Electric Lawnmower or Riding mower?

I've got a 1/2 acre lawn, all grass and just a slight hill in the front but other than that it's level. I'm currently using an old, cheap gas push mower and doing the whole yard is about a 2-3 hour job. Not terrible but I'm not as young as I used to be and the last couple times I've done the yard my right hand has gone numb and then my knuckles and joints have hurt for day's after. I mowed last friday and my right middle finger is still sore.

I'm looking for the best solution to this for the money. I know eventually I'll need to buy a riding mower but I'm also considering an electric mower to cut the vibrations. Anybody have any experience with any of the battery powered ones? Seems most say only a 1/4 acre at best?

Any suggestions on things? I don't want to spend $600 on an electric mower and then a few years later buy a riding mower but the financial situation right now isn't good enough to buy a rider.

 

They now have some robotic lawnmowers that are like a Roomba Vacuum cleaner, seems like that would be a good option but I have no idea of the cost of something like that. If not I would just skip the electric one and go straight for the riding mower, a used one can probably be had for a decent price.

 

Used riding Snapper. As in 15-20 years old. Assuming a refreshed motor, everything else is easy-peasy.

The old ones are super easy to service, parts are reasonable, they hold up great.

 

Your hand numbness is likely the result of holding down the safety/blade brake handle [if it has one] Aggrevates carpal tunnel problems and the vibration doesn't help either. Padded gloves will help but time wise, a rider is your best bet as it cuts down on the actual time and repetition is what causes more severe problems.

I would never EVER tell someone to tape down a safety device..........

 

Wish you were closer. I have a snapper rider that just needs an engine on it and it has the bagger. I'd give it to you if you could come get it. A new engine was priced at $400 for it. I was going to sell it to a neighbor for $100 but he went back to a push mower.

I bought a zero turn when the snapper motor blew. I went from and hour or so down to 20-25 minutes to cut mine.

 

I bought some padded bike gloves and some padded handlebar tape from the local walmart and I'll try that. If the hands go numb with all that then I'm going to start cruising craigslist for a used mower. I'm thinking I can probably find something decent that runs for around $500, is this realistic or do you think anything at or below that will just be a PITA and not worth it? I've never had a rider before but how hard can they be to maintain? Most are single cylinders, right? Do most have an oil filter or do they just splash oil like a push mower?

 

Ralphs' rules of lawn cutting:
1. Never cut before May (most years)
2. Never cut more than 1 time per week (99% of years)
3. Never spend more than 30 minutes cutting. (any more and it gets left to "meadow" status...bush hog cut)

I don't really like grass cutting and loathe monstrous resource hog lawns! Do it show?

Ralph

 

Yeah, I agree with all the above and wish I could leave it but unfortunately most of my yard is in front, between my house and the road and because of town regulations i need to mow it. I definitely don't cut more than once a week, my neighbors probably don't like it but I'll let it get fairly tall before mowing.

 

you can't beat a cut with a push mower. For 1/2 acre get yourself a good self propelled mower and enjoy the exercise.

 

I have a 1/2 acre yard as well. I have a 52" Scag hydro that I use. It's a 1999 model and runs great. You can get them used for 1,000-2,000 depending on condition. Worst issue is storage room in the garage.

Now time is 20-30 minutes.

 

Do the math.

Might be cheaper to just hire a service. I'm a staunch do if yourself person. As I get older, the attraction of hiring it out makes more and more sense.

 

I was just in the same boat having bought a house with about 1/4 of an acre of lawn to mow (gentle sloping hill). Honestly I didn't want a riding mover because it's just one more thing to take up space in the garage, and I'd still need a push-type mower for around the bushes in the front yard, around the sides of the house, and all the other tight areas. I considered a $400-$500 electric but was worried about having to stop and charge the batteries or that it just might not have the umpf I really wanted. So I bought a $300 (on sale) 21-inch cut, all-wheel drive propelled Husqvarna push mower from Lowes. Honestly it's a sweet machine. Always starts on the first or second pull, it's effortless to walk behind it, and I can do the entire lawn without stopping to refill it. I put on my iPod and listen to music or a book on tape and the hour flies by. And it's good exercise. The mower is also a lot smoother than the old 2-stroke I had before at my last house; I honestly can say I noticed any annoying vibrations with the Husqvarna.

 

My neighbor uses an electric mower. Any height with the grass & it drains the battery quickly.
I tried it on my smaller front yard & it died before I finished. What a dog!
Gas power for me!
My rider I found used on CL and my push mower is a big wheel Craftsman that has taken a beating.
Seriously this push mower is going on 15 years old. Just had to replace the gas tank, throttle cable, and recoil.
Works like a charm. The bigger wheels make it easier to push but nothing beats the rider.

 

I have a rider for my approx 1/2 acre of actual mowing grass. Time wise it is quite nice as it is about an hour with a self propelled mower and now takes about 20-25 minutes with the rider.

Their is maintenance required but for the most part it is all easy and basic stuff. Change the oil yearly, grease the joints, change the fuel filter every other year, change spark plug every two years. Thats all pretty easy stuff overall. The big thing is to take the deck off at least once a season (i usually do mine at the end of season) and give it a really good cleaning, take a wire wheel to any surface rust, then repaint the bottom of the deck. Im going on year 6 on my mower and it is still running like the day I bought it.


But since financially you dont want to do it right now, if the gloves dont help I would hire someone to mow it for you till you can pick up a riding mower.

 

If I were you I would buy a used riding mower and a used grass trimmer. Maybe go to a lawn mower repair shop you "trust" to buy your mower. The shop may also have a used grass trimmer. With the grass trimmer you wouldn't need to buy another push mower. I've been mowing my 3+ acre yard for 10 years with this setup. Just set up your shrubs so you can mow around/between most of them. Also, I'd about as soon be seen driving a Proois as using an electric mower or an electric grass trimmer. Don't get me started on electric chain saws. Almost forgot, if you can't get pure gasoline in MA be sure to use Stabil in every tank. My lawn equipment has never had a jigger of alcohol-laced gasoline and I still use Stabil in every tank. Another idea would be to get a couple of goats to keep the grass eaten down. Good luck, kingston73.