Monday, August 22, 2011

Choosing a Lawn Mower

So you finally determined you need a new lawn mower but there are so many choices that you really don't know where to start. Well choosing a lawn mower is not all that difficult if you know what you are looking for.

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There are of course lots of factors involved, but the three main things you need to consider are the size and slope of your yard, the quality of the engine, and what features you will need.

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Now let's decide if you need a walk behind mower or a riding mower. Walk behind mowers are the most popular, and if your lawn is less than 3/4 of an acre, this is probably your best choice. If your yard is small and flat, you won't need a lot of extra features. If your yard is over 1/2 an acre or is filled with hills and rough terrain, then a self propelled walking mower is a wise choice. These mowers move without any pushing on your part. Your job is simply to stand behind it and guide it around any turns.

The key thing here is to make sure the engine power and mower deck matches your yard. The mower deck determines how much grass you cut at one time. If the deck is wider, you'll have to make fewer passes over the yard. A more powerful engine combined with a larger deck will make mowing a breeze. But you don't want to go overboard or you're just throwing money away. Match the yard with the mower and you get great results every time.

One other factor to consider is the size of the rear wheels. If your yard has a lot of hills or is very rough, you may want to get larger wheels for easier mowing. Otherwise, standard wheels will be just fine.

Riding lawn mowers make sense if your yard is over 3/4 of an acre. Again you'll have plenty of options with engine sizes and mower deck sizes. The same rules apply here. If you have several acres, a larger engine and wider deck makes sense. Less than an acre and you'd be wasting money by going with the extra size.

Riding mowers also have different ways to steer and maneuver. You can get steering sticks or a steering wheel, depending on which is most comfortable for you. A zero turn radius mower will enable you to turn easily around landscape features like trees and shrubs. If you property does not have many of these, then this is an extra feature that you probably don't need.

Finally, decide whether or not you want a mulching mower. These mowers have special blades that will continually chop up the blades of grass into tiny fragments. These fragments are returned to the ground where they decompose and act as a natural fertilizer. If you don't mulch, you'll probably want to bag, and that means catching the clipping and disposing of them. That's a little more work for you.

Of course there are tons of other options including electric mowers, cordless or corded, solar powered and even robotic mowers that do all the work for you. But knowing what you need before heading to the store will make choosing a lawn mower a much easier task.

Choosing a Lawn Mower

LOWES LAWN MOWERS ON SALE

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