Thread: Battery powered lawn mower - any thoughts

Originally Posted by mattocks

I need a new mower for a small urban yard and nature strip only. Recently I have seen several
rechargeable battery powered mowers and wondered what they were like.
Has anyone had experience with these that they might like to share.
As I said I only have a small yard approx 6 metres wide and 15 metres long. Plus a small nature strip.
Any info would be appreciated.

We have one that is at least 15 years old. Our total lawn area is about 50 m^2 and the 12V Panasonic battery can easily cope with this area provided the grass is not too long. When the grass gets longer than about 75 mm it can only be cut by two passes and then the battery sometimes runs out. We also have some clumps of Nut grass which it finds had to cut - every thing else is fine and the catcher does an excellent job.

The switch on ours is just about shot. There are no longer any spare parts for it and as it needs to handle a very high current I cannot replace it with an ordinary switch. Anyhow, the plastic body is now starting to crack and it;s not really worth fixing.

I will definitely get another one for such a small area even though one reason I got it was to avoid the need to keep 2-stroke fuel on hand, but in 2007 I took up chain saw milling and now have 9 chainsaws so that is no longer a reason to not buy a petrol powered jobbie

Originally Posted by mattocks

I need a new mower for a small urban yard and nature strip only. Recently I have seen several
rechargeable battery powered mowers and wondered what they were like.
Has anyone had experience with these that they might like to share.
As I said I only have a small yard approx 6 metres wide and 15 metres long. Plus a small nature strip.
Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot

Frank

Due to the hazard of keeping gasoline in a historic 1895 church we replaced a gasoline powered riding and push mower with two battery powered push mowers. We also have a battery string trimmer and blower.

We have a lawn 30 X 60 meters, and several smaller sections, strips between sidewalks and street, etc.

We have two chargers and two sets of batteries. They do well and the volunteers do not miss the riding mower.

You also might look at a corded mower. I have used one for years on a 100 foot cord. If I start at one side and move each track away from the cord it works fine. It is a bit more fiddly around trees but can be worked out.

I bought a Black & Decker plug in electric mower 15+ years ago when my late father found a petrol mower too much to lug around, and it still works fine. All my patches of lawn are small due to the block being terraced to accomodate a steepish slope, but I can cover just about everything with a heavy duty 10amp cord (<$20 at Bunnings) and if I need to get to one corner of the front footpath I just need a 5m household cord for the final few feet.

Any electric mower will stall if the grass is too long and/or wet, so yes, you do have to keep an eye on the out of the way bits or do them in a couple of passes.

I have been tempted by a battery mower, and now that Lithium rechargeable technology seems to be mature the battery packs should give a reasonable life. Both battery and plug in mowers a lightly constructed so store them out of direct light to preserve the plastic bits. I can carry mine around in one hand - anyone want an old petrol Victa?

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies.
Looks like I'll check out prices and pick one up soon(ish)

Hopefully able to get one somewhere other than the big chains

Cheers

Frank

Now with lithium powered batteries, these mowers ate getting more & more powerful, try go for a 36v powered one with back up battery

Sorry forgot link for one

Lawn Mowers

Have you considered one of these?
BOSCH HAND MOWER WITH CATCHER AHM 38G on eBay!

They do a surprisingly good job.

Hi Frank,

There was a discussion about battery powered mowers on the Renovation Forum not long ago. As an owner I posted my comments on there:
Battery powered mowers yes or no ?

Cheers

Stinky

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Have you considered one of these?
BOSCH HAND MOWER WITH CATCHER AHM 38G on eBay!

They do a surprisingly good job.

I had thought of these but wasn't sure how well they worked or how easy to use.
Plus My wife likes to mow the grass as well
Cheers

Frank

Oh and thanks for that link Stinky, very interesting.
I signed up and asked a question.

Frank,

The renovation forums are the sister forum to this one. They were once together. Your login from here should also work there, at least mine does!

Originally Posted by NCArcher

Have you considered one of these?
BOSCH HAND MOWER WITH CATCHER AHM 38G on eBay!

They do a surprisingly good job.

they do, and were common before we all got lazy and ruined the smell of freshly cut grass with burning hydrocarbons! That Bosch on eBay is a tad overpriced though - it's the same mower that AL-KO sell for $118 delivered.

Cordless mowers are a good option for small lawns, just a shame we only see the rotary type mowers and not the cordless cylinder mowers.

Just an update on my mower research and a big thanks to everyone who replied.
Over the weekend I tried to get my old mower going without success. Engines aren't my thing.
So It's on the market place being given away. I reckon someone will be able to get it going.

But a few people, NC Archer and Richmond68 suggested a hand mower.
Well I checked em out and bought one.
I got a Flymo H40 with a catcher!!!!
It works a treat. It even handled some longer grass we had as it hadn't been mowed for
about 4-5 weeks. Took a couple of passes but no worries.
And my wife loves it. Much easier to start than the old one and lighter to use.


Cheers and thanks a lot

Frank

Originally Posted by mattocks

But a few people, NC Archer and Richmond68 suggested a hand mower.
Well I checked em out and bought one.
I got a Flymo H40 with a catcher!!!!
It works a treat. It even handled some longer grass we had as it hadn't been mowed for
about 4-5 weeks. Took a couple of passes but no worries.
And my wife loves it. Much easier to start than the old one and lighter to use.


Cheers and thanks a lot

Frank

Well done, your lawn will thank you. Cylinder mowers are much kinder than rotary mowers, slicing rather than slashing (tearing) the grass. You should end up with a healthier lawn. I have a H40 without a catcher and it cuts ok, but my Qualcast Panther is in another league. Beautiful results. Only problem with hand mowers are doing corners, as the blades stop when you do. That and the fuel they use when you finish mowing, I am sure my wife thinks mine are beer powered mowers! Not that I mind working up a thirst