There’s nothing better than the sight and smell of a freshly cut lawn, the trouble is that not all of us enjoy pushing the mower around in order to achieve it. If you have a really large garden the problem can be made even greater by the fact that a) it takes even longer to cut the grass, and b) you’re more likely to get tired out in the process, not least because you’ll need a bigger more powerful lawn mower to get the job done.
Unfortunately there’s only so much you can do to speed up how long it takes you to cut the grass – unless of course you go down the robotic mower route, in which case it won’t take YOU any time at all! On the other hand it is possible to prevent you from getting quite so fatigued. How? I hear you ask, with a self-propelled lawn mower of course!
A self-propelled lawn mower is, like many great ideas, a very straightforward concept. Quite simply, as well as powering the cutting blade, the engine is also responsible for propelling the lawn mower forward, leaving you to concentrate on steering the mower exactly where you want it to go, to achieve the look you want, and all without getting tired out. In many cases the simple addition of self-propulsion is enough to put the enjoyment back into lawn mowing, so you shouldn’t underestimate the difference it makes.
One way to think of self-propulsion is as an affordable alternative to ride-on or robotic mowers, but with the advantage of a greater level of control over exactly how and where you mow. Should you ever wish to exercise even greater control over a self-propelled mower, then most models will allow you to switch off propulsion mode, effectively restoring the need to push manually. This can be very handy when navigating tight corners or other hard to reach areas where you’re not confident the mower won’t run away with itself! Of course if you do this, you need to be comfortable handing the full weight of the mower by yourself. Don’t risk injury unecessarily!
Generally speaking the best self-propelled petrol lawn mowers sit within the £200 – £300 price bracket, certainly more than your average non self-propelled equivalent, which for comparison tend to be within the £120 – £200 range. However self-propelled models still fall well below the price you’ll pay for a ride on or robotic mower, so in most cases where they’re warranted they’ll prove to be a worthwhile investment.
How do Self Propelled Lawn Mowers Work?
So you want to know exactly what you’re forking out the extra 100 quid or so for? Well as mentioned above, the lawn mower engine is responsible not only for powering the blade, but when you squeeze the bar or ‘dead mans’ lever on the handle bar it also propels the mower forward thanks to some clever mechanics. The reason this amounts to a greater cost is twofold, that is the parts and engineering involved in making this happen are more complicated than on a standard mower, and the engine required to power this mechanism is typically going to be greater than if the machine wasn’t self-propelled.
As a standard safety feature most self-propelled lawn mowers will stop both the forward movement and the blade rotation as soon as you let go of the dead mans lever. This means that if you need to stop in an emergency for any reason, you don’t even need to think about it, you can simply let go.
Note that typically self-propelled lawn mowers are usually driven by petrol engines, with a few exceptions.
Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mowers Reviews
Einhell GC-PM 46/1 S Petrol Self Propelled Mower
One of the biggest sellers out there, and with good reason, the Einhell GC/PM 46cm self-propelled petrol lawn mower is one of the best all rounders on the market. Reasonably priced, but with a whole range of features that are far from mediocre, such as really tidy folding handlebar, mammoth 62 litre grass collection box, and really sturdy overall construction that feels like it will last a lifetime. Oh and not to mention of course the convenience of self propulsion!
>>> Read Our Full Review Here <<<
Honda Izy HRG416SK Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower
Honda are known as purveyors of quality whichever industry they turn their hand to, and it won’t come as any surprise that the same is true with their lawn mowers. The Izy HRG416SK is just one such example, one of the best self propelled lawn mowers available, not least because it’s quiet about it- at over 30% quieter than previous efforts, not only will this prove to be easy on your arms and legs, but on your ears as well.
>>> Read Our Full Review Here <<<
Hayter Motif 48 18 inch Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower
Home grown British self propelled lawn mowing talent here in the form of Hayter’s Motif 48cm model. From a company that pride themselves on producing some of the ‘finest quality’ lawn mowers money can by, this model thankfully lives up to the reputation, but be warned it comes at a hefty price. If you do make the investment, you’ll literally be able to feel the quality, this thing runs as smoothly as you could hope for. On the off chance that you do have issues, you’re covered by a 3 year warrenty, so you’re in good hands when you opt for a Hayter.
