Is your lawn mower on its last leg?
That might not be such a bad thing! Just in the past few years there have been excellent improvements made to mower technology that are making them easier to use than ever before.
Before you head to the store to buy your next mower, review these exciting new features that are must haves for your next lawn mower. Once you experience them, you’ll never want to do without them again.
4 Most Important Features for Your Next Push Mower
While there are of course numerous styles of mower to consider, such as the tried and true reel mower, the ride-on mowers, and the tow-behind mowers, for the purpose of our piece, we will focus on the most popular and the one you will most likely be looking for: the push mower.
1. Self-propulsion
The first must-have feature for any new mower is a self-propelled option. Many push-mowers now offer it, so there is no reason to purchase one without.
The self-propulsion is ideal for a variety of scenarios. If you have a yard with any type of hills or rougher terrain that is difficult to push over, the self-propelled motors are extremely helpful. They will give you a boost, so you don’t have to man-handle the mower and exhaust yourself.
Even for a flat and small yard, though, having the self-propel option is fantastic for when the kids are going to mow the lawn
Again, when there are plenty of push mowers that now come with the option, why would you settle for one without?
2. Larger wheels
This may seem like an odd feature to bring up, but it’s true – larger back wheels make the mower so much easier to handle and navigate.
For instance, when dealing with uneven terrain, or areas with rocks, tree roots, dips, etc. having larger wheels
Additionally, when you need to quickly move the mower from one part of the yard to the next, the most common method is to tip the mower onto its back wheels. The larger wheels will make it easier to navigate any steps, drops from yard to driveway, or other obstacles as you move it about.
3. Easy starting system
Along with the self-propulsion motor, we consider this an absolute no-brainer. So many push mowers now offer very easy start engines, so why still bother with those obnoxious, nearly impossible to start pull-starting engines?
While many push mowers still operate with pull-starters, there are plenty now that use an electronic starter and battery for the motor.
This is a must have, especially if your kids are going to help, or for any elderly or physically challenged individual. Even for a perfectly strong and healthy person, the old pull-starters can throw your back out if you aren’t careful.
Save your back and arm and go with a push mower that has an automatic/ready start system.
4. Mulching rather than grass catcher
Push mowers have two options for dealing with the mowed grass: bag it or mulch it.
We are big advocates for the mulching mower for a couple of reasons. First, it saves you time on having to repeatedly dump out the catcher bag every time it gets full throughout the process. It also saves you energy, since you won’t have to carry the catcher bag back and forth to the rubbish bin when it fills up.
Second, the grass clippings that come out from a mulching mower spread evenly over your yard and act as a natural fertilizer. This makes for a healthier yard and also lessens your impact on the local landfill.
Finally, though, most mulch mowers can also be used for mowing and mulching unwanted plants and leaves as well, saving you additional time from having to rake and remove plants and leaves.
So, next year when spring arrives, be sure to look for these 4 features if you want to have the best lawn mower 2018 will have to offer.
