Are you in the market for a new lawn mower but are not sure what kind of lawn mower suits your yard’s needs? With so many different types of residential lawn mowers on the market it can be overwhelming to narrow down the options. Hopefully, we can make the decision a little easier for you.
In this article we explain all the different types of residential lawn mowers, what yards they are best suited for, and our top pick for each type. Read on to find the best lawn mower for you.
Types of Residential Lawn Mowers
- Gas vs Electric
- Push & Self-Propelled Mowers
- Compact Riders
- Lawn Tractors
- Garden Tractors
- Zero-Turn Lawn Mowers
- Hybrid Lawn Mower
Gas vs Electric Lawn Mowers
Before we get into the different types of lawn mowers we have to address the two different types of power: gas and electric.
Gas lawn mowers have been around since 1890. The innovation of gas-powered lawn mowers liberated us from push rotary mowers and are still widely used today.
Pros and cons of gas residential lawn mowers
- Pros: Fuel is affordable, refueling is simple and quick for endless runtime, and gas lawn mowers tend to be cheaper than comparable electric models.
- Cons: Pollutes air, noisy, and requires regular maintenance.
Electric lawn mowers have technically been around since 1930, but the technology didn’t really take off until the early 2000’s. Electric residential mowers were once unimpressive, but certain models can outperform gas models.
Pros and cons of electric residential lawn mowers
- Pros: A lot quieter than gas powered/usually 75 decibels or lower, no maintenance, and weigh less, has both cordless and corded power options.
- Cons: More expensive than comparable gas models, batteries can be expensive, batteries usually take around an hour to recharge, and it can require more than one battery to mow your entire lawn.
Choosing a gas or electric residential lawn mower will depend on your yard and your preferences. However, a general guideline is that an electric lawn mower should be sufficient power for the average residential lawn. There are a lot of power electric mowers available that can handle bigger yards, but consumers with an acre or more may prefer a gas powered mower.
Cordless vs Corded
Some electric push and self-propelled mowers have a corded option. The pro to a corded lawn mower is that you always have power as long as your cord is long enough and these models are generally cheaper than cordless models. However, the con to corded lawn mowers is that you have to deal with the cord while you use it.
My next door neighbor has a corded push mower. There is no better ad for cordless lawn mowers than watching him wrestle with the cord every time he mows his lawn.
Take my recommendation: choose cordless when picking out an electric lawn mower.
Push & Self-Propelled Mowers
Push and self-propelled lawn mowers are the standard residential lawn mower. Users must stand to use them. Both models look the same. However, push mowers need to be pushed, and self-propelled mowers have automatic wheels that propel the mower forwards and sometimes backwards.
These models are best suited for the average residential lawn, which is typically a quarter acre or less. The larger your yard the more you’ll prefer a self-propelled lawn mower.
- Best for: The average residential lawn measuring a quarter acre or less.
- Top Pick: DEWALT 60V MAX* Cordless Brushless RWD, Self-Propelled Mower (DCMWSP650Y2)
- Push vs Self-Propelled: We recommend self-propelled mowers because they relieve so much effort from mowing the lawn. We only recommend push mowers for consumers with small and flat lawns.
Compact Riders
Compact riders give you push mower-like maneuverability but with the comfort of a riding platform. It is basically a push mower that you sit on and drive. Unlike lawn tractors, a compact rider is meant for smaller, residential lawns that have even terrain. They are not the most popular kind of residential lawn mowers, so there isn’t a huge variety of models.
- Best for: Average residential yards with even terrain.
- Top Pick: Troy-Bilt TB30
Lawn Tractors
Lawn tractors are great for those with yards larger than a quarter acre. A lawn tractor looks similar to the compact rider we previously mentioned, but it’s much bigger and more powerful. This type of mower can also handle uneven terrain better. However, lawn tractors can lack in maneuverability compared to other styles of residential lawn mowers.
- Best for: Yards larger than a quarter acre and can handle hills and uneven terrain.
- Top Pick: RYOBI Electric Lawn Tractors
Garden Tractors
Garden tractors look a lot like lawn tractors and perform similarly. However, lawn tractors have towing capabilities and are designed to assist with landscaping. This includes everything from your basic lawn maintenance, to hauling large amounts of mulch and yard debris. They also usually have a wide variety of accessories for different uses.
- Best for: Larger yards with heavy landscaping needs.
- Top Pick: Craftsman CMXGRAM1130036 42 in. Gas Garden Tractor
Zero-Turn Lawn Mowers
Zero-turn lawn mowers are a large type of lawn mower that has the maneuverability that lawn and garden tractors lack. In fact, the term “zero-turn” comes from the zero in. turning radius. This means a zero-turn residential lawn mower can turn around completely within its own footprint, or turn in a perfect circle.
Again, a zero-turn lawn mower is a great option for those with larger lawns, but ideal for those with more intricate landscaping that requires more control.
- Best for: Large yards with intricate landscaping.
- Top Pick: EGO POWER+ 42 in. Z6 Zero-Turn Mower with E-Steer
Hybrid Lawn Mowers
Can’t decide between a gas or electric lawn mower? Choose both! A hybrid lawn mower utilizes both gas and battery power. This type of residential lawn mower for those who still want power after the battery runs out, or like an extra boost of power when mowing difficult areas. This style is also very flexible, meaning any type of residential lawn mower can be a hybrid.
- Best for: Those wanting both gas and battery power in one machine.
- Top Pick: Lowe’s Raven 46 in. Hybrid Riding Lawn Mower
Questions to Ask When Picking Out Your Residential Lawn Mower
Now that you understand all the different types of residential lawn mowers, here are some questions to ask yourself to help you decide on which is the best mower for you.
- Is my yard under a quarter acre or larger?
- Is my yard flat or have difficult terrain?
- Do I want gas, electric, or both?
- Do I need this mower to perform additional jobs?
- What is my budget?
Once you can answer the question to all these you should have a better idea about what residential lawn mower is best for you.
What about robotic lawn mowers? Are there any? Are they any good? Like a Roomba vacuum.
Yes they have them, expensive!
if your yard is large enough, ya can’t beat a heard of goats for cutting
the grass and weeds and fertilize at the same time.
LMAO
Nice write up on different types of lawn mowers. I have a small yard and while I do have a Honda Hrx mower I got really cheap on clearance at Home Depot a few years ago. My yard is pretty small so the cordless mower is a tempting option the only problem is I get a little lazy and let the grass grow too tall sometimes and wonder if the cordless power would have enough power plus the cost of replacement batteries would be scary on the high voltage lithium models
I agree Jason the replacement battery cost could be hi. But most cordless mowers have more power than you think.
Yea, electric motors have more torque than a gas engine. With the new lithium batteries having better cold weather performance I know Airens makes one that’s really expensive and uses lead acid batteries, but a cordless Snow Blower would be a huge seller. Plus if not maintained properly most of the time they can be next to impossible to start.
Man, that would take, massive torque!
I have seen some battery powered 36-40 volt rototillers being advertised I don’t know if they work well that’s for you guys to find out. I have a corded rototiller and it worked really well for what I use it for. If they can till some dirt I would guess they could move some snow. I don’t know I’m not an engineer, but there is a big push to replace what were gas powered tools with cordless ones lately.
Thanks Jason, we will look into getting one
I am curious what the best brand of a basic push mower is… Living in the city we don’t need a gas powered mower…. Any insights? Should we look for a used one on craigslist or something? I wouldn’t want to buy cheap just to get a piece o junk that falls apart or has a joke of a blade…..
Hi John, both Husqvarna and Troy-Bilt make a great basic mower.
You can find so many lawnmowers with the Honda GVC engine now with out having to pay the extra money for a Honda made lawnmower. My Honda mower is great, but I never would have bought it except for some reason Home Depot had it marked down to like 200 bucks. I’m sure you could find a decent mower on craigslist also just make sure it starts good and the oil looks clean and isn’t really low or it smokes a lot while it runs.
Having owned a grass cutting business, i had alot of trouble with my Husqvarnas….not the Honda engine, that was reliable as can be expected. I had 2 and had problems with the wheels always breaking. Plus it had front wheel drive instead of rear wheel, not smart engineering….especially when turning around. My advice is to look at Honda and Lawn Boy. I loved my Honda’s….. Great engines, great self propelled system, better deeper deck design, it had 2 blades, 1 on top of the other to give a better finer mulch. Wheels were stronger too.
My lawn mower broke a few weeks ago and I need to buy a new one, so I am glad that I found this article because I had no idea there are so many different types of lawn mowers to choose from. It is good to know that a cordless mower is quiet and doesn’t require fuel because this could make it a cost-effective option. Plus, it is good to know that the runtime is shorter on cordless mowers because I have a very small yard.
It’s helpful to consider whether we might benefit from a zero-turn or compact mower since they’d be better able to navigate the obstacles in our lawn. We have a fairly large backyard with a number of trees that have always been difficult to navigate by hand, but we’re getting to a point where we’d like to invest in a rideable mower. We’ll have to look around and see what we could find that would be best for our situation.