Which is more advantageous between gas vs battery lawn mower
Lawnmowers are a common piece of equipment found in most homes are they are one of the most widely used gardening and home maintenance machines. But lawn mowers come in different forms with the main distinction being how they are powered which plays a huge role in determining how well the equipment performs over time. There are two major types of lawn mowers based on their power sources which are gas for lawn mowers and lawn mower battery.
In this article, we’ll be taking a quick look at the intricacies of gas vs battery lawn mower to better understand how each type functions over the other and ultimately determine which is a better option.
Application of lawn mower
Lawn mowers are widely used and are mainly used in garden decoration trimming, lawn greening trimming, city streets, greening attractions, pastoral trimming, field weeding, especially the trimming and beautification of grasslands and grasslands in parks, other grasslands such as football fields, private villa gardens, and vegetation in agricultural, forestry and animal husbandry fields, can also be used for autumn harvest.
However, lawn mowers have certain limitations when mowing grass on rural fields, fields, and mountains. The main reasons are problems such as uneven terrain, power supply methods, and the weight and portability of lawn mowers.
How does a gas vs battery lawn mower work
Every lawn mower has a similar way in which they function as they all need a power source to deliver electric current to the motor to rotate the blades which work to cut the grass. Between a gas vs battery lawn mower, each mower has a unique way of power supply
For a gas-powered rotary lawn mower, power is generated and supplied to the motor by a combustion engine. Depending on the manufacturer’s design, the engine can either be a two-cycle engine or a four-cycle engine. For a two-cycle lawn mower engine, the engine system works by burning a mixture of oil and gasoline which then spins the engine motor generating power for the lawn mower.
A four-cycle lawn mower motor engine burns gasoline and lubricant oil as well but instead has separate systems for the lubricants. A throttle is usually mounted on the handlebar which controls the fuel supply to the motor engine and hence controls the speed and supply of electricity to the blades.
For a battery lawn mower, all the functions of a combustion engine are substituted with a powerful battery which serves as the powerhouse of the lawn mower. The battery is commonly a rechargeable battery, most preferably lithium-ion battery, which can be charged and used to power the lawn mower for as long as the battery lasts.
Advantage and disadvantage of gas lawn mowers
A gas lawn mower has been in use much longer than a battery lawn mower but over the years it has demonstrated certain advantages and disadvantages which are highlighted below.
Advantage
- Relatively cheap: Due to the large-scale production and adoption of gas lawn mowers they are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased for an average price.
- Mobility: Gas lawn mowers don’t need to be connected to a cord or require charging and hence can be moved anywhere across any distance. This makes them highly convenient for use across large spaces and different locations.
- Longer runtime: Gas lawn mowers don’t need to be stopped for the battery to charge as they will run for as long as there is fuel in the engine tank. This means gas lawn mowers can run for an almost unlimited time with little to no interruptions.
- Adaptable: Gas lawn mowers are extremely resilient and durable and can be used almost anywhere on any grass type and any size of lawn or field.
Disadvantage
- Loud noise: Gas lawn mowers use combustion engines which are prone to making extremely loud and unpleasant noises as the motor rotates with the engine. This can’t be helped as that is how most engine machines operate.
- Requires maintenance: Gas lawn mowers are also prone to problems with the engine susceptible to faults. This means it requires significant maintenance on a regular basis. Also, a gas lawn mower would require several pre-start activities which include checking oil and gas levels before starting the machine which could be quite a hassle.
- Carbon emissions: Gas lawn mowers burn up fuel as a power source and as such release toxic carbon gasses into the atmosphere. This means gas lawn mowers are not very environmentally friendly.
- Difficulty in starting: Much like most engine-powered equipment, a gas lawn mower may become difficult to start especially when the mower is frequently used and becomes old.
- Heavy weight: Due to the heavy metal components of the gas lawn mower engine and the added weight of the fuel and oil, these mowers can become quite heavy to transport and operate.
Advantage and disadvantage of battery lawn mowers
When comparing a gas vs battery lawn mower, a battery lawn mower also has its advantages and disadvantages as follows;
Advantage
- Quiet: Battery lawn mowers lack the noisy moving parts of a gas lawn mower and hence, are very quiet to operate.
- Low maintenance: Battery lawn mowers only need to be charged and recharged when the battery is depleted and requires almost no other maintenance practice.
- Very light and easy to start: Battery lawn mowers are very light as they only hold the battery and rotors for the blades, which makes them really easy to start as well.
- Environmentally friendly: Battery lawn mowers don’t release any toxic gases into the atmosphere and are very environmentally friendly.
Disadvantage
- Expensive: Battery lawn mowers are relatively expensive mainly due to the high cost of high-performance batteries.
- Shorter runtime: Battery lawn mowers only last as long as the battery lasts and are basically useless while the battery recharges.
Which is better – gas vs battery lawn mower
- Environmental protection: In comparing a gas vs battery lawn mower, a battery lawn mower doesn’t release any toxic chemicals or gases and is more environmentally friendly than a gas lawn mower.
- Maintenance: The maintenance practices when comparing a gas vs battery lawn mower are different as gas lawn mowers require a significant amount of maintenance while battery lawn mowers don’t require any apart from recharging the battery.
- Portability: A battery lawn mower is lighter and more mobile than a gas lawn mower which is heavy and needs to have a full tank of fuel to operate at 100% efficiency.
- Life span: The lifespan of a battery lawn mower depends mainly on the lifespan of its battery which could be up to 10 years if a lithium battery is used and can be replaced at any time. But the lifespan of a gas lawn mower depends on the quality of the motor engine which could break down at any point.
- Power: When comparing the power efficiency of a gas vs battery lawn mower, the battery lawn mower has a steady rated power output but a gas lawn mower can increase its power output significantly by increasing the fuel supply to the engine.
- Cost: The initial cost of a battery lawn mower might be relatively more expensive than a gas lawn mower but in the long run a gas lawn mower would incur more expenses on the cost of fuel, oil and maintenance, and repairs.
If you do decide to settle for a battery lawn mower which is obviously the better choice when comparing a gas vs battery lawn mower, we can better maintain our environment, reduce pollution, and achieve the goal of zero emissions as soon as possible. The next thing to consider is choosing the type of battery to use. The best and most recommended battery type to use is a lithium ion battery. From lithium battery vs other batteries, you can learn that lithium batteries are the best choice for lawn mowers. A lithium-ion battery would offer much better energy density, large current and voltage capacity, longer life span and zero maintenance practices needed.
Final thought
In the comparison of gas vs battery lawn mower, the endurance of gasoline will be better than that of batteries, and its power is more suitable for large lawns. If you want to improve the working efficiency of battery lawn mowers. To realize that the battery mower can be used in various venues, a battery swapping station for the lawnmower can be built in the venue, which saves the charging time and makes the battery more safe to charge.
