In order to end up with the lawn mower best suited to your needs, you have to clearly understand what you are looking for and what options are available to you. This is done by researching in two areas.
Firstly, you research the market to find out what kinds of lawn mowers are available, familiarizing yourself with the different features, styles and price ranges etc. Secondly, you examine your own unique requirements in a lawn mower.
Research the market: Lawn Mower essentials
The first part of the research step is to investigate just what's available in the lawn mower market. The range of options can seem overwhelming, but you can make a good start by understanding the following major features:
Self-propelled: These lawn mowers do most of the work for you. You don't have to push them, rather you walk behind them and steer. The engines on these mowers turn the wheels of the mower as well as the cutting blades. They are available with different engine sizes; larger engines are more heavy duty and suitable for larger lawns. Typically all of this type will be fuel powered (gas, petroleum) and need a mixture of fuel and oil.
Motorized: These lawn mowers are similar to the self propelled models, in that they run with an engine. However, the engine is less powerful, so when you're mowing you will have to actually push the mower. This type of mower is usually available in fuel powered and electric versions.
Manual: This is the old fashioned, human propelled mower. These have been around for decades, but they still do a great job. They can give you quite a workout, because there's no engine. The blades simply rotate and cut the lawn.
Mulching mowers: These mowers cut your grass into very fine pieces, suitable for adding to your compost heap to create mulch. Mulching mowers are typically found on self-propelled fuel powered mowers.
Bags: Some mowers are equipped with a detachable bag to catch the grass clippings. This makes short work of clean up after you've finished mowing. Mowers generally come equipped with a bag on the side or on the rear. Rear bags are typically more compact and hold more clippings than side bags.
Height Adjuster: Depending on your terrain, you may need to adjust the height of your blade periodically. If your mower is not equipped with a height adjustment lever, you'll have to adjust each wheel separately with a wrench.
Blade Brake Clutch: On some mowers, if you take your hands off the handle, the engine stops for safety. However, you can buy mowers with a blade brake clutch, which will allow you to stop the mower, including the blades, without the engine shutting off. This feature is helpful when you need to move debris out of your way.
Research your needs: Questions to ask yourself
Now it's time to determine what your requirements are in a lawn mower. For example, will you use the lawn mower only for mowing a small front lawn or do you have extensive lawn areas?
You can start this process by considering the following questions - as well as any others you think of yourself - and recording your answers.
| Have I used a lawn mower before? |
| | If you have used a lawn mower, work out what you did or didn't like about the lawn mower. You may be looking for one exactly like it, hoping to upgrade, or even trying to avoid any particular features that you found inconvenient. |
| How big is my yard? |
| | Your yard may be so large that you may need to decide between a lawn mower and a lawn tractor. |
| How much physical work am I willing to do? |
| | You might want a push lawn mower to help stay in shape, or perhaps you prefer that the mower does all the work! |
| Am I looking for something environmentally friendly? |
| | If so, you could be interested in a hand or push lawn mower, or an electric mower. |
| How much will the lawn mower be used? |
| | Consider how many times per month you'll use the mower as well as how many months out of the year you need to mow. The more you use the mower the more comfortable you will want it to be to use and the more robust it should be in it's construction. |
Understanding your needs is the key to a successful purchase and you can revisit your list of needs at any time during the buying process.
Once you complete this Research step, having informed yourself about the essentials of lawn mowers and identified your needs, you are ready to move on to the next step: Evaluation.
Video Links
Buyz123.com Research Links:GeneralAll about mowersChoosing a lawn mowerHow to purchase the right lawn mower for youSelecting a manual reel mowerTypesLawn mower types explainedRobotic mowers - what are they?Mulching lawn mowers - are they for you?All about hover mowersMany mowers to choose from