electric lawn mower

[Amadeus W. M.]

I bought my first house 1/2 year ago, and now I have to mow the lawn. The previous owner left me probably a 50 years old gas mower which just died. I broke the start rope trying to crank the engine. Don't know if that can be fixed.

At any rate, I'm considering buying an electric mower. I only have 0.22 acres of lawn, including the house on it, so electric should be ok. I can deal with the cord, but I'm also considering buying a cordless mower.

My questions are:

1) How much power (watts) does a cord mower consume? I imagine more than a light bulb, but I don't want to pay hundreds on my already high electric bill.

2) If I buy a cordless mower, what's the lifetime of the battery? Does it last less over the years? I want to be able to finish the entire lawn with a single recharge, even after, say, 5 years from now.

Thanks!

[Sterling]

have the grandfather to this one and I love it. It is quiet, easy to use and easy to hang up in the garage. The minus side: it will not cut long, wet grass very well and I am now - after about 5 years - having to get a new battery.

A single recharge is good for about 1 hour. And mine still works but it gives up after about 40 to 45 minutes now that it is old.

I tried > I bought my first house 1/2 year ago, and now I have to mow the lawn.

[Paulo da Costa]

It's cents rather rhan dollars. Let's look at the Black & Decker web site, for instance:

mowers are rated at 12A, which at a voltage of 120V will give you something in the order of 1kW, so you can run it for an hour for 1kWh. The cost of electricity in the US is in the order of 10 cents per kWh, so you can run your mower for an hour for 10 cents.

No idea about cordless, but if your land is 0.22 acres (or 9,600 sq ft), I would go with corded (I have 6,000). You can reach the whole of your property with an extension cord and you don't have to worry about charging the battery before use or the battery lifetime or anything else, the power grid is always there :)

Paulo

[Vox Humana]

The pull cord can be easily fixed, and probably for far less than the price of a new electric mower. If that is the only issue with the mower, I would call around to repair shops to get an estimate. Electric mowers are fine, but they can be a hassle, particularly if you don't have outlets situated in convenient locations. As I recall, Black and Decker (who seems to be the manufacturer of the Sear electric mower) recommends an extension cord under

80 feet or the use of a heavy duty (read: thick, heavy and expensive) extension cord. I bought an electric mower the first time around and dumped it after two years. I don't have a lot of grass, but what I do have is not convenient for mowing with a corded mower and I haven't been impressed with most battery operated tools, so I passed on the battery operated mower. I think a lot depends on the configuration of your particular lot. The cost for fuel, whether it be gasoline or electric is rather insignificant. Electric mowers have three positives: 1) no gasoline to handle and no fumes, 2) they are light and easy to push, 3) they are quieter than gas mowers. Gasoline powered mower are more diverse in that you can choose from hundreds of models ranging from small to very large, push to self-propelled --- and you don't have the hassle of the cord.

[Amadeus W. M.]

Thanks all for the good advice. Last night I bought an electric B&D with a

100ft cord. It cuts the grass fine. The cord is 16/3, 13 amps, $26, suitable for the 12 amp mower, and plenty for my lawn. However... 1) I've always thought there must be a reason why they cut your umbilical cord when you are born. Now I know why. 2) This particular model that I have seems to be made for little people. The handle very low, if you're 6ft or taller. Maybe they thought you'd be sitting in a bob-sleigh when mowing the lawn. I haven't read the instructions (which shows the ease of use though), but I pray to God the handle is adjustable. Otherwise have wife mow the lawn.