Lawn mower batteries can be like a basic automobile’s battery. They need to be taken care of properly for your lawn mower to provide lasting service.
In this article, we’ll tackle some common questions asked regarding how and when to charge a lawn mower battery. Typically, these are the main questions people have when it comes to lawn mower batteries. Educating yourself will allow you to operate your mower safely for years to come.
How Should I Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
When you head to your mower for the first time in the spring, you might be hoping to start it after not using it for a long period of time. However, there’s a big chance your battery won’t work, and your mower won’t start.
The battery can be charged by using a basic mower battery charger. If there isn’t one available, you can jump the mower battery by using a car battery. Here’s how:
- Make sure the mower battery is at least 12 volts. Then pull your car up close to the mower, close enough that your jumper cables you have handy can reach both machines.
- Turn the car off and open the hood. Then return to the mower and open the compartment that holds the battery. Make sure the plastic that sits on the battery terminals is lifted or removed from both the mower and car.
- Now it’s time for your cables to be connected. Connect the read lead cable to the positive terminal located on the mower’s battery. Find the opposite end of the red lead and connect it to the car battery’s personal terminal. Then, retrieve the black lead now and connect it to the car battery’s negative terminal. Finally, find the opposite end of the black lead and connect it to a piece of metal you can find on the lawn mower’s body.
- Without starting the car, start the mower. Once it has started, try to leave it running for an hour or two.
In general, if you’re hoping for your battery’s charge to last a while on your mower, try to find a charger that takes a slower time to charge your battery. This will provide a deeper, long-lasting charge for your mower.
When you’re handling your battery, in order to protect yourself, wear gloves. Charge the mower in an area that is breathable and ventilated well.
When Should I Change the Battery?
You’ll find several similarities between a car battery and a lawn mower’s battery. One of those is the length of time that their batteries can last, which is usually a few years. This can be anywhere from two to six years, depending on how often you use the battery.
For a list of some of the best lawn mower batteries, visit our battery page.
How Should I Change the Battery?
To change a lawn mower’s battery, move it to a surface that is flat, locate the battery inside either the hood or seat, mix a cup of water and a teaspoon of baking soda, pour it on the battery terminals, unscrew the battery-stabilizing bracket and move it over to the side.
Then, loosen the negative terminal with a wrench as well as the positive battery cable. Pull the cables off the battery and take the battery out of the mower. Clean the battery cables and put the new battery in the box. Apply petroleum jelly to the battery terminals to prevent any corrosion.
Put the negative terminal and positive battery cable back to their original spots and tighten them. Then take your old battery to be properly recycled.
Conclusion
With proper care and knowledge of how and when to replace or charge your battery, you can always make sure your lawn mower is running at peak capacity. With help from the tips above, your lawn mower will be in top shape and prepared for any lawn task that comes your way.
Are Electric Mowers Any Good?
You might be debating between gas and electric mowers. There are a few key benefits to keep in mind that make electric mowers stick out over gas mowers.
Let’s review the positives of electric mowers so you can determine if it’s the best choice for you.
The Benefits of Electric Mowers
Electric mowers have several advantages when it comes to their use, maintenance, volume and more. Here are a few of them:
The Noise Isn’t Too Loud
Many gases and petrol mowers are known to be louder machines that can wake or disturb neighbors. These mowers are fairly loud, operating at a noisy 95 decibels. You won’t find that problem with electric mowers. While gas mowers often require hearing protection, electric mowers only create approximately 70 decibels of noise.
Your ears will thank you for keeping them from the damage they would normally receive with gas or petrol lawn mowers.
They Are Inexpensive
While petrol and gas mowers require gas to operate, electric mowers only need a battery or to be plugged in if they contain a cord. They’re also simpler and less expensive to maintain. You won’t need to pay for tune-ups, gas or fuel to fill up the mower, or oil.
The main thing you’ll be paying for is a new battery, which often isn’t necessary until several years after purchase. This is because the mower comes with a new battery. You also won’t have spark plugs or filters to change since there is no fuel in the machines.
Good for the Environment
Gas mowers give off toxic fumes that are very harmful to the air. Natural resources are no longer being wasted when you decide to use an electric mower. When gas mowers are used, the fuels are being burned. This, of course, isn’t good for the environment.
This isn’t something you need to worry about with an electric motor though, as no fumes are emitted when using this lawn mower.
Easy to Use
When turning on gas mowers, a cord usually needs to be pulled to start it up. This sometimes takes a few tries to get it started, taking up a lot of time. Electric motors take less time to start, since they only require a switch to flip. The engine starts quickly, saving you less time and stress starting the mower.
No more cords breaking and no more constant cord pulling to get it started. This also keeps you from having to bend over and pull the cord, keeping your back from pain. All that is needed for maintenance is to clean it regularly.
Electric mowers are smaller than your average gas mowers, so they are easier to mow with and transport from lawn to lawn or from wherever you store your lawn mower. Because of this, mowing the lawn can be finished quicker and with less hassle and with less pain to your body. You no longer get back pain from pushing a heavy mower around your entire lawn.
Conclusion
To determine whether this type of lawn mower is the best option for you, be sure to examine the true benefits of the using this mower over a gas mower. An electric mower provides more advantages than usual with any other types of mowers including environmental benefits, reduced noise pollution, ease of use, and a lower cost.
Recycle Batteries Q&A
It’s not hard to notice when your battery is dead. You’re no longer able to operate your machine. Figuring out what to do with your battery once it is no longer active is a little trickier.
Can’t these batteries just be thrown away when we’re done with them? It’s not that simple. And throwing them away isn’t a possibility.
In this article, we’ll tackle some commonly asked questions about recycling your lawn mower batteries.
How do I dispose of lawn mower batteries properly?
Remove the battery from the mower as soon as you are aware that it is no longer working. Once it’s removed, you must do more than just simply throw it in the garbage.
The first option you should try is to call your local recycling centers to see if they accept lawn mower batteries. Bear in mind that some are not able to take these specific batteries.
If you remember where you first purchased this battery, it can be taken back to the store where it was first purchased. A lot of these stores are required to accept and collect these batteries, so you most likely will be able to return it directly to the store.
If the exact store you bought this battery from doesn’t accept it, call other stores that sell these batteries. See if they will accept any of these old lawn mower batteries for reuse or recycling.
Can I just throw them in the garbage?
It’s easy to assume you can just throw it in the trash. This, unfortunately, isn’t an option. The acid from the battery can leak and hurt the environment.
Since this is considered hazardous waste, it is actually illegal to throw it straight in the trash bin. Because of this, a lot of disposal and garbage companies will not accept these batteries.
Are Lawn Mower Batteries Harmful?
There are heavy metals in your lawn mower battery. When you throw these metals in the garbage, you can cause a leak. This leak creeps into landfills which damages and hurts different parts of the environment. This can lead to eventual leaks of toxic chemicals that can eventually harm people and animals. Overall, the chemicals and metals in batteries can be extremely harmful indeed.
Conclusion
The minute you learn your battery is leaking, be sure to remove it from your lawn mower. Then, call around to see how you can properly recycle or dispose of it. Once you’ve found a proper way to recycle this battery, you will have followed the law and taken one step closer to helping and saving our environment.
