Electric Lawnmower

[HarryD]

My wife ran over my 1982 vintage lawnmower. It has worked flawlessly for me and was the best $70 i ever spent on a new power tool. While i suppose i can fix the bent wheel and deck and keep using it after 32 years, retirement seems to be a good option.

I am thinking of replacing it with an electric unit because it would not be as noisy and easier to start. My lawn is tiny and takes about 15-20 minutes to cut including starting the motor and emptying the clippings bag.

Any suggestions as to what to look for in a decent unit for not much money?

[mossguy]

My experience with electric lawn mowers is that they do no work very well on wet lawns. I know that I'm not addressing your question, but that's alll I've got.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by HarryD

...replacing it with an electric unit because it would not be as noisy and easier to start.

Yeah, get an electric... I hear those things start on the first pull... every time.

You probably wouldn't want to mess with a corded one, so your choice is probably between battery-powered and... uh... cordless... aka lithium battery-powered... if there is such a thing. Just for fun, search 36 volt lithium battery-powered Black and Decker lawn mower and see what pops up. I know they make hedge trimmers with a lithium power pack.

That advice is gonna cost you. Tell us the funny story about how your wife ran over the old one.

I'm guessing she didn't sneak up on it with the front of her vehicle.

[wdfifteen]

I have a 3 year old Neuton CE5 for sale. $200 + shipping.
I got it to do trimming around my building, but the ground is too rough for it and I always let the grass get too high. It works fine for cutting 1/2" off of the grass on a smooth lawn. I will run for 15 minutes or so which was plenty of time, but isn't robust enough for heavier duty work.

Neuton Battery Lawn Mowers - CE5 Mower | Neuton Power Equipment

[petrolhead611]

I have had a battery powered mower: the burglar alarm battery made it quite heavy, especially relative to the corded Bosch mower I bought thereafter. My front lawn is steeply banked, hence the weight issue.Remembering battery maintenance through the winter is the killer for most rechargeable tools.

[HardDrive]

I had a plug in Toro and I loved it. You do have to think through the best pattern to avoid constantly dealing with the cord. But I didn't find it to be a big deal. Although I must admit, I started one summer with a 100ft cord, and ended it with two, a 87ft and a handy 13ft : D

[johnco]

when I was a kid my father thought it was a bright idea to buy an electric lawnmower. he insisted... forced... me to cut grass early morning when dew was still on the grass. this resulted in a couple weeks of electroshock therapy for me as wet hands and shoes always found any cut or bad insulation in the old cord I had to use and a few new cuts from blade hits didn't help. after a couple weeks of this I coiled the cord into a nice little pile and "accidently" ran the mower over it. cord was cut into too many pieces to repair and electric lawnmower was retired..the fried motor from the garden hose rinsing might have had something to do with it also. hated that damn lawnmower

[Jim Richards]

I was thinking of getting a Neutron cordless mower sometime in the near future.

https://www.neutonpower.com/

[porsche4life]

Why not a reel mower? No motor at all. Check out the new fiskers brand one. Supposed to be pretty easy to push

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

I had a plug in Toro and I loved it. You do have to think through the best pattern to avoid constantly dealing with the cord. But I didn't find it to be a big deal. Although I must admit, I started one summer with a 100ft cord, and ended it with two, a 87ft and a handy 13ft : D

Originally Posted by johnco

when I was a kid my father thought it was a bright idea to buy an electric lawnmower. he insisted... forced... me to cut grass early morning when dew was still on the grass. this resulted in a couple weeks of electroshock therapy for me as wet hands and shoes always found any cut or bad insulation in the old cord I had to use and a few new cuts from blade hits didn't help. after a couple weeks of this I coiled the cord into a nice little pile and "accidently" ran the mower over it. cord was cut into too many pieces to repair and electric lawnmower was retired..the fried motor from the garden hose rinsing might have had something to do with it also. hated that damn lawnmower

Pretty much.

Having to deal with the cord sucks.

My father also seemed to go through more cords when he made my brother or I do the lawn.

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Why not a reel mower? No motor at all. Check out the new fiskers brand one. Supposed to be pretty easy to push

My thoughts as well. I have one I bought at Home Depot a few years ago that works well for a small lawn.

[Evans, Marv]

I had an old Sunbeam electric mower for years & years. It served me well & I didn't mind whipping the cord around to get it out of the way. That was a minor thing. I doubt you would be all that happy with a battery powered mower when the battery started to weaken. I'd also think about the good old push mower. No batteries or cords to worry about.

[HarryD]

A bit more info. My lawn is 100% hillside.

As odd as it might sound, we do seem to a number of damp days in the pacific northwest.

There is no "humorous" story about my lovely wife (32 years) running over the mower. I park it on the side of the garage about 6" from the side of her car. If it gets slid over a bit or she makes a small correction while steering entering or leaving the garage she is at risk of bumping it. I suppose I should be pleasantly happy it took her this long to actually damage the darned thing.

FWIW, I considered a reel type but at 60, the thought is not that appealing (see hillside note above).

Plus, when I was a kid, my dad was sure I would run my brother over with the power mower, so I spent my first 5 years pushing a reel type over his 1/4 acre lot that had only about 200 sf of flat spots. I really do not wish to relive those years.

I am thinking a corded type is more desirable due to the higher level of power available and the fact I will not need to maintain a decent size battery. Given the small size of my yard, the risk of cutting the cord is low as long as I plan appropriately.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Why not a reel mower? No motor at all. Check out the new fiskers brand one. Supposed to be pretty easy to push

NO WAY!! See my note above about a push type.

That said, I would expect a Fisker unit to be top notch. All of the cutting tools I have from them have been great and their service after the sale is superb.

About 10 years ago a I bought a bow saw to trim some trees. After years of abuse, the rivet assembly that held the blade to the handle failed. I wrote them asking where to buy a replacement part as the new ones used a different (incompatible) fastening system. They wrote back asking for my shipping address and about 2 weeks later a complete new saw appeared on my door step at NO cost to me. Now this tool costs about $15 at Home Depot and I had no objection to having them tell me that the part was unavailable and I would need to buy a new one somewhere. Instead they decided to make a customer for life.

[URY914]

My dad replaced our gas mower with a Black & Decker back when I was about 13. I hated that thing. It ALWAYS started with a flip of the switch. But I sure got good at running over the cord and fixing cords.

[Bill Douglas]

I got sick of rolling up and unrolling the long power cord. Now I just use my Husqvarna strimmer for all lawn mowing. Great on slopes too! Easier than a regular mower to store and to put into the back of cars etc.

[RWebb]

I tossed my push reel type mower (which replaced a gas mower that always needed work - meaning I had to drag it up a long series of steps to the driveway - about 50 ft. vertical). My lead battery electric lawn mower works well on my wet lawn. It is WAY better than reel mower. It won't suck up leaves as well in the fall but does ok on that.

It's just a red shrouded thing from Hoomey Despot - I forget the brand. The Neutons are supposed to be top notch but you pay. Cons. Reports does review periodically.

[lane912]

Honda 21 in. Variable Speed Self-Propelled Electric Start Gas Mower-HRX217HZA at The Home Depot

as simple to start as your little red car-

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by lane912

Honda 21 in. Variable Speed Self-Propelled Electric Start Gas Mower-HRX217HZA at The Home Depot

as simple to start as your little red car-

I think you are missing my point. I just like the idea of an electric unit for a change of pace.

If I go a replacement gasoline unit, it would be another 20 inch wide, 4 stroke, pull start, rear bagging unit that uses the motor to merely spin the blade.

[Oracle]

+1 Good for the environment and good for you as exercise!

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Why not a reel mower? No motor at all. Check out the new fiskers brand one. Supposed to be pretty easy to push