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Although we have over an acre only a small part is fenced grass for the dog...I have a Kobalt lawnmower
that works fine...my husband uses a riding mower to go over the rest of the land every once in a while.
My lot is about 1 acre, the yard has many trees and has some slope. 0.4 acre is for grass only. Push mower seems not adequate for the work to me.
The area I mow with my self-propelled push mower is about 0.35 acres. 17 years ago I could do the entire thing with a non-self-propelled mower without taking a break.
As time went on (and age, LOL) I divided the area into three parts, doing one part, resting; doing another part, resting, etc.
When I turned 60 years old I finally got a self-propelled push mower. It made a big difference!
I also have a sloped area. Just don't try to mow up/down the slope. Mow left/right, across the slope.
This weekend is the first mow! I'm 63 years old now. It would be a waste of money for me to pay someone to mow.
You will also need a weedeater, edger, and maybe a push mower for small areas. I usually change my oil every year. You're only talking about a few quarts so it's cheap. The filters are cheap also. Not sure how often you should sharpen blades. Mines have been on for over 5 yrs. I usually do my own repairs but I work on my own vehicles also so I have experience. I'm not sure what experience you have working on gas motors. When I was younger, my dad used a small local repair guy. Ask around for one. They are usually very reasonable.
Is "weedeater" the same as trimmer? I know the one with a string attached to trim the edge of lawn.
Part of the value of doing your own mowing is that it is therapeutic--the hum of the mower, the concentration of the driver in devising an efficient cutting pattern, the smell of the cut grass, and creating organization out of chaos. I never understood why people dislike doing their own mowing. With your own mower you can attack the lawn whenever you feel it is looking shabby.
As long as you have a place to store it, a riding mower is great, but you do get what you pay for. A self propelled electric start push mower can be used on smaller yards and maintenance is minimal. I am not very 'mechanical' so I have someone come service all of my outdoor equipment once a year: spark plugs, oil change, check the blades. Not much to it.
Part of the value of doing your own mowing is that it is therapeutic--the hum of the mower, the concentration of the driver in devising an efficient cutting pattern, the smell of the cut grass, and creating organization out of chaos. I never understood why people dislike doing their own mowing. With your own mower you can attack the lawn whenever you feel it is looking shabby.
Exactly!
Besides, while you are mowing you can take note of any areas that need attention that might not be noticed otherwise, like bare spots, holes, etc. (where the dog poop is...LOL).
I am on a small lot, about 13000 sqft. I do my own lawn because I am very particular about edging and bagging. Before someone say better to not collect grass clipping, tell that to my wife. She doesn't like grass tracking into the house.
In any case, I do enjoy it for the exercise and a chance to be out. I am also doing it to set example for my boys. One turned 12 last year and I picked up a broken mower from Lowe's last summer for $25. We fixed it together and it became his. I pay him to help me cut and with 2 mowers, we get through it fast. It's also fun working in the yard together. I can't wait until the other boy is old enough.. then I'll be paying them to get it done.
I still mow mine and wouldn't pay anyone to do so as long as i can do it. I have changed to a sself-propelled mower this year and it is heavier to lift but I have to really 'skip' to keep up with it...nothing like a regular push mower.
If you take good care of your mowers, then will take good care of you for a long time. That means removing all wet grass from the under carriage after each mow, or it will rust. Also, changing the filter and oil at the beginning of each mow season (all those supplies can be bought at any big box store or hardware. Drain out or mow til empty the gas at the end of each mow season. I keep my blade sharpe myself with a tool and Dremel, but you can take yours off (just unscrew it) and take it to a mower guy and he can sharpen it if you don't know how or want to do it. You can see the edges of your cut grass get 'raggedy' rather than clean cut, than means it is time to REsharpen the blade. Here's a tip: get yourself a 5gal mud bucket and walk your yard BEFORE you mow and pick up all branches and twigs, rocks. Mowing over them is what dulls a blade quickly. I don't bother a lot with edger and weed-eater except by my stepping stones and those only need it about every 3rd mow. It depends on your likes and how much you get into landscaping your yard. In my next life, I am going to take landscaping and horticulture instead of being a RN. Just as financially lucrative and more rewarding over the long haul.
Good luck to you! I hope you end up loving your yard like I do mine!
I have a small front yard that I just mow myself. I do everything in a hurry and are either at a stop or at full speed so i edge and mow (with an electric mulcher) in about an hour once a week. Hardly an issue for me. If I had a big yard or a ton of property I might pay someone. I think like the poster above me says it depends how long it takes and how much that time is worth to you
Part of the value of doing your own mowing is that it is therapeutic--the hum of the mower, the concentration of the driver in devising an efficient cutting pattern, the smell of the cut grass, and creating organization out of chaos. I never understood why people dislike doing their own mowing. With your own mower you can attack the lawn whenever you feel it is looking shabby.
I wholeheartedly agree with this, so long as it doesn't become a several hour chore for the day.
I have a couple acres to mow at home and with the ZTR, I can do it in 45-50 minutes. About the same amount of time to do the trim work.
I have a commercial facility that's a little over 4 acres and rougher ground. That one I hire out since it takes me a lot longer since I have to trailer my gear, go slower because it's rough...
All in all it depends on how much you value your time.
This.
My husband and I are debating this ourselves. Last year we paid someone to cut our lawn, it was $40 a week and i forget exactly how long this went on for, but it was at least June-Sept which works to at least $650. In 2-3 summers I would spend what I could spend on a lawn mower which I imagine would last me a lot longer. Financially, it makes much more sense to buy a lawn mower and do it ourselves.
On the other hand, my husband really values that extra time. He says he'd rather pay someone and have that time to do other things. So that's why I think it just boils down to how much you value your time vs. the money you'll be spending.
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