. You do have to take it out, put it next to the edge of your lawn and yes, press a button. Then put it away after a couple of hours when its done.

My boyfriend says I can't have it. He is close to being overruled. :D If he'd been around when I bought and upgraded my TiVo he'd have said the same thing. One day he will learn, do not mess with Gadget Queen!

Posted by: feldon23

quote:
Also, it was really a pain to get halfway through mowing, and have the thing run out of gas, and then have to wait for it to cool down before I could put more gas in and continue mowing.

I guess I live dangerously. I either pour the gas while it's still running or stop it just long enough to add gas!

Posted by: justapixel

I'm not going to read all three (!) pages of this thread. But, I will chime in and say we have an electric mower, and they are great. It's chargable, which means there is no cord. My husband keeps it plugged in to an outlet in the garage, and it's always ready when it's time to mow. Our backyard is 1/2 acre and it doesn't run out of power. My son does the front and back at once, no problem. There are no trips to the station to get gas, no storage problems. It's quite easy and a good alternative to gas.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by feldon23
I guess I live dangerously. I either pour the gas while it's still running or stop it just long enough to add gas!

Wow, you do live dangerously! You either have a really old mower, are very fast, or have disabled the automatic shutoff when you release the handle.

Posted by: Thom

I've had an electric mower for years, and I like it. I bought it because of all my childhood memories of a hard-to-start gas mower. Now I just flip the switch and it's on.

The only real problem with it is the cord. But I just changed my circular mowing pattern to a back and forth from one end to the other pattern and dealing with the cord became easy. Basically, I make sure my mowing pattern is such that I'm always dragging the cord further and further away from the outlet. That way I don't have to worry about running over it.

The reason I bought an electric was for the easy starting and not having to run get gas when I'm out. A fringe benefit was that it was quieter than a gas model.

As for thick grass, I would either use a half roll forward then quarter roll back, or I would just mow the thick grass with only half the mower width instead of the entire width.

If your yard is such that you can deal with the cord, you'll never go back.

One thing that I did to my electric mower was to disconnect the dynamic brake wiring from the on/off switch. A friend of mine had the same model mower (but years older) that I eventually bought, and her motor finally quit. She asked me to look at it and all it needed was new brushes. While I was working on it, I noticed that the dynamic braking causes the brushes to spark like mad. I figured this would chew them up faster, so I disconnected the dynamic brake. Now the motor coasts to a stop, but the brushes don't spark at all. Just a thought.

- Thom

[EDIT] One thing more about my electric, it was a full size mower (19" blade?) that looked just like a gas mower, except it was electric. It wasn't one of those narrower, lighter weight models. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the grass catcher (which connected to the rear, under the handle) would fill up so fast that I had to keep dumping it into a trash can during the mow instead of doing it at the end. But it beat raking up the grass. A mulching electric would have been nice.

Posted by: Southpaw

JustAPixel - can you tell us the brand/model of this mower? I have 1/3 of an acre, a gas lawnmower, and currently hire a lawn service because I hate everything about that gas mower so much.

Still considering a RoboMow. :D

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Karyk

or have disabled the automatic shutoff when you release the handle.

Duct tape baby!!!

Auto-shutoffs are the biggest pain the rear.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by Southpaw
JustAPixel - can you tell us the brand/model of this mower? I have 1/3 of an acre, a gas lawnmower, and currently hire a lawn service because I hate everything about that gas mower so much.

Still considering a RoboMow. :D

Why doesn't your boyfriend mow for you?

Isn't that one of the perks of being a lady?

Posted by: Pan Chun

quote:
Originally posted by Tasky
I would love to have one of those robot mowers.

Imagine, it takes itself to the charger, it goes out and mows every few days, you do nothing. Would be cool. Lawn would always be mowed!

$700 at SmartHome.com

Edit: It does not look like the one at SmartHome returns to its own charger, I have seen some that do!

http://www.startsampling.com/images/sl8761.jpg http://www.toro.com/home/images/co_imow_30050_c_md.jpg
Mmmmm...smells like "future"!

Toro's iMow is only $499 MSRP now (down from $799).

Posted by: Southpaw

quote:
Originally posted by Bryanmc

Why doesn't your boyfriend mow for you?
Isn't that one of the perks of being a lady?

I am, some would say (particularly him), distressingly independent.

The deal we have made is that after he moves in (which won't happen until after there's a ring and a date, and maybe not until after The Date), the lawn will be his. The kitchen will be mine. Until then, he must content himself with offering me tips and offering to help on weekends. I certainly try to avoid his help. I like being able to do things on my own.

I still want a RoboMow. I am looking up the ToroMow now too! :D

Posted by: Jon J

FWIW...Looks like spring has sprung at Home Depot. Toro 22" self-propelled bagger, mulcher, discharger with three year warranty - $299 until the end of March.

Posted by: scooterboy

quote:
Originally posted by Flogduh
I use an old water bottle to refill my mover tank whenever I need to re-fuel. Its one of those water bottles with the cap and the pull up spout.

Can't gasoline eat through certain types of plastic? I don't think I'd feel safe leaving gas in one of those very thin-walled water bottles that you buy in a grocery store.

Posted by: johnmoorejohn

Just curious, what keeps RoboMow from mowing the whole neighborhood?

Posted by: justapixel

quote:
Originally posted by Southpaw
JustAPixel - can you tell us the brand/model of this mower? I have 1/3 of an acre, a gas lawnmower, and currently hire a lawn service because I hate everything about that gas mower so much.

It's a Toro "Carefree Cordless" Walk Power Mower.

There are no issues with this mower that others have mentioned. It cuts fine, and even after the winter it's easy. It also mulches. I think it was about $350, but I'm not sure. My husband has noticed no difference in performance from the gas one we had before.

The only thing is it must be kept plugged in when not in use, so you have to store it near an outlet.

Posted by: Bryanmc

quote:
Originally posted by johnmoorejohn
Just curious, what keeps RoboMow from mowing the whole neighborhood?

Its sense of duty and honor.

Posted by: Southpaw

quote:
Originally posted by johnmoorejohn
Just curious, what keeps RoboMow from mowing the whole neighborhood?

As Bryan said, Duty, Honor and oh, these little wires you plug down around your boundary. It's like stringing up an electric pet fence.

Posted by: Southpaw

Thanks for the info, Ann. I have an outlet in my garage, multiple ones actually, that it could use. Hmm. I have some thinking to do these spring months about which solution I want to buy.

Posted by: Jon J

quote:
Originally posted by johnmoorejohn
Just curious, what keeps RoboMow from mowing the whole neighborhood?

http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/imow/howworks.html

Posted by: loubob57

When I was a kid we had an electric mower. It worked OK as long as you paid attention to where the cord was so you didn't run over it. It was fairly light. If you have some steep inclines to mow this is an advantage. I was also very quiet.

But I have a gas mower now, I'm not sure why. :)

Posted by: RickStrobel

For those who have problems spilling gas, etc...

I got a great gas can with a spring loaded cap. You twist the cap and line up a couple of arrows, turn it over and poke it into the tank (which depresses the spring), gas pours cleanly into mower, when full there is an automatic shut-off.

Never spill a drop.

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by loubob57
When I was a kid we had an electric mower. It worked OK as long as you paid attention to where the cord was so you didn't run over it. It was fairly light. If you have some steep inclines to mow this is an advantage. I was also very quiet.

But I have a gas mower now, I'm not sure why. :)

From reading the rest of the thread the answer is obvious. You know have a gas mower because your now a man! :-)

Posted by: AndyK

quote:
Originally posted by Karyk

Just so there's no confusion, he means 4 stroke. 2 stroke engines require mixing oil and gas (unless they have an injection system). I think 2 stroke is fairly rare or non-existent in mowers these days, but common in string trimmers.

whoops!

Posted by: Knative

Are these electric mowers self-propelled or do you have to physically push them?

I've got a big Gravely mower with a 36" cutting head (PTO attached) with a sulky so I just sit down and ride around the yard. Don't really need that big of a mower but I bought it used five years or so ago. I do start humming "Green Acres" every now & then when I'm mowing though.

Posted by: Gigabit

quote:
Originally posted by scooterboy

Can't gasoline eat through certain types of plastic? I don't think I'd feel safe leaving gas in one of those very thin-walled water bottles that you buy in a grocery store.

I think many water bottles and such are made of high-density polyethylene, which will hold all sorts of volatile solvents. Such a bottle will have a "2" inside the recycle logo on the bottom, and "HDPE" bellow the logo. With other plastics you're probably asking for trouble. Put a petroleum solvent such a gasoline in a #6 polystyrene container and it'll find it's way through the bottom in less than an hour.

Posted by: Flogduh

quote:
Originally posted by scooterboy

Can't gasoline eat through certain types of plastic? I don't think I'd feel safe leaving gas in one of those very thin-walled water bottles that you buy in a grocery store.

I don't know where you buy your water bottles but I have about 15 of these left over from my road cycling days and their all pretty thick walled. I also don't leave gas stored in them, for that I use a gas can (which is also one of the approved plastic cans).

I also store the marked, unfilled bottle(s) in an outdoor storage area, so they never are mistook for a usable water bottle.

Posted by: bluenoise

quote:
Originally posted by RickStrobel
For those who have problems spilling gas, etc...

I got a great gas can with a spring loaded cap. You twist the cap and line up a couple of arrows, turn it over and poke it into the tank (which depresses the spring), gas pours cleanly into mower, when full there is an automatic shut-off.

Never spill a drop.

This is what I need! Can you tell me the make/model and where you got it?

Thanks

bluenoise

Posted by: Haps

I won't even try to talk you out of it. But for even considering it you deserve what you get.

Posted by: Dale Sorel

After browsing this thread, I though I'd offer my $0.02...

One thing I haven't see mentioned is the safety issue related to electric mowers. The reason I mention this is because a friend of mine lost her sister, a result of electrocution while using an electric mower. I don't believe she ran over the cord. As I remember it, there were several faults that aligned to produce this unfortunate accident. The funeral was open casket, and they couldn't pile enough make-up on her body to hide the burnt flesh. Probably why I remember it like it was yesterday.

On a more positive note, I saw a woman the other day mowing her yard with some kind of neat little battery-powered electric mower and I had to talk to her about it. She (woman I would guess to be a very fit ~60 years old) said that she got it because of the trouble starting the gas mower. She also said they gave her a substantial trade-in value for her old gas mower. I'm not sure, but I think it was a Toro???

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Posted by: bustergonad

Simple, just don't buy an electric mower unless your lawn is only 2 ft square.
Roy

Posted by: Avian

We use one of the manual push ones with the spinning blades, it was cheap, its well built and it works well. We used to go electric, but the ones we had both broke beyond repair after about a year.

Posted by: Darin

I have owned both the Ryobi cordless electric, and the Black & Decker cordless electric. I loved them both. I have a 1/4 acre lot, and both had no problem at all mowing the entire lawn on a single charge. The only drawback for me was after a few years, the battery needs to be replaced (and they aren't cheap). When the battery died on the Ryobi, I replaced it with the B&D. The B&D was much more powerful, and had cut a slightly wider path, but it was noisier too (though still quieter than a gas mower). Last year when the battery started fading on it, I replaced it with a nice Scott's (John Deer) mower. I really liked the cordless mowers.... it's nice to never have to do any maintenance, but the batter replacements are a down side, and I replaced it right when I got new tenants (I own the house next door to mine). I'm charging them more than I did the previous tenant, and mowing the lawn for them. The gas mower DOES mow faster, and both lawns together are hard to do on one charge for a cordless.

I would highly recommend a cordless for someone with a small lawn.

Posted by: gregpr

I have a postage-stamp lawn (townhouse). I've had the MTD house brand electric mower for goin on 6 years now. I love it. I don't have to keep gas in my basement, just wipe the grass of this lil electric puppy and it's fine.

Works great, as long as you mow AWAY from the cord source so ya don't run over it.

Posted by: Demandred

Thanks everyone for your input. I decided to go with a gas mower, it's a Craftsman with a 5.5 HP Honda engine. I'll probably mow for the first time with it next weekend...the lawn doesn't really need it today.

Thanks especially for the tips...I like the idea of the water bottle as a gas refiller, and the coolio Champion Spark plugs, etc.

Again, thanks!