Avoid This Common Mistake When Considering Which Lawn Mower To Buy

When it comes to buying a new lawn mower, it's easy to get distracted by a model's bells and whistles. But never lose sight of the cardinal rule of buying a lawn mower: Know how much mower you actually need. Not considering the size of your lawn is just one common mistake to avoid when buying a new (or used) lawn mower. 

To figure out what size mower you need, it's about understanding what different mowers are built for. Push mowers are designed for smaller yards with a narrower turning radius, while riding lawn mowers work best for larger lawns with more space to cover. If you have a lawn that's a quarter acre or less in size, a push mower will work just fine. A large riding mower will probably simply be too big to work for that sized lawn anyway, especially if you have pathways or other obstacles, so don't waste your money.

If you've got a yard bigger than a quarter of an acre, then you might want to consider a riding lawn mower just to get the chore done quicker. For example, the difference in time that it takes to get through half an acre with a push or riding mower is huge. What could take 2 hours with a push mower might only take 45 minutes for a 48-inch riding mower.

While it's an important choice, it isn't an exact science to pick the right mower for you. Plenty of styles and brands will get the job done for lawns between a quarter of an acre and two acres. For a yard larger than 2 acres, you would best be served by a commercial-duty, zero-turn mower. And of course, you will also want to choose a riding lawn mower for hilly terrain for an uneven yard.

So, how do you figure out how big your lawn is? You don't need to dig up your original home survey to get the proper measurements. You can actually do a quick check yourself by walking the space and measuring it with your own walking strides. A typical man's stride is 30 inches, while a woman's average stride is 26 inches. But you can simply measure your typical stride to be more accurate. To measure the yard, you'll break down your yard into rectangles that you will walk while counting each step.

Calculate the side of each rectangle in feet. Then, multiply the length of one rectangle by its width to get the area. An acre is 43,560 square feet, or 66 feet by 660 feet. Keep in mind, this doesn't have to be a precise measurement. You just need a ballpark figure. Since 10,890 square feet is a quarter of an acre, if your yard is bigger than that, try a riding lawn mower. You can always maintain greener grass with a riding mower that makes it easy.