What kind of ground cover? Will the snake that lives in the lotus tub like it? 
Probably a white clover; low maintenance, bees like it, and it shouldn’t grow higher than 6-8 inches, unlike the grass that goes crazy and is 2-3 feet tall after two weeks. As for the snake, you’ve lost me there - we don’t have a lotus tub, although there are probably garter snakes around. Reference to a book/movie I’m unfamiliar with, or is this a case of mistaken identity?
What’s a “chick” lawn mower? Riding mowers I know about, yeah, and push mowers, and gas-powered ones and electric ones, but a chick lawn mower’s a new one on me.
I’m not trying to be a wiseass, I’ve just never encountered the term anywhere else before.
I have a lotus tub that an unidentified snake lives in and under. I’d like some ground cover around the tubs so I don’t have to mow, but he could hide in clover and bite my ass.
I 'spect it means one that is easy for a person of smaller stature (like me, I dress out at 120) to start and push.
Ohhh… Dichondra maybe - it doesn’t tend to grow very tall that I’ve seen. It’s considered a weed in some areas, but I’ve always kind of liked it. It can be good for something low and green to fill in small areas like that. I’ve never seen it grow tall enough to need mowing.
I tried transplanting a few pieces from another lawn but have never tried seed.
Thanks!
Variety of chick lawn mowers available here.
carnivorousplant is right–a “chick mower” is just one that I can start even though I’m short and not all that strong.
I looked at mowers last night and found some that use a key start. But…the more I looked, the more I’m leaning toward an electric mower.
Brutal self-honesty reminds me that, if I have a mower that needs gas and oil and godforbid spark plugs, I may very well go weeks and weeks without getting my grass mowed. Every day " This could go on forever.
And oh! how I would LOVE to just have ground cover. In fact, I think we do have some sort of wild, probably incredibly invasive, groundcover where the dogs have beaten all the grass down. But we have neighbors who keep their grass 3.5 inches high, and they will not abide having neighbors with tall grass or any other type of hippie/treehuggy/weirdo/probablyunamerican kind of lawn.
Someday I will have my own house, and then I’ll work on having no grass at all. I HATE lawns.
I can’t remember the last time I changed a mower spark plug. It was in the late 60’s for a mower that was probably made in the late 40’s. think in terms of the number of hours you mow versus drive a car and how often you change the plugs in the car.
The hassle factor of an electric mower versus a gas mower would be pretty high for me. You can’t just mow where you feel like mowing because there’s a cord to consider. It’s not rocket science but there is a mindset involved in setting up a mowing pattern so the cord is not in your way. And you have to start over everytime you move laying out a good mowing pattern.
The advantage is a more environmentally friendly mower and cost savings. They’re usually quieter than gas mowers. The disadvantage is the hassle factor of the cord. You have to haul it around and it has to be long enough to cover your yard. when you’re done it has to be wound up and stored. If you mow over it you will either have to replace it or learn how to splice electrical wire so it holds up in an outdoor environment.
Or learn to play a harp.
I mentioned that Mother bought one. I mowed in a back and forth pattern so that I didn’t have much difficulty with the cord. For a small yard without trees it was not a problem. It does pollute in the coal was burned to generate the electricity.
Well, actually it may have been one of the two nuclear plants. :rolleyes:
Sears has a Craftsman 19" 3-1 rechargeable mower for $399. I’d post a link but I’m on my client’s laptop and I don’t know how to get my “copy” button.
Anyway…feedback?
I do like the greener aspect of it, and if it’s rechargeable I should be able to mow without the cord, right? Even if it runs out of steam before I’m done–not all that likely considering how wimpy I am–I can always charge it and go again the next day.
Possible limiting factors for an electric mower - if there’s a lot of grass to mow, or youhave a type of grass with wiry/tough blades, it may not have the oomph to do the job. For a smallish property and ordinary bluegrass-based lawns, it’s a viable idea. A small lawn can also be handled by a human-powered reel mower (the nice ones that are relatively easy to push are also expensive).
If you’re looking at a self-propelled gas mower, compare weight to the other gas mowers. If it’s a lot heavier you might not be gaining much with this feature.
Speaking of “chick” mowers - when I saw the OP I thought of Jack Chick. In his theology, Christ is sort of akin to the Lawnmower Man - cutting down unbelievers and other sinners via the roaring Engine Of The Gospel.
Sheesh. I’m going to have bad dreams tonight. 
You are mistaken. Two cycle mowers, trimmers, and chain saws are readily available.
Here is the link for Lawn Boy mowers:http://www.lawn-boy.com/productinfo/mowers/index.html
Maybe it’s just me, but…Stay away from “rechargeables”! .
They tend to die quickly, and the replacement battery packs are prohibitly expensive.
I do not know about this particular mower/battery, maybe this is the breakthrough product.
(could be, who knows?)
I’ve had several tools with motors and Nicad packs - they all died.
good luck, and check the warrantee.
Maybe I was unclear. We’re discussing lawn mowers and the 3 engines listed on your site are all 4 stroke engines. Lawn-Boy doesn’t offer their 2 stroke on mowers anymore (The Duraforce 2 cycle engine that came out in 1998 to meet small motor emission standards is still used in their snow blowers).
Yes, weed eaters and chainsaws are 2 cycle and that is the norm. But in lawn mowers it’s a 4 cycle world. I haven’t seen a 2 cycle lawn mower in years.
We too have an electric mower and love it. Relatively quiet, no need to buy gas and stink up the place and it is easy to use.
I do wish we had popped for the few extra bucks and gotten the rechargeable cordless one (have only ran over the cord once in the past 9 years).
My cousin has a huge yard and a riding mower and was bitching to me the other day that it now costs him $20 in gas to mow his lawn!
My Black&Decker rechargeable mower runs 45 min. to an hour on a charge, depending on how far you’ve let the lawn go.
I recently replaced my 10-year-old original battery. It’s lead-acid like a car’s,not niCad or LiIon, and it packed it in due to overcharging. I learned that you never charge for more than 12-14 hours, regardless of what those red and green lights on the mower say–if the red light doesn’t change to green overnight, DON’t try to charge it a little more til the lights do change. And don’t believe the crap in the owner’s manual about the charger “floating” once the batery is fully charged; it apparently can’t be depended upon to do so.
The battery is 26 Amp-hours. The charger is 1.7 amps. 15x 1.7= 25.5.
The Genuine B&D battery would have cost $149. The “universal” I ended up buying cost me $60.
I change my mower’s oil once a season. The recommendation is to change it after 25 hours of use; I reckon by October, I’m probably a bit over, but still well in the ballpark. So, since it only comes around once a year, that’s not something to be too afraid of. Same with spark plugs and the air filter. The plug’s usually in a pretty obvious place right in the open, which they do on purpose so that you can disconnect the plug easily and keep the motor from kicking on if you’re, say, removing the blade. Normally, the wire on the plug just tugs right off; then, use a socket wrench to take out the old plug and tighten down the new one, pop the wire back on, and you’re good to go. The air filter on mine is under a plastic cover that comes off with one screw. So, you shouldn’t be too intimidated by this stuff, it’s really a snap.
Home Depot (and probably other places as well) sells an all-in-one kit for Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engines, which is what I’ve got. The package has oil, a spark plug, and an air filter, plus a little tube of stabilizer you can put in your gas so it’ll last the winter. Everything you need for a thorough yearly service. All you have to do is buy the kit that matches the horsepower of your mower.
I’m none too keen on electrics. For one, they’re underpowered. The reason gas mowers are so popular is that gasoline engines are really powerful. They’ll whip a high-speed blade through just about anything, and still have enough oomph to propel the mower forward as well. Electrics can keep the blade moving, usually, if the grass isn’t too tough, but thick stems or strong weeds can defeat it. Plus, I’ve never seen a self-propelled electric, because there’s just not enough power there to push the mower and make the cut without dying after about 5 minutes. So, unless you have a grass that grows real slowly or sparsely, you’ll have to mow more frequently, to keep it from getting too thick for your mower to handle. I’ve got tough, fast-growing bermudagrass that’d probably kill an electric mower and laugh at its corpse.
Electric mowers also seem to have smaller blades than gas mowers, too. I know, it may not seem like a big deal having a 19 inch deck instead of a 22 inch deck, but on a lawn that’s, say, 65 feet wide, you’ll need to make 6 extra passes with the electric to cover the same area. So, you’ll have to work a little longer to get everything done. On hot summer days, those passes can’t go fast enough, especially when you’re shoving a 70-pound electric rather than guiding along a self-propelled gas mower.
And there’s the “dead battery” thing if you get a cordless model. Maybe it just me, but I’d hate having a half-mowed lawn sitting out there for all to see while I waited for my battery to recharge. If your gas mower runs out, you just pour some more gas in it. With my lawn, which is a corner lot, I go through around 2 gallons a summer for the mower. This is the first year I’ve had a gas trimmer, so I’m not sure how much that’ll end up using, but so far it appears to be on track for less than a gallon.
So, there’s my prejudices out in the open. Gas, self-propelled, all the way.