Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Houston, TX, US
Posts: 1821

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?

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Registered: May 2001
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 7097

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...

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Registered: May 2001
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 5528

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.

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location:
Posts: 2804

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

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: New York
Posts: 870

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

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 5232

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.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 5232

quote:

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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.

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Somewhere Over The Rainbow...
Posts: 66

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.

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Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 8

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

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location:
Posts: 2804

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

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Registered: Mar 2002
Location: Somewhere Over The Rainbow...
Posts: 66

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

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 7870

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.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 8396

quote:

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

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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: East Kingston, NH USA
Posts: 4281

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.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 8396

quote:

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

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Registered: Feb 2002
Location:
Posts: 40

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.

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 3733

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.

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Registered: May 2001
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Posts: 5528

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.

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Tim
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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: No. VA/D.C.
Posts: 1624

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.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Richardson, TX 75081
Posts: 8295

Are electric mowers alot cheaper than gas?

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

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