 Those of you who read my earlier post about what I did to my front lawn may be wary of reading any lawn advice from me, but I believe this post has some merit.
This spring when I went shopping for a lawn mower, my biggest concern was being able to get it started. I’ve always had a hard time starting push mowers. I don’t know if I’m too weak (hard to admit), if my arms are too short, or if I just don’t have the rhythm necessary to pull start a mower. The other excuse could be that we never had reliable lawn mowers when I was growing up. Back then, I’d wear my lucky shorts, do a lucky dance and throw my arms up to the heavens before trying to get the darned thing started.
For these reasons, I started looking at electric mowers. I knew I didn’t want one with a cord.  I looked at battery-operated models at a few different stores.  I asked salesmen about the battery life and replacement. I wanted to make sure that if I needed a new battery that the store would sell them or help me order one. Not every salesman I spoke to was prepared for the questions, but I finally found one who was. I was told the battery should last up to 5 years as long as I store it inside over the winter. This store also was equipped to order batteries when needed. I was sold!
Some pros and cons of electric mowers:
Pros: I don’t have to worry about gas or other mower maintenance. As long as I keep it charged, I don’t have to worry about it not starting. Replacement batteries can cost around $60, but if they do last 5 years I think that still may be cheaper than purchasing gas and oil changes.Â
Cons: Because electric models are relatively new on the market, there isn’t a lot of information about their life expectancy. I have a fairly small lawn and have never had a problem using up the charge, but I can’t speak for those who have large lawns. I’ve read that a full charge should last more than an hour, but I’ve never had to test that claim.
Electric lawn mowers are more expensive. I paid about $100 more than I would have paid for a good gas-powered mower, but that is money well spent in my book if I never have to ask for help getting it started.
I happen to know a few women who get out of mowing lawn because they tell their husbands they can’t get the mower started. Ladies – I hope my post didn’t spoil what was working for you. Please don’t hold it against me!
I bought a Black & Decker electric back in 2002 – now I use a nice gas lawnmower. Loved the electric, but here are some things to keep in mind:
1) you CAN’T let the grass get too long, the battery will only last about half as long as normal and you’ll need to mow at least twice (charging between times). If it gets really long, it can take several days to mow a good sized lawn. I would have to set it on the highest setting, mow the lawn, then mow again at the lower height I wanted. Takes forever.
2) you CAN’T mow grass when it’s wet – AT ALL. This eats the battery more than long grass. Makes it difficult to get the lawn done when weather is a little rainy for a week or more – you can’t get out and mow it, and it just keeps getting longer.
3) they do NOT do well on thick grass.
4) the battery won’t last 5 years – I would get about 2, but I didn’t store my battery inside during the winter (just the garage). Still, I highly doubt you’ll get 5 – maybe 3.
5) you won’t finish mowing a large yard on one charge, and probably not even a just-over-medium sized one, either. I could do our big front yard, then I would do the back yard the next day.
Even with all those cons, I’d love to have an electric again – my yard is just too big, grass is too thick, and my schedule is too busy to have to wait until the grass is totally dry to cut. I loved not worrying about gas or oil, and it’s SO nice and quiet compared to a gas powered mower. Good luck, hope it works out for you!
I got out of mowing for a long time, and then my husband bought a mower at Sears. Starting it was a major part of his decision, too, because he didn’t want to jerk his back out getting the rotten thing going. He found one that has a “primer” on it, and even I can start it. Guess what. Now I get to help with the mowing at the lake. Oh, well, it makes me feel more useful.
does it work well on zoysia grass??
I’m not sure about that. I had to Google what zoysia grass even was. Sorry!
I’m think’in…………..billy goat…….yep…..that’s the answer……billy goat…….