good mower/mower type to get?

Our front yard is kind of overgrown (SF bay area) from the rain we've had over the last few months. I don't plan on doing anything special with the front yard, just want to trim down all the grass. For whatever reason the prices i've gotten for having someone mow the front yard seem unreasonably high to me ($175-350) for a yard that's probably 800sq ft or so.

What type of mower should i get to do some infrequent mowing of the front yard? mulching? bagging? that's the extend of my knowledge when it comes to mower types

Well, if getting goats is out of the question, I'd suggest a self propelled mower with a Honda engine. Get a rear nagger with side discharge option. Just my 2 cents.

oldognewtrick said:

Get a rear nagger......

Click to expand...

Thanks, but I'm already married.:

Heh i joked about getting a goat
Would it be worth considering an electric mower?
What's a nagger?

Either get some artificial turf or get used to the fact that "infrequent mowing" is a bad idea. Grass does much better if it is mowed consistently, and I think you will be disappointed in the street appeal of your new house if you don't have a grip on the front lawn. it doesn't have to be a perfect suburban masterpiece, but you will encourage weeds and clumpy grass of various heights.
You could get by with an old-fashioned reel mower if the lawn is small enough, but you'll probably hate it after the first cut. 800sf is a decent size for an electric or even a battery-powered mower. Get a rear-bagger so you don't have clippings all over the place. A mulching mower hides the clippings by cutting them so fine that they settle in and hide under the grass - not a bad option at all. But whatever one you choose....use it.

Along with the "quotes" you received for the initial clean-up, were you also quoted for weekly or by-weekly maintenance, because $175 sounds reasonable.

Your alternative is to rent a bagging brush mower for the initial clean-up and a service or regular mower.

well the reason i say infrequent is we have no plans to water the lawn at all. In case you're not aware, there's a drought here and they've been putting signs up 'brown is the new green'. Up until we had some heavy rains here recently, most of the lawns here were all brown. So i suspect eventually it's just going to go back to being brown again.

At some point in the future we'll probably have someone landscape the front yard with low water plants/mulch/gravel etc

The main reason I was asking about a mulching mower is it just seems to make more sense that whatever you take out of the ground you should put it back in. Although maybe it's too overgrown for mulching to be practical?

And both prices, 175 and 350 were for a one time thing. Previously we had someone doing both the back and frontyard and i think they were charging something like $60 for every two weeks, which is why it seems pretty expensive since we're just getting the front yard done this time.

I'm well aware, here, in the nanny state of nanny states that as a result of the conservation policies of the "dismalcrates".

30% of the Sierra runoff is channeled directly into the ocean, instead of replenishing the aquifer.

So there a high probability that it was the gardener that was unaware that elninio had been forcasted for more than a year, and self suspended that service.

Do we really need to drag politics into a question about a lawn mower? I cancelled the previous gardner because nothing was growing and we didn't need regular maintenance.

It's called honesty.

So, let's say you obtain a mulching mower and leave the product to eventually be absorbed into your front yard soil, while in the meantime the seeds from the vegetation, are allowed to be spread in the wind to your neighbors yards, neighbors who are not of your mindset, but value the lawn they have nurtured and maintained for years, become polluted with the results of your actions, or lack thereof.

All of a sudden, a code enforcement officer cites you, for failing to protect your neighbors, from you.

Another nanny state practice and policy.

I'd call it off topic and not really relevant to the question i asked

Since everyone more or less has the same things growing in their yards, unless they do a genetic test, i don't think i need to worry about seeds spreading.

Get a Yard Man mower. Not the top of the line and not the cheap junkie mower that will only last one year. Forget about self-propelled it will save you from going to the gym on grass day. When you buy the mower buy a lawn rake more free exercise and after the first mowing you will have to rake it and bag it or better yet start a compost pile out back. Then you can mow before it needs it and not have to rake or wait too long and repeat the process. When you buy the mower along with the rake buy a small gas can 1 gallon. There are a few ways to maintain a mower. Once a year you can have someone come and get it and change the oil and sharpen the blade clean the air filter and the spark plug or you can DIY. The other method is don’t do a damn thing to it and after about 5 years buy a new one set yours out front with a free sign on it and your neighbor will take it change the plug and oil and sharpen the blade and you will see him mowing with it for the next 10 years. I’m the guy that gets most of the mowers I have had that way. (Side note Grills for outdoor cooking can also be had for free that way) After you are done mowing pull the spark plug wire and carefully tip the mower up in the direction that the gas won’t run out and take a putty knife and scrape the loose stuck grass out from below, then plug the sparkplug back in or next time you use it, it won’t start. Don’t let it sit outside but if you have to when you buy the putty knife buy a plastic wash tub large enough to cover the engine to keep the rain out. All new mowers have a plethora of safety gadgets on them. I can’t advise you to take them off but some of them are absurd IMHO. Some of the tricks I have seen done that I would never recommend is using a zip tie loosely wrapped around the dead man ignition kill handle. People do that so they can use normal intelligence and stay a safe distance away from the mower but can pick up a stick or move a lawn chair without having to restart the mower each time. That and prevent hand cramps from holding the lever down nonstop. The back of the mower the sides and the front are not a good place to stick your feet or hands and in the back all new mowers have a long plastic drag that prevents that from happening. Many people remove them as they make pulling the mower back to you hard to do as it catches on everything when pulling. Removing that would make the mower more like how they were in 1960. There is a discharge on the side of the mower it is spring loaded and keeps feet out and stones from flying out. it also causes clogging up when cutting long grass like yours. I have seen people Jam a stick in there to allow the grass to discharge better. (Less mulching more discharging) Inside the discharge area is a piece of steel formed up and bolted or welded in and it is to stop you from sticking your foot in the discharge opening. It also stops grass from coming out and is a source of clogging. Some people remove that part. When the grass does clog shut off the mower and dig it out. Do not dig it out with it running.

Lastly if you have any kids you are going to teach to mow grass or for that matter use any machines or tools be brutally honest with them as my father was with me. He told me you can cut grass your whole life and never be hurt but if you stick your hand or feet under there all that’s coming out is a bloody stump. Advise them that it is very safe if they always use their heads.

Also safety glasses and ear protection is a good idea. I grew up in a time no one worried about their hearing and now I’m the old guy saying what did he say.

One last piece of advice do not mow the grass in your bare feet or with flip flops. Sneakers are a minimum level of shoe to wear and a leather boot is better yet and steel toes if you have them. When you are mowing keep the kids in the house and if you have a helper racking keep them to the left of the mower.

My experience is that anything that has Briggs and Stratton engine works.