How big a yard is reasonable to push mow?

[Matt Meiser]

As the title says, what's the tipping point between a push mower and a rider of some sort? The self-propelled 22" units I was looking up are advertised at 3.1 mph. Assuming 20" of actual cut that's theoretically 5/8 acre in an hour but I don't know if any of that theory pans out.

[Wade Lippman]

I can do my half acre in an hour. Personally I like propelling it myself (I actually have a self propelled, but never push the bar up. The bigger engine just cuts better) but I suppose that is matter of how you like exercise.

Obviously it depends on how much stuff you have to go around, and how fastidious you are. It could take anywhere from 30minutes or 3 hours to do a half acre.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

My 2 1/2 acres on a John Deere 42" cut feels like all day;). Tom

[Moses Yoder]

It depends on your landscaping. Lots of little trees I would push mow up to an acre. I also would push it instead of propelling it. That advice is coming from someone who has never used a self propelled mower. Plus the money too, and time on maintenance. A push mower is easy to maintain, a rider not so much. We have a half acre lot with 2 million shrubberies on it thanks to my darling wife and a horse in the back yard. It takes me about 45 minutes to push mow the front yard but there is no way a rider would fit. We rarely mow the back yard, the horse keeps it trimmed pretty good.

[Jim Matthews]

I've got a Lesco walk behind mower.

36" deck and I complete my yard duties in less than an hour.
(Smaller plot, steep front grade.)

The current crop of Cub Cadets are essentially the same Lesco mower I own.
They're simple machines, overbuilt for the trade.

Riding mowers wreck my back.

[Justin Ludwig]

Riding mowers wreck my back.

Gotta keep your belly half-way tight to support your lumbar. I can't mow my place without a riding lawn mower and if I lose my posture or tight belly, my lumbar is quick to remind me.

@ Matt - I personally would never own a self-propelled. They mow too slow for my liking. I used one as a kid and the only time I engaged it was mowing uphill. The tipping point? That's entirely subjective. My old town house was 1.5acres and I push mowed it until a friend gave me a 42" rider. Took 3 hrs, but I ate it in chunks and washed it down with beer.

I've been working on my wife for a year and half to get a 0-turn because I now have 3 acres to mow with lots of undulating terrain. I think my 42" lawn chief is going to have a "mishap" by the end of this summer. It was free and is 8 years old.

[Brian Tymchak]

I have ~15,000 sq ft of lawn and push mow it in about 2 hrs. (I mow relatively slowly). 22" non-self-propelled mower, but the lawn is pretty flat. I fertilize and have a full lawn irrigation system, so the lawn is dense. Pretty decent exercise. 4-5 yrs ago I would mow it every 4 days in the spring time but now I'm down to once a week, whether it needs it or not.. I wouldn't want to push mow much more than this. In fact, getting older, if we decide to not downsize next year, I will likely get a rider, or larger self-propelled.

All my neighbors with the exception of 1 have much smaller lawns and either have a lawn service or riding mowers. Depends on how much time you want to spend at it, and how much peer pressure you're willing to put up with.. :rolleyes:

[Curt Harms]

It depends on your landscaping. Lots of little trees I would push mow up to an acre. I also would push it instead of propelling it. That advice is coming from someone who has never used a self propelled mower. Plus the money too, and time on maintenance. A push mower is easy to maintain, a rider not so much. We have a half acre lot with 2 million shrubberies on it thanks to my darling wife and a horse in the back yard. It takes me about 45 minutes to push mow the front yard but there is no way a rider would fit. We rarely mow the back yard, the horse keeps it trimmed pretty good.

What Moses said. Trimming around lots of bushes & flower beds ups the time required quite a lot. I think it's quicker to cut around 'obstacles' with a push mower than with a rider. A ZTR might change that but you'd still need enough room between 'obstacles'.

[Brian Elfert]

A front deck riding mower can really cut down on time going around obstacles like bushes and such. The deck is out front of the rest of the mower so the deck can go under the branches on bushes and such. Unfortunately, front deck mowers aren't really made anymore and they were almost exclusively commercial (expensive) units. There are a few commercial zero turn mowers that have the deck out front, but the cost is out of sight. (low five figures)

[Myk Rian]

Back in 1978, I cut our lawn with a push mower. Just under 1 acre. We moved in Dec. 77.
I said "The heck with this" went to Sears, and bought a tractor. On our third machine now.

I've seen TV ads where all the guys in the sub are on tractors. How stupid is that?

[Rick Moyer]

Another consideration is do you intend to ONLY cut the grass or do you intend to make the lawn look really nice. A tractor can pull a spreader, aerator, thatcher, etc. should you want to go that route yourself. Also, I doubt you'll get a 20" cut out of a 22" blade unless you are extremely accurate following your lines. I would suspect a larger overlap than 2" unless you're really careful. There are also a lot of factors contributing to how long it may take to mow beyond the size of the mower.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have a little over a half acre in the front and 3/4 acres in the back that I used to mow with a push mower. Now I have a zero steer and mow more but want to gt another push to mow when it is to wet to put the rider on.

[Bill Huber]

There are 2 types of self-propelled mowers, one is a set speed and then the other is a Personal Pace.

I have a Toro Personal Pace and I can't go faster then it. The nice thing about the personal pace is if you slow down they slow down and if you want to walk faster they will go faster.

If you get a non self-propelled get one with the biggest wheels you can find, it makes it much easier.

[Brian Kent]

I have a Honda self-propelled with an adjustable throttle. When I hit unseen gopher holes and dog-digging holes, it is much less jarring to be able to not be pushing when it hits. I can control much better. We have a half acre but not all lawn. For me it is easier to mow the weeds when they come up than to try to ride on all of the irregular hills and slopes around many trees.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

you guys with bad backs should look into gel filled cushions. all the difference in the world.Max

[Jim Matthews]

I've been working on my wife for a year and half to get a 0-turn because I now have 3 acres to mow with lots of undulating terrain. I think my 42" lawn chief is going to have a "mishap" by the end of this summer. It was free and is 8 years old.

Uppa Heya, it would get accidentally left on the ice in January.

[Roy Harding]

We are on about 1.25 acres. I got rid of ALL the grass. What isn't occupied by the house and shop is either deck, or gravel. I used to have a ride-on mower, but bought the snow blower attachment and still use the tractor for that (we get a LOT of snow here in northern B.C.). Arranged on the gravel and decks are various cedar boxes that my wife grows vegetables and flowers in.

Ever since I was a kid I always thought a lawn was crazy (I also never saw the purpose in making a bed every darned day - perhaps 25 years in the Army made me dislike that ritual more than most folks). I will state that when my kids were little, a lawn was great for them to run around and play on without hurting themselves - but now that we're older and there are no kids around, zero (or at least minimal) maintenance is the way to go.

As far as making the bed goes - we now simply have a fitted sheet over the mattress, and a duvet on top - a single flick of the wrists in the morning, and you're done.

[Art Mann]

I don't think the 3.1 mph would translate easily into a time to completion because there are so many other factors involved. I used to have a house with a half acre yard and I push mowed it without having a self propelled mower. There were very few shrubs, trees and other obstacles to slow me down and it wasn't a great burden. Now, I mow about 1.5 acres using the combination of a zero turn radius mower, a push mower and a gas powered string trimmer. There are many landscape obstacles to go around. I am probably push mowing no more than a tenth acre of area but it takes me much longer to do that than it does to riding mow the rest. I am looking to move and one reason is I want less yard maintenance.

[Steve Peterson]

I used to have about 1/2 acre of grass and found it easier to use a self propelled 22" mower than a riding mower. It probably took around an hour. The lawn had a few trees and other obstacles that were no problem for the push mower, but really slow with a rider.

I had a small rider that I think only had about a 28" cut since I needed something to fit through the gate. A 48" mower might have tipped the scales towards a riding mower.

Another thing I would look for is a self propelled with a clutch that stops the blade when you need to empty the bag. It would be much easier than having to restart every time you take your hands off the handles.

Steve

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I used to have a corner lot house, it was plenty to push mow. Current place is way too big, probably three times that. I'd say the average corner lot on a city block is about as big as I'd want to push.

[Matt Meiser]

Hiring a lawn service is a distinct possibility. My parents have about 2x what we are looking at and it costs them $35 each time.

[Kent A Bathurst]

As youngest son, the day before I left home for college, a delivery truck pulls up in front, and off comes a brand new riding mower, to replace the gas engine human-propelled version I had been using for years.

I turned and gave my Dad the Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot look.

Dad: "You don't actually think I am going to push a mower for 3 hours each weekend, do you?"

His philosophy was: Teen-aged sons are machines designed to convert room and board into mowed grass, raked leaves, and shoveled snow.

[Harold Burrell]

His philosophy was: Teen-aged sons are machines designed to convert room and board into mowed grass, raked leaves, and shoveled snow.

Yep. And you still got off cheap. ;)

[Jim Matthews]

What is on the ground today, instead of grass?

I'm heading the same direction; we have two large pine trees in the
front yard (West side of the house) that cover 1/2 the lawn with needles.

Nothing grows where the needles fall.
Did you plant something else?

[Rich Riddle]

The yard in Kansas was a bit over half an acre to cut and proved very easy with a push mower, but Kansas doesn't have lots of hills in the southern part. There were also no obstacles to avoid.

[Matt Meiser]

This part of SE Michigan makes Kansas look hilly. Its all drained swamp land.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a 1/4 acre lot. It takes my about 1 hour to trim and mow. I use a Honda self-propelled mower that has a thumb operated throttle for the speed of travel and a blade clutch. Thus I can empty the bag without having to stop and restart the engine.

[Justin Ludwig]

Uppa Heya, it would get accidentally left on the ice in January.

Trust me, I've plotted many angles. I'm a bit too far south to wait for my pond to ice over. Sometimes being able to work on small engines, weld, and do general mechanic fixes doesn't work in my favor. 2 more years and this mower will be fit for Frankenstein's Monster.

[Matt Meiser]

I'll almost certainly buy a Husqvarna because that's what my favorite dealer carries. Its speed controls are on the handlebar grips, somewhat similar to bike brakes with better ergonomics. As I pointed out to my wife, I wouldn't be the only one using this. ;)

The houses we are looking at are 1/3 +/- acre lots, then subtract the ~2k sqft houses, patios, garages, driveways, etc.

[David Weaver]

As youngest son, the day before I left home for college, a delivery truck pulls up in front, and off comes a brand new riding mower, to replace the gas engine human-propelled version I had been using for years.

I turned and gave my Dad the Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot look.

Dad: "You don't actually think I am going to push a mower for 3 hours each weekend, do you?"

His philosophy was: Teen-aged sons are machines designed to convert room and board into mowed grass, raked leaves, and shoveled snow.

This story sounds familiar to me!

As far as the yard size goes, we did have a rider, and an acre covered with trees, and all of it was on a grade. There were a couple of times that a rider was down and in the repair shop that we mowed the yard with a lawn boy push (not SP). It might not have been so bad if it was a level lot. All of the stuff (rider and all, and esp. leaf equipment that went with it) got an upgrade after I left.

I do a quarter with a SP mower now, but I'd do up to a half with a push. SP was the only used honda I could find cheap when I got my mower.

[Moses Yoder]

You can get the Husqvarna with a Honda or Kohler engine, I would say it is a toss up. (When I last looked into mowers a few years ago) The Honda will probably start easier for longer. I wanted to buy a Husqvarna push mower with Honda engine a few years back and my wife said we can get a mower cheaper from the Meijer grocery store with my daughter's employee discount so we bought a Yard Machine with Briggs engine for $50 less than a Husqvarna would have cost from a small local engine shop. Two years later the piece of crap does not run smooth and she says I need to fix it before she can use it. Well, I am not waiting for the pond to ice over I am simply throwing it in.

[David Weaver]

Part of the benefit of the honda mower is everything else that goes along with the motor. All of it is reliable and well designed. Maybe the husky is, too. Some of the other honda powered mowers have shallow decks.

I've noticed often that my neighbor is mowing and his mulching mower is struggling because the deck is a bad design - and shallow. I'm doing the same thing with a honda mower with less horsepower and no problem because there's enough room under the deck for the mower to mulch in heavy grass.

I usually look used first when I need something, and some couple who came from india bought the mower, used it for a year and then hired yard service and sold it on CL for 1/3rd of new price. They couldn't get it to start. I have no idea why. It's started fine for me for 8 years now with no maintenance other than air filters and oil changes.

[Matt Meiser]

You can get the Husqvarna with a Honda or Kohler engine,

Honda or B&S right now, at least in the models my dealer carries. She says this particular Briggs as proven to be a good engine but I'd probably get the Honda. The perceived advantage the Briggs model has is a blade brake clutch which leaves the engine running when you let go of the handle which is nice, but the clutch is intolerant of hitting anything and is $50 to replace.

[Brian Elfert]

I have a self propelled Honda push mower with blade brake clutch. It is one model down from the top of the line. I think the only thing I don't have is electric start. It has a hydrostatic transmission that I can set any forward speed I want. I've very rarely felt like I needed to mow faster than the mower would go at top speed. Typically I would have to mow at less than top speed because I often let the grass grow too long.

I'm currently looking for a riding mower of some sort for my future house. I will probably have at least one acre at my next house so I likely wouldn't want to use my push mower for that. I have seen a used Toro Proline 118 riding mower I would like to buy, but I think my father would kill me if I bought it and stored it at his house. It is a front deck commercial type riding mower. It is Toro's bottom of the line commercial riding mower and has a Kohler small engine rather than a heavier duty liquid cooled motor like the bigger ones. Also no power steering. Not being liquid cooled could be an advantage as less to maintain on the engine.

[Brian Ashton]

The tipping point is can you afford a ride on mower. If so, who cares how big the area is that you're cutting.

[Brian Elfert]

That are many sizes of yard that would make no sense to use a riding mower for no matter if one afford one or not. It would be fairly silly to have a riding mower for my 40 foot wide swatch of grass at my house. A non-zero turn would take more time to turn around than to cut the grass. My father spent 3 hours a week for years with a push mower on his lawn. He finally broke down and got a lightly used riding mower since he is in his upper 60s now.

[Brian Ashton]

That are many sizes of yard that would make no sense to use a riding mower for no matter if one afford one or not. It would be fairly silly to have a riding mower for my 40 foot wide swatch of grass at my house. A non-zero turn would take more time to turn around than to cut the grass. My father spent 3 hours a week for years with a push mower on his lawn. He finally broke down and got a lightly used riding mower since he is in his upper 60s now.

People buy massive lathes and other woodworking equipment and extremely expensive hand tools for what is barely a hobby considering the time they put in and their lack of skill. Whats the difference? The way I see it is if it's your money, stuff what anyone else thinks, it's all about you. And if your friends are all too judgemental because you like to spend your money then buy some new ones.

Or how bout people that buy hummers and only drive them around town...

Other than stuff like eggs and milk, most of what westerners buy these days is over the top self indulgence...

I knew a guy that had a wall of planes. No way in the world could he hope to use a quarter of them and he sucked at woodworking. How dumb is that. Again not at all, he was stinking rich and could afford that and probably thousands more. Only problem is he wasn't smart enough to spend some money on lessons on becoming a reasonable woodworker

[Jerome Stanek]

People buy massive lathes and other woodworking equipment and extremely expensive hand tools for what is barely a hobby considering the time they put in and their lack of skill. Whats the difference? The way I see it is if it's your money, stuff what anyone else thinks, it's all about you. And if your friends are all too judgemental because you like to spend your money then buy some new one

Or how bout people that buy hummers and only drive them around town...

Other than stuff like eggs and milk, most of what westerners buy these days is over the top self ind
I knew a guy that had a wall of planes. No way in the world could he hope to use a quarter of them and he sucked at woodworking. How dumb is that. Again not at all, he was stinking rich and could afford that and probably thousands more. Only problem is he wasn't smart enough to spend some money on lessons on becoming a reasonable woodworker

But there is a break point where it takes longer to mow using a rider than a push and he is close to that

[Moses Yoder]

The tipping point is can you afford a ride on mower. If so, who cares how big the area is that you're cutting.

I see what you mean (in further explanation) is not really what you said. Essentially you said that everyone who CAN afford a riding lawn mower SHOULD have one. In further responses you state essentially that if you WANT a riding lawn mower and CAN AFFORD a riding lawn mower then you SHOULD have one. I have never met anyone who could not afford a riding lawn mower. You can buy them often times for around a $100. I saw one the other day for $50. On the other hand, there is a lot involved in WANTING a riding lawn mower. You have to either want to spend a lot of time or money on maintenance. You have to have some REASON to WANT the mower. Some way to justify the expense. Most people buy one because they say it saves them time. Some people buy a very expensive one to impress the neighbors. There are a lot of reasons to want a riding lawn mower but there are a lot of people with enough money to have a rider and yet they still don't want one. There are many millionaires who have no yard to mow, and various other reasons not to want a rider. Push mowing the yard is good exercise, is not so hard on the environment, gives you a reason to exist, etc.

[Moses Yoder]

We are doing some yard work today, raking leaves and planting some stuff so there are a couple piles of leaves on the ground but here is why I won't ever have a riding lawn mower.

289671

[David Weaver]

I think the only thing I don't have is electric start.

I don't know what yours is like, but mine, like clockwork takes 10 pulls at the start of the season (since there is no prime bulb or anything beyond throttle set type choke), and exactly two every other time I start it cold each week for the rest of the year.

If there was ever a small engine maker that you didn't need a starter for, honda is it.

[David Weaver]

The tipping point is can you afford a ride on mower. If so, who cares how big the area is that you're cutting.

I can't imagine wanting one. I could afford one, though I guess I have a problem with getting stingy when buying things I don't love, like some folks do. When it comes to a vice, my wallet is wide open.

I did grow up in a house that had two riders, but only have a quarter acre now, and look forward to the 40 minute walk each week.

I've got a neighbor who loves to kind of do as little as possible outside, and as slow as possible, and when I moved here, he had a rider for his third acre. Your post got me thinking about the number of people here with riders, he was the only one on my street except for the church at the end (that has one for obvious reasons - it's about a 3 acre property and mowing is via volunteer). Anyway, even the guy who had a rider no longer has one now. I'm kind of curious as to why he doesn't, but I don't know.

[Larry Frank]

I have got two acres that I mow and also a bunch trees and stuff to go around. I have a Simplicity ZTR that makes it fun to do the lawn. This time of year when the blue grass is growing...a freshly cut lawn looks great. Sometimes, I even break down and mow it in patterns such as squares or diamonds. Yes, it is kind of nuts but it is all in what makes you smile.

Pushing a mower on a hot humid day does not make me smile.

[Bill Cunningham]

I have a 25hp tractor w/42" 3 blade deck, front and back lawn = just under 15000 sq. Ft. I can cut both In about an hour, because I have better things to do than cut grass.

[Todd Willhoit]

Very interesting thread. I suppose the answer is somewhat dependent on how long you want to be in the yard. I can mow, trim, and blow off the clippings off 0.2 ac. in less than an hour with a self propelled 21". That equates to a little exercise and a LOT of sweat during the summer months in Houston. I don't care to be doing yard work all day, so I consider that pretty good.

I highly recommend Toro. Mine model is the least expensive of the commercial line (Super Recycler). Nothing fancy, but it has an aluminum deck, and a longer (five year) warranty. I asked the dealer about the differences between the commercial line and those at the big box stores. He said he regularly sees the big box models in the shop for wheel and transmission replacements. Mine has had zero issues in five years. Starts on the first pull.

Buying the low end of the commercial line has served me well. I have a low-end commercial Echo SRM-2500 string trimmer going strong with 23 years of service. The only parts I have replaced are the carburetor and the gas cap.

[Jason Roehl]

Our long-term plan is to reduce the amount of grass we have by replacing it with things we can eat, or at least enjoy looking at. I suppose once our current lawn mower dies, a reel mower is not out of the question. One less engine to maintain. We have about 1/4-acre, the house is a bi-level with a ~1100 s.f. footprint and some trees, including a gulley on the one end of the property. It takes me about 20 minutes to mow with a push mower, the kids take a little longer, but there's only about 5 years of them mowing left available to me.

[Brian Elfert]

At least one person mentioned rocks instead of grass. Here in Minnesota, rocks don't work all that well. What typically happens is the rocks get full of dirt and weeds and grass starts growing in the rocks even with landscape fabric underneath. I have river rock at the bottom of both sides of my driveway five feet wide by 30 feet long. Dirt has washed in and weeds and grass have taken over the rocks. I end up mowing the rocks just like the lawn. I pulled up all the rocks and washed all the dirt out of them once. It was absolutely back breaking so never again. Rocks in Minnesota can take as much work as grass to keep them nice.

Rocks make a lot of sense in southwest US where there it is fairly dry and the rocks stay nice without a lot of work.

[Matt Meiser]

Jason, when you get there check out the Earthwise battery-powered mowers. That's what my brother bought and he loves it.

My Husqvarna dealer is also my John Deere and Stihl dealer. Stihl refuses to sell big box but John Deere sells those D-Series mowers in the big box stores and they get stuck servicing them, when its even possible to. They have a whole D-Series graveyard of a few year old tractors that are "totaled" because they need $1500 in repairs to the steering deck, trans, etc, etc. Then people (like a friend's mom) think John Deere is junk because John Deere does make that D-Series junk. I don't even get why they would want to compete in that market.

We put in lava rock when we first moved in and experienced the rock/dirt phenomenon. Plus the ice broke it down. Seems to work better in suburban settings with less dust and where its often slightly raised. But NO ONE around here does their yard in rock. And doing ground cover takes a lot of maintenance too.

[Mac McQuinn]

I have between a 1/3 to 1/2 acre, corner lot with 17 large trees, small island and some split rail fencing. I use a JD JX75 Self propelled mower and it takes me 1 hour and 40 minutes to cut/mulch, trim/edge and blow the driveway off. I bought this in 1999 and it's been a very good mower with basic maintenance. Has 5 or 6 speeds and will fly in high. I run it in the next gear down due to a bum ankle. Does an excellent job mulching.
Mac

[Brian Ashton]

I see what you mean (in further explanation) is not really what you said. Essentially you said that everyone who CAN afford a riding lawn mower SHOULD have one. In further responses you state essentially that if you WANT a riding lawn mower and CAN AFFORD a riding lawn mower then you SHOULD have one. I have never met anyone who could not afford a riding lawn mower. You can buy them often times for around a $100. I saw one the other day for $50. On the other hand, there is a lot involved in WANTING a riding lawn mower. You have to either want to spend a lot of time or money on maintenance. You have to have some REASON to WANT the mower. Some way to justify the expense. Most people buy one because they say it saves them time. Some people buy a very expensive one to impress the neighbors. There are a lot of reasons to want a riding lawn mower but there are a lot of people with enough money to have a rider and yet they still don't want one. There are many millionaires who have no yard to mow, and various other reasons not to want a rider. Push mowing the yard is good exercise, is not so hard on the environment, gives you a reason to exist, etc.

But then again if you have the money... pay a yard maintenance guy to do it instead.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I owned and loved my craftsman mower.... but, when all those plastic pieces broke, they cost more to replace than if I could use real metal replacement parts available from a local shop that repairs and sells things. I finally gave up on it and purchased one that the local shop can service. Sears sent all their stuff out of town, I would wait a couple of weeks, and then they would usually say "sorry, could not fix it, here is a new one under warranty"; Of course, that was a line trimmer, but, I went through so many of them that I now only purchase that sort of thing from someone that I know can repair it for me if it breaks. The irony is that they sold me better quality and I have not had to have it repaired :D

I figure that if you own a riding mower, you will probably also own a push mower for those small areas, so, try the push mower first and then see how you feel. If you are too tired or it took too long, then get a riding mower. Wait, this kind of advice probably means I need to turn in my man card. Buy the rider, even if you only have two square feet of lawn to mow!

[Jason Roehl]

Jason, when you get there check out the Earthwise battery-powered mowers. That's what my brother bought and he loves it.



I hear the battery-powered mowers are improving, but batteries don't last forever, so it would still be a maintenance item. No matter the power method, the blades have to be sharpened, so I may as well get something that ONLY needs that and no more. By then, hopefully we will only have a minimum of grassy area to mow.

[Gary Muto]

Consider all of the seasons.

I always had a riding mower and most of my homes had less than 1 acre. 8 years ago we moved into an urban neighborhood and I got rid of the rider. This year we bought a house on 2/3 of an acre that backs into some open area. I just mowed for the 1st time it took me over 3 hours. I was amazed but probably mowed 3/4 acre. Future mowings should be faster and probably bi-weekly.

Anyway, I started cosidering a riding mower and am really averse to the storage space required of all things. I started discussing it with my wife and I recalled what I really liked about my rider... the huge rear bagger. With all of the leaves in MI falling in Autumn, it was a huge time saver. In CO that is not the case so I will likely keep walking behind a SP Craftsman 22".

When I got rid of the tractor, i got a snowblower. it is easier to store and there is no changeover.

I think I would mow at least up to 1 acre with a walk behind.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Yep. And you still got off cheap. ;)

Visited the folks a few weeks ago.

Dad told me pretty much the same thing when I was there. :p

Next month he will be 89.

[Roy Harding]

At least one person mentioned rocks instead of grass. Here in Minnesota, rocks don't work all that well. What typically happens is the rocks get full of dirt and weeds and grass starts growing in the rocks even with landscape fabric underneath. I have river rock at the bottom of both sides of my driveway five feet wide by 30 feet long. Dirt has washed in and weeds and grass have taken over the rocks. I end up mowing the rocks just like the lawn. I pulled up all the rocks and washed all the dirt out of them once. It was absolutely back breaking so never again. Rocks in Minnesota can take as much work as grass to keep them nice.

Rocks make a lot of sense in southwest US where there it is fairly dry and the rocks stay nice without a lot of work.

That was me that mentioned rocks. We've only had ours in for one season now - and I'm beginning to see what you mention. We live in "The Great Bear Rain Forest", where moss grow on the asphalt shingles on the roof - I'm beginning to think I made a mistake.

We'll see what happens, but I suspect you're correct - rocks are a mistake in this climate. (DAMN!!)

[Bill McNiel]

Interesting, I just came in from mowing our lawn, a little over 3,000 SF. I have a John Deere riding mower (42") that I bought for my wife when I was working in the Islands (basically the conversation went like this "if you want the lawn mowed while you are away then either hire someone or buy a rider"). I also mow the areas along the comon driveway and two neighbor's lawns just because it looks better and it only takes another 15 minutes or so. We've had the JD for 8-9 yrs and have never any maintaince issues other than oil change and blades, it isn't the BORG type.

[Garth Almgren]

We've got over 30,000 sqft of lawn on our acre, several trees, and a JD D100 42" rider. It takes me about an hour and 15 minutes to do the whole lawn, and I can't imagine using a push mower. I'm sure it would take me at least twice as long because of the much narrower deck.

My previous house, I had less than 100 sqft and mowed the lawn in about 3 minutes with a reel mower. :)

[Matt Meiser]

I hear the battery-powered mowers are improving, but batteries don't last forever, so it would still be a maintenance item. No matter the power method, the blades have to be sharpened, so I may as well get something that ONLY needs that and no more. By then, hopefully we will only have a minimum of grassy area to mow.

Yeah, they told him figure 5 years--based on that they'd been selling them 5 years and the first batch were just coming in for new batteries.

[Mark P. Miller]

That was me that mentioned rocks. We've only had ours in for one season now - and I'm beginning to see what you mention. We live in "The Great Bear Rain Forest", where moss grow on the asphalt shingles on the roof - I'm beginning to think I made a mistake.

We'll see what happens, but I suspect you're correct - rocks are a mistake in this climate. (DAMN!!)

I agree. I can say from experience that rocks and gravel are miserable in wet climates. Unless you're willing to just spray everything down with roundup all the time, rocks and gravel take a LOT more time to maintain relative to a grass lawn. Gravel much more so than larger rocks, but still...it's amazing to see what's able to grow even with limited substrates.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Matt & Jason I've got just what you need....

Compromise between push and ride & low overhead


:D :D :D

[Matt Meiser]

I stopped at my local L&G place again and she thinks I'm probably good with a standard 22" self propelled mower. She's got one they took back from an elderly guy's family after he went into a nursing home a few weeks after buying it. They asked about her selling it for them but she just did a refund and they've been using as an occasional loaner. She wants me to try it before buying anything. "But it will be mid August" I said. Her..."No problem, it will be here waiting for you." Gotta love the customer service. Wife and I have since discussed though that the right approach is definitely buy a good 22" self propelled and if that's not enough, we'll look for a decent used commercial walk-behind or pay someone to do it. The regular mower will be needed for some tight areas of the yard and will let any of us do the mowing if needed.

We plan to buy a good snow blower too this fall. Our dog loves to try to catch snow thrown from a shovel. The snow blower should be really fun :D

[Curt Harms]

The lady next door has a battery powered mower. She can't let her grass get very long. If the grass gets long due to a wet spell she has to borrow a gas powered mower or mow twice, once high then a second time lower due to limited power.

[Matt Meiser]

I looked at a well used, but well maintained, good running Exmark 36" commercial walk behind yesterday that I'm seriously considering. Owner bought it from someone who ran a very small lawn service on the side and has used it in his own yard for a few years. He's selling because his dad bought a rider and handed down a larger version of the same Exmark. If we buy that I think we'll still buy an inexpensive (not cheap) 21" mower for tight spots and so my wife and daughter have something they can use.

[Larry Whitlow]

Gosh, when I first read this I thought by push mower you meant one of those reel mowers with no motor and the rear catcher. I'm actually thinking of getting one of those for the place we are moving to. I can use the extra exercise. Needless to say the front and back lawns are small. I'm probably going to find that the cost is comparable to a cheap powered mower at the big box store.

[David Weaver]

You'll probably need a backup mower if you use a reel mower. Certain things don't go through a reel mower too well (weeds, grass that's tall enough to lay over when the mower hits it, etc).

When I was in school, for summers, I worked at a driving range that had a boatload of adjacent property that the owner was under contract to mow (federal property). We used golf course mowers, and from time to time would use a rotary mower to chase down the stuff that managed to evade the reels.

We also mowed at about half an inch (the shorter the cut, the better a reel mower works). Obviously the grass burned out when it was dry, but the root system stayed and it always came back when it was wet again - that's not an entirely bad compromise when you're getting paid to keep grass in order, but not so good for a yard.

You could get most of the stuff that troubled us with a string trimmer, though, if your yard isn't too large.

All of that said, I much prefer the way a reel mower works - it's so much more elegant and satisfying to see grass getting pinched and snipped off cleanly with so little energy used to do it.

[Larry Whitlow]

You'll probably need a backup mower if you use a reel mower. Certain things don't go through a reel mower too well (weeds, grass that's tall enough to lay over when the mower hits it, etc).

When I was in school, for summers, I worked at a driving range that had a boatload of adjacent property that the owner was under contract to mow (federal property). We used golf course mowers, and from time to time would use a rotary mower to chase down the stuff that managed to evade the reels.


We also mowed at about half an inch (the shorter the cut, the better a reel mower works). Obviously the grass burned out when it was dry, but the root system stayed and it always came back when it was wet again - that's not an entirely bad compromise when you're getting paid to keep grass in order, but not so good for a yard.

You could get most of the stuff that troubled us with a string trimmer, though, if your yard isn't too large.

All of that said, I much prefer the way a reel mower works - it's so much more elegant and satisfying to see grass getting pinched and snipped off cleanly with so little energy used to do it.

Reel mowers were common when I was a kid. Used them at my parents and grandparent's yards. I remember doing this kind of forward/back motion to keep the reel speed up. At the bottom line, I think 1/2" is too short for me. I might have to rethink this. Wife wants synthetic grass, but that costs about 2,500 times what I will pay for a mower.

David, regarding your last paragraph, I agree that there is a satisfaction component to using an old reel mower. Hopefully this won't start a hand vs power tool thing with lawn mowers.

[Dave Lehnert]

Matt,

What happened to the ZTR?

[Tom M King]

You'll probably need a backup mower if you use a reel mower. Certain things don't go through a reel mower too well (weeds, grass that's tall enough to lay over when the mower hits it, etc).

When I was in school, for summers, I worked at a driving range that had a boatload of adjacent property that the owner was under contract to mow (federal property). We used golf course mowers, and from time to time would use a rotary mower to chase down the stuff that managed to evade the reels.

We also mowed at about half an inch (the shorter the cut, the better a reel mower works). Obviously the grass burned out when it was dry, but the root system stayed and it always came back when it was wet again - that's not an entirely bad compromise when you're getting paid to keep grass in order, but not so good for a yard.

You could get most of the stuff that troubled us with a string trimmer, though, if your yard isn't too large.

All of that said, I much prefer the way a reel mower works - it's so much more elegant and satisfying to see grass getting pinched and snipped off cleanly with so little energy used to do it.

I had a personal driving range in one of our pastures. The local guy, who is not carrying a full load, thought pulling the ball picker behind the riding lawnmower was the best job ever-sort of like Forrest cutting grass. It worked pretty good until one day when he decided the grass needed cutting, and he could do both jobs at the same time.

[Matt Meiser]

I have a verbal commitment to sell the ZTR to the guy who's buying our house. Its a 60" deck--a little impractical for a 1/3 acre lot!

[David Weaver]

Reel mowers were common when I was a kid. Used them at my parents and grandparent's yards. I remember doing this kind of forward/back motion to keep the reel speed up. At the bottom line, I think 1/2" is too short for me. I might have to rethink this. Wife wants synthetic grass, but that costs about 2,500 times what I will pay for a mower.

David, regarding your last paragraph, I agree that there is a satisfaction component to using an old reel mower. Hopefully this won't start a hand vs power tool thing with lawn mowers.

I don't know what you can get away with and do well, maybe 2". Certainly you don't have to go down to 1/2". We used that for two reasons, one because it kept the grass from growing too quickly (though it did grow fast in spring), and two because out on the driving range, people are a lot happier if they can see their ball roll for a while. Makes them feel like a big golf bully.

I spent most of my time riding an old jacobsen F14. It could mow around 4-5 miles an hour, 14 feet wide and on a gallon of diesel an hour or less. It had hydraulics for every reel (to lift them, but the reels themselves were ground driven), so you could keep driving and only lift one reel if there was a stray golf ball where you were mowing. If you hit a golf ball with one, all you heard was a loud "ping" that resulted in two halves of a split golfball flying in the air.

you did get covered with grass driving it, but it never got old to me - it was such a marvelous efficient piece of equipment.

The new push mowers do seem to mow better than the old contact reels, though - at least in the videos the manufacturers show online.

[William Adams]

I use an old reel mower to cut our yard (one-third of an acre less a 1,200 sq. ft. House and short driveway and some small gardens) using a 15 year old or so mower. Works fine, though I did have to trim one part of the yard w/ clippers once when it got excessively overgrown.

I also have my grandparents' cast iron mower which I've used a couple of times, and have a spare like the one I use for parts which my wife saved from someone's trash.

[Brian Elfert]

I'm going the opposite way of Matt. The house I sold had maybe 6,000 square feet of grass to mow. It took about 45 minutes with a 21" mower. The house I put in an offer on has at least two acres of grass to mow. I already bought a used Toro commercial mower and did some repairs on it to get it running. It is 48" and I'm starting to wonder if I should have waited and got a 72" instead.