There are four types of cordless lawnmowers – push, self-propelled, riding and robot. The two most popular and affordable are push and self-propelled.
There are four types of cordless lawnmowers – push, self-propelled, riding and robot. The two most popular and affordable are push and self-propelled. In general, they’re very similar in function and operation to electric corded and gas mowers. You’ll find that they’re much quieter, run cleaner and require less maintenance than gas mowers. And you don’t have to deal with the bothersome power cord that’s intrinsic to an electric corded mower. Many cordless models have brushless motors, which makes them more efficient and generate less friction, heat and amp draw than brushed motors. This helps sustain battery runtime and transfers more power to the drive shaft. The amount of runtime at your disposal will depend on the battery voltage and amp-hour rating. Self-propelled mowers are a good choice for medium-size to large lawns and those with sloped terrain. However, they can reduce battery runtime by up to half. Mowers with oversize wheels tend to be easier to maneuver and will roll more smoothly over rough terrain. Similar to other types of mowers, they can have rear-mounted collection bags (which makes for easy cleanup), side discharge (which ejects clippings out the side of the mower) or a mulching function (which chops up the grass before discharging it into a bag or onto the lawn). A mower’s deck size refers to the width of its cutting swath, typically from 13″ to 25″. Most mowers have two to four blades and all feature an adjustable cutting height that usually ranges from 1″ to 4″. Most mowers have folding handles that can be adjusted to suit your height and fold up for storage.
Battery: 18V 4.0 Ah to 82V 8.0Ah
Cutting swath: 13″ to 25″
Weight: 30 to 100+ lbs
Price range: $200 to $1,500
Bigger is not always better
If you have a small flat lawn consider getting a push cordless mower with a smaller 13″ or 14″ deck without a mulcher – you’ll save money and get a longer battery runtime.
Only one battery?
If you have a large lawn, having a second battery on hand will extend your runtime so you can get back to the more important things in life – like woodworking.
Swab that deck, mate
The undercarriage (under the deck) eventually gets clogged with dried grass and dirt. Too much muck reduces cutting efficiency; scrape it away from time to time.
Stay sharp
Sticks and stones will dull the blade, and tear the grass instead of cutting it, giving it an uneven cut. Inspect and sharpen the blades as needed before putting the mower to bed each fall.
Bring the battery in
Don’t leave batteries out during winter. The extreme cold typically isn’t kind to a battery. Batteries don’t like extreme heat either, so keep them in the shade in summer.
Carl Duguay - [email protected]
Carl is a Victoria-based furniture maker and the web editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement.
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