Push mower vs self propelled mower might be a confusing choice for first-time purchases. On the one hand, you have a more advanced mower that cuts grass by itself but is quite pricey.
On the other hand, you have the time-tested and reliable push-type mower, but it requires manual force.
This article will compare both mower designs’ major pros and cons to help you understand things better.
| Features | Push Type Mower | Self Propelled Mower |
| Working Mechanism | Can be gas, electric, or fuel-powered | Their engine provides energy that drives the wheels |
| Price | Comes in all price ranges from cheap to reasonable to expensive | Very costly |
| Weight | Lightweight | Heavy |
| Maintenance Needed | Less | More |
Contents
How Is A Push Mower Different From A Self-propelled One?
A push mower is a simpler machine that cuts grass but has to be pushed manually by a person walking behind them, it can run on gas, electric or fuel powered. A self-propelled mower is much more expensive and heavier, and its engine is responsible for moving its tires forward.
Explore the Benefits of Push Type Mower
Push-type mowers comprise gas-powered, reel-type, and electric lawn mowing machines. A push mower works by manual force and is better suited for small-sized lawns. Moreover, it is lightweight, and the maintenance needed is low. Although the price is cheaper, but it can have a variety of range.
– Has Three Types
As the name suggests, these mowers need to be pushed from behind to cut grass. Three main types of push-type lawn mowers are being sold in the market these days.
First, there are the reel mowers that come to mind when most of us think about push-type mowers. These mowers have no engine or complicated machinery. Instead, a cylindrical blade rotates to cut grass as you push it from behind.
Then, there are the mowers which are gas-powered push lawn mowers are the most expensive and require gas and oil to function through an engine. They are heavier and take more effort to push from behind. On the plus side, gas push mowers are the strongest among all push-type mowers and cut the best grass.
The latest variety of push-type mowers is the electric ones. They are better for the environment as they run on electricity instead of fossil fuels. You can get corded or uncorded ones, depending on the size of your lawn. These are also much lighter than gas-powered ones and so easier to push.
– Durable
The average lifespan of a push-type mower is around eight to ten years. If you take good care of it, it can even be extended past that. Most companies will give you a warranty of five years at the very least.
– Lightweight
Naturally, mowers to be pushed need to be lightweight and easily used. It is already a chore to manually push a mower all over the lawn to cut grass. The lighter the mower, the less effort on your part, because they are made of material that are durable, but not heavy loaded.
This factor then varies from the mower to mower, the reason behind this is that the reel-type mowers take the most effort to push, they have the simplest and the lightest design. Electric push mowers are the second lightest and are equipped with small-sized batteries.
The heaviest gas-powered ones are because of complicated engine components and fuel tanks. Even these are lighter to push and lift compared to the self-propelling mowers.
– Much More Cost-effective
Walk-behind mowers cost much less than self-propelling or riding mowers, it is due to the simple nature of their design. Reel-type mowers are the most cost-effective ones. As with gas-powered ones, you will find them in various price ranges. The electric ones cost the most of the three types of walk-behind mowers.
Besides the one-time purchase cost, you also need to factor in the long-term cost of maintenance, although the maintenance is not that high. However, when you decide to use a gas-powered mower, you will have to regularly buy premium-quality and expensive fuel, engine oil, etc. Electric mowers will have to be charged frequently, along with battery maintenance.
Even so, all of these costs combined still make these mowers a more economical option when compared to self-propelling ones. What you must remember is that there are certain models of push-type mowers that are even pricier than self-propelling ones, they come with additional specs, and you can always buy them if your budget allows for it.
– Best For Small-Sized Lawns
Push-type mowers are the most practical choice for small lawns and backyards, because the machine is lightweight, and it will be at its best use, but for bigger yards, the machine will get tired. We advise people to spend a fortune on buying a propelled mower for a small lawn that needs to be mowed barely three to four times a year. The purpose of having a self-propelled mower is that you won’t have to push the mower across a large distance.
Note that when you have small lawns and push-type mowers then this combination is what allow you to work out once a week. Think of this as a two-in-one package where you mow the lawn and get some cardio done. Sometimes, all a person needs in life is a little mowing break in the freshness of their lawn.
– Reel Push Mowers Are Environmentally Friendly
If you have a small lawn and can push the mower around it once a week, then there is no reason you shouldn’t have a reel-type mower. This is the simplest mower that runs purely on manual force.
It is the most environmentally-friendly option since no fuel or battery is needed to keep it running. These are the only mowers out there with literally zero carbon emissions.
You will also appreciate how quiet mowing with this mower gets. Compare this with all the other mowers that produce sounds while working. The noise made by certain riding styles and gas-powered mowers can be classified as proper noise pollution.
Explore the Benefits of Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers
The self-propelled lawn mowers are ones that will require no effort, and they would mow the grass much faster. Moreover, they do require more maintenance, but the result would be a better cut of the grass. They are better for sloped terrains, although it’s expensive, but it’s worth it.
These lawnmowers were designed to take the weight of pushing mowers by yourself off your shoulders. Because they are more advanced mowers, they cost more and are heavier. It is possible to push a self-propelling mower by force from behind and mow the lawn this way. Given these mowers’ heavy, this may be challenging to do. However, pushing these mowers will only damage the mower or its inner machinery if pushed correctly.
Front wheel drive types of self-propelling mowers are similar to those of rear wheel drive. They are useless because these wheels need to be firmly planted in the ground to keep the mower running. Front wheel-driven mowers tend to lift from the ground and defeat the purpose entirely. Rear wheel-driven mowers provide better stability, traction, and maneuverability.
– No Effort Required
A self propelled lawn mower has an engine system that powers its wheels, as the name is a great significance to what the machine does, in short, you will not have to use manual force to push these mowers.
All you need to do is to stand behind the mower to keep it in a particular direction or to turn it whenever necessary, as if you are only on the lookout. This is a blessing for larger-sized lawns because manually pushing a mower every week can be very tiring on your body.
However, you must know that most of the users of a mower need more time or energy these days to waste pushing a mower around all day long, which means that this is a great option, especially if the person is older in age.
The effort would still be required to turn the mower into corners after completing one stripe for a self-propelling mower. These mowers are much heavier than normal push-type ones; sometimes, turning them can be a chore at the start.
– Durable
Eight years is the approximate lifespan of an average self-propelling mower kept in good condition throughout its working life. Of course, the actual age of these mowers depends on who manufactured the mower, how it was used and how much maintenance it got over the years.
Most manufacturers provide users with an approximate estimate of the number of service hours their mower is expected to last, provided it is well taken care of. According to this estimate, you can expect your mower to last around seven to eight years, which is a great investment.
– Mows Grass Faster
These mowers can cut grass rapidly and finish the work much earlier. They are not dependent on the strength and energy of the person pushing the mower from behind. These have a heavy-duty engine that propels their tires forward. On average, they have a mowing speed of three to four miles per hour, which is more than you can ever hope to achieve by pushing.
If you have little time for continuous lawn maintenance, save money and invest in a self-propelled mower. When you factor in the lawn size, a self-propelling one is a wise choice for large-sized lawns that take forever to mow manually, also, if you think about it, it is one that will not make a mess, because the maintenance will not even shake.
– Requires More Maintenance
When you switch from manual push-type mowers to self-propelled mowers, it will surprise you how much more maintenance the latter requires. This is to be expected since they are more complicated types of machines. With reel-type mowers, the only maintenance is needed for cleaning and sharpening the blades.
– Cuts Grass Better
This should come as no surprise that self-propelled lawnmowers cut grass better and more evenly all over the lawn. No matter how large the lawn area is, the quality of lawn mowing is maintained.
If its battery is charged or there is fuel in its tank, this mower will produce a smooth and uniform cut from start to finish, which is a factor that you should consider, this is because the whole task revolves around the cutting of grass.
This is something that you need help getting with walk behind lawn mowers. In these mowers, the quality of the cut depends largely on the force provided by the person pushing.
When a person starts mowing, they are motivated and energized. As time passes, one gets tired and starts using decreased force, and together with this the result is that the grass cut later on is uneven and lower in quality than that cut earlier.
– Better For Sloped Terrains
We all know that lawns come in all shapes and sizes, with hills, dips, valleys, etc. Unless the lawn size is small and flat, push-type mowers will need too much effort to mow the grass. Self-propelled mowers become a necessity when lawns are sloped or have hilly inclines. They would save you from manually pushing a mower up a hill or trying to control its speed while coming down.
What you must note is that these mowers are like small-sized cars that drive themselves up and down hilly terrains. They are also able to maintain their momentum without external efforts. This property ensures that the grass gets cut uniformly by the mower.
– Expensive But Worth It
Of course, this mower will cost much more than a push-type one, because they are the ones doing the job in a fast way, and giving you an efficient result. It is not only able to drive by itself but has several other additional specs as well.
In addition, another benefit of this is that if you want an eco-friendly self-propelling mower, it will cost you even more. Investing in a high-octane, ethanol-free fuel on a long-term basis is imperative for the health of this mower.
Remember that owning a lawn mower is not a one-time investment. To keep the mower in top-notch condition for the entirety of its lifespan, you must continue to spend money on it, because as mentioned, it is one that does not have a cheap maintenance, but you are getting your money’s worth, if you think about it.
Moreover, remember that the self-electric propelling mowers use more battery when compared to electric non-propelling mowers of the same size. This is expected because the battery power is being spent on cutting blades and front or rear side tires. After a battery is charged, it gets used up in approximately two-thirds of the time needed for an electric push-type mower to use the same charge.
Conclusion
Today, you read an in-depth and concise comparison of two basic types of mowers. On one side, you have self-pushed, gas-powered, or electric-driven push mowers. These cost much less and are best suited for small yards.
For larger yards, especially those with sloppy terrains, go for a self-propelled lawn mower as they are self-driving and do not need to be pushed by force. Even gas and electric start push mowers are more easily taken care of than self-propelling ones. Defected parts cost much more to replace, and often professional assistance is required because of the complicated machine parts.
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