Cutting it clean - Reporter David Fleischer tries the latest trend in lawn mowers: unplugged and no motor
Cutting it clean - Reporter David Fleischer tries the latest trend in lawn mowers: unplugged and no motor
If he had a sprawling acreage, reporter David Fleischer might not use an old-fashioned push mower, but it worked well on his suburban lawn.
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July 26, 2007 12:16 AM
Eco Envy - A series on living more green
By: David Fleischer
The powered lawnmower, like it or not, is one of the great symbols of suburbia.
During daylight hours, especially on the weekend, its reassuring drone carries through every neighbourhood.
Even though we face pesticide bylaws and water rationing, the pursuit of a green lawn — as epitomized by Hank Hill and his neighbours on King of the Hill — remains a homeowner’s dream.
Over the course of my own upbringing, I have used gas and electric lawnmowers.
The gas mower's main advantage is it is wire free. The electric model, on the other hand, comes with an unwieldy extension cord that gets in the way every time you do a 180.
You have to toss it over your shoulder, make sure you don’t run it over, unplug it and haul it in a bundle when you move from the front to the rear yard.
Amazingly, cordless lawnmowers, that just need recharging, are now available. The battery lifespan is not great for sprawling lawns, but that, too, has changed in the past year or two and the machines are fast becoming the new standard.
So, the gas mower is losing its main advantage and there remains the messy business of obtaining the gas, as well as pouring it in.
At a Richmond Hill Canadian Tire store, sales have dropped notably with the best-selling gas mower model, going from 180 units last year to only 80 so far this year.
“Obviously, the numbers aren’t going to be as strong,” store manager Daniel Lubimcev said. “We’re going through a transition.”
Electric mowers are less noisy than their gas counterparts and they don’t have the emissions problem. But while they remain the superior choice, as the burden on our power grid has worsened the gap has narrowed between electric and their fossil-fueled counterparts.
Which brings us to the push mower.
Over the past two years, Canadian Tire has seen a marked increase in sales, with about 440 units sold each year.
The store provided me with their best-selling model, a 14-inch reel mower for this experiment. Though I am wary of its quaintness, I am game to try it out.
The only time I have encountered one was several years ago when I discovered a friend had one. When my cohort wasn’t mocking him for his use of Britishisms (keeping things in the boot, taking out the rubbish etc.), the push mower was fair game.
So, it was with some trepidation that I decided to take a shot at mowing my lawn the old-fashioned way. I’ve already set my electric mower to mulch rather than disposing of the clippings, so I've been doing something for the environment. Now, I’m going to see if I can do even more.
Luckily, my lawn is neither postage-stamp sized nor a sprawling soccer field. This, I decide, I can handle.
3:34 p.m. - The box is open. The instructions suggest it should take from six to 10 minutes to complete assembly. I will have to run into the house to find some pliers — the only tool required.
Rather out of nowhere, a raincloud has materialized. This puts a crimp in plans and the assembly is put on hiatus.
5:56 p.m. - The sun is back and the lawn is dry enough to consider mowing.
6:13 p.m. - The mower is fully assembled. Rather than assuming blame, I attribute the longer-than-suggested time to confusing terminology in the manual and the trickiness of securing the small c-clamps, which lock the blade assembly in place.
I easily adjust the mowing height and, when I push the mower, it does, in fact, cut the grass! This is already easier than the three-step childproof activation process on my electric.
The first “catch” I notice is it only works when you're going forward. This means one has to be a bit more efficient and thoughtful in planning a mowing route.
6:15 p.m. - The first stoppage. A small twig. Over the course of the mowing the odd twig or stray piece of mulch will cause a delay. I’ll have to stoop down and remove it, careful not to lose my fingers in the ready-to-whirl-at-any-time blades.
The mower is not heavy and at least as manoeuverable as the larger electric. In addition to twigs, it seems intimidated by the long grass and tall weeds on my neighbour’s side of the lawn.
Normal grass, however, it cuts through with ease.
There is a whirring sound but it's not as loud as the electric, nor as constant, since it only sounds when one is pushing.
I suspect when I am done, I won’t have that afterbuzz you get in your hands after 30 minutes of electric mowing.
6:21 p.m. - The front lawn is done as is the little strip between the neighbour’s driveway and my own. Thicker grass has required a bit more effort but, still, no complaints.
6:35 p.m. - After a short break, I pick up the mower and easily carry it to the back yard.
The grass (and, ahem, weeds) are thicker back here. When one plows through them and sees the chopped results, one can’t help but feel some satisfaction. It looks a bit like a well-chopped salad.
No, it’s more like when you go the barber after having not gone in a while and sigh with relief as the once cumbersome locks begin to pile up around you. Aaaaah.
I can’t get into every little corner of the yard but neither can my big electric.
That’s what weed whackers are for.
In the meantime I have to admit that if it doesn’t manouevre as well as a Porsche, this push mower does at least as well as your average Japanese compact car.
Making things a bit less pleasant is the neighbouring cherry tree. Last week, it was the provider of delicious, juicy dark fruit — enough to open my own pie shop.
This week, a rancid salad of whatever the birds and squirrels didn’t eat is making one corner of my lawn slippery and smelly. I’m trying to help nature but it is not co-operating.
6:51 p.m. - I’m done. That wasn’t so hard.
Qualitatively, the mowing looks pretty good.
Some of the thicker bits are chopped a bit coarsely and it required a bit more elbow grease than the electric but I can’t complain.
If I had a sprawling acreage that required a riding mower, I have to admit trading down might not be an option.
But for my average sized yard, it is certainly worth considering.
If it makes Al Gore happy and increases the chances my daughter can avoid living on the Moon because of what we’ve done to Earth, this might be one sacrifice I can live with.
How about you?
Visit www.cleanairfoundation.org/mowdown pollution for information on how you can get a rebate on a new mower when you trade in your gas guzzler.