Do you need a front or rear wheel drive mower?

A from wheel drive mower will work well on flat surfaces but not so well on slopes where you need to lift the front wheels from the ground by pushing down on the handle. A rear wheel drive mower on the other hand is easier to use on a slope as the downward pressure needed is aided by having the drive on the rear wheels. larger wheels will help to increase the traction but will give you less traction on slopes or when the grass is wet.

A drive that employs a pulley and belt will work well when new but the belt tends to stretch from use and loosens the drive. Tightening the belt is not always an answer and in this case the belt will need to be replaced.

Another kind of drive is a turntable drive which uses gears and belts to provide power to the wheels. This type of drive will need the drive wheels and discs cleaned regularly with degreaser sold for engines to avoid slippage in use caused by contamination.  You should also check if the drive uses plastic or metal gear wheels as plastic wheels have a much shorter life than metal wheels.

Operating a self propelled lawn mower

When using a self propelled mower the operator holds the handle or bar to allow the blade to spin. Taking your hand off the bar stops the blade from spinning but doesn’t shut down the drive so you can move the mower without cutting any grass when necessary. To avoid forming ruts it is advisable to mow in different directions each time you mow the lawn. You should also avoid making sharp tunes when using this kind of mower as this can put too much stress on the bar.

Petrol driven self propelled mowers will also need regular maintenance including changing the plugs and filters, just as you would with a car’s internal combustion engine.

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Before you think about buying an electric lawn mower you will need to decide between a corded or a cordless mower. Do you have a lawn with areas further than 100 ft from a power supply? In that case you will need to have a cordless mower as most corded mowers only come with a 100 ft cable. However if your lawn is very large a cordless mower will probably not be able to mow all the area on one recharge. A corded mower has the advantage that you don’t have to replace batteries, as you would need to do after a few years with a cordless mower.

Electric mowers have a distinct advantage when starting as all you need to do is push a button. Anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to start a petrol mower with a recoil start will appreciate this. they are also more environmentally friendly as they do not emit any fumes and use much less energy. They are cheap to run, costing less than $5 for a whole seasons mowing. A petrol mower will cost much more as you could need a gallon of petrol for three runs. Petrol mowers also require maintenance in the same way as a car engine, plugs and filters need to be cleaned or changed etc. An electric mower on the other hand requires almost no maintenance apart from keeping it clean and the blades grass free.  Electric mowers are also very quiet so if you like to mow you lawn early in the morning without waking the neighbors they are ideal!

Electric mowers then are a good choice if you are aware of the limitations. They are easy for anyone to use so and not heavy to push so are suitable for everyone, whatever the level of fitness.

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