4 ms·

I just don't want to cut grass any more. I did it in high school for spending money, and just had enough of it afterwards.

by chiph 13y ago

drzaiusapelord 13y ago
Just bought a house, but in the city, not the suburbs. I was pleasantly surprised to see that non-corded electric mowers exist. My mower weighs next to nothing, is whisper quiet, and one charge lasts me several cuts. Granted, its a small yard, but the hassle of moving heavy equipment, mixing gas and oil, dealing with loud noise, dealing with exhaust, pull start pain, etc are long gone. Now I'm just waiting on the affordable electric car. Gas, even in the best of circumstances, is just too much of a hassle and requires much more complex machines than electric.
- mikestew 13y ago
  > My mower weighs next to nothing Really? Because my electric is hugely more heavy than an equivalent gas mower. Granted, that's mostly battery, and probably lead/somethingorother at that. Not that it matters much, because it's self-propelled, but weight is not one of its features. Not that I'd give up my electric mower. It's like my Nissan Leaf, only for cutting grass: push the switch and it runs w/o having to fiddle with gasoline. Quiet. Won't run as long as gas-powered, but gets me where I need to go.
- mgkimsal 13y ago
  They exist in suburbs too.
- joshuacc 13y ago
  You can take it a step further with an old-fashioned reel mower. They work quite well as long as your yard isn't ridiculously large or weedy.
  - drzaiusapelord 13y ago
    They just need to be sharpened too frequently and heaven forbid you put off mowing for a while or have a few rainy days in a row. The resistance is pretty strong if the grass is remotely tall. Of course, this could all be a case of me getting old and lazy, which I suspect it mostly is.
    - b_emery 13y ago
      I've never sharpened mine, but too much rain is not a problem we have in California.
    - filoeleven 13y ago
      I've never used an old reel mower for comparison, but last year I bought a Fiskars reel mower for my smallish townhouse yard and am quite pleased with it. I haven't had to sharpen the blades yet, though I might at the end of this year's mowing season. And it could be an interesting task, given their helical structure. You're definitely right about the tall grass; thankfully this mower's height is easily adjustable so I can make two passes if need be. The cut is much nicer than a regular lawn mower, I get a little extra exercise a few times a week, and I find that it actually takes me less time to finish--reel mowers work best at a faster pace than a gas-powered push mower. I have only my very limited experience, but I think some of the reputation of reel mowers being inconvenient may be undeserved when looking at the ones made in the past decade.
      - mmagin 13y ago
        Generally you put a honing compound on the blades and turn the blades backwards to sharpen it. It's some work, but it's pretty easy. e.g. http://www.amazon.com/American-Lawn-Mower-SK-1-Sharpening/dp/B00004R9UM/ http://www.amazon.com/American-Lawn-Mower-SK-1-Sharpening/dp...
joshuacc 13y ago
Interesting how peoples' experiences differ. I did mowing/lawn care work through high school and college, and loved having hours and hours in the sun to just think. I have two (unpublished) novels that I was able to plot and write thanks to that job.
mikestew 13y ago
I've cut grass all of my life, starting with about 3 acres (not a typo) of grass growing up. I'll gladly trade 30 minutes of easy work once a week for being able to sit out back of the house without staring directly into a neighbor's window. But to each their own. If you don't like cutting grass, there are people who will do it for you for a reasonable amount of money.

I just don't want to cut grass any more. I did it in high school for spending money, and just had enough of it afterwards.

by chiph 13y ago

I just don't want to cut grass any more. I did it in high school for spending money, and just had enough of it afterwards.

drzaiusapelord 13y ago

Just bought a house, but in the city, not the suburbs. I was pleasantly surprised to see that non-corded electric mowers exist. My mower weighs next to nothing, is whisper quiet, and one charge lasts me several cuts. Granted, its a small yard, but the hassle of moving heavy equipment, mixing gas and oil, dealing with loud noise, dealing with exhaust, pull start pain, etc are long gone. Now I'm just waiting on the affordable electric car. Gas, even in the best of circumstances, is just too much of a hassle and requires much more complex machines than electric.

mikestew 13y ago
> My mower weighs next to nothing Really? Because my electric is hugely more heavy than an equivalent gas mower. Granted, that's mostly battery, and probably lead/somethingorother at that. Not that it matters much, because it's self-propelled, but weight is not one of its features. Not that I'd give up my electric mower. It's like my Nissan Leaf, only for cutting grass: push the switch and it runs w/o having to fiddle with gasoline. Quiet. Won't run as long as gas-powered, but gets me where I need to go.
mgkimsal 13y ago
They exist in suburbs too.
joshuacc 13y ago
You can take it a step further with an old-fashioned reel mower. They work quite well as long as your yard isn't ridiculously large or weedy.
- drzaiusapelord 13y ago
  They just need to be sharpened too frequently and heaven forbid you put off mowing for a while or have a few rainy days in a row. The resistance is pretty strong if the grass is remotely tall. Of course, this could all be a case of me getting old and lazy, which I suspect it mostly is.
  - b_emery 13y ago
    I've never sharpened mine, but too much rain is not a problem we have in California.
  - filoeleven 13y ago
    I've never used an old reel mower for comparison, but last year I bought a Fiskars reel mower for my smallish townhouse yard and am quite pleased with it. I haven't had to sharpen the blades yet, though I might at the end of this year's mowing season. And it could be an interesting task, given their helical structure. You're definitely right about the tall grass; thankfully this mower's height is easily adjustable so I can make two passes if need be. The cut is much nicer than a regular lawn mower, I get a little extra exercise a few times a week, and I find that it actually takes me less time to finish--reel mowers work best at a faster pace than a gas-powered push mower. I have only my very limited experience, but I think some of the reputation of reel mowers being inconvenient may be undeserved when looking at the ones made in the past decade.
    - mmagin 13y ago
      Generally you put a honing compound on the blades and turn the blades backwards to sharpen it. It's some work, but it's pretty easy. e.g. http://www.amazon.com/American-Lawn-Mower-SK-1-Sharpening/dp/B00004R9UM/ http://www.amazon.com/American-Lawn-Mower-SK-1-Sharpening/dp...

joshuacc 13y ago

Interesting how peoples' experiences differ. I did mowing/lawn care work through high school and college, and loved having hours and hours in the sun to just think. I have two (unpublished) novels that I was able to plot and write thanks to that job.

mikestew 13y ago

I've cut grass all of my life, starting with about 3 acres (not a typo) of grass growing up. I'll gladly trade 30 minutes of easy work once a week for being able to sit out back of the house without staring directly into a neighbor's window. But to each their own. If you don't like cutting grass, there are people who will do it for you for a reasonable amount of money.