Electric Lawn Mowers For The Environment…

The electric lawn mower has quickly become the darling of environmentally friendly lawn care enthusiasts. At first, electric lawn mowers were limited to corded models. Technological advances have really opened up the industry to include battery-operated mowers. So, both a corded and a cordless lawn mower are designated as an electric lawnmower.

Advantages Of An Electric Lawn Mower:

• Environmental - Obviously, there’s no air pollution because an electric lawn mower doesn’t have a combustion engine. There are millions of lawns to mow (just in the USA), requiring millions of lawn mowers, and millions of gallons of gasoline. It’s not hard to do the math. Now, reduce that number by just 10%… that’s 100,000 less gallons of gasoline. Oh… don’t forget to multiply that times the number of times you buy a gallon of gas per lawnmower per year.
• Storage - It’s a lot safer to store an electric lawn mower – corded or cordless mowers – than it is a gas powered mower. There’s no risk of fire or explosion.
• Noise - Do you have one of “those” neighbors who likes to mow the lawn at 6:30 in the morning… on Saturday or Sunday? Well, you wouldn’t care a bit if he used an electric lawnmower, because it’s much quieter.

Disadvantages Of An Electric Lawn Mower:

• Corded mowers - The cord length on most corded mowers is 100 feet to 150 feet. This isn’t a problem if your lawn is small to medium in size, and if the electrical outlet is near the lawn. Don’t use an extension cord unless it’s insulated, and has 12 gauge or 14 gauge wiring, and is less than 100 feet long. Also, don’t use more than one extension cord. Check out the orange extension cords at your local home building supply store, or hardware store. With the right extension cord, a corded lawn mower can reach 200 feet to 250 feet from the electrical outlet. That’s more than enough for most residential lawns.
• Cordless mowers - The length of time 24 volt batteries can hold a charge while in use can be a distinct disadvantage. Unless, you have a lawn mower model that uses rechargeable batteries… and you have multiple batteries… and rechargers. With all the technological advances in battery designs, it’s reasonable to assume that smaller-sized, more powerful batteries are coming that will offer more run time.

Electric Lawn Mower Safety Issue…

Although there are no volatility issues with electric mowers, there is a safety issue with corded models. If you lose track of the cord and run over it, you risk a dangerous electrical shock – or even electrocution if the grounding fails in the electrical outlet. I know this sounds like common sense, but it needs to be stated.

These are just a few things to consider if you’re planning to buy an electric lawn mower.

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