Corded mowers work too!
 

So I had broken my fancy reel mower a while ago but the lawn kept growing. I decided to try a corded model and found this guy on craigslist for $40 (with bagger):

http://opengauge.org/household/mower.jpg



I just finished my first try at it and the cord was really nothing to worry about. I may add an outside outlet or two to make it a little easier in the future, but no rush. I guess I've learned from watching my dog tie herself around trees enough how to avoid getting trapped by the cord :) I'm on about 1/3 acre and just needed one 100' cord. Theres a few trees and a playset too.

It is noticeably lighter than a gas or cordless. It is heavier than the reel, but easier to push and gets the long stuff.

When I got it, the blade was on upside down?!? It was nice to be able to lay the mower on its side to get the blade off without the thing leaking gas/oil on the driveway. A quick touch up on the bench grinder while the blade was off and back on it went.

Of course it is like zero maintenance, don't even have to replace batteries. Don't have to make a special trip to the gas station or change the oil (or mess with the air filter/sparkplug). And once you get fluent with the cord it's like nothin (they have flip handle models too). Not to mention they are generally less expensive than their gas or cordless counterparts.

So a big thumbs up for corded mowers :thumbup:

I personally like those much more than than gassers. When I was a teen that's what I used to mow our 20k square feet. I liked their lightness the most and in 7 years only cut the cord once. The only downside was that it was not very wide compared to most gassers.

My dad bought his first Black & Decker corded mower in 1969. He got tired of me not mowing the lawn because the gasser "wouldn't start". Definitely lighter and quieter. The one I have now must be at least 15 years old. *thumbs up*

I'm curious if someone with a corded electric mower might have one of those kill-a-watt meters and be able to tell us how much energy it took to mow your lawn, and also tell us the approximate square footage. I'm getting more and more interested in electric mowers and am interested in quantifying some data to help me make an informed decision.

Thanks,
Cory

The kill-a-watt would be neat to do, but a lot of caveats:

1. My 110 volt/10 amp 21 inch mower is probably more powerful than the typical cordless. My grass was lo-ong, and this thing chewed it right up. My old 4hp gasser would have struggled with it.

2. Being more powerful means I don't have to mow as often :thumbup:

3. Batteries don't need replacing on a corded, and less initial cost.

4. The used corded models are really de-valued right now. I don't think you can get a used cordless w/decent battery for anywhere near the price. This one in MN is $10!! :eek: :)

mongomery wards electric mower mulcher bagger. - eBay (item 250301427137 end time Oct-05-08 15:57:36 PDT)

If it is a question of efficiency, watt for watt, I still have to put my money on a corded model. chargers and batteries are not %100 efficient. An extension cord isn't either, but it is a much more direct way of powering the motor.

For Convenience, the cordless gets a point, though they are a little heavier to wield, and they can only do half a lawn at a time around here, you wont have to worry about accidentally dragging a cord over your begonias :)

If it is cost, initial and ongoing, the corded starts out ahead and keeps getting farther ahead.

I am very curious to see how much electricity a corded mower uses as well.

Electric mowers consume the most electricity at startup, just like electric cars.

Well, we would have to compare two similiar mowers, a corded and a cordless, on a similiar lawn with the kill-a-watt plugged into the wall. Here are the black and decker cordless and corded offerings, they are similiar machines:

cordless model:

Black & Decker Power Tools
Amazon Price: $369.99
Battery - 24 Volt, 17-amp hour, sealed lead/acid type deep discharge battery
Motor - 24 Volt, 1200 watt permanent magnet electric motor
Cutting Path - 19 "
Height Adjustment - 1 Touch
Weight - 76 lbs
Cutting Heights - 1 1/2-3 1/2 "
Ideal Property Size - up to 1/3 Acre
(that is optimistic in my experience)
Mulching Capability - YES
Charge Time at 60% - 4 hrs
Charge Time at 100% - 10 hrs


corded model:

Black & Decker Power Tools
Amazon Price: $218.47
Cutting Path - 19 "
Motor - 12.0 Amps @110 volts (1320 watts)
Height Adjustment - one touch
Weight - 52 lbs
Cutting Heights - 1 1/4-3 1/2 "
Mulching Capability - YES
Ideal Property Size - 100' of outlet
(a 100' radius circle is about 3/4 of an acre, but your property isn't in the shape of a circle)

But I'm not that ambitious: I generally do my mowing in sections, so every few days I'll spend a half-hour mowing about 1/3 of the total.

As mentioned, the cordless is a lot better for irregular areas. I have several small areas of grass set within an acre or so of trees, shrubs, & flower beds, so dragging a cord around those would be a real mess.

I kind of want to mow again :) I've NEVER wanted to mow!!

Would you like directions? I'll provide the beer.:thumbup:

I've used my WattsUp on my corded mower. 40x110 lot. @ $0.10/KWH it was 1½ cents for the front and a penny for the back.

cool! I might be up to a nickel per mow :) Better than 1/3 of a gallon (~$1.33).

i think they need to be revamped in the media. Lazy teenagers who dont want to put gas in it? No excuse now. The xbox and the new mower run on the same stuff.

I just traded my old spare gas pushmower to my brother for a black & decker corded electric. (like this one) Lawn Mower Ratings--Electric Mowers

The mowing season is over now, so I won't get to play with it much till spring. It's probably not the most practical type of mower for my big yard but I will try to use it for trimming around stuff that my rider can't.

Remember to cut away from the outlet so you will not have to fight the cord as much.

Though I was thinking yesterday, as went to the hardware store and saw the line of snowblowers for sale (this in Northern Nevada, where we're lucky to get one or two good snowfalls a year, and those mostly melt the next day), why not an electric snowblower? Unbolt the electric motor (& battery, if cordless) from the mower & swap them to the snowblower.

Some conduit and a day's rental of a trencher would give you outlets in key spots near the flower beds and such. More places to plug in your mower to reach most of the yard... and someplace convenient to plug in the giant air filled lit up decorations people seem to like now-a-days. :thumbup: :)

You mean the wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube men?

Hehe.. family guy.

Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man!!

Link has a video from family guy showing the "commercial"... it's also a company's advertisement website.

When I was a kid I used to mow a HUGE lawn with a corded mower. It's fine even for big lawns. They are generally small so it takes more passes, but then they're light and quiet so its an ok trade-off. You may be surprised how much just the noise of a gas mower adds to the work.

As rgathright said, start at the outlet and mow away from it. A flip-over handle is also a great help with managing the cord.

Cool, I'll probably put in several outdoor outlets on my house and barn. Been meaning to get at least one outdoor outlet since I bought the place 9yrs ago :o.