How to Choose a Gasoline Lawn Mower

The advantage of gas mowers

The main competitors for gas mowers are electric lawn mowers. The advantage of gasoline lawn mowers, in relation to electric, is as follows:

• Independent of availability of power source
• They have a more powerful engine, which allows you to work on large lawn sizes
• maneuverable, as Do not have an electric cable that will trail behind and cling to all obstacles.
• With a gas mower you can even mow ordinary, tougher grass
• Cheaper to maintain (although they break more often)

Despite this, gasoline lawn mowers have several significant disadvantages, namely:

• Make noise
• Assume additional material costs for fuels and lubricants (fuels and lubricants)
• Emission of harmful emissions into the atmosphere
• often requires repair and maintenance
• The engine is designed in such a way that when working with a gas mower on the hills cooler than 25 °, the oil stops entering the lubrication channels of the rubbing parts, as a result of which the mower can break.

Types of gas mowers

Gas mower design

There are several varieties of gasoline lawn mowers, namely:

By type of engine:

• Household (for the site up to 8 acres, with a motor resource of 500 hours and having a power of up to 5 hp)
• Semi-professional (for a site up to 18 acres, with a motor resource of 700 operating hours and having a power of up to 7 hp)
• Professional (for sites of any size, with a motor resource of 1000 engine hours, with a capacity of over 7 hp)

Cutting width:

• With a width of 42-28 cm. Suitable for plots with an area of ​​not more than 8 acres.
• With a width of 51-53 cm. Suitable for areas up to 18 acres.

By type of grass catcher:

• With fabric grass catcher (for high-powered units). Dignity. well filled. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to clean.
• With plastic grass catcher. The advantage is ease of care. The disadvantage is poor filling of the container.
• With a combined grass catcher (plastic cloth). Advantages. ease of care, well filled.

By functional features:

• The mowed grass is sent to the grass catcher. Such types of gasoline lawn mowers do not have more important functions. mulching and lateral ejection of mowed grass.
• Mulch the soil with mowed grass. Mowed grass is additionally crushed in the deck of the unit and laid with a thin mulching layer on the lawn. These lawn mowers have an exit under a grass catcher and a stub.
• Side discharge of mowed grass. It is used when servicing large areas of the lawn.

Video: How to Choose a Gasoline Lawn Mower

There are also more expensive gas mowers that include all 3 functions.

To adjust the height of mowing the lawn:

• Individual adjustment. Each unit wheel has a separate mowing height adjustment lever.
• Central adjustment. The adjustment lever simultaneously controls the entire cutting height.
• Screw adjustment. The most simple and inconvenient way to adjust the cutting height, in which the height is set manually when moving the wheel axis up / down.

By type of movement:

• Self-propelled. It has a drive that allows you to automatically move a gas mower. The main thing is to direct to the mowing area.
• Not self-propelled. The movement of the unit is carried out manually.

By type of drive:

• Front-wheel drive lawn mower. It is more maneuverable and is used on flat areas.
• Rear wheel drive lawn mower. It is used when mowing grass in hilly areas, as more stable when driving with a load on the rear wheels (hill movement).

Guidelines for choosing a gas mower yourself

Almost all the advantages and disadvantages of various types of gasoline lawn mowers we have provided above, in a brief description. But still I would like to draw your attention to some design features of gasoline lawn mowers, which should be considered when buying a unit.

So, professional gardeners provide you with the following recommendations for choosing a gas mower:

• When buying a gas mower, pay attention to the diameter of the wheels. The larger the diameter, the more maneuverable the unit will be, and therefore the mowing process is more comfortable.

By the way, the width of the wheels should also be taken into account, because narrow wheels will push through a lawn covering, leaving not so attractive traces.

• The mower deck must be aluminum. In this case, the mower itself will be lighter, more resistant to mechanical damage and the formation of corrosion.
• If you choose a machine that is not powerful enough, the grass catcher should be plastic, because it will be more convenient to clean the container from grass.
• Give preference to lawn mowers with folding rubber handles. They are easier to transport and vibrations from the engine will be less felt.
• The mowing height should be regulated by the central lever, this is more convenient and will allow a more even mowing of the lawn throughout the area.
• Pay attention to the executive organ of the lawnmower. the knife. It should be sharp and preferably broad. In this design, the lawn mowers will cut grass better.
• Choose a gas mower with wheels on bearings, as conventional plastic bushings fail faster and are less resistant to mechanical damage.
• It is impossible not to say about engine power. Based on the area of ​​your site, choose an engine with a power reserve so that you can mow grass in any weather. We draw your attention to the fact that self-propelled lawn mowers take away part of the engine power for driving, this also needs to be taken into account.
• Give preference to lawn mower manufacturers such as Honda, Hitachi, Craftsman, Viking, MTD, Stihl, Husqvarma, Stiga, Makita, etc. Pay attention to the manufacturer of the petrol lawn mower engine, Briggs are the leaders & Stratton and Honda.

That’s all the recommendations for choosing a gasoline lawn mower with your own hands! We draw your attention to the fact that if you change the oil and sharpen knives in a timely manner, the gasoline unit will serve you long and carefree!