Lawnmowers -- Gas or Electric?

[N8Magic]

I need to buy a new lawnmower.

I would like to know, what do you prefer? I have a fair sized lot, and the side and backyard have a decent grade, and that makes pushing the lawnmower up the hill a pain in the arse.

Here are the details I am weighing so far:

PROS:

Electric - lighter weight
- better for the environment
- don't have to run to the gas station half way
thru cutting the lawn

Gas - more power to cut thicker grass
- self propelled models available
- wider variety of models available
- generally cheaper to buy
CONS:

Electric - that &!$%ing cord
- cordless models are heavy
- cordless models only last for 1/3 acre lots
before needing to be recharged
- more expensive

Gas - no emissions controls
- smelling like burnt oil/gas after
- running to gas station halfway through cutting lawn when you realize you are out of gas
- generally heavier than corded electric models

So what do you think I should buy? Opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Scrapster]

Real men like gas

 

[Ultima200]

Gas. Dont even think about getting electric. YOu will regret it.

 

[MrChicken]

If you have you a dog, you wont like wrapping up the extension card after its been dragged thru pureed dog poop.

Because of the grade, get SP gas mower.

 

[duragezic]

Gas definitely. I hate smelling like sh*t after cutting the grass but oh well.

I heard a year or two back they were gonna have this solar powered, automatic mower. You mowed your lawn and it'd remember the points and times after that it would do it automatically. That's what I'm talking about. Where is it??

 

[Ultima200]

<< I heard a year or two back they were gonna have this solar powered, automatic mower. You mowed your lawn and it'd remember the points and times after that it would do it automatically. That's what I'm talking about. Where is it?? >>




Sharper Image

 

[BDawg]

Unless you just never check your spare gas can, you should never have to run to the gas station in the middle of a mowing.

My 5 gallon tank last me months!

 

[N8Magic]

I agree, but the hill in my backyard makes it a serious workout to push that lawnmower around.

(my old lawnmower was some commercial landscaping model that weighed a TON)

 

[Yzzim]

Get a Toro Self Propelled lawn mower...one of the best lawnmowers out there. My mom and dad work at the Toro plant here in town that makes them, they are pretty nice.
BTW, they make electric one's here too and I believe one of the models is cordless. It only holds a charge for 45 minutes though.

 

[yakko]

Get a cheap Murray lawnmower. They can be picked up for about $100-$125 and they are the best things I have used.

 

[etech]

lawnbot
A sporty, curvy yellow pod about 2 feet across and twice as long, the robotic lawnmower, dubbed &quot;Robomow&quot; by its creators, navigates the grounds with the help of ultrasonic sensors and &quot;sensitivity bumpers.&quot; It runs on a 16-bit Hitachi microprocessor -- &quot;overkill according to some people,&quot; says product manager John Bunton, &quot;but we built it to upgrade.&quot; Operating it feels much like playing a video game -- the hand-held control box has a thumb pad and LCD display, the bleeps and squawks it emits could well be the shooting and squashing of aliens. But you don't have to play it: The Robomow can be left out on the lawn, timer set like an alarm clock, and it will follow a user-installed perimeter wire to mow within programmed boundaries and at the appointed time.

 

[Emulex]

i've used (for light growth) the electric hovering lawn motors. Since it hovers and has no wheels, you can push it with your pinky. Good for flat grass thats not too thick.

 

[xraymongral]

Look for a used 4stroke, self propelled. I bought a used John Deere 6hp, non-self propelled for $60, and it kicks butt. Used Hondas are also great. Bolens and Snapper are good too. Skip Lawnboy and used Toro. Junk motors. The Toro &quot;T&quot; motor is super junk.

If ya go new, check out Sears, they have some good deals on new mowers. Make sure you get the 6 or 6.5hp engine.

 

[jeremy806]

People actually buy electric lawn mowers? Right up there with electric cars in my book! Of course, I may not be laughing anymore if gas prices keep rising like they are.

I have a 6.5HP self-propelled gas. It gets the job done; I got about 1/2 acre.

Buying something like that size, used, could save you a lot of cash.

Jeremy806

 

[snakesnfrogs]

I'd recommend a Honda self-propelled. My dad's had one for 9 years that he's used to cut about an acre. Absolutely no problems----they are relatively expensive though.

 

[RossMAN]

I would definitely go gas, depending on your budget I would go with Toro, John Deere or Honda.

My roommate picked up a nice Honda during a Home Base sale for only $139, the exact same Honda model retailed for $399 at specialty lawn mower dealers. It's powerful, not as loud as others and has an awesome warranty.

 

[Thanatopsis]

Cons:

Electric - that &amp;!$%ing cord

If you get electric, you will just hate that &amp;!$%ing cord. It is THE reason not to get an electric. We have one (unfortunately) and the cord is the biggest drawback to the thing.

 

[crab]

Nuclear.

 

[Yzzim]

<< Skip Lawnboy and used Toro. Junk motors. The Toro &quot;T&quot; motor is super junk. >>



Toro doesn't make their own motors, they buy Briggs and Straton (sp?) motors and assemble them on the lawnmowers. Toro bought out Lawnboy and now makes them as well.

 

[87horsepower]

How much do you have to cut? How much are you looking to spend? How much do you value your spare time?

If you have over a 1/2 acre, look into a 36&quot; belt driven Walkbehind. They handle hills quite well and really cut down your mowing time. A 36&quot; Exmark would last you forever, hold 5 gallons of fuel and will cut an acre in about 35-40 minutes. It will have a 13 horse Kawasaki that will cut through most anything, and leave a professional looking cut. They cost about $2200 and they can be financed for under $100 for two years. This may sound like a huge chunk of change, but weigh the options. Don't confuse these with machines like the Troy-Bilt. This is a true commercial machine. I own one, a 1997 with over 1500 hours on it, and it starts every time. They are easy to maintain too.

 

[Ultima200]

Yeah Toro mowers arent &quot;shit&quot;. I have one that we have had for a long time and altho we now have people who cut our long (too much property), it works great.

 

[xraymongral]

<< Yeah Toro mowers arent &quot;shit&quot;. I have one that we have had for a long time and altho we now have people who cut our long (too much property), it works great. >>


I said used Toros. Some are good, but there are alot, mostly those with the &quot;T&quot; motor, I forget its proper designation, that are junk. Pure, unadalterated junk. So it is a safe bet to avoid them if you dont know what specific models are good or bad.

We had a Toro when I was a yougster, and it was never a great mower.



<< Toro bought out Lawnboy and now makes them as well. >>


Lawnboy has never been a great mower, the tradition continues.

 

[Viperoni]

I never smell of gas when I mow the lawn, only when I bust of the weed trimmer.
Then again, a 32cc, 17inch, industrial quality trimmer burns a whole lot of gas :Q

God is that thing ever loud....makes my ricer neighbour jealous

 

[Soujiro]

Electric mowers are veryy weeak. My neighbors have one and they have to mow the lawn every week or else the grass gets too big for the mower to handle it. If you let your grass grow for like 3 weeks in the summer, only the Gas will be able to handle it. Sucks that gas is really expensive now tho.

 

[PCAddict]

I suggest a good gas powered mower as well. I have a Craftsman 6.0 horsepower self-propelled 21&quot; cut that can mulch, bag, or side-discharge. I got it last year, it was a closeout model and it cost me like $270. It kicks ass. I have about 3/8 of an acre to cut. Look for a sale. Before that I had a POS used mower that someone gave me. Having a good mower makes all the difference.