Tending to a finely manicured lawn is a fine way for anyone to spend their retirement, but mowing the lawn can be tough on ageing joints and muscles, especially if you suffer from osteoporosis or other conditions associated with later life. Investing in a comfortable ride-on mower is an excellent option if your budget can stretch that far, but many pensioners live on much more modest budgets.
Fortunately, there are a wide array of walk-behind lawnmowers that are both inexpensive and very easy for older people to use. If you are looking for a senior-friendly lawnmower for your lawn, keep the following guidelines in mind as you shop around:
Consider electric mowers — but beware of batteries
Electric mowers have a number of advantages over their more traditional, petrol-powered cousins — they are cheaper to run, much quieter and don't require you to pull a heavy starting cord every time you activate them. However, their main advantage for older gardeners is that they are generally considerably lighter than petrol mowers, since their motors are much smaller. This makes them very easy to push and manoeuvre and reduces fatigue if you have a larger lawn to mow. Electric hover mowers are particularly lightweight.and easy to use.
However, this only applies to corded electric mowers. Cordless electric mowers are powered by bulky lithium batteries, which make them considerably heavier. Some powerful, battery-powered hover mowers can compensate for this extra weight, but they tend to be expensive and have a limited amount of battery life.
Self-propelled mowers are excellent labour savers
If your budget can stretch to it, consider investing in a self-propelled walk-behind lawnmower. Though they are usually a bit more expensive than ordinary push mowers, they are particularly valuable for senior citizens. Once the mower has been started, the operator simply pulls down on a lever and the mower moves forward under its own power, with no need to push. As you can imagine, this can make mowing the lawn much easier and less exhausting. Self-propelled mowers are especially useful for elderly users with limited strength, and they can even be used by wheelchair-bound operators. However, you should make sure that the self-propelled mower you choose has adjustable speed settings to prevent your mower from getting away from you.
High-quality cutting bags make life easier
When shopping around for mowers, you should also pay attention to the bags they use to catch grass trimmings. Stooping to detach and lift a heavy, full bag of grass cuttings can be pretty tough for many older gardeners, so you should ideally choose a mower with a lightweight bag that can be detached and reattached easily. A large, easy-to-grasp handle will also help make life easier.
Contact a company that offers lawn mowers for sale to learn more about your options.
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