Electric lawn mowers are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners. Especially for those who are tired of that noisy and smelly gas-powered mower, it’s small wonder why. Electric lawn mowers are clean, quiet and easy to start, they require no gas, oil changes or spark plugs. Best of all, you don’t annoy the neighbors…
Electric lawn mowers are designed as either corded or cordless. The corded mowers have the advantage of being extremely lightweight. Some are around 50 pounds. The disadvantage is having to drag an extension cord around the yard with you. I mow a small lot (about 2000 square feet) with a corded mower and have learned how to maneuver without getting tangled in the cord or running over it.
Are you on the clean & green side yet? Great! If you are thinking of going green here’s the next step: Choose between the corded mower or the cordless electric lawn mower
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Benefits of Electric Lawn Mowers
There are several advantages to owning an electric lawn mower.
- Eco-friendly and small yard friendly – Compare this to gas powered mowers that crank out emissions, electric lawn mowers allow you to do your part to save our planet.
- Relatively light and so are easier to maneuvre and push. This means that a greater number of people are able to safely use them and that after mowing the operator is less worn out.
- Ensure you don’t annoy the neighbors- Electric lawn mowers are considerably quieter than petrol mowers meaning that anyone else enjoying the garden (and your neighbors) will prefer an electric mower. The average electric mower makes no more noise than a washing machine (about 75 decibels), while a gas-powered lawn mower can make as much noise as a motorcycle (about 95 decibels).
- Easy Maintenance & Startups – Electric lawn mowers eliminate the cost of oil changes, spark plugs, air filters and tune-ups. In terms of energy cost, electric mowers use only about $5 worth of electricity each year — a significant savings when compared to the amount of money spent on fuel for a gas-powered mower. And beyond replacing the battery (for cordless electric mowers) every five to seven years and occasionally cleaning and sharpening the blade, there’s little, if any, maintenance. The best thing you can do to keep your electric lawn mower in fine form is to charge it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The Downsides of Electric Lawn Mowers
- You Have To Push It – However, electric lawn mowers are typically not self-propelled because it takes too much power to turn the blades and move the mower. Non self-propelled means that the mower turns the blades, but you will do all the pushing to move the mower around the yard. If you are shopping for this kind of mower, pay attention to the total weight of the mower. You’ll want to stay near the low end of the weight range — around 60 to 80 pounds max.
- Beware of Overly Grown, Poorly Maintained Grass – The effectiveness of electric lawn mowers often depends greatly on how large and how thick the yard is. For a smaller family yard that never grows up very thick and tall, a gas powered motor isn’t only bad for the ecosystem, but is more power than needed for a yard of that size and grass capability. Electric lawn mowers aren’t usually powerful enough to cut through grass that is very thick or tall, and corded electric mowers have an average reach of about 100 feet. But for the home with a small yard, like under an acre, they are actually more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Electric Lawn Mowers Buyer’s Gude
Cordless Electric Mowers
Cord or battery? Who wins? The obvious difference between batteries and corded electric mowers is the cord. The next major difference is the weight – most cordless electric mowers are powered by 12,24 or 36-volt batteries – the obvious advantage of a cordless model being that no cord is required. The disadvantages include the increased weight. Some may weigh nearly 100 pounds. In addition, the battery life can be affected by tall or wet grass. Most batteries last for about one hour of mowing, but this goes down in adverse mowing conditions.
Corded Electric Mowers
On the other hand, the prime advantages of the electric corded mowers is that you don’t have a battery that needs charging or disposing of when they reach the end of their life cycle. You’re also not limited to the mowing time of your battery’s charge (about 60 minutes). However, you lack the freedom to range farther when using a corded electric mower – but this isn’t a problem if the furthest you go when mowing is less than a 100 feet.
While neither version are suitable for larger lawns, the corded model is limited to about 100 feet from a receptacle outlet (beyond this distance and voltage drops may cause a problems). You also have to be careful about running over the extension cord. To be on the very safe side, electrical outlets that you hook an electric corded mower to should have a GFI receptacle in place. This will help prevent you from being electrocuted should you accidentally run over the cord.
The Bottom Line
Cordless, battery-powered lawn mowers are quiet and work great for small to medium-sized lawns, require less maintenance and cause less airborne pollution than gas-powered mowers. Electric lawn mowers still are at a disadvantage on larger lawns though, as they are not self-propelled and can have trouble handling heavy or wet grass. Upfront cost is considerably more than a gas-powered mower, electric lawn mowers should save you money over time, thanks to lower energy and maintenance costs.
If you have a large lawn, anything more than 3/4 of an acre, then you should consider a lawn tractor. Those are large yards that will be difficult to push a mower around. Anything down to 1/2 and acre should have a higher horsepower than normal cause you will be dealing with an intermediate sized lawn. something bigger than the 20″ range. Any lawn smaller than that can do fine with a 20″ mower.
Read our electric lawn mower reviews if you’re still undecided. Have a great summer!
Hi there! My name is Natalie Robins and I work as a landscape architect in Denver, Colorado. I love beautifying gardens and have used quite a bit of lawn equipment over the years. I started this website to share my thoughts about lawn care & lawn mowers. Do check out my 
