A good lawn mower is one of the most important outdoor tools you can own. Whether you’re cutting your own yard or cutting lawns commercially, you’ll be using the lawn mower all growing season.
Making sure you have a quality mower is essential. You want something that will cut reliably when you need it to. You’ll also want it to deliver a good quality cut to make the lawn look nice. And you’ll need to make sure you have the right mower for the type of work you’re doing.
When you’re working in smaller yards, yards with lots of obstacles, or hilly yards where a riding mower wouldn’t be safe, a walk-behind mower will be the best tool for the job. There’s a wide variety of walk-behind mowers available, so it’ll be useful to know your options and what you’re looking for before you start shopping.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to “What is the best walk-behind mower?” The best mower for you is going to depend on where you’ll be using the mower and what you plan to do with it. For example, a push mower could work great for a very small yard without hills. But it would be very tiring to use in a larger, hilly yard. You’d want a self-propelled walk-behind with a wider cutting deck for that situation.
Push or Self-Propelled
Push mowers are, as the name implies, propelled by you pushing them. Because these mowers don’t have powered wheels, they are lighter in weight and tend to be less expensive than self-propelled mowers. They also give the user more exercise since the power to move the mower comes from you. Of course, the downside is that these mowers can be tiring to use.
You’re going to want a self-propelled mower if you want to make mowing easier, have a yard larger than 1/4 to 1/2 acre in size, or mow multiple yards. These mowers are much easier to use since they have motorized wheels that do a lot of the work for you. They’re also much better on hills than push mowers, especially when they have rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive.
TLDR: Get a push mower if you want a workout and have a very small yard. Get a self-propelled mower for easier mowing, larger yards, hilly terrain, and mowing multiple yards.
Gasoline or Battery Power
When looking at walk-behind mowers, you have two main options for power sources. Gasoline-powered mowers are the tried-and-true walk-behinds that most of us are familiar with. As lithium-ion technology improved, though, battery-powered mowers became more and more prevalent. Today, you can find powerful and reliable mowers powered by either gasoline or batteries.
Battery-powered mowers have many of the same features and options as gasoline-powered mowers. Most can mow up to 1/4 acre on a single charge, and there are also some available with longer run times. If you’re a homeowner with a larger yard, you can keep a spare battery on hand or take a break partway through mowing so the battery can charge. If you’re using the mower commercially, though, the runtimes can limit the usefulness of battery-powered walk-behind mowers.
Gasoline-powered mowers are easier to refuel, but they are also louder and produce engine emissions. They can also be harder to start if you have a model with a pull cord rather than an electric start. The plus-size is that gasoline-powered mowers are more powerful, and you can cut larger yards or multiple yards without waiting for batteries to charge or needing to keep spare batteries on hand.
TLDR: Battery-powered mowers are easy to use and maintain and are more environmentally friendly. However, if your yard is larger than about 1/4 acre you won’t be able to cut it all on a single charge. For larger yards or cutting multiple lawns, gasoline may be an easier option.
Cutting Deck Size
Usually when we think of walk-behind mowers, we think of standard mowers with cutting decks about 18- to 24-inches wide, with some going up to 30 inches. There are also commercial walk-behind mowers available, though, with cutting decks 30- to 61-inches.
Standard walk-behind mowers are good for mowing yards up to 1 acre in size. Much larger than that and most people are going to want a riding mower to get the job done more quickly. Smaller walk-behind mowers can also be useful if you maintain larger properties since they can cut grass in tight places the big riding mowers can’t reach.
Commercial walk-behind mowers are useful for a variety of reasons. If you’re mowing a good-sized yard that’s full of obstacles like trees and hardscaping and/or has uneven terrain, then a walk-behind mower is often easier and safer to use than a riding mower. The wider cutting decks make cutting go faster than if you were using a standard walk-behind. These mowers also take up less room on an equipment trailer than riding mowers with the same cutting deck widths.
TLDR: Get a standard walk-behind mower for small yards and for cutting around obstacles that a riding mower can’t navigate. Get a commercial walk-behind if you’re mowing a larger yard or you’re a lawn care professional looking to save space on an equipment trailer.
Features and Options to Look For
As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to look for rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive options if you’re using the mower on hills or slopes. Those drive options also work best for bagging mowers, which tend to have more weight on the rear wheels. If maneuverability is something you need, look for a model with extra large rear wheels.
When shopping for a gasoline-powered mower, keep an eye out for no-prime engines that make starting the mower much easier. If you’re shopping for battery-powered mowers, a brushless motor will typically run more efficiently and last longer than standard motors.
A wash-out port on the mower deck, which lets you connect a garden hose, will make it easier to clean the mower. It’s also a good idea to get a mulching deck, which cuts the grass fine enough you won’t need to bag or rake clippings. Headlamps are another feature that can be useful, particularly if you work late into the day.
TLDR: Read about the features of each mower you’re considering and see which ease-of-use features will be most beneficial to you. If you’re getting a self-propelled mower, a rear- or all-wheel drive will be the most versatile.
Next Steps
Once you decide on what type of walk-behind mower you want (for example, a self-propelled, battery-powered mower with a standard deck size or a rear-wheel drive, gasoline-powered mower with a wide cutting deck), it’s time to check out options available in that category.
Visiting a local dealer can make things much easier on you at this point. You’ll be able to see many of the most popular models on display. If you have questions about the different brands and models, you can get help from knowledgeable staff who have experience working with the mowers.
Here at Richardson Saw & Lawnmower, we carry mowers from top brands including EGO, eXmark, Honda, Scag, Stihl, and Toro. We also service everything we sell, and our technicians receive top training certifications in the brands we carry. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and help you find the perfect walk-behind mower for your needs.
