Lawn mowing advice

[Dawgbite]

We’re moving from twenty acres with a Scag zero turn to a house on a 1/4 acre lot. I still have the zero turn but really no where to store it and it’s major overkill for this yard. I’m torn as to which way to go as far as lawn mowing. I have zero experience with the robot mowers but something about them intrigues me. The push mower is the simplest and I’m perfectly capable of doing it but I’d rather watch someone or something else do it. Hiring someone is the simplest but the most expensive long term. What say ye pack?

 

[trob115]

New robot mowers are awesome. At a few recent trade shows I've been to, they've made some great improvements over the early models. 1/4 acre would be super easy for one of the smaller robots to handle. Most of them can manage around 1 acre per device.

 

[HailStout]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Great-States-Great-States-14-in-4-Blade-Push-Reel-Lawn-Mower/1002967952

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

Get a goat.

 

[thatsbaseball]

My neighbors on both sides of me bought electric mowers, they are both in their storage sheds . I can get you a deal on one .**

 

[skipperDawg]

Kill the grass …
Plant palm trees and cover the whole area with white sand.

 

[HailStout]

Kill the grass …
Plant palm trees and cover the whole area with white sand.

 

[Walkthedawg]

Kill the grass …
Plant palm trees and cover the whole area with white sand.

Bermuda grass after a month:

 

[Predestined]

You're overthinking. Push mow it. You're capable., it's a 1/4 acre. Enjoy the exercise.

 

[The Peeper]

My neighbors on both sides of me bought electric mowers, they are both in their storage sheds . I can get you a deal on one .**

One of mine did the same (a damn Yankee liberal professor), bought an EGO electric push mower. Really large front yard and decent size back yard too and he obviously has only the one battery that came with it. He goes out and mowes until that battery dies and is then done for the day. Next day, same story. It takes him 6 DAYS to finish just the front and the part he mowed on the first day is already needing it again! For the last month I've had to mow my whole yard once a week its growing so fast. His was looking like an abandoned house because its NEVER completely mowed. I've been complaining to my wife for weeks and she has no damns to give. Last Saturday morning I was on the back porch enjoying my peace and quiet drinking coffee and I hear a beautiful sound, a Kohler engine cranking up and then a PTO engaging, I almost rejoiced. Yep, he went and bought a rider now. He went from a little electric push mower to a zero turn Cub Cadet! But, who does that, thinks they can mow their yard w/ a push electric mower then buys a zero turn gas engine?? A damn yankee liberal do gooder is who does that, gonna save the world from the pollution of an ICE mower so buys a little push electric and then jumps up to a zero.....................

 

[Curby]

Push mower with self-propel feature.

If you get robot mower set up doing your front yard, and leave it unattended, what's to keep someone from stealing it?

 

[patdog]

New robot mowers are awesome. At a few recent trade shows I've been to, they've made some great improvements over the early models. 1/4 acre would be super easy for one of the smaller robots to handle. Most of them can manage around 1 acre per device.

The eccentric guy several houses down from me must have one of the old models then. His front yard is in a fairly constant state of some strips being mowed while several others are completely untouched. I would think for 1/4 acre, either a rechargeable electric mower or a plain old gas powered pollution machine would work fine. I wouldn't hire someone for 1/4 acre.

 

[kired]

Why an electric push mower? I’d just buy a good Honda and do it myself. I lived on 1/4 acre lot for 10 years and mowing + weedeating took maybe 1.5 hours, and that was if I bagged the clippings. If I just wanted to cut grass and nothing else, it took less than 45 minutes.

I’m guessing it will cost at least $75 / week for someone to cut for you

 

[Dawg Raid]

96” zero turn with wings

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Why an electric push mower? I’d just buy a good Honda and do it myself. I lived on 1/4 acre lot for 10 years and mowing + weedeating took maybe 1.5 hours, and that was if I bagged the clippings. If I just wanted to cut grass and nothing else, it took less than 45 minutes.

I’m guessing it will cost at least $75 / week for someone to cut for you

My neighbor across the street and I are the only two yards left on our street that still cut our own grass. Everyone else has hired out. It’s crazy.

 

[FormerBully]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

 

[Colonel Angus.sixpack]

Push mower with self-propel feature.

If you get robot mower set up doing your front yard, and leave it unattended, what's to keep someone from stealing it?

Cause they suck and no one wants them

 

[Perd Hapley]

Shameless plug for the Honda rear wheel drive push mowers. So reliable. One crank start up every time. Had mine for 7 years with zero issues. Blades hold up really well, and easily removable. Think I’ve only changed the oil one time….the wife accidentally poured diesel in it and ran it for a bit, so I did a full fuel and oil system flush just to get it all out, and replaced fuel filter. No problems after. Maybe one spark plug replacement in 7 years, think I also did that after the diesel snafu.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Push mower with self-propel feature.

If you get robot mower set up doing your front yard, and leave it unattended, what's to keep someone from stealing it?

Uh, not living in the hood?

 

[Herbert Nenninger]

Our kids are spoiled enough. I’d prefer they not go thru life thinking yardwork is something you pay a Mexican to do.

 

[FrontRangeDawg]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

I mowed my yard for 20 years, and then got tired of doing it. I take care of all of my hedges, trees, etc., and I have a healthy garden from Mother's Day to end of October, but mowing sucks. That is all.

 

[FormerBully]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

Regarding your mower purchase, my neighbor and I are both men who take our lawn game seriously. We treat our lawns like our wives: no other man is touching either one. Now, if you are one of those guys who enjoys sitting back and watching another man cut your grass, I have a few questions about what else you enjoy watching him do.

As for the mower, I use a gas-powered self-propelled model, while my neighbor uses a battery-powered self-propelled mower. Both work great, but if you go the battery route, get a backup battery. I know some men hate on self-propelled mowers, but there is nothing wrong with accepting a little help in the yard, or the bedroom, to get the job done. Most importantly, do not rush it. Take your time, make sure everyone is having a good time, and remember that it is not a race.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Shameless plug for the Honda rear wheel drive push mowers. So reliable. One crank start up every time. Had mine for 7 years with zero issues. Blades hold up really well, and easily removable. Think I’ve only changed the oil one time….the wife accidentally poured diesel in it and ran it for a bit, so I did a full fuel and oil system flush just to get it all out, and replaced fuel filter. No problems after. Maybe one spark plug replacement in 7 years, think I also did that after the diesel snafu.

Same here . You can't buy them anymore and you would be shocked at what used ones sell for .

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Push mower with self-propel feature.

If you get robot mower set up doing your front yard, and leave it unattended, what's to keep someone from stealing it?

They have gps monitoring and supposedly a really loud alarm if they are picked up.

 

[ronpolk]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

You can have my man card on this issue. I started paying someone to take care of mine once a week this year. Work schedule and 2 kids after school activities meant that yard work started cutting into doing stuff I wanted to do on Saturday. I hated the idea of it at first (and honestly still hate paying for something I’m easily capable of doing) but I don’t see myself going back now

 

[goindhoo]

If you structure your kids ages right, you get "free" lawn care for a long time.

 

[POTUS]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

Grew up cutting yards for money. First thing I said I was going to do once I had a little was stop mowing my own yard. I'm a big believer in paying kids to mow your grass, pressure wash your driveway, etc.

 

[patdog]

If you structure your kids ages right, you get "free" lawn care for a long time.

Dad? 3 sons. One 4 years younger than me, the other 10 years younger. Dad got dang near 20 years free lawn care. Then started paying someone else to do it.

 

[FormerBully]

You can have my man card on this issue. I started paying someone to take care of mine once a week this year. Work schedule and 2 kids after school activities meant that yard work started cutting into doing stuff I wanted to do on Saturday. I hated the idea of it at first (and honestly still hate paying for something I’m easily capable of doing) but I don’t see myself going back now

Grew up cutting yards for money. First thing I said I was going to do once I had a little was stop mowing my own yard. I'm a big believer in paying kids to mow your grass, pressure wash your driveway, etc.

My post was mostly a joke, but I do admit life is so busy now it is hard to find time. I have two under 5, but as we keep adding activities it is getting harder. My friend down the street recently started paying a neighborhood kid to cut and he hated doing it because he enjoyed doing it. My question is have we always been this busy?

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

I get 15,000 steps when I use the push mower and I'm in my 60s. Never owned a riding lawn mower and I don't remember ever using one.

It's hot as balls now so these past three or four weeks I've started the mower at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Neighbors have yet to complain.

Ran my own suspect lawn mowing service as a kid and I hated it. I love mowing and yard work these days - it's my favorite therapy.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Uh, not living in the hood?

"Changing consumer habits"

 

[The Peeper]

I'm in the minority but as FormerBully says its therapy for me, I would rather work in my yard than most anything else. I've got a riding mower w/ 2 cup holders on it. I open one up and put 1 in each of the two holders. I put my ear buds in and for the next hour I'm a happy dude, no phone ringing, no stupid crap on the TV, just me and my beer and my thoughts. I get lots of quality thinking done and my yard looks great. Then I'll usually grab another beer or two and start some watering, some fertilizing, trimming, etc.

 

[MaxwellSmart]

One of mine did the same (a damn Yankee liberal professor), bought an EGO electric push mower. Really large front yard and decent size back yard too and he obviously has only the one battery that came with it. He goes out and mowes until that battery dies and is then done for the day. Next day, same story. It takes him 6 DAYS to finish just the front and the part he mowed on the first day is already needing it again! For the last month I've had to mow my whole yard once a week its growing so fast. His was looking like an abandoned house because its NEVER completely mowed. I've been complaining to my wife for weeks and she has no damns to give. Last Saturday morning I was on the back porch enjoying my peace and quiet drinking coffee and I hear a beautiful sound, a Kohler engine cranking up and then a PTO engaging, I almost rejoiced. Yep, he went and bought a rider now. He went from a little electric push mower to a zero turn Cub Cadet! But, who does that, thinks they can mow their yard w/ a push electric mower then buys a zero turn gas engine?? A damn yankee liberal do gooder is who does that, gonna save the world from the pollution of an ICE mower so buys a little push electric and then jumps up to a zero.....................

Wish we could go a week. We've had so much rain, I'm cutting every 3 days and it still leaves clumps everywhere. Even raised the blades on both and I'm cutting again tomorrow. 2 ztr's is running $50 a week in gas.

 

[Dawgbite]

Push mower with self-propel feature.

If you get robot mower set up doing your front yard, and leave it unattended, what's to keep someone from stealing it?

They actually have theft prevention. If it’s lifted it’s cellular equipped so it notifies your phone that it’s been lifted or left its designated area. It also disables the mower until you enter the correct code. Doesn’t stop anyone from stealing it but it’s useless the thief.

 

[The Peeper]

Wish we could go a week. We've had so much rain, I'm cutting every 3 days and it still leaves clumps everywhere. Even raised the blades on both and I'm cutting again tomorrow. 2 ztr's is running $50 a week in gas.

I'm having to make a few passes over mine to blow the rows of clumps lately too. I've also been known to ride over the yard some w/ my Echo blower in one hand scattering the cuttings too. Long term forecast says hotter and less rain thru Sept so it'll be dying soon and I'll be dragging hoses and bitchin about that too.

 

[Dawgbite]

Why an electric push mower? I’d just buy a good Honda and do it myself. I lived on 1/4 acre lot for 10 years and mowing + weedeating took maybe 1.5 hours, and that was if I bagged the clippings. If I just wanted to cut grass and nothing else, it took less than 45 minutes.

I’m guessing it will cost at least $75 / week for someone to cut for you

I’m not going to have anywhere other than the garage to store it. I really don’t want gasoline in my garage. I know, cars and trucks but I’ve never seen a gas lawnmower that didn’t stink of gasoline and a spare can of gas swelling in the heat and venting in the garage is going to stink.

 

[ronpolk]

My post was mostly a joke, but I do admit life is so busy now it is hard to find time. I have two under 5, but as we keep adding activities it is getting harder. My friend down the street recently started paying a neighborhood kid to cut and he hated doing it because he enjoyed doing it. My question is have we always been this busy?

Oh I know you were joking!

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Kill the grass …
Plant palm trees and cover the whole area with white sand.

Don't forget the hot babes getting tans on your sand. I'm sure Ms Sweeney is available. To avoid any issues you will need AI to write a credible letter to your wife.

 

[Dawgbite]

I may be wrong, but I have a little more respect for men and women who cut their own yards. My yard has become one of my passions. I do all my own mowing, spraying, and maintenance. It saves a lot of money, but more importantly, it has become therapy for me. It gives me time to slow down, talk to God, and step away from the craziness of work and life with two kids under five. So, I may catch some hate for this, but be a man, or woman, and cut your own yard. There is nothing better than sitting back, looking at your healthy Bermuda lawn, and hearing people walking by tell you how good it looks.

I’ve cut more grass , either with a mower, a bush hog, or a haybine in my lifetime that I’ve earned more than enough respect for my lifetime. I get what you’re saying but it doesn’t apply in my case.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

They actually have theft prevention. If it’s lifted it’s cellular equipped so it notifies your phone that it’s been lifted or left its designated area. It also disables the mower until you enter the correct code. Doesn’t stop anyone from stealing it but it’s useless the thief.

I guess I'm fortunate to live in my Rankin Neighborhood, I have zero concern about theft.