Hi Guys,
I am thinking of getting a lawn mover. My backyard is just 4X4 at this stage for the place that I am renting. I don't want to have a big budget.
Just wondering what is your thoughts on Electric lawn mover and how easy it is to have a big wire when I might have a big lawn?
Thanks @mskeggs!
Based on few other feedbacks about cord, I am also thinking that it will be too much for me. What is your view on manual one? The one that you push to cut grass. It is very light and less space is required.
I have one that's similar to you
I got the mover, trimmer combo from bunnings
think it was on sale at 70 bucks
it's ok, good enough for the small size but the one I got is plastic but is fine since it's a small size lawn
the power cord does give me the shits, I always worry I'll cut it lol
that is what my worries are too with the power cord.
The cord is actually not that much of a problem, you just need a plan to progressively mow away from the socket. In that case, it's never in your path.
It's easy enough that my wife now mows the lawn more often than me by a long margin (70:30 or more)! How many blokes can say that?
Winding and Unwinding is also easy to the point that I honestly wonder why this is even raised as an issue!
Apparently able bodied people struggle to wind up an extension cord?
Winding and Unwinding is also easy to the point that I honestly wonder why this is even raised as an issue!
Apparently able bodied people struggle to wind up an extension cord?
If you learn to do it the ‘roadie’ way it won’t tangle and twist. Hard to describe, but each 2nd loop sort of gets tucked under to reverse the twist of the ‘normal’ loop.
@Euphemistic: Yeah, I know that method but that takes too much time.
Also tried the climbing rope butterfly, but heavy duty cord gets heavy around the neck.
In the end I've settled on the following;
1) Plug the ends together
2) loop the double strands like a numpty
The induced twist is reversed in the other strand, so overall no twist.
It also halves the length you have to wind up and makes finding the ends dead easy.
Yeah, I know that method but that takes too much time.
I find it just as quick as other methods, but better for undoing later.
For long cords make the loops about an arm span. Less loops - quicker
@Euphemistic: I want a tight coil to easily fit into the catcher.
And I can throw it out with no knots just like the roadie method.
I have an Ego battery mower and there is no way I would ever go back to a petrol mower. It’s quieter. It doesn’t stink. I don’t get fuel everywhere. Don’t have to store the fuel. Don’t have to pull start the thing. Don’t need to service it. No air filters, no fuel filters, no blocked carby. Just jam the battery in, hit the switch and start mowing.
This is basically my experience also, except I have an Ozito brushless that came with the 3ah battery and charger. Wouldn't go back, although when the grass is long it's not impossible that I might run out of battery. Currently I have a 4ah and a 3ah, and that's just enough for me to do the front and back in a single run (just). I then have 2 x 2ah for the whipper snipper and blower respectively and I don't tend to run out at all with those. Having said that, if you (OP) mean 4m x 4m I think you won't have an issue with a single battery of any size although 3ah is the smallest recommended for my mower). I picked mine up for $169 based on the sale at Artarmon.
+1 for the Ozito Brushless, $199 for the kit with battery and fast charger. Have 55m2 lawn and it suits me, small, light, good warranty.
My only gripe is it's limited 3 height settings 25mm,50mm and 70mm. Have Sir Walter and 25mm is too short for that particular grass, 50mm is the only setting I use. 40mm and 60mm would have been useful.
So I have buffalo also, not sure if it's sir Walter but it's the really hardy type that grows across more than up. On the lowest setting it's too short in that the lawn mower gets stuck on it, so I lift the front to the middle setting but lower the back to low. Works well for me
@Jackson: Good tip! will try that next mow, I've been doing something similar, lowering the mower on the one side that runs along my mow strip otherwise the grass along the edges ends up being cut longer.
I had one before and I really hated it. The cord is just annoying, and after you finish you need to put the extension cord back nicely so it doesn't get tangled up next time. Just too much work. It's bad enough having to do the lawn, but you will be doing it many times, so you really want to make it as easy as possible. Go cordless.
Great. Never run out of petrol. Very light and easy.
Get the Tesla
for 4m x 4m you could just use the old style push reel mower if you want to save some cash.
if that sounds too much hard work definitely check out a battery one. Ego looks like they make a good quality unit but there is also cheaper alternatives.
or heaps of tradional petrol mowers on gumtree
I never had any luck with these, they seem to jam, not cut properly, not low enough. Maybe not recommended for buffalo
Yes I have buffalo too and manual one looks like a toy.
eMowers are either too expensive, or they're too weak.
I tried it last year, was very disappointed. Just stick with petrol mower for another 5 years. Maybe in that time they will have increased performance, whilst improving battery capacity, all for a cheaper price.
This might be the case if you leave your grass 6 months before cutting it. I cut regularly and it has been fine
I've had a Ryobi 18V for about 1.5 years now and have gone to the same for all the garden tools (hedge and line trimmers) so no more fuel. I have a normal, older, size Sydney residential block so way bigger lawn area than 4x4. It does a great job. It is narrower so I need to make an extra pass or two but not having to worry about keeping fuel or starting the mower is well worth it. Handles longer grass just fine as well if I get a bit lazy.
I did buy a 9ah battery to go with it as the included 4ah wasn't enough to do the whole yard and then go around with the line trimmer.
If you're thinking of corded then don't. Dad had one years ago and it was a PITA dragging the cord around and making sure it was out of the way etc. On top of that didn't work all that well anyway.
You're other option as others suggested is an old school non powered push mower. I've had and still have one of these (don't use it much though). It's very hard to find decent ones in Aust though. The Ozito and Victa ones are flimsy junk though they are very cheap. You used to be able to get Flymo and I had one of those for at least 10 years and they were great and didn't cost much more than the Ozito but they're no longer in the Aust market. The one I have now is Masport and it's a beast. Will likely last a lifetime and would be perfect for a simply 4x4 BUT it costs around as much as the Ryobi 18v mower and there's generally a wait of several months for them as the local distributor doesn't carry much stock so are often sold out.
how easy it is to have a big wire when I might have a big lawn
Easy. I used electric mowers for a number of years around a decade ago. I kept 2x 30m extension cords, 1 at the front and one at the back.
The only rule you need to remember: mow away from the cord (that is, keep lengthening it as you mow the lawn).
After the electrics I moved to battery powered ones (Bosch and now Kobalt) - the lawn easier to cut if you've left it for 3 months. These mowers are even more powerful than my old electrics. Have at least 2 batteries to avoid down time.
Bingo.
I run the cord between my legs and mow stripes back and forth moving away from the power source, no issues with the cord cause it's always sitting in the middle of the freshly cut stripe.
It's pretty easy and the lawn gets a nice "MCG" stripe look!
The downside is that it takes a bit longer to do the job as you're making 180 degree turns instead of 90 degree turns.
The other potential downside is that you need reasonably easy access to outside power.
As for people complaining about rolling up an extension cord, I hope they're amputees, cause if it takes me 15 seconds to roll up the cord I'd be surprised and it takes me 1 second to throw the cord out to get started. Managing the cord is way easier and faster than setting up a jerry can to pour fuel, let alone remembering to refill the jerry can and add 2 stroke oil in the right mix (I also mow my Mum's lawn with her 2 stroke mower, so I'm speaking from direct experience here).
For small lawns when the extra time makes negligible difference, a corded mower is cheap to acquire and operate, reliable for decades and requires no maintenance. They're also lighter and generally smaller, making them easier to maneuver and store.
For larger lawns, Petrol is the way to go.
Battery mowers are expensive to buy, batteries cost a bomb to replace and their runtime is limited.
As an Ozbargainer, they still have a way to go before they can be considered better than Petrol or Corded IMHO.
My folks have a Ryobi battery one. It lacks the power i.e. 'grunt' on the blades such that if the grass gets too long it struggles a bit and is hard work. Where as my petrol mower blasts through long grass like a hot knife through butter. I've used both and can tell there is a big difference in performance.
But….if you maintain your lawn in a trimmed state regularly then one of the battery powered ones would be fine IMO for 4x4.
I have the Ryobi and no issues with foot long grass. If you're struggling the battery is likely getting low. Rock the mower back like you're popping a wheelie and push through the grass. This essentially increases the cutting height. You might need to then make a second normal pass depending on how long you want it.
Its not so much an 'issue' its just that there's a big difference between the electric and the petrol in terms of powering through longer grass.
Also depends on what sort of grass, mine and my folks is that thicker type stuff, dunno what it called.
Another vote for the EGO battery mower, same reasons as pegaxs
@bbinc way too expensive.
Yep, exactly what bbinc and pegaxs said for me too.
unless you use a battery system, do not do it, extension cords and mowing do not mix, they are a pain…
They do have the advantage of being significantly cheaper though. And if you only have one small area to mow, running a cord out isn’t a terrible headache. Compared to petrol, the time taken for maintenance, starting and getting fuel is not too much different from running a cord out. When you have to run the cord out 3-4 times per mow it gets old pretty quickly.
Yes take your point, small area probably ok.
when i used to use a corded mower, it was for a larg'ish yard.
get a rechargeable-battery one…mine is great but one of the more exy ones - the more you pay = the better they are (of course) - some of the really cheap ones are sh$t
My backyard is just 4X4 at this stage
Just wondering what is your thoughts on Electric lawn mover
Electric mowers work best on short grass, so if its long grass, get someone in to cut it once for you, and then keep on top of it.
how easy it is to have a big wire
Walk into bunnings, pick up one of these and walk out, that easy.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-25m-garden-extension-lead_p7…
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-25m-250v-10a-heavy-duty-ex…
https://www.bunnings.com.au/hpm-25m-caravan-extension-lead_p…
https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-1-tuff-30m-extra-heavy-duty…
That said, all those leads don't have a built in safety switch, so get one of these too
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-single-outlet-safety-switc…
or if its a small yard, you can get this 15m lead with one built in
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-15m-orange-in-line-safety-…
I had an electric mower for a while. It worked well, was. Ice and light, quiet and never a problem to start.
The cord was a bit annoying, but my yard was a lot bigger than 4x4 and I had to run the cord out over about 5 different sections. As said above, you need to mow across and back away from the cord instead of around in smaller circles (squares, rectangles etc).
Since then I’ve upgrade to a 36v ryobi and will never again use a petrol or corded electric mower at home.
I have a large lawn, but it is on several levels on the side of a steep hill.
I liked an electric lawn mower as it was very lightweight, but the cord was a nuisance to manage. When the electric mower died, I returned to a light weight petrol model.
I am considering an battery mower next, but that is likely a few years away.