5 Best Self Propelled Lawn Mower Under $300
Let’s face it, getting a lawnmower for your yard is quite a confusing task. Because there are too many options available in the market. And this task becomes even more overwhelming when you’re on a certain budget. So for this article, I’ll give you my honest review about some of the 5 best self- propelled lawn mowers under $300.
And let me tell you something I tested out multiple cheap lawnmowers trying to save a buck and they just aren’t very good. Some of them required high maintenance, some were too loud and less effective in cutting. So honestly speaking this list contains the value for money mowers. You can pick anyone according to your requirement.
1) Greenworks G-Max 40V 16’’
Quick Features:
- Deck size of 16-Inch
- This mower weighs around 37.5lbs(17kg)
- The run time of this lawnmower is up to 60 minutes
- This mower comes with a push-button start and vertical storage
- Made from lightweight plastic which makes it easy to maneuver.
- Range of cutting height 1-¼ inch to 3-⅜ inch.
What we like about this lawnmower:
Easy To assemble:
The first thing that we liked about this lawnmower is, It’s easy to assemble. Right after unboxing this lawnmower, it took me around 5-7 minutes to assemble it. This is a perfect mower for a small-sized lawn. The one big upside of this mower is it doesn’t need high maintenance. And since this is a battery-powered lawnmower, it saves you from the hassle of going to a gas station.
Easy to Use:
This mower has a push-button start which makes it easy to handle. And switching this mower on and off is quite easy. Which makes it more user friendly. Even your kids can mow with this mower.
Is It Louder?
So now talking about the noise level of this mower. This mower is comparatively less loud than the average gas push mower. And one cool thing is that you can listen to your earbuds while mowing.
Lightweight:
The one thing that I like about this lawnmower is its lightweight. It is very lightweight and easy to carry. You know at first I was a bit skeptical about this battery-powered lawnmower. Because honestly speaking I always have a gas push mower. But after purchasing it and using it for about a whole season. I would say this mower is value for money.
Mowing performance:
The twin blades cut very well and also easy to clean. This mower cuts very well. You can easily cut normal weeds from this mower. But, if the grass is a little bit high or wet. It drains your battery much faster. And sometimes if the grass is too long. You have to go back and forth in the same area many times (usually 2-3).
This mower also comes with a grass catcher bag and it is easily detachable. This mower has a unique feature. You know if the grass is easy to cut it’ll automatically power down a bit. Which is very efficient in power saving.
Battery:
Talking about the battery, I have seen many people complaining about the battery. I know it does have some flaws I’ll mention that later. For now, let’s talk about the positives of the battery. You have to charge the battery right after unboxing your mower.
Because GreenWorks sends the battery to you at only 40-50%. So make sure to fully charge it first then go for the mowing.
The great thing about the battery is it has a charging indicator. Which shows how much charge it has. This mower comes with a 4Ah battery. Which is easy to put and take off. This battery can easily last up to 45 minutes on a ½ acre yard. And also this is a fast-charging battery. So you don’t have to wait for hours.
What we didn’t like
This is almost a negligible thing. You know it’s not really a con but I have to address it. So sometimes when mowing the grass that’s really high. You have to go back and forth a few times for the clean-cut.
So after an intense mowing session, the battery does get heat up.
The reason being, the absence of liquid cool property. So you have to wait for the battery to cool down before you can charge it.
Pros
Cons
2) POWER SMART DB2321s
Quick features
- Powered By 161cc Engine
- Easy Pull start
- 5 position height adjustment for grass cutting
- This mower weighs around 90.4lbs (41kg)
- Comes with a 3 in 1 bag
- Deck size of 21 Inch
- Range of cutting height 1.18 to 3 inches.
What we like about this Lawnmower
Easy To assemble:
The first thing that we noticed about the powder smart lawnmower that it is very used to assemble. Right from the start, the mower comes mostly assembled from the factory. You just have to attach the handle and hardly take around 10 mins to assemble.
The mower is compact in its size but it is not the most compact lawnmower in the market. Due to its size, it is perfect for a small to medium-sized lawn with mostly flat ground.
Easy to Use:
The mower has a pull start which is quite a consistency and started up in our very first try. But, make sure to put oil and gas before firing the engine to avoid any damage. Moreover, the mower is quite light and can be easily pushed in difficult areas.
This is an advantage for those people who are old or those who are looking for lighter options in the market. This makes it more user friendly and suitable for kids.
Is It Louder?
Talking about the noise level of this mower. It is comparatively less loud than the average gas push mower with respect to its power output. You surely cannot listen to music while mowing. But you can easily complete your work without creating unnecessary noise pollution.
Mowing performance:
Talking about the performance, it has a 161cc engine that produces the right amount of torque. The blades come sharp and cut very fine as well as clean for our liking. You can pretty much plow through high grass with very little effort.
Moreover, it also does not stall with thick and slightly wet grass which makes it quite reliable. But, you have to go back forth once or twice if the grass is too thick or too high than usual.
Some quality features
This mower has a self-propelled feature that makes it very easy to push the mower even on the thick grass. The speed of the self-propelled feature is very decent. It is not too fast or too slow but a pace that an average would mow the grass. Ever for a person like me who is in decent shape found it very pleasant to use. It has definitely improved my cutting time and with less fatigue.
Moreover, it features a 5 step height adjustment system. That allows you to change the cutting height according to your liking. Lastly, it also comes with a grass catcher bag and side discharge to easily discharge waste back to the lawn.
What we didn’t like
The design of the mower is not very attractive and it does sometimes look kind of ugly.
The build of the mower is pretty much plastic except the engine. This makes it quite cheap looking and prone to damage.
Pros
Cons
3) WORX WG779 40V
Quick Features:
- Deck size 14 inches
- Comes with dual 20v share batteries
- Can deliver 40v maximum power output
- Easy push-start functionality
- Eco and turbo power mode for efficient battery usage
- Include dual-port charger with battery indicator
- Runtime up to 45 minutes
What we like about this lawnmower?
Easy To assemble:
The first thing that we liked about this lawnmower is that it is easy to assemble. It comes nicely packaged and mostly assembled. Even a person who avoids assembly will only take 10 to 15 minutes to assemble it properly.
And the good thing is that you don’t require any tools to do so. This is a perfect mower for a small-sized lawn. The one big upside of this mower is it doesn’t require high maintenance. And since this is a battery-powered lawnmower, it saves you from the hassle of going to a gas station.
Easy to Use:
The mower is very easy to use even for its kids. There are not complicated functions that you need to know to use this mower properly. In fact, it has a push start functionality which makes our life very easy.
As it is power with electricity, it fires up immediately every time we push the button. It’s an advantage for people like me who are really bad with the pull chain engine. Even after some tries, I always wasn’t fast enough or tall enough to start a pull chain engine.
Is It Louder?
When it comes to the noise level of this mower. It has a comparatively less noise level than the average gas push mower. It is quiet live in a place that can get hot in the summer. So I like to mow the lawn early in the morning. It is quiet enough that I can do that without disturbing the neighbors.
Lightweight The one thing that I like about this lawnmower is very lightweight. This makes the mower very easy to use. You can easily carry it anywhere and maneuver it however you want. It is an advantage for people who are old and cannot push a heavy mower.
However, it is also small in size and covers a very small area at a time. You have to walk quite a lot if you have a big yard to cover.
Mowing performance
The mower has an actual metal blade that spins very fast and cut very well. It is also very easy to clean due to its minimal design. This mower cuts very well. You can easily cut weeds and normal grass from it.
However, if the grass is a little bit thicker or wet, you can use its turbo to finish the work in no time. In turbo mode, it drains your battery much faster and you get less battery backup which is acceptable.
Apart from this, the mower comes with preinstalled mulcher attachment. If you wish to use the bag, you must take out the mulcher first. Otherwise, the mower will not work properly.
Battery Performance
The mower comes packed with two large (4.0Ah/72Wh) 20v batteries. These batteries are power share and can be interchangeable with other 20v Worx products. You also get a dual charging station that takes about 4 hours to recharge both batteries from 0 to 100%.
And one thing that we really like about it is that you get a battery indicator on charge as well as on mower. This helps to avoid overcharge or under-charge the batteries. And increase the life of the batteries. Some people say that the batteries do not perform as marketed.
But this might be because they are not using the mower in eco mode or they have inserted the batteries incorrectly. In our use, batteries work perfectly fine and we get about 45 minutes on average run time.
Pros
Cons
4) Lawn-Boy 17732 21-Inch
Quick Features
- 21-inch deck size
- Tri-cut cutting system
- 149cc OHV engine with no oil change required (CARB compliant)
- Self-propel system with variable-speed
- 2-point height-of-cut, you can easily adjust the deck height at 2-points for quick customization of your mowing height
- 7 in. front and 8 in. rear wheels 3-in-1 discharge optional
- Comes with larger grass catcher bag
What we like about this lawnmower
Easy To assemble: Similar to other lawnmowers in our list it is also very easy to assemble. Most of the mower comes assembled from the factory and you just have to attach the handle to use it. It will hardly take around 10 mins to assemble it properly.
Moreover, the mower is quite compact and occupies less area compared to other mowers. Due to its size, it is perfect for a small to medium-sized lawn with mostly flat ground.
Easy to Use:
The mower has a pull start which is quite a consistency and starts in one pull every time. Moreover, the mower is quite light. And combined with rear-wheel drive makes it easy to push in sloped areas.
It is also quite easy to maneuver due to its lightweight and smaller size. Almost anyone including children and elderly people can use it without any problem.
Is It Louder?
Talking about the noise level it is quite loud and not loud enough to deafen you. It is comparatively less loud than the average gas push mower with respect to its power output.
Mowing performance
Talking about its performance, it has a 149cc engine that is quite powerful to cut almost any kind of grass. It features a 21 inches Tri-cut deep dome deck that cut very fine as well as clean for our liking.
You can pretty much mow through high grass with very little effort and smooth cut. Moreover, the mower features a large grass catcher bag that does its job quite nicely. It is also quite large and you don’t have to empty it very often.
Some quality features
This mower has a self-propelled feature that makes it very easy to push the mower even for elderly people. The speed of the self-propelled feature is a bit fast but manageable. It definitely improves cutting time with less fatigue.
Moreover, it features a 6 step height adjustment system. That allows you to change the cutting height according to your liking. But the thing that we did not do is that you have to adjust for both rear and front end. This makes it less attractive to use as compared to other mowers that have only one adjustment lever.
Pros
Cons
5) Greenworks Pro 21-Inch 80V
Quick Features
- Deck size of 21-Inch
- Consist of brushless mother
- The run time of this lawnmower is up to 60 minutes
- This mower comes with a push-button start
- It comes with a single lever height adjustment system
- Consist of smart cut technology
- Has 3-in-1 grass discharge feature
- Very silent to operate
What we like about this lawnmower
Easy To assemble:
The first thing that we liked about this lawnmower is, It’s easy to assemble. Right after unboxing this lawnmower, it took me around 5-7 minutes to assemble it. This is a perfect mower for a small-sized lawn.
The one big upside of this mower is it doesn’t require high maintenance. And since this is a battery-powered lawnmower, it saves you from the hassle of going to a gas station.
Easy to Use:
One of the best things about this mower is that it has push-button start functionality. This is a big advantage for almost everyone. It is both reliable and flexible to use which makes it pleasant to use.
Especially, a person like me who really sucks at starting mowers in one go.
I have to go through multiple failed tries and put a lot of effort into getting these things started. Due to this feature, it is very user friendly and even kids can use it without any issue.
Is It Louder?
Talking about the loudness, the mower is very silent in its operation. It runs very quietly and you don’t have to bother your neighbors while cutting the grass.
If you are someone who used to wear ear protection while mowing grass, you will thoroughly enjoy it.
Lightweight
The mower is quite compact in its size which makes it very lightweight in nature. Due to its less weight, you can easily carry it anywhere you want without much effort.
This was quite surprising for us because it is a battery-powered lawnmower. Honestly speaking, coming from the gas push mower it was quite refreshing to use. But if you’re used to using a low end corded electric model, you probably won’t find it that light.
Mowing performance
Talking about the performance, its blade actually mulches well. It chops the grass very fine. And produces good nourishment for grass. So if mulching is important to you, you cannot go wrong with this mower.
Apart from this, the mower is also quite powerful to mow through thick as well as wet grass. You can easily fill a bag full of grass in only one day after a vacation when the grass has overgrown. But, using it this way drains the battery much faster.
The battery also gets hot after an intense session of mowing. The mower also comes with a grass catcher bag and it is easily detachable. Moreover, it has a unique feature. It automatically senses if the grass is easy to cut or not. If it is, it automatically powers down to efficiently use battery usage.
Battery
Talking about the battery, I have seen many people complaining about the battery. I know it does have some flaws I’ll mention that later.
For now, let’s talk about the positives of the battery. You have to charge the battery right after unboxing your mower. Because GreenWorks sends the battery to you at only 40-50%. So make sure to fully charge it first then go for the mowing.
The great thing about the battery is it has a charging indicator. Which shows how much charge it has. This mower comes with a 4Ah battery. Which is easy to put and take off. This battery can easily last up to 45 minutes on a ½ acre yard. And also this is a fast-charging battery. So you don’t have to wait for hours.
Pros
Pros
Cons
How to maintain self-propelled mower
Read Your Owner’s Manual
Yes, you read it right, this should be your first step towards maintenance. There are times when we overestimate our skills and think that we know everything.
This is true for familiar machines. But for new ones you should always go through the owner’s manual before any operation.
Always Disconnect Your Spark Plugs Before Any Maintenance
Next, make sure to remove spark plugs if you are using a gas mower. This will prevent it from accidentally starting injuring yourself. Once you do this you’re ready to work.
Clean Your Self-Propelled Push Mower
With all the repeated mowing, your mower is going to benefit from a good cleaning. For beginners, start by blowing or brushing off any surface debris. With a garden hose flush out debris from underneath the deck. If it is still dirty, gently lean your mower on its side to rinse the mower deck. If anything is lodged inside the mower, use a stick to remove it. Do not use your hands because it is very dangerous.
Change Your Self-Propelled Mower’s, Air Filter
If your mower uses an air filter, it is time to change it to keep the air clean. When it comes to how often you should change your filter, it totally depends on your use.
If you use your mower quite a lot, replace your air filter from time to time. For starters, change your filter every 3 months and then adjust time with your usage.
Replace Your Spark Plugs Once Per Season
Similar to air filters, spark plugs also play a huge role in keeping a mower running. Thus, you should also replace your spark plug once per season. This will help it to start easily and use fuel in an efficient way.
Regularly Change Your Oil
This is a no-brainer, whether it is your car, mower, or any other machine consisting of a gas engine. You need to change engine oil for the smooth functioning of the engine.
It is also important because it prevents your engine from seizing up. To do so, first, make sure that the engine is warmed up then drain all the old oil from the engine.
Finally, refill it with new engine oil and make sure not to mix it with anything else.
How to choose a self-propelled mower
Engine
The engine should be your number one priority when choosing a self-propelled mower. Generally engines of this kind of mower range from 140cc to 190cc. If your cutting conditions are tough. And you have to deal with thick as well as wet grass choose a larger capacity engine. Furthermore, there are currently four types of engines for the same capacity. And include a single valve, overhead-valve, and direct-overhead valve engine. You can choose any according to your needs.
For electric mower
Cordless electric mowers are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. These are available in a variety of voltages.
Consider a higher voltage electric mower. As it will provide you with greater torque and result in a clean cut. Also, consider the capacity and charging of the battery for increased mowing.
Drive
Drive is yet another thing to consider when shopping for a self-propelled mower. There are mainly two kinds of drive systems available.
The first one is powered by the push and it is a perfect mower for a small one with a relatively flat yard. Next drive system to turn the front or rear wheels.
This is suitable to medium to large yards where you have to cover a large distance. If you are going with this option, choose a front-drive wheel for maximum maneuverability.
Drive Control
Choosing a correct drive control for you is very important not just for comfort. But also for effective cutting of grass. So, choose the correct drive control system for you. You can do this by using the mower in person to understand what is best for you.
Additional Features to Consider
Air filter: The air filter covers should be easy to remove. This is preferred for dusty and dirty mowing conditions.
Blade brake clutch: This will allow you to disengage the mower’s drive system, stop the blade, and let the engine run.
Wash-out fitting: These wash-out nozzles will enable you to connect a hose to the mower deck. And wash grass clippings from under the deck.
Front caster wheels: These wheels allow you to pivot a rear-drive mower and increase your maneuverability
Tall rear wheels: Tall rear wheels help the mower move over rough and uneven surfaces
