Congratulations! You’ve just signed the deed on your first house. After moving in, buying new furniture and painting all the walls, the honeymoon period with your new home might start to wear thin. In fact, when you look out the window after your first month and find that you’ve let your lawn grow into something that looks more like a shag rug, you might start to dread the idea of mowing your lawn and owning a home.
Some people really get into taking care of their grass, but if you fall into the above category, there’s nothing wrong with looking for the absolute easiest lawn mower to use so you can get the job done with as little hassle as possible. As long as you think about what model would best suit your yard, you’ll be able to find a mower that makes lawn maintenance the absolute least of your home care worries.
Good luck pushing your mower through thick stuff on your own.Small lawns, small mowers, big features
Unless you just won the lottery and your first home happens to be a mansion or a Manhattan penthouse, odds are that you have a small- to medium-sized lawn with few irregular features. The average American lawn is just under 60 percent of a given home’s property, though, so don’t think you can run out, buy the cheapest, smallest and most lightweight mower and not struggle a little bit by the time you’re almost done.
Even small lawns require mowers with a little added oomph to make it easier on you. Walk-behind mowers are a good fit for anybody capable of moderate physical activity, but you’ll want to look for a few features that can turn the chore of mowing the lawn into something you might accidentally consider fun.
First, self-propulsion is key. Even if you don’t have any hills or slopes on your lawn, you’re going to tire out pushing a several-dozen-pound mower across your lawn for an hour or so. Self-propelling models from Husqvarna come equipped with drive trains that are powerful enough to push the mower through tall, thick grass, too, which will definitely come in handy when you skip a session or two and your grass grows as dense as something you’d see in a nature documentary.
Also keep an eye out for models with push-button starts, just like the ones you see in luxury cars. If you don’t want to spend ten minutes before every mowing session yanking at a pull cord, this feature will save you time, a headache, and most likely a sore arm.
“If you’ve got a big property, you’ve got to go with a mower than can handle it.”
Don’t be intimidated
Of course, walk-behind mowers aren’t suited for every type of lawn. In fact, even the fastest and strongest self-propelled model isn’t going to seem like it’s making the job easier when you have to walk a country mile just to get to the other side of your yard. If you’ve got a big property, you’ve got to go with a mower than can handle it.
This is where ride-on yard tractors come in. While they might look a little intimidating to the amateur landscaper, if you can drive a car, you can handle one of these. You’ll want to, too, because these puppies are packed with features that let you tackle big yards in minutes instead of hours. First, there’s no manual effort involved: Just put your foot down on the pedal and get to cutting. If even that’s too much for you, some models like this one from Husqvarna come with cruise control so all you have to do is point the thing where you want to go.
You don’t have to be gung-ho about lawn care to avoid its hassles. You just have to buy the right equipment.