Buying a forever lawnmower. Lawnmower buying advice.

[jviews12]

I have a very different answer to your question. As you're a new homeowner who wants forever, I'd go battery powered. Consider the EGO LM2135SP. The mower's battery is interchangeable with other equipment such as a hedge and string trimmers, chainsaws, and blowers. Talk to EGO Power or a local dealer about battery options. This will save you substantially over time. IMO, battery powered equipment is the way of the future and starting out is the best time to begin. BTO, I have no association.

I have electric mower but only 5,000 sq ft. I could not imagine using electric for 3 times or 15,000 sq ft lawn. I would need 4 - 40 volt batteries for such a job, and in truth, it has not much torque. I doubt it would last for 20 years, as a matter, i would bet it fails before 20 years. Yes, electric is great for me as my property is 50x100 = 5,000 sq ft - house, and we do the neighbor also, but not for real property. (I have a spare mower just in case first breaks).

 

[BTBO]

Hello all! I recently purchased my first home. The house is located on 1/3 acre lot. Im looking to buy a long lasting lawnmower. Here are my requirements, all of them don’t need to be satisfied but preferred.

☐20" cutting width ( yard has allot of landscaping and tight spots, I like smaller cutting path )

☐Powerful and strong torque engine that doesn’t stall in knee high grass on a damp Saturday morning when the wife is yelling at you to cut the dam grass.

☐Bright Red deck color

☐Self propelled optional

☐Larger rear wheel

☐Commonly found parts

☐I’m 6 feet tall so adjustable or higher push bar would be nice

☐Add on bag optional. I plan on using mulching blade 90% of time



I’m OK with buying slightly used from FB marketplace, craigslist etc.

I’m OK with buying online. Here in South Texas we have Home Depot, Lowes etc.



My budget is $750 or less.




Thank you very much, please advise,

All I would add is TO NOT cut the grass while it's wet. It's bad for the grass plus wet grass makes for much build-up under the deck. If you're not into cleaning it regularly, it'll promote rust and ultimately a pre-maturely rotted out deck.

 

[rberman999]

Electric vehicles, mowers, and even lightbulbs are not for everyone. But electric is the way going forward whether deniers like it or not. It's foolish to think EV isn't good when every carmaker makes them. Or that battery powered yard equipment only lasts for 2 years. Suit yourself. Some people use lightbulbs while others choose to stay in the dark.

It’s not that electrical isn’t the way to go, yes someday it will be, but not today for the masses. First, if everyone switched to all electric vehicles at the snap of the fingers the electrical grid would be overwhelmed by 5-10 times its present capacity. I believe that number to be seriously low but that’s what “experts” say. Not sure about where you live, but I don’t see massive electrical grid updates going on in my back yard, do you? Second, today in the US, the majority of electric is generated by natural gas, not solar, wind or hydro electric. So charging your electric car makes and adds to global warming CO2. Third, the CO2 generation of earth moving equipment to create the Li ion batteries requires a car to travel roughly 86,000 miles just to “break” even in CO2 generation(the 86,000 miles may include the overall manufacturing process, I don’t fully remember). Next, the cold (real cold) weather severely reduces the amount of miles your long range battery will deliver. For example, a 320 mile battery may deliver 125-175 miles in sub 30 degree weather(less miles the colder out it is). Mileage estimates for the long range batteries are based on a mixture of 60% city driving and 40% highway. Takes lots of electrical energy to make an electric car travel 70 mph. Also the driving range is based on spring or fall driving weather, not summer when it is hot out and you need the a/c, not winter when it is cold out and you need heat. Another concern, high speed accidents, between electric to electric vehicles, if an Li ion battery is split open and exposed to O2 they tend to burst into flames. Today, what is the likelihood two electric cars are in a high speed head on accident, must be very small. Finally, talk with people who have issues with their Tesla vehicles, first, if you can get the parts (that is the Tesla dealership to do the repairs) only Tesla can repair your vehicle as Tesla will not sell the parts to you or a mechanic of your choice or even a body repair shop. Some Tesla vehicles are being junked due to lack of collision body parts, and these are very fixable cars. I’ll finish up with two last items, it will take a generation before you will be able to have an all electric car repaired at a local mechanic, so to speak, so you will only be able to have the manufacturer repair your car for many years. Also, to address why all the car companies are marketing all electric vehicles , well, electric cars have a significant number less parts than ICE vehicles, so they take less labor to manufacture them and as I stated many less parts, yet they are significantly more expensive, so bottom line profit margins are significantly better with all electric vehicles. So, as I started, future, maybe 35-50 years, electric should be for the masses, just not today. Good luck with your all electric vehicles, lawn mowers and saws, included because I wasted money on a battery operated circular saw (big mistake).

 

[sailingharry]

Obviously, some people have drunk the green kool-aid. The OP asked for recommendations for a "forever mower". Which I take to be, one that will never need to be replaced. Battery mowers are currently the exact opposite of this. There are pretty much zero 5 yrs old battery powered mowers in use. They are notorious for having unavailable parts after 2 yrs. Admittedly, the gas mowers are getting cheaper and cheaper, too, and I don't mean cost wise. This is why I recommended an older used gas mower. Battery powered equipment may get to the point of never needing to be replaced, but it's nowhere close to that at this point in time.

I bought my first battery powered mower in the late 90's, a Black and Decker. I loved it so much that in the early 2000's, after my divorce, I bought a used one that needed parts (new motor armature, a few other internal parts -- all readily available). Fixed it up, and sold it with my house when I got remarried in 2022. In that 20 years, I replaced the batteries (~$100 on Amazon) a time or three. It used the heavy, low performing, short life lead-acid batteries -- if my Ryobi cordless tools are any indication of lithium battery life, the new ones should be even better! And being 100% plastic, nothing rusts away.

So, yeah, battery powered mowers can easily last 20-30 years, and parts are available, at least in this sample size of one.

 

[sailingharry]

Businesses have not given a tinkers curse about satisfying customer requirements unless you are talking about the top 5% of the market .
As for the rest it is brand loyalty , BS marketing and price point marketing.

And so now we understand that NO manufacturer of ANY product actually wants it to work. Battery powered mowers, trimmers, tools, cars, etc are all built to the bare minimum "out the door" quality level, with every possible corner cut. And that applies to gas mowers, push mowers, scythes, clippers, all of it.

And it's all brand loyalty, as seen here where some say Toro is the very best with no returns, and others say they all come back.

 

[sailingharry]

CG, businesses position themselves. They determine the market they want to serve and then provide goods or services to meet that market need. For example, there's Walmart and Tiffany's each of which sell jewelry to different customers. We can't blame Walmart for not selling products offered in Tiffany's as each sells jewelry their customers want. The same applies to Hyper Tough and Ferris mowers. Each serves a different need and customer base.

Just as we can find 10 caret and 24 caret rings, we can find products made of plastic or metal. Don't blame that on the manufacturer or retailer. Rather it's the customer who decides what they want and are willing to pay. No one forces us to shop in Walmart rather than Tiffany's.

True words! Some people insist on top quality for everything -- a Snap-On tool is worth it, even if you only use this weird tool 5 times in your life. Others are quite happy with a Harbor Freight at a fraction of the cost, fully expecting that it will last at least the 5 times they will use it and their kids can throw it out when they die. And one person may be both types -- for the tool they use 5 times a week, it's Snap-On, for the tool for once a decade, it's Harbor Freight. But there is a difference between building/buying to a price point, and thinking that Tesla is built to the same shoddy standard as Yugo.

 

[jagg2236]

Not Kool-Aid, just data. Today's battery powered equipment isn't like a decade or more ago. The technology has improved tremendously, and costs have improved. Battery is becoming the way to go for yard equipment just as it has for other power equipment like saws and drills. Does anyone wonder why Toro, Snapper, and STIHL make battery powered mowers now? (Maybe they drank the Kool-Aid, too.) And as it's also becoming for cars, which is why Tesla is worth more than Ford, GM, Honda, and Toyota combined. If anyone thinks gas powered equipment is "forever", I have a horse and buggy to sell you.

How long does the battery last in months/years & what is the cost of a replacement battery? Usually the replacement battery is almost as much as the tool.

 

[sailingharry]

Hello all! I recently purchased my first home. The house is located on 1/3 acre lot. Im looking to buy a long lasting lawnmower. Here are my requirements, all of them don’t need to be satisfied but preferred.

☐20" cutting width ( yard has allot of landscaping and tight spots, I like smaller cutting path )

I have a somewhat similar conundrum. I'm not a new owner (I'm retired), but need a new mower and have a similar lawn (mine is a little larger, closer to 1/2 acre)
1/3 Acre is about 15,000 square feet. With a 20" mower (call it 1.5' wide), the cutting route would be 15,000/1.5, or 10,000 feet. With ~5000 feet in a mile, that's a two mile walk. A wider cutting path makes for a shorter walk.

Unfortunately, push mowers (mostly) only come in ~20" decks. A very few (and pricey) come in 30" decks.

Riding/walk behind/zero turn/etc rarely come below 46" which is massive overkill for a homeowner (yes, a commercial guy would do your yard with a 60" mower, but he's doing 10 lawns that day) and not appropriate in landscaping/tight spots. Not to mention a pain to store for that small residential lot.

Us homeowners with "larger small lots" have limited choices. You say you want 20" width, and you may want it (but I suspect you'll tire of 90 minute mow jobs in the heat of summer!). But our lawns cry out for 28-36 mowers, a void in the market.

 

[VegetiveSteam]

Another vote for Toro. And if you want battery powered, Toro makes those too.

I'm going to assume you were exaggerating to make a point that you wanted something powerful, but if you find something in your budget, that will mow knee high damp grass on any morning including Saturday mornings without stalling, I think we'd all love to know what it is.

 

[jagg2236]

True words! Some people insist on top quality for everything -- a Snap-On tool is worth it, even if you only use this weird tool 5 times in your life. Others are quite happy with a Harbor Freight at a fraction of the cost, fully expecting that it will last at least the 5 times they will use it and their kids can throw it out when they die. And one person may be both types -- for the tool they use 5 times a week, it's Snap-On, for the tool for once a decade, it's Harbor Freight. But there is a difference between building/buying to a price point, and thinking that Tesla is built to the same shoddy standard as Yugo.

Snap-on, Mac etc are great tools if your making a living with them & Harbor Freight can compare with the "Yugo" per say. But there are great in-between tools, Craftsman is just one for example.