Cordless electric lawn mower?

[aaronc879]

If I get an electric mower, I think it will be a Roomba style robot mower. I could get used to that.
http://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/does-a-robotic-lawn-mower-really-cut-it-1460488911

I like the idea and at $1000 for the last one in the article I may consider it except I would be too worried that someone would just walk off with it while i'm away.

 

[Music Lover]

Or, like someone I worked with years ago who had 10 acres... he bought a multi-blade self propelled walk behind (or you could buy a little attachment to stand on if you want) that was like 60 inches wide...

The person that used to live next door to me had the same size yard as me...116' X 629". He used to cut it with a walk behind gas mower. He was retired but chose Saturdays to spend the 8 hours it took to cut the lawn.

I have nothing against getting your exercise and keeping the yard looking nice, but listening to a lawn mower for 8 hours gets old very fast.

 

[mountainsoft]

With that much yard I think I would buy a riding mower for the main area and the small one for the edges.

Our yard has lots of trees and individual small areas to work around. We don't have a lot of big open areas. It would actually be kind of awkward to mow with a riding mower. There are a few sections where I could make passes with a rider, but the majority would still need to be done with a walk behind.

Besides, I enjoy getting outside in the fresh air, and it gives me some much needed exercise.

I'm sure a day will come when I won't be able to walk the full yard anymore. But for now I have no interest in a riding mower.

 

[mountainsoft]

He used to cut it with a walk behind gas mower. He was retired but chose Saturdays to spend the 8 hours it took to cut the lawn.

My in-laws have an average size lot in the city. My father-in-law had emphysema, and needed oxygen in order to breathe. He would take off his oxygen tube, go out and make one pass with the mower, then come back in for more oxygen. A little while later he would go back out and make another pass with the mower. I don't know how long it took him to do the whole yard, but it was generally an all afternoon thing. My sister-in-law took over mowing the yard a few years before he died.

 

[Texas Proud]

Our yard has lots of trees and individual small areas to work around. We don't have a lot of big open areas. It would actually be kind of awkward to mow with a riding mower. There are a few sections where I could make passes with a rider, but the majority would still need to be done with a walk behind.

Besides, I enjoy getting outside in the fresh air, and it gives me some much needed exercise.

I'm sure a day will come when I won't be able to walk the full yard anymore. But for now I have no interest in a riding mower.

If you enjoy it, then go for it.... but, you can get a zero turn mower and do much more than you think on a riding mower... my old boss swore that he did not have to use a walk behind at all....

I have also see the guy who mows the next door lawn and he uses a zero turn... he has a helper with a weed whacker to do all the trim... this is a normal 1/4 acre lot... also with trees etc....

 

[pb4uski]

I would estimate my front yard to be 30x30ft and back yard 40x50 at least. I bought a corded snow blower and hated it so i'm not very interested in a corded lawn mower.

Something like this would be close to being able to do entire yard on one charge. EGO 21 in. 56-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Battery Self Propelled Mower-LM2102SP - The Home Depot

Have you considered an old fashioned reel mower? Might work given the small size of your yard. I have one and use it on my small front yard and use a rider on the much larger back yard. Works good.

https://www.amazon.com/Great-States...d=1488757198&sr=1-11&keywords=reel+lawn+mower

 

[mountainsoft]

If you enjoy it, then go for it.... but, you can get a zero turn mower and do much more than you think on a riding mower.

Perhaps, but I'm betting a riding mower costs a lot more than my walk-behind mower? Not to mention maintaining it and figuring out where to store it (I have a small 8x12 shed for all of our outdoor equipment (mower, tiller, snow blower, string trimmer, leaf blower, hand tools, etc.).

Honestly, when the day comes that I'm no longer able to walk the yard, I might just consider a landscaping service. Let someone else deal with the dust, maintenance, and storage.

I could also hire a housekeeping service, a personal chef, a handyman, and an auto mechanic. I wouldn't need to lift a finger. That actually sounds quite boring to me...

 

[aaronc879]

Have you considered an old fashioned reel mower? Might work given the small size of your yard. I have one and use it on my small front yard and use a rider on the much larger back yard. Works good.

See post #11.

 

[pb4uski]

You'll be so buff that pushing a reel mower will be a breeze for you.

 

[aaronc879]

You'll be so buff that pushing a reel mower will be a breeze for you.

Or i'll pass out from exhaustion. One or the other.

 

[Hyperborea]

Hopefully they'll come out with a battery powered electric riding mower before I can't keep up with the walk behind mower.

You mean like this one?

 

[misshathaway]

I bought the same Ryobi at Home Depot in Hyperborea's link last summer. It's great but my little lawn takes 2 batteries. No big deal if they are both charged ahead of time. Battery lasts about 30 minutes.

 

[jimbee]

Hopefully they'll come out with a battery powered electric riding mower before I can't keep up with the walk behind mower.

How about this one, from around 1969?

 

[Sunny]

I really like our electric mower. This is the one we have, I'm sure there is probably an updated model: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JMZH3A/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I purchased a second battery (that I've never had to use) at the time. We have 1.5 acre lot but between the house and trees 70% of that is taken up. The description indicated the mower could do 1/3 an acre (14,520 square feet compared to I think you said 2,900 estimate for your place (30x30ft and back yard 40x50). Based on my experience, it'd be more than fine for your coverage area.

About half of what I mow is flat, the rest is on slopes ranging from gentle to one that pushes a 30% grade. On this hill the self-propelled helps, but it requires a bit more effort to push it. Not much mind you, but more than the mower pulls me if I have it on the rabbit setting and I am on flat ground.

Cons:

- extra long grass can present an issue so you have to go slower. Fix: during peak grow times, mow once a week.

- Trickle charge it over the winter to keep the battery fresh? Although I'm still on the original battery from back in 2011

- Although much quieter than a gas mower, it isn't exactly a stealth machine. If a neighbor stops by to chat you will have to turn it off to have a conversation.

Seriously, those are the only cons I can think of. Pros include of course no gas, no oil, immediate start (after those neighbor conversations and although it isn't whisper quiet, it sure is quieter than any other mower I've ever heard by far.

BTW, on those reel mowers...I considered one of those. If you have a lot of trees people say they don't work well because of the twigs and stuff trees always drop. So glad I went with the electric mower.

 

[Dawg52]

All battery powered for me. I have a 40v push mower, 20v weed eater and 20v blower. Couldn't be more satisfied.

 

[Squirrel]

I've had a Black and Decker cordless electric mower for almost 15 years.

I've had mine for 8 years no. It gets light use, but no problems.

Am I the only one who's lazy enough to say "if the battery dies, I'll charge it overnight and mow the rest tomorrow"?

 

[HadEnuff]

I had a corded electric mower which i accidentally modified to a cordless mower. It was much easier to maneuver as a cordless model, but I could never get it to cut the grass after I modified it.

 

[Bamaman]

It takes me about 90 minutes to mow our yard, using the highest walking speed on my Honda Self Propelled mower. I foresee a day when I won't be able to walk that fast anymore and will have to use the slower speed.

I usually use the slow speed the first time each spring, since I've been sitting around lazy all winter. It takes me about two hours to mow the yard on the slow speed.

A cordless mower could still be usable if I had extra batteries charging while I'm mowing. But, I'm not aware of any self-propelled cordless mowers. That's kind of the deal breaker for me on our property.

Hopefully they'll come out with a battery powered electric riding mower before I can't keep up with the walk behind mower.

Ryobi has a lithium powered riding mower--available at Home Depot. My cousin has one and he cuts two good size yards before having to recharge the battery. It's actually faster than my Gravely zero turn mower.

 

[aaronc879]

Ryobi has a lithium powered riding mower--available at Home Depot. My cousin has one and he cuts two good size yards before having to recharge the battery. It's actually faster than my Gravely zero turn mower.

I saw that and i'm tempted but I can't spend $2500+ for a lawn mower. Also, I am 6'6" and the mower looks a little small. I doubt I would fit reasonably.