We are finally going to discharge our "mow...blow and go" lawn care
people and do-it-ourselves.

We were thinking about one of the new battery-powered lawnmowers, or a
reel type mower.

Does anyone have any recommendations on model, affordability and efficiency?

Many thanks!

Alan

Does anyone have any recommendations on model, affordability
and efficiency?

It would help to know ...
- the area you will mow (1/4 acre? 1 acre? More?)
- the terrain (level or sloped)
- your physical constraints (do you need a self-propelled mower?)
- your philosophical/ecological bent (do you dislike gasoline engines?)

What do you mean by "efficiency"? Acres mowed per kilowatt-hour? Acres
mowed per hour of your time?

Daniel B. Martin

In article , A.Pismo Clam wrote:
We are finally going to discharge our "mow...blow and go" lawn care
people and do-it-ourselves.

We were thinking about one of the new battery-powered lawnmowers, or a
reel type mower.

Does anyone have any recommendations on model, affordability and efficiency?
We have a 19inch black and decker rechargable that does well. I think
it is rated for an hour or so. We only run it down if we mow oursid of
our yard after mowing the yard. We have maybe 5000 - 7000 sqft of lawn.

www.countryhomeproducts.com has a smaller 14 or 15 inch mower that is
rechargable plus the batter is designed to come out so you can have a
second battery and get twice the mowing time.



Many thanks!

Alan



--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.

spam@www.spam.com is a garbage address.

Area to be mowed: 200'long x 20' wide
The terrain: level around the house
Physical constraints: None
Philosophical bent: no dislike for gasoline engines
By "efficiency" I mean would it be worth it to just get a reel push
mower for this small an area?

Daniel B. Martin wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations on model, affordability
and efficiency?


It would help to know ...
- the area you will mow (1/4 acre? 1 acre? More?)
- the terrain (level or sloped)
- your physical constraints (do you need a self-propelled mower?)
- your philosophical/ecological bent (do you dislike gasoline engines?)

What do you mean by "efficiency"? Acres mowed per kilowatt-hour? Acres
mowed per hour of your time?

Daniel B. Martin



--
MZ�

If you get a reel mower, make sure you buy a sling or a weedeater too...
Or else be VERY RELIGIOUS about mowing the lawn. If you forget once
and get those big stalks, the reel will just roll right over them
without chopping a thing.

A.Pismo Clam wrote:
We were thinking about one of the new battery-powered lawnmowers, or a
reel type mower.

A.Pismo Clam wrote:
By "efficiency" I mean would it be worth it to just get a reel push
mower for this small an area?

I can speak for the reel mower--I have one and have come to like it a
lot. I actually *enjoy* being the freak of the neighborhood! Not
really, but what happens is that no matter how innocent you are about
your choice of mower, people seem to infer something about themselves if
you get a reel mower. Do we have some odd, inate form of guilt about
polluting the planet? Do we regret getting too far removed from direct
contact with "the land"? I don't know, but people *will* make
comments--Green Party, Luddite, etc. You find out who your friends are,
though. The others will only think it; your friends will *say* it!

One thing to consider: It will be hard to find a mower that mows high
enough to make tall fescue happy. The coolest mower out there is a
Brill from Germany, and mowing with that is like taking a stroll around
your yard--so light! so efficient! But it's made for putting greens or
something--1.5 in. max. You need 3-4 in. for fescue. If you have
centipede, you might try it.

The mowers you'll find in Home Depot/Lowes will be cheaper but not that
nice. You'll have to mow twice or take half a swath at a time to get
good results, but at least you can mow when you want. 6:30 Sun.
morning? Got an itch to mow? Hey, go for it. And it's a nice aerobic,
total-body workout! Legs, arms, heart, and lungs. I have two flat
lawns separataed by a steep slope. I just carry the mower from one to
the other--no problem. Works for me! Fun to tinker with, too. Has
various adjustments to make and blades to sharpen--what joy!

MT