What Types of Mowers Are Best For Your Lawn?

There are many types of mowers available for your lawn, and they vary greatly in price, quality, and ease of use. Before you make a decision, it’s important to understand which types of mowers are best for your lawn and what features you should look for.

The most common type of lawn mower is the rotary mower. They are gas or electric powered, manual or self-propelled, and come with mulching and bagging systems for clippings.

Walk-Along Mowers

Walk-behind mowers offer a machine form that’s easy to maneuver and versatile for mowing a variety of landscapes. They’re especially useful for property owners who need to maintain smaller areas or spaces that include obstacles.

To help you select the best model for your landscape, consider how much lawn area you need to mow, what type of terrain you have, and whether or not your mower needs to be self-propelled, have an adjustable wheel height, or have a rear or side bagger.

Generally speaking, mowers that have more power and cutting decks that are wider are better suited for heavy-duty use. They’re also usually rated for commercial use and come with more durable components such as spin-on oil filters, air cleaners, and grease fittings.

Self-Propelled Mowers

Self-propelled mowers are similar to walk-behind mowers except that instead of pushing them, you can simply engage their drive system. These mowers can be front-, rear- or all-wheel drive and offer a wide variety of features to help make cutting your lawn easier.

They can be powered by a gas engine or electric motor. They typically require less force to move than a push mower but will use more fuel or battery power.

Some mowers feature a variable speed drive system, which allows you to set your own forward speed. You can choose the speed of your mower to suit your own walking pace and also to suit conditions such as gardens with obstacles or hilly terrain.

Many models also have three grass disposal options: side discharge, bag, or mulch. Some even have a blade brake clutch that lets you shut off the blade while leaving the drive system engaged, useful if you often load a mower onto a trailer.

Battery-Powered Mowers

Battery-powered mowers cut grass with the help of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which provides power to the motor. They’re also quieter than gas-engine models and require no oil, clutch, throttle, or belts to operate.

Runtime varies from one model to the next, but on average a good battery mower will run for half an hour or more on a single charge. That should allow you to mow 5,000 to 10,000 square feet before it needs a recharge.

Most electric mowers come with a range of cutting options, including mulching, bagging, and side discharge. Some of these features are adjustable, so you can adjust to different grass types and conditions as needed.

Reel Mowers

A reel mower, also known as a push reel mower, consists of a spinning cylinder that cuts grass. The grass is pushed through the cylinder, which is similar to a barber’s comb and is then moved onto the stationary cutter bar in the rear of the reel mower.

The blades cut the grass in a scissor-like motion, providing a finer, cleaner cut than rotary mowers and keeping moisture in and diseases out of the lawn. Reel mowers are often preferred by groundskeepers at professional baseball stadiums and golf courses because they leave grass looking more manicured and attractive.

Reel mowers are cheaper to purchase than motorized models, and they require less maintenance because they don’t use gas or electricity. They’re also safer than power mowers, as they don’t have engines and won’t chew up limbs like high-speed rotary mowers can.

Flail Mowers

A flail mower is a type of garden/agricultural machinery that’s used to deal with heavier grass and shrub areas where a lawnmower cannot cope. These machines are usually powered by PTO and attach to the rear of tractors.

They are a popular choice for mowing and cutting grassy paddocks, but can also be used to cut thick brush and vines. They also reduce cover crops to small pieces that can be easily incorporated into the soil.

These mowers come in a variety of different models and sizes. Some are self-propelled, while others are walk-behind.