Since his retirement and moving to a new property, my parents’ biggest hobby has been gardening. From hydrangea trimto me get rid of dandelionTheir backyard is an ongoing project that they take great pride in. However, my father ran into a problem when he realized that his new home comes with a large garden. The result – hours of pushing a traditional electric lawn mower by hand, potentially making it all Lawn Care Mistakes in processing.
As a result, my father struggled with the effort required to cut the grass and ended up feeling all kinds of aches and pains. He had to think of an alternative approach. While he had the option of enlisting help, my dad likes to maintain his yard himself, so he doesn’t want to give up his workload. He decided to treat himself to something he’d always wanted instead – a lawn mower.
Why buy a lawn mower?
My dad always wanted a lawn mower, but he never really had a big enough yard or proper layout for it before. Instead, he used a manual electric lawn mower that he pushed back and forth with cables strewn across the lawn. It was a nightmare in his words because you had to avoid any cables while cutting and you were limited by cable length as well.
Although the lawn was smaller on the previous property, it still took an hour to cut the lawn. The former patio was also not an ideal shape for a lawn mower due to the narrow spaces and restricted access in places.
My father’s new property came with an open, wraparound lawn, which provided the perfect conditions for riding the lawn mower. So my dad took the lead and said goodbye to cables. Choose a gas-powered mower, but battery-powered mowers that you can recharge between runs are gaining in popularity. my dad bought Mountfield 1330 m (Opens in a new tab), which is currently available in the UK, but not the US. However, you can find plenty of models in most major stores at home and on Amazon (Opens in a new tab).
Pros of riding a lawn mower
First of all, my dad really likes the speed and efficiency that the new lawn mower provides. It used to take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to cut the lawn with a hand mower, while the riding mower completes chores in about 30 minutes. Not only do you save that time, but also the effort of pushing the lawn mower; With some of them weighing up to 60 pounds, that’s a huge difference for the hand work involved.
This process is faster in part because the riding mower is wider with a longer blade than conventional mowers, so you can cut more grass with each pass. It also moves at a faster rate than my dad could achieve, with five forward gears and one reverse. It picks up and handles anything in the way, be it dandelions or foliage. This is great for cleaning the lawn during the process, but you need to be careful not to leave anything on the lawn that shouldn’t be.
My dad also feels that a lawn mower is fun to drive — more like a tractor than a car. This makes cutting the lawn a lot more enjoyable and he’s actually looking forward to the job now. With seven length settings for mowing the lawn, he also had more control than he had before, and was able to find the best settings to align the edges with the bulk of the lawn.
There is no real difference in terms of noise from a conventional mower, and my dad also finds it comfortable to sit in the driver’s seat for long periods of time as well. Riding lawn mowers can feature versatile designs on top of that – in my dad’s model, you can even buy accessories to fit in the back if you want, like a trailer.
It’s also easier to empty versus a traditional mower; Once the bin is full of scraps, they can quickly and neatly self-empty onto the ground and then shovel to go into the compost heap. It also lasts longer between emptying thanks to a much larger case.
Lawn mower cons
My dad found some flaws in his new mower, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Its main problem is that it is not good for complex or narrow parts of the lawn. Because push-pull lawn mowers are larger and bulkier than lawn mowers, they are not usually maneuverable. This means that the lawn mower will not suit those who have inconvenient layouts and cramped spaces in their garden.
Because of the sheer size, my dad also noticed that to get to the areas under the bushes, he basically had to drive. You can’t put a mower under the bush like you can with a traditional design. It’s easy to forget that you’re basically part of the lawn mower while you’re riding it, too. My dad finds his face catches hanging branches on a regular basis, and he has to googol safe now as a result.
Due to the size, you need more space to store it as well. Riding on a lawn mower is basically the size of a motorcycle, and you can’t really store it outside. Fortunately my dad has plenty of space in his garage so this wasn’t a problem.
Depending on the type of mower you choose, keep in mind that you may also need to store excess gas or find a place to charge the battery. My father invests in gas preservatives to help extend the life of the fuel he stores. If you choose a gas powered mower, it needs to be serviced once a year as well, which is an ongoing cost.
judgment
My dad definitely loves his last game, but would only recommend it to those who have a large garden and storage space. You also need to think about the layout of your land – lawn mowers can handle hills, but tight areas can cause a problem. Additionally, if you can’t drive it from your backyard forward, you may be restricted to one section of your garden. This isn’t a cheap investment either, with most models costing upwards of $2000, so you need to make sure it’s the right fit for you before you buy.
Having said that, it has revolutionized the way my father cuts the lawn, and the neighbors look green with envy whenever they see him outside. He’s now enjoying chores more than ever too, so it’s a win-win situation.
For more outdoor tips, tricks and instructions, check out our guides on how to grow sunflower seeds (Opens in a new tab) And when to do it, how to plant potatoes and how to grow tomatoes in pots. You’ll also want to read how to plant grass seed and how to make your lawn greener.
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