What is different about the self-propelled lawnmower from non-self-propelled

Which lawn mower is the best to buy: choose the type and model

With the advent of summer the owners of homesteads and cottages are thinking about how to order their lawn. an important component of landscape design. And the best solution is to buy a lawn mower. However, making the right choice with all the variety of models and brands is not so easy. In this review, we’ll talk about how to choose a lawn mower based on your individual needs and give you a rating of lawn mowers in three different categories of this gardening equipment.

How to choose the right mower? To begin with it is necessary to understand the functional differences between lawn mowers and similar garden and park equipment: trimmers and brush cutters. Often owners of suburban property do not see a significant difference between these equipment, which is fraught with errors in the choice of equipment.

  • Lawn mower. it is a wheeled gardening and park equipment of medium size and power for mowing lawns on a level landscape.
  • grass trimmer. a low-power mechanism, designed to be carried in the hands, consisting of a cutting element, boom and motor. Grass trimmer is used when you want to cut the grass on uneven terrain, in hard-to-reach places and near plants. This device is usually used to treat relatively small areas. Or for mowing up the remaining areas where the lawnmower didn’t make it through.
  • Lawn mower (lawnmower). a more powerful and structurally more reliable version of the grass trimmer. Designed for high grass and uneven terrain. It can be used as a basic tool for maintenance of the site, if there is no possibility to use a lawn mower, but due to the fact that mowing is done manually and is uneven, it is not suitable for use on the lawn.

So we’ve established that the lawnmower is the best option for areas with a flat landscape and simple geometry. But this is only the beginning. Next you need to choose the type of mower. For easy perception, the classification of the mechanisms, the principles of the individual models, as well as their advantages and disadvantages are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Principles of operation of lawnmowers

Technical parameter Advantages Disadvantages
Type of motor and power source:
Electric motor without battery Electric lawnmowers
Environmentally safe, does not require the purchase of fuel and lubricants, have a low noise level (at 80 dB). Requires connection to mains power supply, extension cord, risk of cable damage, dangerous to operate during rain and dew, have limited power.
Battery electric motor Cordless and robotic lawnmowers
They have the same advantages as listed above and are also more mobile. robotic lawnmowers do not require an operator. Have the same disadvantages as above, but also are heavy, limited battery life (15 to 30 minutes), the need for long recharging.
Gasoline engine Gasoline lawnmowers
Powerful, easy to manoeuvre, robust, for intensive use. Heavy, noisy (over 90 dB), require regular servicing and purchase of fuel and lubricants.
No engine, power source by muscular force Mechanical mowers
Absolute environmental friendliness, no noise, low cost, independence from energy sources, possibility to operate in any weather, ideal for plots with short and young grass. Require a lot of physical effort for the rapid movement of equipment, time-consuming mowing. Not suitable for dense or tall grass.
Type of drive:
On the front wheels Self-propelled, front wheel drive mowers
Maneuverable at turns, easy to control. Use on flat lawns only.
On rear wheels Self-propelled, rear-mounted mowers
With larger-diameter rear wheels, can work on slopes and undulating terrain. Uncomfortable to turn, sometimes it is necessary to stop and even lift some models.
Four-wheel drive Self-propelled four-wheel drive lawn mowers
Powerful and high-performance, versatile for all terrain and all-weather work, effortlessly up and down hills. High cost, high weight (about 50 kg).
Without drive Non-propelled models
Lightweight (about 15 kg), economical. Necessary to push beforehand, low power (models with engine without wheel drive).
The principle of operation:
Cylindrical (“combine principle”, with cutting blades twisted in a spiral around the rotating drum) mechanism Lawn mowers with drum cutting unit
These include all two-wheel models of mechanical lawnmowers with manual drive, as well as some models with an electric motor, which determine the advantages of technology. Best quality of mowing (grass mowing). Low power and manoeuvrability, not suitable for stubborn lawns.
rotary mechanism (“propeller principle”, cutting disk or 1-2 pairs of cutting blades. spindle blades. are fixed on the vertical rotating shaft) Lawn mowers with rotary cutting unit
They are very versatile and have the ability to adjust the height of the blades, allowing to work both on high and uneven terrain. These include all four-wheel petrol and electric models. Their disadvantages depend on the type of motor, drive, blades, housing material.
Air Cushion Wheelless mowers
Maneuverable, easy to pass and steer, designed to work on uneven terrain and hard to reach places. Rarely available, have a small model range, difficult to steer in a straight line.
Power:
Electric. up to 1,5 kW Internal combustion engine. up to 2,5 liters. с. Low power lawn mowers
Compact, lightweight, economical, ideal for small flat lawns with flowerbeds. Small mowing width (up to 40 cm), high consumption of time and effort for mowing, the ability to cut only young and short grass, poor functionality of the technique.
Electric. 1,5-2 kW Injection engine. 2,5-6 liters. с. Medium lawn mowers
The best option for most areas with slight surface slopes and unevenness, able to cut weeds with thick stems, greatly speed up the process of mowing lawns. They have higher price, relatively big weight and dimensions.
Gasoline engines. more than 6 hp High-power lawn mowers
Reliable and productive, can only be petrol, semi-professional and professional models. High-cost and costly to maintain.

How to choose a lawn mower

Rational choice of a lawn mower involves balancing its technical and functional characteristics with the peculiarities of the area to be mowed, and user preferences. The best way to do this is to make a table with your criteria in one column (personal preferences and site conditions), where the second column shows which characteristics of the mower suit these criteria, e.g. “1. yes” and “0. no”, and the third column shows how much these criteria mean to you individually. The most essential factors will have the maximum weight. multiplication factor of points.

You can use our test to help you decide which type of mower you need (table 2). To calculate the result, add up the points corresponding to your answers and compare the obtained value with the nominal values (given at the end of the table).

What is a ride-on mower??

Self-propelled lawn mower moves independently on the lawn, carrying out all necessary actions. You just have to guide it, slightly altering the movement. These models differ in type of drive. For example, there are Husqvarna rear-drive and front-drive mowers.

  • Huter GLM-5.0S. powerful and handy model
  • Hyundai L 4300S. with movable blades
  • Champion LM 5345 BS. really powerful
  • GreenWorks 250297 60V GD60LM 46SP. for mowing large lawns
  • Bosch ART 23-18 LI. Portable mower for finishing work
  • Monferme 25177M. compact mower for small areas

Which mower is better for petrol or cordless mowers??

Gasoline mowers, for example, also have no wires, the more they are more powerful, and the fuel lasts longer. You might say that the lawn mower is the hardest to reach around the lawn, by the side of the lawn or along the sidewall, but the cordless mower can easily handle it.

Rotary mowers (electric) are four-wheeled devices with a rigid body (deck) of lightweight but durable noise-proof plastic (optimum if the material is of high quality), or aluminum (good, but very expensive option) or iron (quite heavy, and in addition the grass juice corrodes.

Which lawn mower is better. the petrol mower or the cordless mower??

The petrol lawnmower, for example, also has no cables and is more powerful. You could say that the cordless mower is the hardest to reach areas near lawns, along house walls or edges of lawns, but the cordless mower can effortlessly tackle this.

Rotary mowers (electric) are four-wheeled devices with a rigid body (deck) of lightweight, but durable noise-proof plastic (optimum if the material is of high quality), or aluminum (good, but very expensive option) or iron (quite difficult, and in addition the juice of the grass corrodes.

Can you push a self-propelled lawnmower?

What to pay attention to when choosing a self-propelled lawn mower The advantage of using such modifications is that they do not need to be pushed when working. The performance of such a machine depends on the drive of movement, the lawnmower moves independently on the site.

Power. this parameter is determined by the area you need to treat. For a small lawn (2. 4 hundred square meters) will suit the apparatus of 600. 800 watts, but if the lawn is more than 4 hundred square meters, it is advisable to choose a tool with a power of at least 1000 watts. Deck is a section of the mower where the blade is located.

How you will use your mower? Some run on electricity or a battery; others run on gas.

The best option for you depends on the size of your lawn and your personal preferences.

Electric lawnmowers

Electric mowers have an electric cord that plugs into a socket. They tend to be compact and therefore easier to store. Electric mowers are almost always cheaper than other mowers. Since you can only mow as much as the extension cord allows, electric lawn mowers are best suited for small yards.

Greenworks 2502207

Another compact and inexpensive mower. It only weighs 7 kg, so even a child will have no problem steering it. The range of mowing height adjustment is not bad. from 20 to 60 mm. In addition, the possibility of throwing the grass back, not only in the appropriate container.

By installing the nozzle, you can use the mower for mulching. usually models at this cost can not boast about it. No extraneous odors are emitted by the housing during operation. The main drawback is that the height-of-cut switch is not convenient. At the same time, the screws that secure the handle can be unscrewed.

Bosch ARM 37

Our rating of electric lawnmowers by quality and reliability 2020 tops the Bosch ARM 37. This novelty boasts the fact that it is perfectly suited to uneven terrain, thanks to its large wheels and 1400-watt motor. Another great feature is its ability to do a huge amount of work. The model is suitable for mowing areas of up to 500 square meters.

The engine can run for 25 minutes without interruption. No need to worry about overload. the device is equipped with a special protection. The cutting height is adjustable in five stages from 20 to 70 mm. The drawback is that the blade gets blunt very quickly.

The specifics of lawn mower choice: expert advice

Consumer ecology.Usadba: What nuances to pay attention to before you buy a lawn mower.

Spring is a traditional time to start mowing in the countryside. Hundreds of things have to be done: to prepare the ground for planting, weed, mow the grass, etc.д. To save time and effort, the owners of country plots use iron helpers. motorized mechanisms that greatly facilitate the work in the garden and vegetable garden.

Choosing a lawn mower. the basics

The modern market of gardening equipment offers a great variety of lawn care equipment. Often, because of the many names, different functions, differences in design, the novice user can not decide on the model of lawnmower he needs.

A lawn mower, unlike a portable grass trimmer (brushcutter), travels around the site on its wheels. Therefore, before buying a lawn mower, we study the topography of your land and determine the tasks that will. For example, it’s one thing to mow a soft lawn on a level surface, but another to remove old dry growth from an uneven, hilly surface.

Lawn mower. a mechanism designed, as a rule, to mow the grass on a level well-groomed territory.

The second important factor influencing the choice of the type of lawnmower, its power, the type of drive. electric or gasoline, is the area to be processed.

The following figures can be used as a guide:

  • For grass mowing up to 200 sq. m. An electric lawn mower with a 1 to 1 m motor power would be good for lawn mowing.3 kW and a mowing width of 34-36 cm.
  • If the area of the lawn is 200-400 sq. m, an electric lawnmower with an engine output of 1 m is the right thing to do.2-1.5 kW.

You can also use a petrol lawn mower with a power of 3 or more to cut the grass on this lawn.5 to 5 liters.с. and cutting widths up to 45 cm.

When mowing lawns with the area of 8 to 15 acres it is preferable to use more powerful lawn mowers, equipped with gasoline engine.

These lawnmowers can have an engine power of 4.5-6 л.с., and up to 50 cm cutting width. If you need to mow lawns larger than 15 acres you need more powerful equipment. petrol lawnmowers with 5.5-7 л.с. with a cutting width of 48. 57 cm.

So in order to make an informed choice of lawn mower, you should first of all be guided by the characteristics of the lawn, its area, topography, type of grass to be mowed, density of buildings and zoning of the territory. In addition, lawn mowers have a certain set of features and functions, with which you need to decide already before buying.

For ease of choice, all mowers can be divided into two types. electric and gasoline. Let’s consider each type of lawn mower separately.

Electric lawn mowers. As mentioned above, the choice of this type of mower, in the first place affects the area to be treated. There is no sense to buy powerful, heavy and expensive gasoline device if he, literally, there is no place even to turn in a small area. In this case the best choice will be buying an electric lawn mower, working from the network or battery-powered. In addition, well-groomed, already inhabited, clearly zoned site imposes certain restrictions on the work of lawn mowers.

Trees, flowerbeds, winding paths, decorative plantings significantly complicate the maneuvering of an ordinary four-wheeled electric lawnmower on the site. To process hard-to-reach places, the user has to manually mow the unreached areas with an electric trimmer after passing the lawnmower.

One solution is to use a lawn mower with high maneuverability and only three wheels: two at the back and one at the front. This design allows you to bypass obstacles and effectively mow lawns in hard-to-reach areas.

Also when choosing an electric lawn mower, you should pay attention to the length of the electric cable, the presence of a reliable source of electricity on the site. Among the main advantages of lawn mowers with an electric motor can be noted: low noise level when working, small size and weight, ease of use and economy.

Gasoline lawnmowers. The key advantages of this equipment. power and independence from external power supply. Gasoline mowers have the widest mowing width that reduces the number of passes and hence the time it takes to mow. It should be remembered that gasoline lawnmowers have more weight than their electric counterparts. Before mowing, they need to be filled with petrol, e.g. Ai-92 (for gasoline octane rating please see your mower’s user manual).

different, self-propelled, lawnmower, non-self-propelled

Most modern lawnmowers are equipped with four-stroke engines. Unlike a two-stroke engine where the fuel needs to be mixed with oil before use, the four-stroke engine has a separate oil sump for the engine oil. saves time, t.к. No need to spend hours mixing fuel and oil in specific proportions (as recommended by the manufacturer). Lawn mowers with four-stroke engines also run quieter and release fewer pollutants into the environment.

STIGA Combi 53 SQ

different, self-propelled, lawnmower, non-self-propelled

Leader in the rating of the best petrol lawnmowers in terms of width, height and mowing area. The Combi 53 SQ is a good choice for large and overgrown grass and bushes. The cutting height is adjustable in 5 steps.

It is self-propelled, so you don’t have to struggle carrying 34 kg of weight from place to place and the wheels on double ball bearings roll confidently even on bumpy, uneven terrain. Build quality is exceptional. STIGA has a steel frame and deck and manufactures its products in its own production plant in Slovakia.

The Combi 53 SQ offers you everything you need to do with grass, from putting it into the 60-litre grass catcher box with the fill-level sensor, to tossing it sideways or backwards or mulching it to fertilise the soil. However, according to user reviews, the manufacturer has cheapened the models of the latest assembly, they come with a soft grass catcher without a fill indicator.

Oleo-Mac G 48 PK Comfort Plus

The non-self-propelled EMAK K 500 OHV engine ranks third among petrol lawnmowers in terms of quality and reliability. According to the reviews, this engine is still working after 5 years of active operation.

Thanks to the large 70 liter grass catcher box it allows you to work a large area at once, but it is difficult to empty the bag on your own because of its weight.

This machine is made in a robust way. both deck and housing are made of steel. But the height of mowing is not conveniently switched, and there are only 4 positions.

Handle is folding, it is adjustable for user’s height and it is very comfortable to operate the mower. palms do not slip from it. Owners also notice that the mower easily slides over rough patches.

different, self-propelled, lawnmower, non-self-propelled

The Oleo-Mac G 48 PK Comfort Plus can’t be called voracious. On one tank it can handle a couple of times 9 acres of lawn. So if you’re wondering what petrol lawnmower to buy for a big garden to save on gasoline, this model is an excellent option.