Good mower for mulching leaves

[WA1DH]

I'm looking to see what options I have to replace a Troy Bilt TB110 (140cc) push mower. The mower has done well for me over the past decade but the deck is starting to rust through. I have about 10000 square feet of grass to cut. I cut the grass on the highest setting and use the mulcher and bag depending on the time of year. I get a lot of leaves in fall and mulch/bag them to dump on the garden. I also use the mower to knock down any overgrown areas in the garden before tilling each year, which can give it a good work out. I'd like to keep at least the 21" cut width, if not go wider, and also get something with self propel.

I've looked into battery electric mowers as I have a 40V Ryobi string trimmer that works great. My main concerns about electric vs. gas is the cut time and power. I need good suction for leaf pickup and I need the power to knock the garden down, which can include some thick stems. The 140cc Briggs engine works just fine but does bog down sometimes. It's hard to compare gas vs. electric power, and the most powerful electric mowers seem to be in the 1200 watt area (1.6 HP). I know the torque output seems comparable where it is posted on the electric mowers, so I'm not sure how that works out.

Thanks.

 

[atikovi]

Have you considered corded electric. I mow about that much 3 or 4 times a year and it takes 2 hours but then the grass is like 18 inches to over 2 feet. Use a 40 year old 18 inch Black and Decker.

 

[skyactiv]

If you buy a gas mower, this one should work great with the 173cc Kohler engine. One of my sisters has the 160cc Honda version of it which was discontinued. Same mower, different engine. The handle shape is real nice. I'd think 173cc's and non self propelled would make it plenty powerful: https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/push-mowers/scp100/11A-A9KM710.html?fitsOnModel=false#start=0

 

[nickaluch]

Have you considered corded electric. I mow about that much 3 or 4 times a year and it takes 2 hours but then the grass is like 18 inches to over 2 feet. Use a 40 year old 18 inch Black and Decker.

10k feet of property dragging a real long extension cord let's be serious life is to short for that

 

[Lubener]

I have older mowers so I cannot recommend a new one. Mulching leaves is a good load on the engine and for that reason, I would go with a gas mower. From what I have seen, electrics are not up to a heavy leaf mulching job.

 

[atikovi]

10k feet of property dragging a real long extension cord let's be serious life is to short for that

If that's your take, just hire a service.

 

[MParr]

Go gasoline power.

 

[SHOZ]

10k feet of property dragging a real long extension cord let's be serious life is to short for that

When I first assigned duties as a kid I mowed the neighbors lawn with a corded electric back in the 60s. Not big yard but a front and back. I don't know how many times I ran over the cord. it's how I got my start as a electrician I guess....

 

[DuckRyder]

Best is relative but both of my Honda mowers are good leaf mulches, you might still be able to find one…

 

[Lubener]

If that's your take, just hire a service.

Or get a real mower powered by gas.

 

[atikovi]

Or get a real mower powered by gas.

An electric mower is a real mower, it just takes some coordination to use.

 

[blufeb95]

If you buy a gas mower, this one should work great with the 173cc Kohler engine. One of my sisters has the 160cc Honda version of it which was discontinued. Same mower, different engine. The handle shape is real nice. I'd think 173cc's and non self propelled would make it plenty powerful: https://www.cubcadet.com/en_US/push-mowers/scp100/11A-A9KM710.html?fitsOnModel=false#start=0

Menards carries a self-propelled Troy-Bilt that comes with the Kohler Command Pro 173cc motor, crazy combination iron sleeved motor with an oil filter on an MTD deck that won't last anywhere near as long, although the one thing I noticed about it that would be enough to make me want to buy it is, no auto choke, the choke is cable controlled by a lever up on the handle, I like that, as I'm not a huge fan that most mowers now all have an auto choke system that's just another thing that can break.

 

[Dave9]

Your goals are a bit at odds with one another. You want a mulch mower but to collect the particles in a bag. The best mulching comes from not having a discharge chute at all but rather, to mow slow and the blade chops the particles up that many more times before they are small enough to be ejected from under the deck (or no longer get sucked up by the blade vacuum) instead of discharged out the side/rear of the deck.

Regardless, I would recommend a larger displacement gas mower, and since you want self-propelled, the extra weight is not much of an issue, but I would recommend manually pushing it slower through your garden's "thick stems", and to make sure the blade is sharp when doing so.

Brand, does not matter so much relative to this task. You can reduce the deck rust-through rate by spraying it with cooking oil every now and then, and clean the gooey muck off when mowing grass dense with water which around here, is in the spring.

 

[nickaluch]

An electric mower is a real mower, it just takes some coordination to use.

I use a corded sun Joe de thatcher on about 1000 sq feet pain in the can but once you get a rhythm of moving the wire it's definitely better

 

[gman2304]

You want a mulch mower but to collect the particles in a bag. The best mulching comes from not having a discharge chute at all

^ This. JD JX75 or 14SB are dedicated mulch/bagging mowers with no side discharge chute. 6 hp Kawasaki pressure lubed engines with oil filter and a TuffTorq 5 speed transmission. I‘ve bought two over the years used from C/L for less than $300 total. IMO the best small mulching mower ever built.

 

[Cujet]

While I absolutely love my 60V Toro electric (for mowing around the house where the tractor can't go), and it mulches quite well, it is NOT up to the task of mulching 1/4 acre of leaves. That would fully eat up 2ea 6AH batteries. And would take forever. EGO and others are similar.

The one that "rocks" is my Snapper with Ninja blade, retrofit with a Honda 190cc engine.

 

[Tdbo]

If that's your take, just hire a service.

Or get some stout gas powered equipment that is up to the rigor of the task.

 

[MrGraybeard]

I was just out collecting leaves from a Norway maple with my self-propelled 80V Greenworks in a sloping back yard. No problem with bogging, but I drained two batteries getting it done.

 

[DuckRyder]

The TN leaves are ridiculous, last several weekends ive spend basically all of a day mulching and bagging leaves - its over the top and 3 days after it looks like i did nothing...

Im seriously considering a dedicated piece of equipment...

 

[gman2304]

Im seriously considering a dedicated piece of equipment...

I have 2 acres and dozens of trees. After blowing the beds and natural areas into the yard I ride for a couple of hours. I filled 3 30 bushel bags and dumped them in the woods. I do this routine a couple of times a year and actually look forward to fall. The Cyclone Rake turns a back braking chore into a half day of actual fun leaf mulching and gathering. I have literally tons of leaf mold in the woods for spring garden planting.