My parents own an electric lawnmower and having to mow and worry about a cord at the same time is a royal pain in the a$$. The reason they have an electric lawnmower is because they find it extremely difficult to start a regular gas lawnmower that requires you to pull the cord. So, I’m either looking for a decent battery-powered lawnmower or a gas mower that is easy to start (maybe a push button?). Looking for any help out there. I also didn’t really know where to post this question…
Regards,
Buzzsaw
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie
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A few years ago I bought a self-start push mower by YardMan (I think). You have to start it by pulliing the rope the first time. After that, when you shut it off it automatically winds up a spring. You merely prime the gas, push a button and the energy stored in the spring starts it up first time. Works great. --Ken
We bought an electric start Honda from Lowes, now even the wifey can start the darn thing. Just need to plug it in to charge it up every month or two. Self propelled too with adjustable pace, that took a bit of getting used to.
Let's not confuse the issue with facts!
I've had my craftsman battery mower about five years, works great. Just plug into the charger when not in use. No gas, oil, tune ups, etc. I do have to put it in the heated basement for the winter.
I'm not sure why you put it in the basement? A "fully charged" battery should do fine out in the cold, and lose very little of it's charge through the winter. If it is NOT fully charged before being stored, that's a different story.There are still several manufacturers of battery powered push mowers. They are moderately expensive compared to gas powered. On the other hand, they are (relatively) quiet, have no maintenance other than battery charging, and essentially always start--given a good battery. And that's the problem: In general people do not know how to keep their batteries in good health, so they end up dying an early death. Since they are expensive to replace, the whole mower goes in the trash--often the best place to find one of these. <G>HTHThon
What I do with my B&D is put it on the charger over winter, with the charger plugged into a lamp timer that only turns it on for about 90 minutes a day. This keeps the battery charged without burning it out. Folks who left them on full charge all winter reported needing new batteries in the spring.--------------
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Thanks all for the information. I'll have to look into them...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
How about a gas engine powered push mower, with electric start?Maybe a self-propelled one, if they're having trouble mowing the yard?
Production is not the application of tools to material, but of logic to work.
Electric start is a good idea but the Battery-powered makes more sense to me since they won't have to deal with filling up the gas, checking the oil, etc. They are around 80 years old but my mother still likes to mow the lawn and it will save them money by not having to pay someone...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Buzzsaw -There is another electric option. You could get them an Automower. It is an elctrically powered robotic lawnmower. I have one that I got two years ago. It is quiet, does a fine job of cutting the grass, and it charges itself. Here is a link to it:http://www.electrolux.com/node760.aspThe one I got was an older one. It was branded by Husqvarna at the time. I think there is some sort of family relationship between Husqvarna and Electrolux.JPS
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I think Craftsman still sells one, and I believe the Neutron is also still available. Overcharging batteries is just as bad as undercharging. I'd 'guess' your battery--and you <G> would be a lot happier if you charged it once a month, rather than daily, through the winter. I know there are folks who have battery powered lawn mowers/tractors (Elec-Traks) who do it that way.Thon
The instructions with the mower tell you to leave it plugged in all winter. Supposedly it just gets a trickle charge, but this will burn out a battery over time. The timer is a compromise -- I'd really like a 1 week timer or some such but they're much more expensive, and generally have a minimum on time of several hours.
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There are digital timers with day of week options. I have one for the heated towel bar. Only about $15 I think.
I think I saw one several years ago, but it was no good since it would lose settings if power went off. Haven't looked more recently.(Note, I don't really care about the time the thing comes on, just the duration and repeat interval.)
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You'd think the manufacturer would know best, but it wouldn't be the first time one gave less than ideal instuctions. <G>What I do with my 36v of batteries is to check the voltage with a digital VOM a day or so after giving them a full charge. Then recheck them every 2/4/6 (whatever) weeks. If they've lost more than 10% or so, recharge.Thon
I prefer a scheme that doesn't require such constant attention.--------------
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Checking my $300 worth of batteries every month or so, takes less than 5 minutes. Pretty cost-effective for me. Your mileage, and battery life, may vary. <G>Thon
Mine are only about $150 to replace.--------------
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Tab1, I called technical service when I first bought it and asked them how to winter it. They said it should be in a heated space and should be left on the charger all the time, winter or summer. I will say, though, that a friend has the same model and he leaves his out in the shed with no charger all winter.
We've had a B&D cordless electric for, I'm thinking, five years now. It's a little heavy and needs a charge and a half to do our lot (roughly 80x140) but otherwise works well. Will bag or mulch. Replaced the batteries once so far, two years ago.
AFAIK, the B&D is about the only game in town. When I was looking back then several other brands had pulled out of the market, and the only other one was a sort of toy (12-14" IIRC) for tiny lots and trimming work.
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One of my customers has this one:
http://www.drpower.com/twoStepInquiry.aspx?X=1&Name=NeutonMower2Step&src=AW45300XE22C3309
She also has a small yard. I would assume you're not mowing two acres with any of the rechargeables.
Thanks for the info. My parents have a very small yard and they are currently using an electric lawnmower with a cord. This would be perfect for them. It says that the charge runs for an hour and I think it would take about 45 minutes to finish my parents lawn...This is great info...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie