We have an older lawn mower which runs fine, except that I don’t have the upper body strength or the stamina to start it. I’ve got to have one that’s easy to start–I’d love it to have a big red “START” button, but I suppose that’s too much to ask, so I just need a super-easy pull cord type, if one exists.
Mr. Bush will buy it for me, if I can find one under $300. Is it possible?
Thanks,
karol
I dress out at 120, and the Weed Eater, about 60cc from WalMart is a lot easier to start than the self propelled behemoth from Sears.
Electric mower out of the question? I love mine. However, I have a postage stamp size lawn to mow.
Mother had one for a while. The major pain was not running over the extension cord, and I was young then and could push it faster than it could cut, but it was quite easy to start. 
We’ve had a Toro Personal Pace in the family for a few years now (I inherited it from the parents when Dad got a tractor) and no one’s ever complained about the starting.
I’m a pretty strong gal so I’m not a good comparison, but my mom’s an itty-bitty middle aged lady and she never mentioned any issues.
It’s self-propelled but the “personal pace” part means that it only goes as fast as you push it, which is nice for a family of varying inseams.
They actually have key-start mowers in their collections, I see. That might be what you want in a “start” button.
I have a John Deere lawn tractor with a key start but that isn’t suitable for you. However, I also have a Craftsman 7 horsepower self-propelled push mower that almost anyone can handle if they understand what they are doing. I used to make fun of Craftsman but I have had this one for 5 years and it has been a dream and I am absolute hell on lawn mowers and have been my entire life. I seem to have no memory whatsoever when it comes to things like mowing through 3 foot weeds with granite rocks strewn about and instantly destroying whole engines.
I used to get pissed when I would wear myself out doing 20 hard starting cord pulls but I finally decided to glance at the directions. There is a quick priming procedure that you use to inject gas into the engine for a proper start. It only takes two fingers and 10 seconds of work. Now, it only takes two pulls to start just as advertised and sometimes starts in one pull. My 110 pound wife asked me to start in for her last weekend because of the same problem you expressed. Instead, I showed her what to do and she was completely set with no problems for all starts that day.
It is a large and powerful mower and yet it is easy to start if you follow the instructions and it is getting older. I would just go to a home improvement store like Home Depot and ask for suggestions. There are lots of quality mowers out there. As long as you follow the instructions, most should be quite easy to start,
Sears has a couple of key start mowers–an on-board battery starts the mower like starting a car.
This Craftsman (model 37647) is regularly $400, marked down to $300 for the next two days. (And it will almost certainly go on sale again, this summer.) This Husqvarna (model 37444) is on clearance (supplies limited and the model is being discontinued by either Sears or Husqvarna) for about the same.
I’m curious how old your mower is, though. I’ve got a 20+ year old Murray that has a very easy pull and always starts right away (when the gas is free of winter condensation water and the spark plug is not fouled). Nearly all the mowers built in the 1980s or later start up with far less yanking than the mowers from the old days and I would guess that any mowers from after 2000 would be easy to pull start.
Any modern lawnmower with a primer pump will work. A primer is nothing but a little squeeze bulb that pumps gas into the engine for cold starting. What you want to do is pump it a couple 2 or 3 times and wait 20 seconds for it to evaporate. Then you push the mower forward and grab the pull start. The weight of the mower will pull start it for you. I noticed when looking at mowers online that many of them were listed as easy-start so primers may be a thing of the past. If they start well when cold then that is all that counts. I would add that my mower with a primer is easy to start with very little pull on the cord but it requires experimenting to learn how many times to prime it.
I’m not recommending this one specifically but you can get an electric start, rear-wheel drive mower from Walmart for $300. It has an easy-start motor so you should be able to start it if need be. I’m assuming by looking at it that you plug it in to start it (like my snow blower).
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8585730#Features+%26+Specifications
I have a Poulan Pro self-propelled with a 6.75 hp 600 series Briggs & Stratton engine.
Basically, you push the primer pump 3 times, and it starts on the first pull usually, and no more than the 3rd (it takes 3 after laying idle all winter).
Plus, since it’s self-propelled, you don’t really have to “push” it, just steer it as it drives itself. I think it cost somewhere near $300 (Dad bought it on my advice, then I got it when he decided he was too old and that he’d pay someone else to mow for him).
I’m partial to the large back wheels for more maneuverability, but that’s up to you.
Don’t know how well it will fit in your budget, but Lawn Boy is, has been, and will likely be, the all time work horse of mowers. With a two cycle engine, you have no oil to change. If you opt for a higher grade unit, with alloy deck, it will outlast you.
I ran the snot out of them as a teenager cutting grass for a landscaper 10 hours a day.
As a homeowner, I’ve had two over 30 years. The current one will probably outlive me.
You have to mix oil into the gas every time you fill the gas can. And I could be wrong but I don’t think they sell them anymore.
Do they still sell two-stroke mowers? Mine has a separate oil supply and takes regular gas. Does that mean it’s a four-stroke? I’ve assumed it is and that they might require them all to be 4-stroke now, for the sake of emissions.
Thanks for all the good ideas. I wonder, if I go to a home improvement type store, will they let me start any mowers?
Current mower is an older one–no idea how old, but I bought it at a yard sale a few years ago. Elderpoet was still home at the time, so I just let him start it.
You know, I should have upper body strength–I throw 125 papers every day, at least, and I can chuck a paper up a good long drive and land it next to your door if it’s rainy and I don’t want to get out. But I’ve wrestled this mower (and the weedeater, too) a few times, and it always wins.
I’ll check some of these out. I can’t wait to start mowing my own lawn–it’s costing me $30 a pop right now.
I’ve got something quite similar (B&S motor, different mower). I would almost rather have a non self-propelled mower, as I keep waiting for the front wheels to break and it can gouge a rut in the lawn something awful. But it’s the one my landlady bought for me to use, so I use it. I will admit that when the self-propelled stuff actually works it’s nice.
In other words, I agree on the engine, not sure about the rest of the mower.
Our Craftsman mower had a hand crank wind up spring starter instead of a pull rope. It was the best idea ever for a mower. It’s way better than an electric starter. It lasted over 20 years. Too bad I don’t know of anybody that makes one like that anymore. Yep. Sure was nice. Don’t make em like that no more.
No, you won’t be able to start a mower. The displays won’t have gas or oil in them. You could always ask a mower repair shop if they’ve dealt with any of the quick start mowers. I’m partial to having a primer since I know I can always get it started by learning the amount of raw fuel the motor wants. If you do happen to get one with a primer bulb then remember to wait 20 seconds after priming. This gives some of the gas time to vaporize. I try to explain this to pilots but it doesn’t always sink in. Everybody wants to hit start the second their done priming. a properly primed engine will turn over half way through the pull. I barely tug on mine and its a 5 year old Polan with a 6.75 hp Briggs.
I’m guessing most of the mowers out there now are using a quick start technology which really won’t matter much if you get electric start.
Something I left out. try the controls at the store to make sure they are comfortable. My snowblower is a beast capable of flinging great amounts of snow but the handle setup is awkward and painful to use.
I have a 6.75HP Toro, that’s a self-proclaimed “EZ-Start”. Says it takes 2/3 less effort to start it. Yes, it has a primer bulb.
FWIW, if you press the primer bulb two times or 6 times, it really doesn’t make a difference, IMHO. And I never wait for the gas to “evaporate”. I press it three times, then start the mower. Vroom. It started on two pulls after being in the shed with old gas for two years. Yippie skippie. It’s also self propelled. It’s a pretty good machine, but I prefer my Husky hydrostatic riding mower.
The purpose of waiting is to enhance the start. It’s not a requirement by any means. It takes 1/2 a pull to start my mower doing this. My plane turns over twice as fast which is a battery saver. Since the op is looking for a chick mower I was passing on my 2C.
An umotorized bar mower goes for around $99, & is easy to start.
And will build up those muscles.
Get rid of the grass and put in ground cover; no mowing required! 
(Not entirely facetious, this is what we’re doing with the meadow that is our front yard because no one wants to worry about mowing.)