Have Osteoporosis- is a electric lawnmower a lot lighter to use than petrol.

anotherquestion

Hi Folks,

I have a Rover push petrol lawn mower that has served me well for 27 years, but having being diagnosed with Osteoporosis a few years ago and had a bone in back broken through lifting, now in my sixties, just wondering if an electric lawn mower might be more suitable for me to use on a medium sized lawn at front and back of house. Back lawn would be more on a slope.

Too small a lawn for a ride on mower.

Any advice appreciated and maybe if you have time a link to one you recommend at Argos.

Many thanks.

Cherryfudge

I'm a similar age to you and have osteopenia, and I've found the easiest thing is a cheap manual lawn mower. It's light to handle and does the job, and I don't have to think about avoiding running over the cable or fuel costs/availability. We have a small to moderate-sized lawn and a very small one at the other side of the (terraced) house, so the mower has to be carried through the house or trundled round the end of the terrace too. It might be an idea to check with your doctor what weight of work they are happy for you to do, though.

twopenny

Oh bad luck. I have some undiagnosed pelvic pain and having to learn to change my ways too.
I've used electric rotary mowers for many years and yes a lot lighter.

Some things to think about - some like mine have small but good'rollers on the front so lift the handle and it can be pulled.
A wider one will take less passes but will be heavier. I use one narrower than ideal because it's lighter. I just get fitter by walking further 
A grass box makes it heavier when full. I used a light wheelbarrow to empty it in half way around a big lawn and took that to dispose and same until it was completed.

A lot of  grass stuck under makes them heavier so scoop it out.

You shouldn't cut wet grass.

The hover mowers only hover if you keep the filters on the side clear. I use an old paint brush each use for this and in spring I take them out and give them a good blow or wash. They can be popped out. Putting back is a fiddle but it's only once a year.

Used to have a light roller on my last one and I could have stripes in the grass. Not a thing these days

They need to be turned over to clean underneath after cutting. Not too difficult and can be rolled over and back.
And remember a circuit breaker

Mine's a Flymo. I've had a few and they last well 
Got them all from Argos
And remember the cordless ones have a  battery that will add to the weight.

Chloe_G

I've got a McGregor 32 corded rotary lawnmower from Argos. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7428434?clickPR=plp:11:51 (It seems to be identical to my previous Qualcast mower.)  It is on the touch small size for our lawn but it is pretty light and easy to manouevre.  Also used to have a Flymo which we used to cut the front lawn which was brilliant (until a family member sadly managed to break the handle).

elsien

I have a McAllister from B&Q, which is similar to the Macgregor above. Lighter and easier to use than my previous corded flymo, and I wouldn’t go back to a hover mower now. 

Bigphil1474

I'm sure you've thought of this, but worth considering getting someone in. We got a gardener for the in-laws and a lot cheaper than we thought. The guy comes and does a couple of hours once a month, mows lawn, weeding, tidying up etc. and maybe twice a month over the summer, and charges £20 a visit. Doesn't come over the winter. I think last year we paid him for 10 visits.

macman

There aren't many gardeners who will charge only £10 per hour; that is below minimum wage. 

Section62

anotherquestion said:

I have a Rover push petrol lawn mower that has served me well for 27 years, but having being diagnosed with Osteoporosis a few years ago and had a bone in back broken through lifting, now in my sixties, just wondering if an electric lawn mower might be more suitable for me to use on a medium sized lawn at front and back of house. Back lawn would be more on a slope.

Which part of the mowing job do you find most difficult?  Petrol mowers tend to be heavier, partly because the deck is usually made of metal and they tend to be larger (width of cut).  Those with a more robust grassbox will also be heavier.

Unless you need to physically lift the mower (say into and out of a shed) then the weight balance (between the front and back) can be a significant factor in ease of use. Generally the rear wheels (or roller) act as the fulcrum, so the weight of the engine is partly counterbalanced by the handlebars and grassbox. Longer and heavier handlebars are better at counterbalancing the weight of the engine (or motor +/- battery).

If the problem is with pushing the mower then self-propelled helps, but also adds to the total weight.

How much of a slope does the back lawn have?  Is that part of the problem?  If the slope is significant then Bigphil1474's suggestion of getting someone in should be given extra thought - cutting steeply sloping grass can be quite dangerous, especially for people with limited strength to control the mower.  Roll-back or overturning accidents can be nasty. Counter-intuitively this can be more of a problem with lightweight mowers as they can lack the low-down mass which helps with stability.

It might be worth visiting a specialist groundcare machinery dealer who typically have a range of mower types on display so you can get the feel of different models.  They are also likely to have experience with customers in your position and know what tends to work or doesn't.  Argos won't let you try before you buy, so if you just pick a model from their catalogue you have to hope it is suitable - which may or may not work out ok.

MCT56

I own various mowers including the old faithful Rover with an alloy deck and Briggs and Stratton petrol engine. Also have a Bosch 37li battery powered mower, which is called cordless. These are both push mowers. The Bosch is probably about half the weight of the Rover in my estimation. The Bosch was about £500 new a few years ago - so pretty expensive. Bosch have updated their model range since I bought mine a few years ago so I can't say if they are any better or just as pricey. I had a look on Argos website and see there are various Spear and Jackson cordless - battery mowers with a decent number of customer reviews. Prices seem competitive. I would have a think about the 37 cm one which cuts a reasonable width. It retails for just over £200. Anything less will be a bit of a toy in my opinion. I also note that it appears to have bigger wheels than my old Bosch, which should make pushing it along easy. As you will know cutting long or wet grass will choke the shoot before it goes into the catcher, so regular cuts when it's dry is best. I wouldn't recommend a corded electric mower as the trailing cable always gets on your nerves - eventually. Screwfix is also worth a look on-line to see their range. Hope this helps.

greenbee

My cordless mower is considerably lighter and easier to use than the petrol mower (which is now reserved for long grass/rough ground where I need something more robust), and avoids the issue of the power cord getting in the way - which I always found really annoying when I had a cabled electric mower.

The other thing worth considering is a robot mower - several of my neighbours have them and they seem to work really well on established lawns. 

anotherquestion

Thanks a lot for replies. Mowing the lawn is just one of the things I have to consider since breaking a vertebrae in the back, and though the bone has healed I seem to be left with ongoing discomfort pain and discomfort since this happens two and a half years ago, and then getting a osteoporosis diagnosis.

Osteoarthritis in knees is a factor too.

To be honest I am very reluctant to stop doing any of the usual things that I do, so looking maybe at an easier option of mowing the lawn seems a sensible idea.

Thanks a lot for all the idea's that I will definitely have a good think over.