The Many methods of mowing
(Page 2 of 5)
The secret to easy cutting with these mowers is frequent
mowing. If you let the grass get too long, the reel mower
blades will tend to bind up or take an inordinate amount of
pushing to get the mower through long grass. Cut when the
grass is no more than an inch longer than you want it. A
quarter acre (100 feet by 160 feet) of lawn can be cut in
about an hour with a reel mower. For areas larger than
that, you may want to go to a walk-behind, gas-powered
cutter, either push or self-propelled.
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Electric Mowers: $400 to $670
You can buy corded electric mowers that run directly off of
your home's electricity, but keeping the cord out of the
way as you mow is a challenge on all but the smallest
lawns. On the other hand, cordless electric mowers offer
the same advantages of reel mowers: less noise, pollution
and maintenance than gas-powered machines, easy starting,
plus a good workout. They are an especially green choice if
you live where electricity comes from hydroelectric dams -
rather than coal or nuclear power plants - or if you enjoy
free electricity from your own home solar-electric system
or wind generator.
Cordless electric mowers include batteries that have to be
plugged into an outlet after each use to recharge. They
generally are not self-propelled and tend to be heavy
because of their batteries. If a small person will be using
the mower, test drive it at the dealers.
Even greener than a cordless electric mower is the new
Sunwhisper solar-charged mower. The Sunwhisper features two
Siemens photovoltaic (PV) solar panels that charge a Black
& Decker 24-volt, CMMI000 cordless electric mower. You
can either mount the PV panels on your garage or shed roof,
or mount them right on the handles of the mower. As long as
the panels are facing south in full sun, they will keep the
mower's battery charged for about two hours of mowing per
week. If you need an overnight or cloudy-day charge, you
still have the option to recharge by plugging into a home
outlet.
The Sunwhisper solar-charged mower sells for $670 plus
shipping from FreePowerSystems ( www.freepowersys.com ;
(303) 651-3184). The Black & Decker 24-volt mower lists
at $329.99.
Push-Type, Gas-Powered
Lawn
Mowers: $150 to $350
You might ask why you'd want an engine-powered mower you
have to push rather than one that's self-propelled. There
are three reasons. First, the push mowers cost less.
Second, while self-propelled mowers are fine on large lawns
without many obstacles, the mower you push can be more
easily guided through tight spaces, around trees and
shrubs, and around island beds. Plus its forward or
backward speed is your walking speed. Third, all but the
most serious full-time homesteaders will benefit from a
weekly aerobic workout behind a push mower.
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