Anyone pick up a new lawn mower lately?

[Bibble]

My ~12 year old Craftsman still runs but the handle bar is completely broken, so I think it is time to move on.

What I'm looking for is something that a 55+ year old woman could start and use. My mother has been fortunate enough to have me around to mow the lawn since we purchased our current mower, but now no longer. She would like to avoid the traditional cord pull start if possible, but if mower technology has advanced such that they can be started with one pull guaranteed then she might be able to handle it. It must be self-propelled. She doesn't want to spend more than $350.

Have any of you purchased a mower lately that you would recommend?

 

[unxpurg8d]

A FLYMO!!!

http://www.flymo.com/node1756.aspx

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Get her an electric mower so she doesn't need to pull start it?

 

[deadlyapp]

If your budget is around there you can get a nice craftsman self propelled with a key start. They still use the briggs and stratton engines and do pretty well as long as you take decent care of it. The only problems I see with them are when people leave gas in them over the winter season without some sort of fuel stabilization or leave low quality gas in them over the winter. Worse it usually does is foul out the carbs and they have to be cleaned up.

/Sells hardware at sears.

Edit: Here's one.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07137087000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=26&blockType=G26

 

[BoomerD]

I took advantage of Orchard Supply's 15% coupon last spring. I took it to Home Depot and applied it to a Honda HRR216VXA mower. Best lawn mower I've ever owned or used. Definitely not cheap...but very good.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...42&R=100617642

 

[deadlyapp]

I took advantage of Orchard Supply's 15% coupon last spring. I took it to Home Depot and applied it to a Honda HRR216VXA mower. Best lawn mower I've ever owned or used. Definitely not cheap...but very good.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...42&R=100617642

Excellent mower, but it sounds way out of his price range and doesn't have the single feature he finds very important, that of a key start. The twin blades and ball bearing wheels are probably overkill for him as well.

 

[qliveur]

I have a self-propelled Troy-Bilt with a Honda engine that I got for ~$300. It usually starts with one pull.

 

[DesiPower]

Troy-Bilt is the most popular choice, cant go wrong with them.

 

[BoomerD]

Troy-Bilt is the most popular choice, cant go wrong with them.

Troy-Bilt is just MTD. Nothing special about it anymore. Might as well buy Craftsman.

Key-start mowers tend to be have more problems than pull-start mowers. Mine always starts first pull. One of the nicest features about the one I got is the blade clutch. You start the mower motor, then engage the cutting blades. If you need to stop, you simply release the handle, blades stop...engine continues to run.
Is it a bit more expensive than the run-of-the-mill mower? Yes, but IMO, it's worth more. Not only does it do a good job, (as will any new mower) it's far easier to use than the normal front-wheel drive mower. The rear-wheel drive does take a bit of getting used to however...with the variable speed, it'll go as slow as I want...or faster than I can walk comfortably. (but not so fast that a person in good condition can't handle it...3.8 mph)

 

[boomer6447]

Just got a new Troy Built riding mower..I imagine that's overkill, but I love it.
And if you get it at Lowes, don't forget to run by the post office first and get one of their change of address packs that has an unlimited 10% off coupon. It saved me $100 on my $1000 lawn mower

 

[spaceman]

toro personal pace

 

[Vette73]

Get her an electric mower so she doesn't need to pull start it?

This.

If the yard is small enough get a plug in (skip battery ones). Light, no gas smell, and just plug and go.

 

[PingSpike]

I have a toro personal pace and its dead simple to use. My lawn however...wouldn't be simple for anything. It's basically a rocky hill field full of woodchuck holes and mole mounds.

Has a pull start though, but there may have been an option for key. Never really thought pull start was that much of a burden though...my snow blower has electric start and I've literally never used it.

 

[rivan]

http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Robot.../dp/B0012016C8

Why mow your own yard at all?

 

[WackyDan]

A FLYMO!!!

http://www.flymo.com/node1756.aspx

I own a gas model from the 1980's. Still runs. That machine is awesome. Not good for cutting high grass, or lawns like here in the south that need to be kept high to tolerate the heat.

 

[PingSpike]

http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Robot.../dp/B0012016C8

Why mow your own yard at all?

The main problem with these is they're only good for a small yard. I'd consider buying a fleet but they are pretty expensive for even one. I wish I could borrow one to see how well they do on poor terrain, I've never even seen one operate.

 

[Dirigible]

I had a corded electric for a decade. Worked fine on my small yard but the cord was a pain. Just got a cordless electric and it's great. Dunno how long the charge would last on a big place. My lot is only about 1/8 acre.

 

[Texashiker]

How about you pay a kid from down the street to cut her grass? That way you dont have to worry about buying anything, and you get cheap labor.

Just make sure the kid is a legal US citizen. We do not want to support illegal immigration.

 

[Ryland]

I have been looking at the Husqvarna mowers that are at Lowes to replace my frankenmower (been welded back together, has parts from various other mowers, etc).

this one:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_352979-6331...ity_sold|1&facetInfo=Husqvarna|Self-propelled

 

[SpiderWiz]

Get her an electric mower so she doesn't need to pull start it?

This! However get a cordless one. First one I found.

 

[waffleironhead]

If you only added another zero to that budget you could get one of these

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/robotic-mowers/automower-220-ac/

 

[mmntech]

I'd go for a corded electric mower. Not the battery operated ones, because they're garbage. Not much cutting power, and very limited operation time. Corded mowers are fairly light weight and low maintenance.

 

[PingSpike]

How about you pay a kid from down the street to cut her grass? That way you dont have to worry about buying anything, and you get cheap labor.

Just make sure the kid is a legal US citizen. We do not want to support illegal immigration.

Probably be better off with the illegal immigrant since his parents are less likely to sue you when he runs the mower over his own foot.

 

[Theb]

I have a Black & Decker electric. My lot is 1/5 of an acre and I can mow it twice on one charge. It was $400, so not too far from your price point and you could probably find a coupon/sale. My three year old can start it so I don't think it would give your mom too much trouble. No gas to buy, almost no maintenance relative to a gas mower. I used it all last summer and I've used it a couple times this Spring. No complaints.

 

[Vette73]

I'd go for a corded electric mower. Not the battery operated ones, because they're garbage. Not much cutting power, and very limited operation time. Corded mowers are fairly light weight and low maintenance.

I got my wife the $200 Black and Decker corded one from lowes and she loves it. My MiL uses it as well to do touch ups.