How Long Do Electric Lawn Mowers Last?
The days of electric lawn mowers being second class citizens in the mowing industry are over! Technology has advanced to the point where electric lawn mowers, their batteries, and their charge time are more than adequate for most peoples yard needs. Read on to find out what you can expect from your electric lawn mower.
How Long Does An Electric Lawn Mower Last?
The lifetime of an electric mower can last up to 10 years, while the lifetime of its battery is about 5 years. Depending on the product you purchase, your electric mower battery should last up to an hour before needing to be recharged.
Using an electric mower can be useful when it comes to cost and efficiency. Not only that, but electric mowers are easier to clean, fix, and operate. Their long-lasting batteries may be exactly what you need to save time and money. I’ve broken down exactly how long electric lawn mowers last and why they’re so important to have when mowing your lawn.
How Long Will a Fully Charged Electric Mower Last?
Since cordless electric lawn mowers are powered by batteries, many people aren’t sure they will last very long. Luckily, electric mowers have recently been updated to last for longer periods. As you push your mower across your yard, it should last for at least an hour, or half an acre, before requiring a recharge.
Additionally, these battery-powered lawn mowers have been enhanced to last for extended amounts of time. The batteries inside of the lawn mower should remain functioning and rechargeable for at least five years. Recently, electric lawn mowers have been created to rise to the same level as gas mowers.
Once you’ve mowed half an acre of your lawn, your battery should fully recharge in just 30-90 minutes depending on what brand you buy. These are known as lithium-ion batteries and can help your electric mower keep a strong charge. Thanks to the lithium-ion battery, your lawn mower, and the battery should live a long life of five or more years.
Does a Gas Mower Last Longer Than An Electric Mower?
Many have preferred a gas-powered mower as their lawn mower of choice due to how long they last. A gas mower will last for approximately ten years if the mower receives the necessary amount of care and maintenance.
Electric mowers, however, are becoming more and more reliable as advances in technology are made, but you will likely have to replace the battery of the mower after 5 years as it will eventually stop holding a charge.
If you have properly maintained the electric mower over the years, it should last another five years after you’ve placed the new battery in it.
Once again, the length of time the mower will last all depends on how well you have maintained your lawn mower in the past.
Maintaining Your Electric Mower
Electric mowers are becoming more popular because they don’t require as much maintenance as gas mowers. That being said, they do still require regular care. In order for your electric lawn mower to last for up to ten years, it must receive proper maintenance. Not only should it be cleaned regularly, but you should be checking the mower daily to ensure it’s running smoothly.
Below are a few ways to properly maintain your electric lawn mower to prolong its use.
Set the Height to the Right Position
When we receive products, we’re sometimes tempted to throw out the user manual and pay it no mind. You won’t want to do this with an electric mower. Your user manual will tell what settings you should use when mowing, as well as how to fix or replace parts that wear out. Without the manual, you won’t have access to this information.
The manual will help you set your mower to a height that is not too high or too low so that you don’t end up damaging your mower’s blades or your lawn. Check your mower website if you have lost your manual as many, but not all, offer a downloadable version.
Tighten Nuts and Bolts
Look for all of your mower’s nuts and bolts, then tighten ones that are loose. If any of them were to fall off your mower, you could be injured, or it could break your mower. Additionally, your mower deck could fall apart. If this happens, the lifespan of your mower will drastically decrease.
Check any bolts and fasteners to make sure none are loose every time you use the mower.
Oil Mower Wheels
Unlike other parts of your mower, the wheels won’t need close attention before every use. However, every now and then, you’ll need to check your wheels to ensure they’re rotating without any troubles. If they seem like they aren’t moving properly, you can oil them. Applying this oil to the axis of the wheel a few times a year can help them spin smoothly.
Sharpen the Blades
It only makes sense that your mower’s blades can only cut your lawn well if the blades are sharpened. If you want to regularly use your mower to tackle big lawns or tall grass, sharpen them regularly.
If the blades are sharpened regularly, you’ll notice your lawn mower live a long and healthy life. Make sure you’re not waiting too long for your grass to grow before mowing. Taller grass is tougher on your mower’s blades even if they are sharpened regularly. Don’t wait too long before mowing your lawn to ensure your mower lasts a long time.
Amazon also offers lawn mower blades at a rather low cost as well. Cutting your lawn with a brand new blade can sometimes make your mower feel brand new again!
Ways to Prolong the Life of Your Mower
Along with proper maintenance and cleaning of your electric lawn mower, there are other ways to keep your mower working properly for a long time. Below are a few different methods you can try out to make sure your electric lawn mower is well taken care of for years to come.
Properly Store Your Lawn Mower
Since you’re cutting your grass regularly throughout the summer, it can become easy to leave it outside after mowing. Constantly storing it inside your shed or garage, then removing it can become tedious. This is why many assume it’s a waste of time to store it and isn’t necessary.
Is it really that important it be stored? The answer is yes. The many different weather elements taking place over the summer can harshly damage your mower.
- The sun: The sun is one of the most damaging elements for a lawn mower. If it beats down on a mower sitting out in the open all day, it can overheat and keep it from starting.
- Moisture: Keeping your mower outside for a few days can also become dangerous as the rain or humidity can damage it. It can cause electrical issues to the mower and can electrocute you or severely hurt you the next time you’re using it. If you accidentally leave it outside, wipe the mower down to make sure there isn’t any excess rain remaining on the mower.
Store your lawn mower inside of a shaded shed or garage. It won’t need to be covered up during the seasons when you are using it frequently. You’ll see a longer mower life if it’s stored and isn’t sitting out in the open for several days.
Electric mowers can be stored at almost any angle as there is no gas or oil that can leak out. Some models even fold up nice and compact for easy storage.
Don’t Cut Wet Grass
Though it may have rained or the sprinklers have gone off, you may still feel your grass needs to be trimmed immediately. If you’ve owned a gas-powered motor in the past, you wouldn’t have hesitated to head outside with your mower and begin cutting the grass. With electric mowers though, this isn’t the smartest idea.
You’ve probably learned in a science course that water and electricity don’t work well together. This means if you attempt to mow your lawn with an electric mower, you could experience a painful electric shock.
If you still feel it’s absolutely necessary to mow your damp lawn, take a walk across the lawn. Are your feet sinking? If so, the soggy ground is too wet for you to mow on. Only mow on grass that is damp, not soggy.
Electric mowers aren’t made for wet grass. Wait until the grass is dry before mowing unless you absolutely have to mow on the damp grass. Not only are you putting yourself in harm’s way, but your lawn mower may become severely damaged if it operates on a wet lawn.
Even if you’re mowing damp grass, you could be decreasing the life of your power and its blades as it isn’t built for any dampness or wet areas.
Try Not to Distract Yourself While Mowing
Since mowing is such a basic, mundane task, it’s easy to become distracted and lose focus while working. Try your best to avoid this. If you’re not careful or aren’t focusing on the lawn ahead of you, your mower could run over dangerous objects. There could be a loose bolt that falls out of your mower. This means you could risk running over something damaging resting in your yard.
If your mower runs over anything too large or sharp, this can damage the blades of the mower. It may also damage the motor or other interior features that keep the mower running for a long time. Keep an eye out for large objects or rocks when you’re mowing your lawn. Take the time to remove any items from your lawn before you begin cutting the grass.
Take it in for a Tune-up
Caring for your mower on your own can become effective and can help extend its life. There are times you’ll want to make sure you’re doing all you can to keep it lasting for a while. Take it into a lawn mowing professional so they can take another look at it. There may be something damaging or out of order with your mower that you didn’t recognize.
You can do this regularly or even just once every year before you start using it throughout the summertime. If there is something wrong with your mower and you begin using it regularly without realizing, you could damage the mower further. This can shorten your mower’s lifespan quickly.
Keep Your Electric Lawn Mower Clean
Keeping your mower clean helps you maintain your machine in two ways. First, it will prevent build up of dirt and debris from causing damage to the mower, and second, while cleaning, you are likely to notice any parts that need fixing, replacing, or tightening.
When you notice your electric mower looks dirty and needs cleaned, here are a few ways to get the job done:
- Turn the mower off and remove the battery.
- Grab a brush or cloth and begin to clean the vents on the ventilation system of your mower. This keeps your mower from overheating easily while you’re using it. You can also blow compressed air into the slots to make sure any stubborn dirt or residue doesn’t get clogged inside the vents. Clean them after every use.
- Clean your mower’s blade carefully. Look for any dirt, soil or grass trapped in the blade. Removing any of these materials can help keep the blade sharp and cutting grass efficiently. You can use plastic or a wooden stick to properly remove any of this dirt or soil stuck inside the blade.
- Using the same tool you used to clean the blade, get rid of any dirt, grass or residue that is forming inside of the mower deck. Extra pro tip: spray the bottom of the mower deck with cooking oil to help keep the mower deck clean before using the mower again. This helps allow fewer amounts of residue to collect underneath your mower.
Taking Care of the Batteries
Since your electric mower operates on batteries, they will need to be well taken care of. Batteries are normally sold when purchasing the mower. As soon as you purchase the battery, check the label or box it comes in. This will tell you how to best care for your battery. The instructions will also tell you how it should be charged.
If you don’t follow the listed instructions, this could result in your battery becoming damaged. It could also suffer from a shorter lifespan. While you’re mowing your lawn and using the battery, you’ll notice the battery level listed on your lawn mower.
Keep a close eye on it while mowing and stop using the battery once it reaches a low battery level. Waiting until the battery dies can harm it and may decrease its life.
Once you realize your mower’s battery has died, remove it immediately. To prevent any battery leakage damage, take your dead battery out and recharge it right away. When you store your mower in the garage during the wintertime, take the battery out. Leaving it in the mower for too long can cause the battery to quit working when you start it back up again in the summer.
Caring for Your Batteries and Electric Mower in the Winter
In order for your electric mower to operate efficiently in the summer, it needs to be cared for in the winter. Leave your mower inside of your garage, but grab the battery out of it. Take it inside to store properly. You never want to leave your electric mower’s battery inside of the machine all winter.
When the cold temperatures of your shed or garage touch the battery for a long time, it can kill their lifespan or stop them from working altogether. Your battery should work properly if you keep it stored at room temperature.
Store your mower in a safe spot inside of your garage. Lay a blanket or tarp on top of it to prevent any dust from forming. This tarp or blanket can also protect them from unwanted critters making a home in your mower, but if you have issues with pests, it may be worth setting a trap under the tarp as well and checking it throughout the winter.
What to do Once Your Battery Loses Juice
Once your five years have passed, and your mower is no longer operating with your battery, it’s time for an upgrade. Replacement batteries are available on Amazon and in numerous stores. After you purchase a new battery to replace the old one, your lawn mower should start working again without any problems.
Pro Tip: If your current battery needs to be recharged after dying, purchase a second to have on hand. This way, you won’t have to mow part of your lawn and then wait around for the battery to recharge. You can instead swap the dead battery out for the charged one and get right back to where you left off.
In Conclusion
With advances in technology, electric lawn mowers are becoming more and more durable, and they can last for up to 10 years as long as they are carefully maintained…and the battery is replaced as needed.
In the coming years, we can only expect that electric mowers will become even more durable and rugged as the demand for them increases, and more people look for options that are better for the environment.
If you are in need of a new mower, check out our Best Electric Lawn Mowers article! We give you our picks for all of the best electric mowers on the market, as well as what to look for when picking out your new mower.
