Whether you have a small backyard or whole 9 yards to spare, mowing can be an essential but daunting task. Homeowners often let tall and wet grass take over their lawns before they start accepting it as an issue and start working towards it.
However, the absence of a suitable lawn mower can make the task much more challenging than it should be. This article will discuss the essentials you need to know before buying a lawn mower.
1. Cutting Height Adjustment
Most lawn mower tools, except absolutely cheap ones, come with a height adjustment setting that allows you to choose the grass height as preferred. However, the ease of using such features may vary between different models of the mower.
While some of the top-end products are adjustable through just a lever, some require a few more steps to get it done. Typically, the best mowers simultaneously adjust all four wheels to give you more smooth and easy operability.
There is an optimum size of grass that you should maintain throughout your lawn to increase water retention and reduce weed growth. Although the ideal size may vary depending on the weather and the soil type, 2-3 inches is considered the best.
2. Engine Performance
Be it electric or gas, the engine performance of the lawnmowers often dictate how efficiently and quickly you can cut through tall grass. Most walk-behind lawnmowers come equipped with 140-190 cc engines that don’t let firm grass damage the rotors.
If you regularly maintain your lawn, you won’t need that much power to mow it. However, if you have a bigger lawn, higher engine performance should reduce the mowing time than the lower-powered mowers that need to be repeatedly moved over an area to be effective.
The engine styles also contribute to the overall performance of the mower. Side valve engines are mostly used in cheaper lawnmowers.
They have a poor breathing cycle and don’t work as fuel-efficiently as top-valve engines. Side-valve mowers may also overheat during the operation—taking more time to mow the same area.
Read Also:
3. Automatic Systems
Electrical lawnmowers work exactly as their gas-powered counterparts. But, they are easier to start and offer automatic features that allow the mower to start and operate on its own as scheduled through the help of dedicated lawn mower apps on your phone.
Smart automatic mowers from Redback Tools often come with a rain protection feature that returns it to the docking station when it rains heavily.
Further improved versions of automatic lawnmowers are more aware of their surroundings and can avoid obstacles to save the engine from getting harmed.
In contrast to generic lawn mowers, automatic lawn mowers are much more compact and don’t require continuous input or labor from the user.
4. Battery Life
Lithium-ion batteries have improved a lot in recent years. Manufacturers are starting to use them as a replacement for traditional gas-powered mowers.
While the performance of these mowers is similar to that of gas-powered ones, the battery life may still be an issue for homeowners with bigger lawns.
With a single charge, a single suburban yard may be mowed, but for bigger lawns, it may need several charges to get it done. Which, inevitably, extends the time it requires to mow the whole lawn.
Therefore, for now, consider gas-powered lawn mower tools for larger lawns and battery lawn mowers for smaller ones. However, you may also choose to go with multiple mowers if you want to go environment-friendly with those tanky machines.
5. Walking Comfort
As you start to age, it may not remain as easy as it’s now to mow the lawn with a walk-behind mower that isn’t adjusted to a comfortable position.
Some top-end lawnmowers allow height and angle adjustment in their models, but if you’re going with an older model, consider checking the comfort level before committing to it. Better yet, go for automatic mowers that don’t require you to walk behind them to function.
6. Longevity and Repairability
It’s impractical to expect anything with moving parts to run for years without maintenance. But, as lawnmowers aren’t something that you may take out regularly like your car, they need to be durable and resilient to weather changes.
If the rotor blades and the shaft are made from corrosive metals like mild steel, it may take additional routine processes to keep the mower in pristine condition. Consider mowers that are widely available in the market and can be repaired without being replaced.
7. Investing in High-Quality Mowers
You must choose whether you want to spend your money upfront or through maintenance when it comes to lawn mower tools. Going for low-quality cheaper mowers often requires you to spend more money on maintenance than high-quality durable mowers.
Cheaper mowers generally are less fuel efficient and require regular professional maintenance to function properly. In contrast, high-end electric lawn tools come with year-long warranties that ensure that the costly parts are covered under them in case anything goes wrong.
8. Customer Feedback
Online customer feedback is one of the most essential things that you should keep an eye out for before buying a lawn mower tool. Always pay attention to negative reviews more than positive ones.
While the positive ones may confirm the features that the product promises, negative reviews often reveal issues that you may have during long-term usage. As you may invest hundreds of dollars in a lawn mower, it’s your responsibility to consider these drawbacks before choosing a product.
9. Disposal Options
Some homeowners like to collect the grass blades in a bag attached to the mower, while some like them to be discarded from the sides of the mower itself. The bag mowers keep the lawns tidy but are more time-consuming.
Choose a mower that fits your preference. Moreover, try getting your hands on a mower that supports both options.
The Bottom Line
We’ve discussed all the essentials that you should consider before buying a lawn mower. Starting with engine performance and height adjustment, go through the automatic and smart features that the mower allows. Also, consider the comfort level that the product may offer if it’s a walk-behind model.
