What Size Lawnmower Do I Need?

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Choosing the Right Lawnmower

In this blog,

• Choosing the right size mower
• What are the different types of lawn mowers available?
• What is a lawn mower mulcher?
• What fuel should I use for my lawn mower?
• Does decking size matter?
• Hand-propelled or Self-propelled Lawnmower?
• How accessible are spare parts?

The grass will always need cutting so you’re always going to need a lawnmower. It’s that simple. The complicated bit is choosing the right size lawnmower to achieve the perfect cut for your garden so, let’s look at some of the key factors you’ll need to consider.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Buying a Lawnmower

• What size/shape is your garden?
• What type of power do you prefer? Petrol, electric/battery or manual
• What features are you looking for? (collecting/mulching/side-discharge)
• Self-propelled or hand-propelled – Who will use the mower?
• What is your budget?

Choosing the Right Size Lawnmower

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes so there are lots of things to think about when it comes to choosing a lawn mower.

The grass will always need cutting so you’re always going to need a lawnmower. It’s that simple. The complicated bit is choosing the right size lawnmower to achieve the perfect cut for your garden so, let’s look at some of the key factors you’ll need to consider.

The first thing to consider when choosing your lawnmower is the size of your garden. A tennis court can be used as a rough guide for what size you have:

• Small garden – up to half a tennis court (up to 100 sqm)
• Medium garden – up to three-quarters of a tennis court (approx. 100 – 250 sqm)
• Large garden – up to one and a half tennis courts (250+ sqm)
• Extra-large sized garden – half an acre or more

Lawnmowers for Smaller Gardens up to 100 sqm

Hover lawnmowers are a great lightweight option for smaller gardens up to 100 m². However, not all hover mowers have a grass collection box so, you might want to think about a Rotary mower, such as the Webb WEER33 Classic electric rotary lawnmower is also a great choice for smaller lawns. Voted “Best Buy” by BBC Gardeners World magazine, this is a compact and easy to manoeuvre model.

For that bit of extra freedom, why not opt for a cordless rotary mower, such as the Webb WEV20LM33. Featuring integrated grass fins for up to the edge mowing and central height adjustment, it’s a lightweight, easy-to-use mower, with up to 30 minutes of run time, which is more than enough time to give smaller gardens a quality finish.

If you fancy yourself as more of the traditional gardener (who isn’t shy of a bit of hard work), a cylinder mower could be the mower for you.  However, it’s worth bearing in mind that this type of mower is best suited to flat ground which is mowed regularly. Slightly more difficult to maintain than other models, a cylinder mower will also need blades sharpened and balanced regularly.

Lawnmowers for Medium-sized Gardens of 100-250 sqm

For medium-sized gardens of 100-250², you might want to think about an electric self-propelled rotary mower such as the Webb WEER40 Classic electric rotary mower, which is a great model for handling tough grass and larger areas. However, you’ll need to keep an eye on the cable length to make sure you can reach corners!

Cordless models also offer great benefits here although running times can be a bit restrictive so you might want to opt for a cordless model with an interchangeable battery, such as the Webb WEV20LM22 if you have a medium-sized garden.

Lawnmowers for Larger-sized Gardens of 250+ sqm

Self-propelled rotary mowers are also a great choice for larger-sized gardens however, with a larger area, you might want to consider a petrol mower, such as the WER18HW4 or the WER21HW4, which are the latest additions to the prestigious Supreme range. Featuring a self-propelled drive with a 65-litre capacity grass bag, both new models will get you around a lawn quickly with minimal effort. 

Lastly, for those avid gardeners looking to step up from the walk-behind mower, a ride-on mower will let you cover a sizeable area in no time at all, without even breaking a sweat.

Lawnmower features

What is a Mulching Lawnmower?

Mulching lawn mower will mulch clippings instead of collecting them. A mulching lawn mower will cut your grass up to 40% faster than a grass collecting mower. Acting as a natural fertiliser, the grass is blown back into the lawn to decompose which promotes healthy grass roots and locks in moisture.  

What Cutting Decking Size Do I Need?

Once you’ve thought about the size of your garden, you’ll need to consider a few other factors. Does the decking size of your lawn mower matter? In a simple answer, yes. The bigger the deck, the more you can mow in a single pass. Quite simply, this means fewer passes will be needed.  However, don’t be tempted into thinking a mower with a large cutting deck will speed up the job regardless of your garden size and shape. You might regret it when it comes to tight corners in smaller gardens, which might be hard to reach.

Take a good look around your garden. Do you have any trees or obstacles on your lawn? If so, consider a mower with a smaller deck size as this will be easier to navigate. Do you have any hills? Opting for a smaller deck will help to avoid any damage to your lawn that could be caused by a larger deck dragging.

How to Choose the Right Cutting Width for Your Lawnmower

Hand-propelled or Self-propelled Lawnmower?

Hand-propelled mowers need to be pushed to drive them forward – the engine only drives the cutter blade.

Self-propelled can go ahead without much effort thanks to a transmission that moves it forwards when engaged. All you really have to do is steer it in the right direction and keep an eye out for obstructions. Some self-powered lawnmowers come with variable speeds so you can change up how fast you’re going.

How Accessible are Lawnmower Spare Parts?

When making your choice, you’ll also need to take some time to think about spares and accessories.  Buying from a reputable brand will offer you a quality product with peace of mind but things can and do go wrong so it’s always worth taking the time to check that replacement parts, such as blades, etc are easily accessible, should you need them.

What Petrol Should I Use for My Lawnmower?

E10 compatible – regular unleaded 98, 95, 95 E5 can also be used; however, do not use any petrol containing more than 10% ethanol as this could cause corrosion damage to fuel system components.

You Are All Set for the Perfect Lawnmower

The long and short of it is, nothing is stopping you from buying any size lawnmower for your lawn but it’s not quite as simple as “one cap fits all” so you’ll need to give it some thought. Don’t be rushed into making an impulse buy. Do your research and think about the size and space of your garden, as the wrong-sized mower could see you working twice as hard, for twice as long.