Non-Gas Lawn Mowers

[eyeguy13]

Anybody use a push reel mower or electric lawn mower. I just can't stand using my gas mower anymore knowing how much crap I'm putting into the air. I need an alternative. Since cattle won't fit on my 1/4 acre surburban oasis, I'm thinking push reel mower first, then electric.

Any thoughts????

[MtnTraveler]

I like using a push mower. Got the Brill Luxus 38" wide model. If you keep the blade adjusted it works quite well. But keep up on the lawn or you get an awesome workout! 1/4 acre is pretty big but I'd still do it "by hand". I hear battery-powered electric mowers are out there now. Get a mulching mower if it's a power mower for sure! Saves time, better for grass, reduces yard waste.

[Technogeek]

This is a great topic. Congratulations on your search for a greener mower.

I owned a Brill Luxus 38 and became frustrated with it on my 1/8 acre lot. During rainy weather, I was unable to mow because the wheels just slid right over the wet grass and did not get traction to turn the blades. With a lack of mowing, the grass would get pretty long. A reel mower cannot cut grass that gets too long. I had to keep a second mower around to cut the grass if it got too long.

Presently I have two mowers, one is a rechargable Black and Decker electric that works well on my 1/8 acre lot. I usually keep the height set at the midway point or higher. A higher setting means the mower doesn't work as hard. I use this mower most of the time (75% of the time).

For the other 25% of mowing, I use a gas-powered reel mower that does an outstanding job (ATCO Balmoral 17s, imported from England). My grass looks like a professionally landscaped baseball field when finished. I use it for special occasions to really add a professional touch just before family members come to visit, try to win yard of the month, etc). I am currently researching electric motors in order that I can swap a corded-electric motor into the place of the existing gasoline engine.

My neighbor's mower is a corded version of the Black and Decker electric rotary mower, and it does a very good job too. I cannot tell a difference between it and the cordless version in terms of the final results.

Good luck with your research.

[kfarad]

We own a gas lawn mower but I prefer to use the push mower... I love the sound it makes and it's a great workout... smells great.

[Tideland Prius]

hmm.. never owned a gas mower. Always been electric.. although they're still rather loud; softer than gas but still loud.

[ghostofjk]

I have had a Black & Decker which uses a cord for six years. Works very well.

I'm pretty sure a 4-HP gas engine on a mower emits more pollution, when run for the same amount of time, than a Prius. (Can someone verify?) Gas-powered mowers should be phased out by law---especially those that run before 9 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

[eyeguy13]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ May 8 2006, 02:26 AM) [snapback]251363[/snapback]</div>

I have had a Black & Decker which uses a cord for six years. Works very well.

I'm pretty sure a 4-HP gas engine on a mower emits more pollution, when run for the same amount of time, than a Prius. (Can someone verify?) Gas-powered mowers should be phased out by law---especially those that run before 9 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday mornings.
[/b]

This is from:

http://greengrasscutters.com.hosting.domai...ct.com/id7.html

(one quick source, I'm sure there are others....I have to get back to work! )

One type of pollutant emitted by lawn mowers is polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are classified as probable carcinogens by the CDC. Testing found that operating a typical gasoline mower with a four-cycle engine produced as much PAH as driving a modern car about 150 km or about 95 miles. (Note 1). This means that unless you drive more than 95 mph, your mower actually produces more pollution per hour than your car!

Another source claims that operating a gas mower for one hour will produce the same pollution as driving a car 1300 miles. (Note 4)

Yet another source claims the figure is about 3400 miles of car travel per hour of mower use. (Note 5)

Thanks for the responses so far! I'll check back later........

[finman]

neuton.com

I've had their cordless electric for 2 seasons and it's great! I can highly recommend it. I get over 2 hours of work out of it. Battery comes out and charges via a wall-charger. The string trimmer attachment is really nice. Just plug it into the front and you can edge or trim.

The cut of the mower (like maybe 12"?) is smaller than my old gas mower cut, but it cuts tall stuff just fine, plenty of power. More exercise, about ten minutes more mowing than my larger cut gas mower.

Wow, is it quiet! I can hear birds chirping and neighbors talking. Comes with a bagger, but I normally have the mulcher blade and plug installed.

And talk about low maintenance, no oil, no gas smell, no tune-ups. I keep the battery indoors (basement laundry room) on it's wall charger for the winter (smart-charger, just maintains charge after fully charging)...come spring, just dust the machine off, insert battery and go. Okay, maybe I do sharpen the blade...

Cheers,

Curt.

[tanteb & rgrpick]

We have used a Black and Decker corded for about 3 years now. We considered cordless but weren't certain, with a sloping 2/3 acre yard, that mowing would be finished before the charge ran out.

[JackDodge]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MtnTraveler @ May 8 2006, 12:39 AM) [snapback]251314[/snapback]</div>

I like using a push mower. Got the Brill Luxus 38" wide model. If you keep the blade adjusted it works quite well. But keep up on the lawn or you get an awesome workout! 1/4 acre is pretty big but I'd still do it "by hand". I hear battery-powered electric mowers are out there now. Get a mulching mower if it's a power mower for sure! Saves time, better for grass, reduces yard waste.
[/b]

I'm thinking of getting one of those Brill mowers but how does it do as far as mulching goes? Does it chop up the grass enough not to need the catcher or does it just leave a lot of cut grass laying on top of the lawn to look awful?