Wondering how a cordless lawn mower works?
In this guide, I’ve shared everything you need to know about the inner workings of battery-powered lawn mowers.
I’ve also shared helpful information on battery life, and the advantages and disadvantages of these mowers compared to other popular mower types.
✅ Key Takeaways:
A cordless mower is a type of lawn mower that uses a rechargeable battery, rather than being connected to a power supply with a cord.
Cordless mowers work by powering the blade with a charged battery, instead of using a mains electricity source.
Cordless lawn mowers are convenient because you’re not restricted by a power lead, but you still need to remember to charge the batteries.
Table of Contents
❓How Does A Cordless Lawn Mower Work? Quick Overview
Here’s the quick definition of how a cordless lawn mower works:
A cordless mower is powered by batteries. These batteries provide power for the motor to run and the blade to spin, cutting your grass in the same way that a corded lawn mower would.
🤔 What Is A Cordless Lawn Mower?
A cordless lawn mower is a type of mower that uses a battery to power its motor, rather than electricity from a power socket.
Cordless mowers are so-called because, unlike conventional corded electric lawn mowers, they aren’t tethered to a power supply with a cord. You may also hear them referred to as “battery-powered lawn mowers” because they use batteries.
Quick Specs:
Brand: Flymo
Price: ££
Power source: Electric cordless (battery-powered)
Cutting width: 34cm
Cutting height: 25 – 65mm
Weight: 24.69 pounds
Grass box capacity: 35 litres
Dimensions (DxWxH): 47.5 x 39 x 95cm
Power: 40-V battery (2x 20V)
⚡️ How A Cordless Lawn Mower Works
A cordless lawn mower works in the same way that a corded electric mower works. The only difference is that cordless mowers are battery powered, rather than being powered by mains electricity.
When you turn the mower on, power from the battery engages the motor, which spins the mower’s blades – which, in turn, cut your grass.
The power of the motor and the speed of the blades depends on the battery size and power, and whether or not the battery needs to be charged.
In terms of appearance, cordless mowers look like standard electric lawn mowers, with a grass collection box, adjustable cutting heights, and varying cutting widths. You can get the same features on a cordless mower as you can on a corded model – apart from the cord.
🏁 How Do You Start A Battery Powered Mower?
To start a battery powered mower, simply turn the key on the mower, then pull a lever or press a button (depending on your mower’s design) to start the engine.
It’s super easy to start this type of mower. You don’t even have to plug it in, and you don’t have to spend time cranking a cord.
🧐What Are The Controls On A Battery-Operated Mower?
There are a few different controls on a battery-operated mower, including the height adjustment lever and the safety cutout switch. These are similar to those that you’d find on any electric mower model.
The height adjustment lever lets you alter the height of the cut. Most cordless lawn mowers have at least 3 optional cutting heights.
The safety cutout switch stops the mower’s blades from spinning if your hand leaves the control bar on the handle.
Battery-powered mowers are easy to operate, but your specific mower design may differ from the standard.
Your mower should come with a user manual that outlines everything you need to know about the mower’s operation.
🔋 Types Of Batteries In Cordless Lawn Mowers
So, what types of batteries are used in a cordless electric mower?
As you would expect, to provide enough power for a machine as large as a mower to cut your grass for a substantial amount of time, a cordless mower needs a fairly large, powerful battery.
The most common battery type for cordless electric lawn mowers is the lithium-ion battery. Lead-acid batteries may also be used in some cordless models.
There are different sizes of batteries used in cordless mower, with different voltages and capacities. The standard voltage range for these batteries is 36 to 120 volts. The higher the voltage, the more powerful the battery.
✔️🔋 Cordless Mower Battery Life
Now onto the all important question: How long do the batteries in a cordless mower last?
On average, a single battery in a cordless lawn mower lasts 35 minutes.
The good news is that these batteries are rechargeable, so you don’t have to recycle and rebuy your batteries every time.
Most cordless mowers come with two batteries as standard, so you can switch out batteries if you can’t mow your lawn within the battery life.
Factors Affecting Cordless Mower Battery Life
There are a few factors that affect the battery life in your cordless mower.
🔌 Charging Habits
Keeping your battery in its charging port once it’s fully charged may reduce its battery life, so it’s best to keep an eye on the charging progress and remove the battery once it’s finished.
📐 Terrain Type
Rough terrain takes it out on your mower’s motor, causing the batteries to be drained at a faster rate.
👴🏻 Battery Age
Older batteries (3-4+ years old) won’t last as long as newer batteries (1-2 years old).
⛈ Climate
Certain battery types work better in certain climates. For instance, lead-acid batteries work better than lithium ion batteries in colder climates.
🔋 How Long Do Cordless Mower Batteries Last?
So, we know their lifespan – but how long do cordless mower batteries last before they need replacing?
No rechargeable battery lasts forever. Over time, the battery performance will reduce, and you’ll need fresh new batteries to keep your mower operating well in all conditions.
Most cordless lawn mower batteries last 7 years before they should be replaced with a new set.
Factors Affecting How Long Cordless Mower Batteries Last
The factors affecting how long the batteries last in your cordless electric mower include:
♻️ Use Frequency
The more you use your mower, the more hours the batteries will be put to work, and the faster their performance will diminish.
🤷🏾♂️ Use Type
If you’re constantly pushing your mower’s batteries to the extreme on rough terrain, they’ll probably die an earlier death than batteries used in a mower that simply trims grass every few weeks.
📦 Storage Conditions
Extreme temperatures or humidity could compromise the structure of your batteries and reduce their performance abilities, so be mindful of where you choose to store them.
🔌 Charging Habits
Charging your batteries too frequently can be a bad thing. Most batteries have a limited number of charge cycles, so it’s best to only charge your batteries when they’re running low, and not at every opportunity.
⏰ What’s The Average Charging Time For A Cordless Mower Battery?
On average, it takes 60 minutes for a cordless lawn mower battery to be fully charged.
There are a few factors that affect this, including the battery size and age. An older or larger battery may take up to 2 hours to be fully charged.
The most modern cordless lawnmower models have an even shorter battery charging time; as little as 30 minutes.
📊Advantages Of Cordless Mowers Vs Other Mower Types
Knowing the specifics of how a cordless lawn mower works is important. But what about the advantages of a cordless electric mower’s performance compared to other mower types?
Let’s take a look:
🔌 Produces Power Without A Cord
One major advantage of cordless electric lawn mowers is that, unlike corded electric lawn mowers powered by mains electricity, they power the motor with a portable battery.
That means you can mow your grass at any distance from your home without reaching the cable limit, and you won’t accidentally get wrapped around a tree or trip or mow over the cable – because there isn’t one.
🛠 Easy To Use & Maintain
The simple, cord-free design of a battery-powered mower makes it easy to set up, use, and maintain.
After the initial assembly, you don’t have to fuss about pulling cords to start the engine, connecting a cord to a power socket (or perhaps getting out your extension lead), or changing the fuel.
For these reasons, this type of mower is easier to use than any other mower type, including corded electric lawn mower and petrol lawn mower models.
🥺 Setbacks Of Cordless Mowers
There are, of course, a few setbacks of the cordless electric lawn mower performance that you should also be aware of:
💪 Not As Powerful As Corded Models
Cordless models aren’t as powerful as corded electric mowers. While a corded electric lawn mower gets its power straight from the mains, a cordless lawnmower has to use its much smaller energy source – a single battery – more efficiently.
You shouldn’t notice a huge difference in the power supplied by corded versus cordless mowers. However, you might find that a cordless model doesn’t do as well in long grass or rough terrain – not to mention that these mowing conditions will also kill the battery faster.
Unsurprisingly, cordless electric mowers are nowhere near as powerful as petrol mowers, which are superior to most other mower types.
🛠 Requires More Maintenance
Cordless mowers are the only person-operated mower type to have a rechargeable battery. That means they have a specific maintenance requirement that petrol mowers and corded electric lawn mowers don’t have: battery charging.
Some mowers can simply be plugged straight into a power socket with a charging lead, while other models require you to remove the battery and charge it in its own separate device. Either way, battery charging is an unavoidable aspect of owning a cordless lawnmower, and you’ll need to remember to charge the battery before you want to mow.
If you don’t want to keep up with regular battery charges, this type of mower probably isn’t for you.
🔋 Limited Battery Life
Cordless mowers are generally only recommended for gardens smaller than 250 meters squared. If your garden is any bigger than this, you’ll be inconvenienced by the mower’s battery life.
Since most batteries in cordless mowers last up to 35 minutes, it doesn’t make sense to use this mower type on a large lawn that takes upwards of 1 hour to cut.
| Electric Corded Mowers | Cordless Mowers | |
|---|---|---|
| Power Source | Mains electricity | Battery |
| Mobility | Limited by cord length | Cordless and more mobile |
| Operation time | Unlimited | Limited by battery life |
| Battery lifespan | N/A | Limited by battery lifespan |
| Maintenance | Low | High (recharging battery) |
| Noise level | Relatively loud | Quieter |
🔨 How To Maintain A Cordless Mower’s Performance
There are a few ways you can maintain the performance of your cordless battery mower:
Clean the mower regularly – Clean the entire mower after every use to prevent buildup and corrosion, and to minimize the spread of lawn diseases.
Store the mower properly – Damp, excess heat, humidity, and cold can damage your mower, so make sure to store it in a cool, dry, indoor location.
Switch between two batteries – Rather than overwhelming a single battery, switch between two batteries. That means you’ll extend the useful life of both batteries.
🔌 Are Cordless Lawn Mowers Worth It?
Cordless lawn mowers are worth it if you hate the idea of being tethered to a power supply by a cord.
Obviously, battery-powered mowers have their own unique setbacks compared to corded mowers and gas lawn mowers. But for many people, the convenience of a cordless lawn mower makes it worth the extra upfront cost – despite its restricted battery life.
The great news is that modern lawn mowers with a battery-operated design are continuing to improve as far as battery life and charging times are concerned, so in the near future, hopefully we can enjoy a powerful mowing performance for 1+ hours, with charging that takes just minutes, from this mower type.
📊Pros And Cons Of Battery Powered Mowers
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Environmentally friendly - no petrol emissions | Need to be charged |
| Quiet operation compared to petrol-powered mowers | Battery life may limit usage |
| Low maintenance and easy to start | Not ideal for large lawns |
| Lightweight and easy to maneuver | May not have as much cutting power as petrol-powered mowers |
| No need to store fuel or perform oil changes | May not have as long of a lifespan as petrol-powered mowers |
❓ How Do Cordless Lawn Mowers Work? FAQ
How long do cordless mower batteries last?
The average lifespan of a single battery in a cordless lawn mower is 35 minutes. This depends on a few factors, including the battery size, power, and age, and the terrain you’re mowing. Your battery life will drain faster if you have an older or smaller battery, or if you’re mowing rough terrain or long grass.
Can I use a cordless mower on wet grass?
No, you shouldn’t use a cordless electric mower on wet grass because the water might damage the battery and put stress on the motor. If you absolutely have to mow your damp lawn with a cordless mower, then you’d probably get away with it. But for the sake of your safety and your mower’s longevity, I don’t recommend it.
How do you charge a cordless mower battery?
To charge a cordless lawn mower’s battery, remove the battery from your mower and place it in the battery pack, then plug this into an electrical outlet. Most battery packs have a light that changes from red to green to indicate that the mower is fully charged. Some battery-powered mower models let you charge the battery in the mower without removing it – just plug the charger connector into the designated port in the mower and wait for the light on the charger to turn green.
What is a major disadvantage of the battery operated lawn mower?
The major disadvantage of a battery-operated lawn mower is that you’re restricted by the battery life. While you can use a corded mower for as many hours as you please, the average battery life in comparable battery-powered models is just 35 minutes. This should be plenty for small gardens, but might cut you off short if your garden is large (over 250 metres squared).
Is it worth getting a battery-powered lawn mower?
It’s worth getting a battery-powered electric lawn mower if you want the freedom of being able to mow your lawn at any distance from your home without being restricted by a cable. If you simply can’t stand the hassle of a corded electric mower, then the extra £50 or so spent on a cordless model will probably be worth it for you.