When you go shopping for a car, you have certain features in mind. Maybe you need a particular type of engine to save on fuel costs, or you might be in the market for an automobile with enough seating to hold your entire family. Whatever your particular vehicular proclivities are, you shouldn't be shy about walking into a dealership and telling the sales staff that if they can't give you what you're looking for, you have no trouble leaving.
The same should go for when it's time to buy a new lawn mower. Though you'll be spending less money on lawn care equipment than you would on a car, you should still bring that same sense of scrutiny to the mower buying process. After all, a mower packed with state-of-the-art features is going to be a dream to work with, while a model stripped down to the bare essentials will be a chore every time you drag it out of the garage. That's why you should treat these three lawn mower features as absolute deal-breakers when it's time to buy.
Mowing small lawns can be tough if you don't have the right equipment.1. A clean start
If mowing the lawn was one of your chores when you were a kid, you probably know how frustrating it can be when, no matter how many times you tug at the pullcord, the thing won't start. Sometimes, this can be a faulty mechanism that doesn't transfer the energy of your pull to the engine. Other times, it might be a poorly constructed engine that can't convert the energy into starting power. Whatever the cause, a clean and easy start should be an absolute necessity when buying a lawn mower.
Fortunately, you don't have to settle for poorly made pullcords if you go with a riding mower with a push-button start feature. Without having to bend over and yank a pullcord several times, you'll be off cutting grass in a fraction of the time it took you to start the mowers you used as a kid. In addition to saving you time, push-button starts also help you save on chiropractor bills.
"You need to insist on a model with a self-propulsion feature."
2. Self-propulsion with self-control
Riding mowers aren't perfect for everybody or even every lawn. If you have a small yard and don't mind walking behind your machine as you cut some grass, there are plenty of push-mower options available. However, unless you want to get an Olympic level workout dragging your mower around your yard every time it needs a trim, you're going to need to insist on a model with a self-propulsion feature.
By engaging this, your mower will be able to move on its own up to a few miles per hour. If you really want to up the control you have over the speed your mower moves at, look for Husqvarna mowers that come equipped with AutoWalk self-propelled drive systems that only move as fast as you care to go.
3. Clean as a whistle
Like any piece of heavy-duty machinery, the only way to keep it protected from normal wear and tear is to clean it regularly. This can be tougher than it looks, especially if you have to get in under the cutting deck of a mower to clear away clumped grass and other debris. So what's a do-it-yourselfer to do?
The easiest solution is to buy a mower with built-in cleaning features. This walk-behind mower has an unassuming hookup for garden hoses that lets you wash the cutting deck clean in between sessions with little effort on your part. What could be easier than that?