All lawnmowers can cut grass, but some lawnmowers, like a self-propelled lawn mower, can cut grass 10 times faster while making the experience 10 times more enjoyable and an equal amount more comfortable. The best self-propelled lawnmowers excel in performance, appearance, durability, and affordability.
The 5 Best Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers for Hills:
To help you save time we’ve listed and reviewed five self-propelled lawnmowers for hills currently available for sale online.
1. Greenworks Pro 80V 21-Inch Brushless Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
- Power: 4Ah battery
- Noise: Not stated
- Drive control: Rear-wheel & multispeed
What Is There to Like
For real convenience, the Greenworks Pro 80V is tough to beat. It has the reliability, ease of use, and low noise of an electric motor, but without a cable. Charge the 4Ah battery, connect it to the mower, and you’re ready. This mower has a mulching system, rear bag, and side discharge options.
Dispensing with the cable has many advantages. From a safety point of view, you can’t run over it with the mower. Plus, your mowing area is not restricted to the length of the cord. The wide 21-inch blade makes cutting large areas a breeze, particularly with variable-speed rear-driven wheels. While the sturdy steel deck means this mower will give years of trouble-free service.
What Is There Not to Like
Really just the high price compared to a corded mower and the battery life. But quality build and convenience balance the cost. If you need a longer cutting time, buy a second battery.
2. Lawn-Boy 17732 Rear Wheel Drive Self Propelled Lawn Mower
- Power: 5.5 horsepower
- Noise: 85 dBA
- Drive control: Rear-wheel & multispeed
What Is There to Like
This lawnmower is extremely easy to turn on and use, all it takes is to push the handle forward, and it will activate. Now, as far as its setup is concerned, everything is straightforward. Once gas and oil have been added, it is ready to do what it does best, and that is cut grass with ease.
Its cutting ability is impressive, and its vacuum bagging performance is high. Lastly, it has a rust-free aluminum deck. When it comes to putting it away, its handle folds forward, so it can easily fit in small areas.
What Is There to Like
The cheesy levers for adjusting its deck height, and the loose mulch plate. Besides that, there is not much to dislike about this lawnmower.
3. American Lawn Mower Company 50514 Self Propelled Electric Lawn Mower
- Power: 11 Amp
- Noise: Not stated
- Drive control: Non
What Is There to Like
For smaller gardens, this lightweight corded electric mower could be just right. The 14-inch cutting blade has five height settings, between 1-inch and 2.5 inches, for the perfect cut. Featuring a powerful 11-amp electric motor, this mower can easily cut all types of grass.
Large 7-inch wheels give secure handling, even on long grass. The easy to empty solid collection box holds 16 gallons of grass to reduce your mowing time. The adjustable handle folds for easy storage and gives plenty of leverage for the smooth operation of the mower.
What Is There Dislike
This is a more basic mower than the others on test, but that is reflected in the price. You do get a mulching option, but the rear wheels are not driven, and of course, the cord limits your cutting area.
4. Troy-Bilt TB330 Rear Wheel Drive Self Propelled Lawnmower
- Power: 5.5 horsepower
- Noise: 86 dBA
- Drive control: Rear Wheel & multispeed
What Is There to Like
This lawnmower makes mowing the lawn less of a hassle. It has a simple design, easy-to-use controls, and its side-discharge chute easily slides right into position. Because its mulch cover is fixed with springs, it pivots up. Overall, this lawnmower is a powerhouse with a high cutting quality.
What Is There to Dislike
The positioning of the control lever; at some point, hand fatigue will settle in because of where it sits. On a less serious note, the oil fill tube is inconveniently placed on the side of the engine.
5. Snapper P2185020 Self Propelled Lawn Mower
- Power: 7 horsepower
- Noise: 88.5 dBA
- Drive control: Rear-wheel & multispeed
What Is There to Like
This lawnmower is built like a monster truck. Its powerful engine and large side-discharge chute powers it to break through weeds and tall, wet grass as well as to climb the biggest hills quickly.
This lawnmower is easy for anyone to use, but this particular model is best for those who know a thing or two about rugged, somewhat agricultural, mowers. Nevertheless, there is a cord attached to the gas cap, so the gas cap cannot get lost.
What Is There to Dislike
Well, the deck height adjustment is horrible, and as far as switching modes from side-discharge to bagging to mulching is concerned, it is more of a chore and a hassle than anything else.
Self Propelled vs Push Mower
Self-propelled or push mower comes down to personal choice and circumstances. If you only have a small lawn, with few or no slopes, then the extra expense of self-propelled may be hard to justify. Instead, you could spend the money on additional features. Perhaps a mulching blade, or a larger grass box to reduce the number of times it needs emptying.
On the other hand, if you have a large garden front and back of your property, or maybe slopes, then a self-propelled mower could save your life! The other way to view it is that pushing a mower over several acres of land is good exercise!
When deciding on a self-propelled mower, you can choose between front, rear and all-wheel-drive. Only select a front-wheel-drive mower if your land is pretty flat and even. On slopes, they can quickly lose traction, especially with a heavy grass box on the back.
Rear-wheel drive lawnmowers will give much better traction on sloping land. You would think that the ultimate would be all-wheel-drive, but in tests, it seems the extra weight outweighs the extra traction.
Electric vs Gas Lawn Mower
Similar to the discussion on self-propelled above, the choice depends on circumstances and needs. If your lawn is relatively small, then an electric corded lawnmower will be perfectly adequate, and quieter than a gas lawnmower.
Corded lawnmowers quickly become limiting on more extensive gardens, requiring long extension cables. The alternative is battery-powered lawnmowers, which remove the cord length problem but restrict you to the battery life. You can overcome this with additional batteries, of course.
For larger areas, the preferred choice is the gas-powered lawnmower. Gone are the restrictions of electrical power, and you are free to mow as long as there is gas in the tank.
A gas-powered lawnmower will require more maintenance than the equivalent electrical mower. Both fuel and oil are needed to keep the mower running, and it needs regular servicing to ensure it is reliable.
However, for ease of use and convenience, a gas-powered mower is hard to beat.
Self Propelled Lawn Mower FAQs
What is a Self Propelled Lawn Mower?
A self-propelled lawnmower uses some of the engine power to drive the front, rear, or all of the mower’s wheels.
Power to the wheels can be supplied by belts or direct drive. Belts are more common and will need regular maintenance to ensure safe operation. Using a self-propelled mower allows larger areas to be cut more easily.
How to fix self-propelled lawnmower?
There are many different methods of driving the wheels of a mower. Some are belt, some direct drive. A belt drive is the easiest and most common to need repairing, by merely replacing the belt. The direct drive will probably need to go to the workshop for repair, as it will be more difficult to fix at home.
How to adjust a self-propelled lawnmower?
Adjusting the speed of a self-propelled mower depends on the design. Some have only fixed speeds, while others use a lever for continuously variable speed. The more you spend, the more choice you are likely to get.
The ability to vary the speed can be very useful when mowing in awkward areas or around objects in the lawn. You have much finer control with variable speed mowers.
What is the best self-propelled lawnmower?
This really depends on the grass you need to cut. On a flat, level grass, a mower with two driven wheels, either rear or front, will be perfectly adequate.
If the land you need to mow has slopes and inclines, then a mower that drives the rear wheels will definitely give more traction. Lastly, all-wheel-drive mowers may provide even better traction. for most applications, a rear-wheel-drive lawnmower will be a perfect choice.
Conclusion
Whatever size lawn you have, the perfect lawnmower is out there. For small gardens, a battery or a corded electric mower would be just right.
Where a large area needs to be cut, you can’t beat the convenience of a gas-powered mower. You are not restricted by cord length or battery charge, plus self-propelled mowers will save your muscles.
The final consideration is cost, as always, but spending a little more to get the features you need will save you hassle in the future.
