Mom needs a new mower

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Burt

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My 82 year old mother still mows her lawn and has outlived yet another mower. Her sister is still mowing at age 94, so she needs one that is going to last awhile. Personal pride and sibling rivalry are at stake. I tried suggesting she get a robo mower, but that's too George Jetson for her. I also thought self propelled electric mower, but she's not biting on that either. I think a riding mower would be a bit scary to maneuver as she gets older. I've only had one lawnboy mower that I purchased 33 years ago, so I've been out of the market.

What would be a good choice for her in the way of self propelled mower? Seems like these days regardless of brand, mowers use either honda or Briggs Stratton engines, either of which should be acceptable. Is there a light maneuverable mower with electric start that would be preferred? Should I make a second push for an electric mower?
 
How big is her lawn? Does it have hills? How thick is the grass? Seems to me if it is fairly level, a self propelled mulching mower with rear wheel drive might be in order. Electric start if she has trouble with a manual start. Also, a hose connect on the deck to make it easier for her to clean the underside if she chooses. An electric might be good if it is a fairly small yard.
 
To me, a small rider would be the way to go for an older woman. Should be easier on the hips/knees. Plus it keeps her feet away from the blades.

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The 74 year old woman across the street recently came home with a new troy bilt that has a honda engine. front wheel drive and has variable assist based on how hard you pull the handle. Its a walk behind, but since i took over Im amazed at how effortlessly it pulls itself, and makes a huge difference compared to my non assisted older Troy.
 
Originally Posted by Boomer
How big is her lawn? Does it have hills? How thick is the grass? Seems to me if it is fairly level, a self propelled mulching mower with rear wheel drive might be in order. Electric start if she has trouble with a manual start. Also, a hose connect on the deck to make it easier for her to clean the underside if she chooses. An electric might be good if it is a fairly small yard.


Its a standard width for a ranch house with a double garage on the side. May be 6 feet of grass on one side and 10 on the other. The lot is a little deeper than average with some hill in the back. Mowing it sideways its not a big problem.

I think electric would be good even if she has to charge it once. She takes breaks now.

If she goes with a riding mower, I think she'll have to have a regular mower to mow around bushes and such.
 
The Kobalt 80-volt Brushless Lithium Ion 21-in Cordless Electric Lawn Mower from Lowes is highly rated.

Reality? Self propelled mowers are not that helpful in every yard. You gotta back up around obstacles using muscle power to drag it backwards.
The easiest push mower is a Honda which has ball bearing rear wheels, but it has no electric start.
 
Originally Posted by Burt
Originally Posted by Boomer
How big is her lawn? Does it have hills? How thick is the grass? Seems to me if it is fairly level, a self propelled mulching mower with rear wheel drive might be in order. Electric start if she has trouble with a manual start. Also, a hose connect on the deck to make it easier for her to clean the underside if she chooses. An electric might be good if it is a fairly small yard.


Its a standard width for a ranch house with a double garage on the side. May be 6 feet of grass on one side and 10 on the other. The lot is a little deeper than average with some hill in the back. Mowing it sideways its not a big problem.

I think electric would be good even if she has to charge it once. She takes breaks now.

If she goes with a riding mower, I think she'll have to have a regular mower to mow around bushes and such.



If her yard is that small, then and electric push might be better than a rider. No gas to fool with and store, no oil to add.
 
The self propelled Lawn-Boy 20 inch model 10632 weighing in at 58 pounds would have been just about right. They are discontinued now, and I am not sure if you can find one for sale. Lawn-Boy went to 21 inch.
 
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Originally Posted by BigD1
The self propelled Lawn-Boy 20 inch model 10632 weighing in at 58 pounds would have been just about right. They are discontinued now, and I am not sure if you can find one for sale. Lawn-Boy went to 21 inch.



58 lbs is good. I was going to say, that when I was at the Honda open dealer a while back, I was surprised at how heavy the self propelled Honda mowers are.

A human powered flathead 20-21" mower is about the mass you mention. I think weight will be the biggest consideration.

I think it's great that OP's mom is mowing for herself. Use it or lose it.

Many TX yards are fairly small in towns, in my experience. Avoid the rider. Use the ability to walk and push or lose it. Her doing real work is good for bone density.
 
Get a Toro Personal Pace from Home Depot. Rear drive, starts on first pull, and she can set the pace by pressure on the handle. A lot of self propelled mowers want to give you all or nothing in the speed dept.
 
Get Mom a Honda-powered mower. With an annual oil change, an air filter, and stabilized fuel, it'll outlast her. My Honda-powered Craftsman pusher is 18 years old, and is still a one-pull starter after a 6-month winter lay-up.
 
I agree about fighting a self propelled mower.

I like the idea of the cordless battery model. A lightweight mower deck will push just fine, and there isn't enough acreage to wear that battery down.

My few-years old OHV generic MTD has a vapor-tight fuel system and the gas doesn't go bad over the winter. I sta-bil-ize it but credit design with not letting fumes out, or moisture in. Any modern EPA mower should do well in this regard.
 
Originally Posted by loneryder
Get a Toro Personal Pace from Home Depot. Rear drive, starts on first pull, and she can set the pace by pressure on the handle. A lot of self propelled mowers want to give you all or nothing in the speed dept.

Originally Posted by loneryder
Get a Toro Personal Pace from Home Depot. Rear drive, starts on first pull, and she can set the pace by pressure on the handle. A lot of self propelled mowers want to give you all or nothing in the speed dept.


+1. Mine has a Honda 160 cc. Use physiology on her. Get away from the self propelled issue. You still push but the personal pace system will let her blow away her sister. No breaks required. Good luck.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Why not bring mom mower shopping?


Because she lives 1100 miles away.
 
I like spasm3 idea above. At 83 years old she doesn't need to walk behind a mower in TX heat. Get an electric start rider like shown above. Ed
 
Toro Personal Pace is the answer here!!! These are variable speed , you push harder on the handle to go faster, less pressure to go slower. My 5 year old can mow with a Toro personal pace. He is not strong enough for any other mower, only the Toro Personal Pace works for his strength.

Assuming she doesn't want an electric start riding mower.
 
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