Environmentally Friendly Lawnmowers

February 9, 2010 by jackrlandry

As spring approaches, homeowners will again turn their minds to the health and care of their yard. Primarily this will include keeping their lawn between two to four inches tall.

The best way to maintain a lawn is with a lawn mower. There are many varieties of lawn mowers available to people who would like to care for their yard, including those who are looking for the most environmentally friendly solution.

The most environmentally friendly mower is by far the reel mower. It has no battery to discard and emits nothing that will pollute the air.

The reel mower has many other benefits as well. For example, because it has no motor, it produces no noise that will irritate the neighbors.

Since the reel mower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Budding, the mower has faced modernization and renovation. The reel mower uses a blade that spins perpendicular to the ground and it is much easier to use today than it was in the past.

A few models even include a grass catching bag so that cut grass does not need to be picked up off of the lawn. They also have adjustable heights depending on how high the owner likes their grass to be.

The reel mower is economical compared to other mowers as well. It is relatively cheap, requires no motor repairs because it does not have one, and is very lightweight.

This makes it very easy to work with. Reel mowers are also comparatively safe because it is run by man power and not motor.

However, there are drawbacks to this type of mower as well. It does require so maintenance as far as sharpening the blades.

Mowing must also be done religiously; otherwise it can be very hard to mow thick, tall grass with a reel mower. In addition, all leaves and twigs will have to be raked before the lawn can be mowed as the reel mower cannot act as a mulcher.

While the reel mower works well for small urban lots, it does not work well in large areas with lot of trees.

Even though the reel mower is more environmentally friendly, the abilities of the pusher have to be considered as well. Electric mowers are slightly less environmentally friendly, but are much more user friendly.

Electric lawn mowers also produce very little noise and release few air pollutants. Models with self-propelling abilities are especially easy to use, as they are easier to push up a hill.

Cordless electric mowers are the safest option because they avoid the possibility of running over the cord with the mower. These mowers also start with a much easier switch rather than the back breaking pull cord.

These mowers are more easily repaired than gasoline mowers, and are often out of the repair shop faster. These mowers are best for stretches of lawn that are less than 1/3 acre in size.

Again, this mower works best if the lawn is mowed religiously as thick, tall grass can wear out a battery faster. Lawns with many hills can also wear out the batteries of self-propelled electric mowers faster.

The environmental downside of electric mowers is that the battery does have to be replaced periodically. The old batteries have to be disposed of, and if done improperly, the chemicals can be released causing damage to the environment.

Although reel and electric mowers have many advantages, they are not really an option for many people who live in the country and maintain lawns larger than 1/3 of an acre in size. Although they are the most pollutant mower because of their use of double stroke engines, they are the only mower that can cover a large area of ground and handle tall, thick grass.

These mowers also produce a lot of noise, but this is less of a concern in many rural areas. There are many pros and cons to these three different types of mowers and each different type is better for a different situation.