Like brushing teeth or showering, mowing the lawn is a necessary evil wed sooner avoid even though we know well be better off for it, nobody else is going to do it for us, and well pay for it later if we skip it.
Mowing means you have to go outside where the mosquitoes and gnats will harass you, where its probably hot and humid, and spend a decent amount of time pacing back and forth.
Nobody can take all the uncomfortable elements out but with the right lawn mower you might find yourself looking forward to mowing instead of dreading it.
Quick Picks: Top Gas-Powered Push Lawn Mowers
Why Choose To Push When You Could Have Self-propelled?
The main difference between a self-propelled lawn mower and a push lawn mower is pretty straightforward, a self-propelled lawn mower moves itself forward by turning either the front or back wheels when you squeeze a lever of some kind as you walk behind it. A push lawn mower means you push it to move it forward. No push, no go.
Why would you want to do all the extra work with a push mower when you could have it do it all for you? There are many reasons. A push mower will be much cheaper to buy right away. All that extra convenience can add up to a lot of extra cost.
Because of the extra hardware needed to propel the mower, a push mower will be lighter than a self propelled lawn mower. This makes it easier for you to push the mower and easier to maneuver around obstacles and turns.
A push mower is more reliable than self-propelled mowers because it has fewer parts that can fail or require regular maintenance.
A push mower is best suited for a flat lot of at least half an acre. It can handle larger lawns with more hills but it won’t be able to do so. You will just have to eat more calories.
Mulching Vs. Bagging Vs. Side Discharge
Grass clippings are an inevitable side-effect of mowing your lawn and one you have to find some way or another to deal with. There are three options for managing your grass clippings. You can either mulch them or bag them. Or you can just let them go.
Mulching is where your lawn mower sucks up the clippings after cutting them off a shoot of grass and continuously tosses them under the deck. The mower blade cuts the clippings into smaller pieces and then scatters them on the lawn, where they will eventually become natural fertilizer.
Sounds perfect, right? Mulching is great if you are sure to mow frequently and stick to the 1/3rd rule (never cut off more than 1/3rd the length of your grass). The mower will have extra work so the clippings must be smaller. Otherwise, you’ll end up with large clumps that will need to be raked.
Also, if you have a lot of weeds your mower will struggle to break up the sturdier material and you may end up spreading the weeds around your lawn in the process.
Bagging is easy because the mower cuts grass and also vacuums up any clippings or other debris. This is a great way of preventing the spread of diseases or weeds throughout your lawn.
Bagging has the downside that you don’t get fertilization from the clippings. You also have to find a place to dispose of all the clippings. You might need to purchase a special container for yard waste.
Side discharge, or rear discharge, is similar to mulching in the fact that the clippings are scattered around your yard after they have been cut. This has some disadvantages. Instead of being chopped up into smaller pieces, the clippings get shot at the size that they were cut.
This means if the clippings arent coming out quite small enough, youll probably end up needing to rake them up to prevent them from laying on top of your grass and damaging it.
Discharging clippings allows your lawn mower to handle taller grass without bogging down than mulching can but if youve let the lawn grow for too long bagging is probably the best choice. Any method that you do not mind mowing your lawn every other day will work if you’re meticulous.
The Top Four Gas-Powered Mowers
Honda HRR216PKA
The Honda lawnmower offers incredible power and versatility. At its heart is the tough and reliable 160cc Honda GCV160 engine which fires up with a single pull and runs quieter than you might expect.
The engine is responsible for spinning the only twin blade setup on our list. The MicroCut system is not to be outdone by the powerplant. It trims well and pulverizes the clippings. HRR is a soft-spoken, big-sized speaker.
The HRR216PKA 3-in-1 system has a large 1.9-bushel bag. This bag can be extended even further by the HRR’s ability to break down clippings. The bag can be attached to the Clip Director so you can switch between bagging and mulching. After that, just take the bag off for rear discharge. The downside with rear discharge is you are likely to find your shoes and shins caked in plant matter.
Mowing height can be set to one of six positions ranging from 1 1/20 cm to 10 cm via a separate adjustment on each of the four wheels. While this is adequate, it feels cumbersome and seems unpolished when compared to the other smart designs on the HRR.
The HRR216PKA had some issues, including clippings in your shoes and awkward height adjustments. However, there were no real complaints about the HRR216PKA. It occasionally left a uncut strip when it was mowing through thickgrass.
Although the Honda push mowers are more expensive than Hondas, the Honda HRR216PKA is a worthwhile investment.
Cub Cadet SC100
The Cub Cadet SC100 is hard not to fall in love with because it packs serious punch but wont K.O. your budget.
For starters, the SC100 runs the dependable Cub Cadet 159cc OHV engine which is a dream to start and more than powerful enough to handle any reasonable (or unreasonable) job placed before it. A single blade engages the CycloCut system to provide consistent, professional quality cuts.
Another 3-in-1 system, the SC100, has a 1.9-bushel bag. However, it requires attachment of a chute for side discharge. This particular lawn mower is known as an excellent mulcher but has had some minor complaints about clogging or struggling to suck up damp clippings when bagging. Those are the only gripes.
Cub Cadet’s main feature is its single-point height adjustment lever. This makes it easy to change your cut height. The SC100 has six settings that allow you to adjust the range from 1 10 cm to 3 3/10cm.
At 29 kg, it is one of the lightest gas-powered push lawn mowers on this list, which makes it nimble and easy to push. It was also the only list mower that had a washout port for deck cleaning, making routine maintenance easier.
Ariens Razor 911173
This mower is definitely the most powerful, and for good reason.
A single blade whips on the shank of an Ariens 159cc OHV engine at a grass-decimating blade-tip speed of 17,0.0 m per minute. This creates a huge vacuum that inhales the clippings into a 2.0-bushel bag.
The Razor is well-known for its exceptional bagging abilities, but it can also be used as a side discharger and mulcher when the chute is attached.
Like the Cub Cadet, the height is adjusted through an easy to use single-point lever made even easier with a spring assist and by having each increment clearly marked. The Razor also has the broadest range of height options with seven of them from 3 cm to 10 cm.
Constructed of almost entirely metal materials, the Razor is built like a tank. It could be pushed into a ravine to get it to cut and fire up.
Its exceptional durability is to blame for the Razors main source of complaints, its heavy. This is likely why many have stated the Razor seems to resist being pushed. The Razor, which is built like a tank, weighs in at 43 kg. This makes it 12 kg heavier than the Honda.
This is especially important when discussing push mowers.
All that rugged power comes at a steep price as the Razor was the most expensive push lawn mower of the four.
Poulan Pro PR550N21R3
Poulan Pro PR550N21R3 gas-powered push mower is the most economical in its class and offers very little in the way bells and whistles. Its a purpose driven model focused on remaining inexpensive, while still providing a great cut for your lawn.
The PR550N21R3 comes equipped with a 140cc Briggs and Stratton 550E engine running a single blade. Briggs and Stratton carries a reputation for producing stout engines that hold up well over time.
Leaving bells and whistles out of the design means this mower is by far the lightest at 23 kg making it much less demanding to maneuver around obstacles or up a hill.
This model does have the smallest bag at 1.6 bushels but it is still capable of performing mulching, bagging, and side discharge tasks with exceptional results. The deck height is adjusted on each wheel separately with five positions ranging from 1 1/10 cm to 3
Some have complained the 140cc engine can feel underpowered at times or that it creates a weak vacuum for bagging. Some have expressed concern about the mower’s build quality. It is still a top-rated mower in terms of performance and price, with many mowing options and the ability to meet them.
Final Thoughts
If youve got a small to medium sized lot thats relatively flat theres no reason a gas-powered push lawn mower cant handle that sort of job. Sure, youll want to be realistic about your wants, needs, and budget but this is not a purchase most people will make often so make sure youre getting a lawn mower that will match your mowing habits and is one you enjoy using.
All the bells and whistles are meaningless if you wont or dont use them, especially if you break the budget to get them. A lawn mower that doesn’t meet your expectations or becomes a chore to operate is not going to make you happy.
