HOW TO CHOOSE AN ELECTRIC LAWN MOWER: TIPS AND TRICKS

This article is about such a popular tool among summer residents and owners of private houses as a lawn mower. Their range is currently quite large, so we systematized and streamlined all the information. We present to your attention a kind of instructions on the choice of this unit.

The need for a tool in the country

The plot with a green neat and well-groomed lawn looks much more pleasant than chaotic grass thickets.

But to maintain it in such a state is quite difficult, because the grass tends to grow rapidly, especially during rainy periods.

Did you know? The lawn mower was invented in 1830 by the Englishman E. B. Bading.

It is not easy to do without a special tool: the process will take the lion's share of the time that can be spent on the cultivation of healthy crops or outdoor recreation.

That is why in the arsenal of any owner of the plot, the lawn mower becomes not a luxury, but a necessity.

Electrics or gasoline: the pros and cons

By the type of energy consumed lawn mowers are electric and gasoline.

Each has its advantages and disadvantages. To see which lawn mower is better - gasoline or electric, consider the main pros and cons of each of them.

Maneuverability. The only significant drawback of electric models is limited freedom of movement during work: this is due to the presence of a wire. First of allThe length of the wire does not always allow you to reach all parts of the site, but this can be solved with an extension cord. Secondly, there is always the likelihood of the wire falling under the knives, you constantly need to monitor this, correcting it during operation.

Important! Wear rubber-soled shoes to prevent potential electric shock.

Storage. Naturally, before buying any equipment you need to think about where it will be stored. As for garden tools, for the winter he usually hides in a barn, garage or even transported to an apartment. And if your premises do not have enough space, it is better to give preference to electric lawn mowers: it will fit even on the balcony. In terms of size and weight, it wins over gasoline. Moreover, the latter is generally not recommended to be stored in an apartment due to the presence of a strong smell from the fuel.

Thrift. Electric lawn mowers are several times cheaper than petrol. This is due to the complexity of the design of the gasoline engine. In addition, oil and gasoline are also more expensive than electricity.
Service. The best lawnmower in this regard - electric. Such models are elementary to maintain - they only need to be plugged in before they work. While in gasoline, you first need to fill in gasoline and oil, monitor the level of these fluids, from time to time to maintain the engine (change or clean the filter and spark plugs).

Important! Under no circumstances should petrol lawn mowers be turned over or tilted: oil will flood the engine and bring it down.

Noise The electric motor is quiet and practically no noise. Therefore, unlike noisy gasoline, such units can work at any time of the day without disturbing the neighbors.
Body material. Gasoline models are mainly made with steel cases. They are much stronger than electrical, the shells of which are plastic. However, this figure can be a minus, since steel is heavy and amenable to corrosion.

Environmental friendliness. Exhaust gases, as byproducts of the gasoline engine, pollute the environment. Thus, supporters of eco-technologies will prefer electric mowers.

How to choose a lawnmower for questioning, selection criteria

By the above criteria, one can see a clear advantage of the models working on electricity. Now we will focus on how to choose an electric lawn mower.

Self-propelled, non-propelled

Not self-propelled mowers, which have to be rolled by hand, weigh relatively little, because they are easy to carry and store. But at the same time, they require a lot of physical effort if there are any irregularities, bumps or hummocks on the site. Self propelled the cart itself moves, the person only sets the direction for it. Engine power is directed not only to the work of the knife, but also to the movement of the wheels. Such mowers have quite impressive weight and are convenient for work on large areas.

Engine power

Engine power, which are equipped with lawn mowers, usually ranges from 0.8 to 3 kW. The more power, the more performance.

However, you should not blindly give preference to the most powerful models. If your lawn is well-groomed, you cut the grass in time, too powerful lawn mowers will be superfluous. They will unnecessarily consume large amounts of electricity. But low-powered engines overheat faster, so when choosing, look for the time of continuous work in the product passport.

Usually electric mowers for standard dachas are designed to work up to 30 minutes - this time is enough for cutting grass on the plot.

The lawn mower can also mulch the lawn.

Type of lawn grass (cutting width and height)

The mowing width of grass depends on the size of the knife installed in the mower. Inexpensive standard models have a knife width of about 30 cm, with more advanced models it can reach 46 cm. This indicator affects performance. So, you can process the whole area in 15 passes, and you can even in 9. Here the choice of an electric lawn mower is determined in terms of labor costs and time spent on putting the lawn in order.

With the help of lawn mowers, different lawn grass heights can be achieved. Adjustment is carried out in three ways.:

permutation of each wheel;
rearrangement of the wheel axle;
using a lever or button.

This criterion is not so important, as gardeners usually use only one level.

But if you are going to equip an artistic lawn on your site, then give preference to models with push-button or lever adjustment.

Presence of grass collector

Almost all wheeled models are equipped with a grass catcher - a container for collecting mowed grass. They are soft and hard.

Soft grass collectors are usually larger in volume, but their disadvantage is that they quickly become soiled from the grass, and they have to be washed from time to time, and they are also less durable. Plastic containers are durable, but they are difficult to determine the degree of fullness. The collection box can always be dismantled and the mower can be used without it.

Deck requirements

In the deck are working parts lawn mowers - knives. It can be made from (incremental):

plastic;
become;
aluminum.

Models with an aluminum deck are not susceptible to corrosion - therefore, they are more durable.

Cheap lawn mowers are equipped with a plastic deck, but sometimes it is advisable to give them preference because the electric motor often fails before the plastic part is damaged.

You will find information on how to repair the lawn mower yourself.

Additional features and functions

In addition to the basic characteristics when choosing an electric lawn mower should pay attention to a number of additional functions and features.

For example, some models are equipped with a mulching function, i.e., chopping the mowed grass. The resulting mulch is used for feeding the lawn.

Important! For quality mulch, mow only soft, dry grass. Wet grass is prone to clumping, and such mulch will impede the free growth of lawn cover.

There is also a feature such as side grass release. It will be useful when cutting grass on the sidelines. Lawn mowers differ in width and wheel diameter. If you are the owner of the relief area with irregularities, give preference to models with large wheels.

Popular models of electric lawn mowers for gardening

According to the owners, a peculiar rating of the most popular models was made.

The best lawnmower was recognized electric model STIGA Combi 48 ES. This is a 1.8 kW self-propelled mower. It has a steel deck, folding handle, adjustable handle, high maneuverability. Benefits also include:

5 levels of mowing;
mulching function;
steel housing;
collector for 60 liters.

The disadvantage is a long time of promotion of the knife (about 30-50 s).

Did you know? The prototype of the lawnmower was a carpet mowing device, which E. Bading saw at the cloth factory.

Another popular model is Makita ELM3711. It weighs only 14 kg thanks to the plastic case. Equipped with a soft 35 l grass collector, folding adjustable handle, suitable for processing large areas.