Lawn Care: How to Choose a Lawn Mower
By Michele Blandino
Unless you are lucky enough to employ a lawn cutting service, mowing the lawn is a necessary evil associated with home ownership. And, unlike many other home maintenance tasks, cutting the grass is not a “one-and-done” type of endeavor – it is something that needs to be done once a week; sometimes more often during the peak growing season.
Yet, when it comes to buying the correct tools for the job, many homeowners don’t realize the importance of selecting the proper equipment. When shopping for a lawnmower, there are several considerations you will need to make, including who will be the primary user and the size and type of your lawn.
What Type of Lawn do You Have?
The first thing you will need to do is assess your lawn. Is it relatively flat and free of obstructions? Is it large (i.e. a half acre or more)? If the answer to these questions is yes, and if your budget will allow, you may want to consider a riding lawnmower. While riding mowers are more expensive than the traditional walk-behind models (prices range between $1,000 and $7,000, with the more expensive models having additional features such as a towing package), they can be well worth the investment if you have a lot of real estate to cut.
If you have a smaller piece of property, or if your land is full of obstacles such as trees, is irregular shaped, or sloped, you may be better off with a self-propelled walk-behind mower. As implied by their name, self-propelled mowers seemingly move under their own power, making slopes and hills easier to tackle. Cheaper than its riding counterpart, a good self-propelled mower will cost in the neighborhood of $500 - $700.
Non-self propelled mowers are best for relatively small, flat lawns. These types of mowers require more effort to maneuver, but are still relatively easy to use, as long as the lawn being cut isn’t too big. Expect to spend between $300 and $500 for this type of mower.
For really tiny lawns, nothing beats the old-fashioned reel lawnmower. These small, quiet machines require only your strength to push them along and produce a shorter cut than their machine-powered cousins. Reel mowers are the most economical option with an average cost of $200.
Whose Job Will it Be?
Another factor you should consider is who the primary user will be. If the lawn cutting chores are going to be delegated to your 11 year-old son, then you will want to take care to choose a mower that is not too powerful. Some self-propelled models can literally run away from the user if not kept under control. Likewise, some riding mowers may be too complicated for a child to operate correctly. If you are going to buy a riding mower for your child to use, bring your child along when you shop as you will want to be sure that they can reach and understand the controls.
The bottom line is that regardless of who will be using the mower, you will want to select one that can be easily operated and controlled by the user.
Maintenance
Lawnmowers also need to be maintained. In general, the more sophisticated the mower, the more involved the maintenance process will be. As a result, you will need to assess your ability to maintain the mower including periodic oil and air filter changes and spark plug checks. If you are not comfortable taking on these tasks, or if you don’t think you will have the time to properly maintain your mower, ask the dealer about service plans.
If you think you will be buying a service plan, you should consider buying your mower from a local dealer. Be sure to ask how long routine maintenance will take and, in the event your machine will need repair, the average completion time to make these repairs. Some shops send mowers to other locations for repair and maintenance which can mean you will be without your lawnmower for a week or more. Unless you have an alternate means of cutting your lawn, you may want to consider another dealer.
