Posts Tagged ‘choosing lawn mower’

Choosing a Lawn Mower

When choosing a lawn mower, the first thing you should determine is what the square footage of your lawn is. Some things you should consider are whether it has any steep slopes. In our case, there was a slope which had been created when the river used to be higher than it is right now. How many obstacles are there? When you plant a tree, realize that tree will grow very quickly. You’re going to have to accommodate every tree that you plant, so consider that when you’re deciding upon a lawnmower. It’s easier to hand-mow around trees than it is to use a ride-on lawnmower.

Determining just how dense your grass is will help determine what blade size and rotation you’ll need when you get to the store. If you’re way out in the country, you won’t have to worry as much about the amount of noise you make, and air pollution might also be a consideration of yours. Are there strict neighborhood zoning rules and regulations or noise restrictions that you’ll have to worry about? There might be particular kinds of motors which are restricted.

Cost is of course a main concern. Having around an acre of land, we decided that a hand-pushed lawnmower was good enough. After you’ve considered these things, it’s best to write them down and bring them with you so you don’t forget any once you’re there.

Whether you wish to bag or mulch is important. Bagging means that the clippings are stored and thrown away in plastic bags. Mulching means that the organic material will need to be chopped up finer. Mulching shreds the grass and clippings, redistributing the fragments over the lawn as you mow. You might consider it to be free fertilizer.

Walk-behind mowers tend to be six to ten horsepower, whereas riding mowers range from twelve to eighteen. The ‘deck’ is the housing that houses the blade. Since neither aluminum nor plastic rusts, you might consider those if you live in an area which has high humidity, such as Florida. If the deck is long, so will the blade be long.

Since mowing speed is determined by how much horsepower the mower has, combined with the rate of blade rotation and deck width; you shouldn’t purchase a mower that’s way too big for the size of your lawn.

How fast the mower can turn might come into play if you have lots of gardens or trees on your land. Turning radius is just how much you can maneuver the mower to pass around shrubs and obstacles.

Self-propelled mowers help you with the job. Part of the energy of action is sent to the wheels with such a mower. This means that it’ll be easier for you to push the mower. What you gain in convenience, you lose in money. They tend to range between $500 to $900 dollars. So, as you can see, there are many things to consider when you’re choosing a Lawn Mower.

If your yard is fairly level, it’s small, and you have less than an acre, then a regular push mower will work. They’re self-propelled, and go for as little as $150 – $200. I started out with one of those. They have a blade which turns as you push it. It makes a little whirring noise, but the neighbors will love you. So, when you’re choosing a Lawn Mower, you can pay as much as $5000, or as little as $150.