The first lawn mower was patented back in 1830 by a guy called Edwin Beard Budding in Stroud, England. It was a 19-inch reel push mower made of wrought iron that was mainly used to mow sports fields and cemeteries. Here we are, nearly 200 years later, still using a very similar design reel mower. But there have been many advances in mower technology, meaning we don’t have to use a steam engine or a horse to power our mowers. So, what lawn mower engines can you have? Let’s take a look.
Different Types of Lawn Mower Engines (The Short Explanation)
There are several power sources you can have to drive your modern lawn mower. These include the following different designs:
- No Engine
- Corded Electric Motor
- Battery Electric Motor
- Solar/Battery Electric Motor
- 2-Cycle Gasoline Combustion Engine
- 4-Cycle Gasoline Combustion Engine
- 4-Cycle Diesel Combustion Engine
- LPG/Propane Combustion Engine
Types of Lawn Mower Engines and How They Work (A Closer Look)
To be honest, that is a much bigger list than I expected. There are a couple here that you don’t see too often and one that has only just become available. Let’s take a look.
No Engine Rotary Mowers
Ok, so this one we will all recognize. Even Edwin Budding would think this is a familiar design. Basically, it’s a mower without an engine. The reel lawn mower. This lawn mower uses the motion of the wheels to generate the power needed to turn the cutting blade.
Reel lawn mowers are great little lawn mowers for little yards. You’ll see reel lawn mowers made by manufacturers like Scott and Fiskars stacked on the shelves at the big box stores.
These mowers are great because you get a workout, there’s no noise, they’re pollution-free, and have no additional fuel cost.
Corded Electric Motor
Greenworks, Craftsman, and Black & Decker are just some of the manufacturers making corded electric lawn mowers. Oh, and let’s not forget Flymo with their corded electric hover mower. These are lawn mowers that use a blade connected to an electric motor which is then connected to a power outlet via a long cable.
These are a pretty good choice of lawn mowers for smaller yards. Corded electric mowers have plenty of power and all the features of the traditional gas-powered lawn mower. On the upside, they are a lot quieter and don’t require the same servicing and repairs you’ll expect with a combustion engine. The only downside is that you’re limited by the length of the cable.
Battery Electric Motor
Battery-powered lawn mowers have been around for some time now. They use a battery to power their electric motor the same way a corded electric lawn mower would, but they’re no longer limited to the length of a cable.
These lawn mowers can tackle much bigger yards and can run for much longer. This is down to the fact that manufacturers such as Worx, Greenworks, and EGO Power are using much more powerful lithium batteries that can be up to 80v in a single mower.
So, you no longer have to deal with small 12v lithium batteries that struggle to get you even a quarter way around the yard.
Solar/Battery Electric Motor
Ok, so solar/battery lawn mowers are pretty new, and there are only a few currently available. But this is soon going to change because a particular state has already banned gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers due to carbon emission targets. I’ll let you guess which state passed the ban into law. Hint: it’s on the west coast.
So, these are basically the same as battery lawn mowers, the only difference is these mowers have solar panels included within their design. You get the same features of a battery-powered mower with powerful electric motors and batteries, but you get the added feature of charging your mower with the power of the sun. Mean Green Mowers of Hamilton, Ohio, is just one of the manufacturers producing solar/batteries lawn mowers.
2-Cycle Gasoline Combustion Engine
The 2-cycle gasoline engine is a small engine you’ll find on most of your gas-powered yard tools. It uses the movement of a piston to turn a driveshaft and provide power to the cutting blade and the drive system of a lawn mower. The movement of the piston is generated by a small explosion in the cylinder head of vaporized gasoline, hence the name combustion.
The thing that makes a 2-cycle engine different from other engines is that oil is added to the fuel to lubricate the internal moving parts. So, are 2-cycle lawn mowers any good? Well, these smaller engines consume less fuel than a 4-cycle engine, and they are cheaper and lighter.
On the downside, they are limited in the amount of power they can produce and are pretty noisy. Companies like Briggs & Stratton, a highly respected engine maker, produces 2-cycle engines for various lawn mower manufacturers.
4-Cycle Gasoline Combustion Engine
This 4-cycle engine is another combustion engine that works in the same way as a 2-cycle engine. The only difference is that this engine uses oil stored in a sump to lubricate the internal parts instead.
Now, if you are looking for the most popular lawn mower engine, then this is it. These engines start out pretty small, like 100cc, the same as a 2-cycle, but are also available in huge 1000cc models that will power even the biggest zero-turn and riding lawn mowers.
So, if you’re looking for better reliability or more power, then this is a great choice. Most lawn mower manufacturers like Toro, Husquvarna, John Deers, and Dixie Chopper all produce lawn mowers that use 4-cycle gasoline combustion engines.
You’ll see a variety of engine makers like Kohler, Kawasaki, and Honda all producing 4-cycle engines for the big-name lawn mower manufacturers.
4-Cycle Diesel Combustion Engine
Diesel engines on lawn mowers have been around for a long time in commercial and agricultural settings. But more and more manufacturers like John Deere, Walker, and Hustler are producing tractor lawn mowers and zero-turn lawn mowers with Diesel engines.
This is because diesel combustion engines have better fuel consumption, are stronger and longer-lasting, and require less maintenance and less servicing compared to a 4-cycle engine. So, diesel is a huge improvement over gasoline.
LPG/Propane Combustion Engine
These are basically the exact same engine as the 4-cycle engine, but instead of having a gasoline tank, they have an LPG/Propane cylinder. The only real mechanical difference is that the carburetor is designed to be fed with gas, not liquid.
What’s the benefit of LPG? Well, the cost of the LPG and the reduced carbon emissions. So, you can pick up an LPG push or ride-on mower from manufacturers like Green Gear or Exmark, or you could convert your existing gasoline lawn mower over to LPG.
Is One Type of Lawn Mower Engine Superior?
If you were to compare all these lawn mower power choices out in an open field, then there would be a clear winner. But this isn’t going to help you unless you have a big open field. So, how do you know what type of lawn mower engine is going to best suit you and your yard? Well, you need to see which mower uses which engine and suits your yard size.
Let’s take a look.
Which Engines are Available on Which Lawn Mowers?
Engine Type | Reel | Robot | Push | Ride-On | Zero-Turn |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Engine | X | ||||
Corded | X | ||||
Battery | X | X | X | X | |
Solar/Battery | X | ||||
2-Cycle Gas | X | ||||
4-Cycle Gas | X | X | X | ||
4-Cycle Diesel | X | X | |||
LGP | X | X | X |
Which Mower Suits your Lawn Size?
Situation | Reel | Robot | Push | Ride-On | Zero-Turn |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Small Lawn | X | X | X | ||
Medium Lawn | X | X | X | X | |
Large Lawn | X | X |
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