Choosing the Right Lawn Mower (Simple Guide)

Choosing the right lawn mower

When choosing the right mower, you must consider many factors. One of the most important factors being, the type of grass your lawn has and what other landscape challenges are in your yard. Everyone’s lawn and garden are unique.

The first thing to do to find which kind of lawn mower you should get would be to figure out what type of yard you have and what type of grass it has.

Low maintenance lawns

A push-style mower, also known as rotary mowers, is recommended for low-maintenance yards because they’re typically smaller and easier to use for most people. Most push mowers don’t need gasoline to power them, so less money is spent on gas over time when using one.

When choosing a push-style lawn mower, it is best to select one with mulching capabilities because after you’ve mowed the lawn, you can use the debris to fertilize your grass and mulch other landscaped areas.

This is a great system and doesn’t cost that much because most mulching mowers are cheaper than other lawn mowers. Benefits include being able to adjust the height of your grass and saving money on gas.

High maintenance lawns

For a high-maintenance yard, choosing a riding lawn mower is recommended because they usually cut larger swaths at one time, therefore, completing the job faster.

Riding mowers have features such as an adjustable speed control which depending on how large your yard is, could be beneficial or not. Having an adjustable speed control allows you to go as fast or slow as you need it to based on where you’re located in your yard.

What size lawn mower do I need?

How large your yard is will factor in significantly when choosing a lawn mower with the right size engine and choosing one that can handle various kinds of jobs, such as if your yard requires you to bag grass or mulch it.

Push mowers, or a walk-behind mower, are best suited for small yards with flat surfaces. These types of mowers are typically smaller in size and lighter than other types of lawn mowers. Benefits include being able to adjust the height of your grass and saving money on gas. They also tend to be easier to maneuver through tight spaces and won’t tear up smaller areas if you accidentally hit them with your mower.

If you have a more extensive lawn or a good piece of land that needs mowing, a rear engine riding mower, a lawn tractor, or a zero turn mower may be a better selection. Garden tractors give you a lot of bang for the buck.

Electric mowers are more suited for a standard size lawn.

What horsepower do I need for a lawn mower?

Higher horsepower means you can cut taller and thicker grasses. Lawn mower engines typically range from about 2 HP up to the 6-7 HP range. The size that you choose will depend on what your needs are and how large your lawn is.

If you’re going to be doing large yards with lots of space, choosing a higher horsepower engine might be best for you. However, if you only have small yards, choosing something that’s not as powerful won’t matter too much because you’ll never use the higher-powered settings anyway.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s a mulching mower to make cleanup easier. Here are some more considerations with choosing a new lawn mower.

Different lawn mowers and their unique features

You would be surprised about the number of different types of lawn mowers on the market. Here are some of the different types of lawn mowers and which works best where.

All-electric lawn mower

Is your yard in a hard-to-reach location? If so, choosing an all-electric lawn mower would be the best because they are self-propelled, and you won’t have to hand-crank them. This makes them the most accessible type of lawn mower to use if you have a larger yard or a lot of hills.

A significant drawback is that all-electric lawn mowers require that you plug them into an outlet for power which can cut down on how long you can use them in one mowing session.

The best thing about choosing a battery-powered mower over gasoline is that all you have to do is charge it up, and you are ready to go! That means no trips to the gas station since the charger provides direct power straight from your house electricity.

Pros

• Self-propelled and easy to use
• Doesn’t require gasoline, gasoline cans
• Doesn’t require oil and typical maintenance
• No sparkplugs to break or change out
• Quieter than gasoline-powered mowers
• Require little maintenance
• Doesn’t emit toxic fumes

Cons

• Requires an outlet for continuous power, limiting the space it can cover
• Performance can be on the lower-end (thicker, wet grass)
• Less-likely to have self-propelled features
• Prone to water damage
• Cost can be much higher

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Gasoline-powered

With a gasoline-powered mower, you will need to purchase gas from time to time, but this allows more power to get more demanding jobs done like cutting tall, thick, and sometimes wet grass. Gasoline-powered mowers are best suited for lawns with many types of grass or heavily wooded areas that need to be mowed.

Pros

• Typically better performance for tall grass and tough jobs
• Highly portable, mobile, and superior range
• Instant-start up, no waiting on a battery charge
• Durable, easy to fix, many available features and models

Cons

• Typically heavier than other models, making them tougher to move and traverse
• Older models may require pull-cords to start the engine
• Requires typical maintenance, oil, and gas to function
• Louder than electric motors
• Emits toxic fumes (carbon monoxide and dioxide)
• Requires you to use and store a gas canister

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Riding mowers

When choosing a riding lawn mower, choosing the right features is extremely important, as you can easily end up with a riding lawn mower that doesn’t suit your specific needs.

For instance, you might need to adjust the cutting height to allow you to cut at different lengths, creating a clean look for your front yard and backyard. Or consider the option of whether or not you want to bag your grass clippings or mulch them is also a feature that you should look into before choosing a model. Depending on how large your yard is, this could make it impractical for one model over another. 

Being able to choose between two features means that it will save you money, in the long run, allowing you not to have to purchase an additional part but instead switch out blades.

Pros

• More powerful engine to cut through rougher terrain
• Able to cover much larger plots of land
• Instant-start up, no waiting on a battery charge
• Significantly reduces time requirements and physical exertion required with push-mowers
• Many attachment options that extend the primary uses (plowing snow, spreading seed, towing/clearing objects)

Cons

• Requires a trailer to move it and large storage space
• Higher price tag than other models
• Not the best for precision jobs
• Require regular maintenance
• Long life-spans, when properly maintained
• Emits toxic fumes (carbon monoxide and dioxide)
• Requires you to use and store a gas canister

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Choosing the right lawn mower should be easier

• A gasoline-powered lawn mower is best suited for those with tough jobs and lots of grass to cut. 
• A self-propelled lawn mower allows you to push a button and walk behind the machine instead of having to pull a cord to start the engine. 
• An electric or rechargeable lawn mower is perfect for those that do not want gas added into their lifestyle and are limited on space as it needs a power outlet.

Deciding which type of mower suits your property can be made easier by choosing one based on the amount of time, energy, money, storage space, available power sockets, etc… we hope this article will help you choose the right lawn mower! Be sure to check out our article on the top lawn mower brands to avoid.