Tips To Make Choosing A Lawn Mower Easy

So your old lawn mower just doesn’t cut it anymore (pun intended) and you’ve decided it’s time for a new one. But how do you go about choosing a lawn mower? Start by knowing exactly what you need.

The most important three things you should consider include the size and terrain of your yard, what features you’ll need, and the engine quality. A fourth important factor will be your budget.

The size of your yard will tell you if you need a riding mower, or if a walk behind will do. If your yard is less than 3/4 of an acre, a walk behind is probably OK. Walk behind mowers are the most popular. Now let’s look at features. If your yard is small and doesn’t have a lot of hills, you probably won’t need too many extra features. One you should seriously consider is a self propelled mower, especially if your yard is over 1/2 acre. These make mowing easy because the push forward on their own. Your job becomes walking behind the mower and guiding it in the right direction.

Now you need to look at the mower deck and the engine power. A wider deck means you cut more grass at one time. The result is fewer trips across the yard. If you add a powerful motor into the mix, mowing will become even faster and easier. But don’t get too caught up in getting more power and a wider deck then you need. You’ll basically be spending more money for nothing if you don’t match the mower with the yard.

You also need to look at the size of the rear wheels. In most cases, standard wheels are fine. But if you have a rough yard with lots of hills, large rear wheels will make the job easier.

Larger yards, those over 3/4 of an acre, may require a riding mower. Once again you’ll need to choose the deck size and engine power. Only consider higher end options if you will be mowing several acres. You’ll be saving money this way.

If you have lots of trees, shrubs and other landscape features, then consider a zero turn radius mower. With these you can basically cut in a circle without moving or leaving a space in the middle. They’re ideal for going around trees. But if you don’t have much landscaping, then save your money or use it on features you will need.

The final big decision you need to make, and this applies to both riding and walk behind mowers, is if you want the mower to mulch. These mowers have special blades that will chop your grass clipping into small particles before returning them to the soil. The clipping decompose and act as a natural fertilizer. If you don’t get a mulching mower, then you’ll need to catch the clipping in a bag to throw them out. Or even worse, rake them up, bag them, then dispose of them.

Naturally there are plenty of other choices to make. Do you want an electric mower, one with a cord or without? Do you want one of the new solar powered or robotic mowers? Start by answering the basic questions first, then when you head to the dealer or look online, choosing a lawn mower will be a much easier task.