A Buying Guide for Walk Behind Mowers

When you’re looking at different mowers to purchase, there are a lot of features to consider. So, here’s a buying guide for walk behind mowers that will help you find the product that’ll best meet your needs.

Ruggedly Built Brush Mower

When you need a lawnmower, you should search for ruggedly built brush mowers. These won’t experience any inconvenient damages when you use them for tougher varieties of foliage. With their durable hardware in place, you’ll be able to swiftly slice through large lawns, fields, and other overgrown areas that require extensive mowing.

Certain tractors are also compatible with rough cut mower attachments. Our Versa Tractor, for example, can connect with our Versa 30 in. rough cut mower attachment. This heavy-duty piece of equipment will allow the tractor to clear away weeds and brush as thick as 1.5 inches in diameter with its four sturdy breakaway cutting blades that each possess dual cutting edges.

Deck Features

Lawnmowers may differ based on the size of their decks. At Swisher Acquisition Inc., our walk behind rough cut mowers have deck sizes as wide as 30 inches, allowing you to cover a hefty chunk of land without sacrificing good handling. To ensure a high level of quality with each pass, a good walk behind rough cut mower needs to provide proper stability with each motion. The number of cutting heights can also vary between models. Some decks have blades that remain in a fixed position, while others offer adjustability. If you only want to cut rough brush at a certain height, the former should be sufficient. However, you might desire different brush lengths in different sections of land or during different seasons of the year. In this case, it will be useful to have a range of cutting heights to pick from as your needs change. For maximum versatility, we have a rough and finish cut deck to get the whole job done.

Task Size

One of the first things you have to think about when buying a walk behind mower is the size of the task at hand. For much larger projects, you need a wide-decked, gas-powered mower for the job. Furthermore, it should be a rough cut mower. The rough cut distinction means that the mower has a weightier, more robust blade that can not only deal with rougher brush, but also resist damages for a long time. To put it another way, cutting brush and overgrowth requires more power and durability than standard mowers have. Rough cut mowers are the machines that can handle this job easily. For those who know that their mowers will need to function in expansive tasks, having a reliable blade like this that won’t chip or completely fall apart is ideal. Rough cut mower decks and tires will similarly be more heavy-duty so that they won’t fail you at inopportune times. When combined with their powerful motors and multi-speed transmission options, rough cut mowers’ greater weight helps them to generate the force needed to tackle dense and thick grass that standard mowers can’t. This makes them perfect for reclaiming overgrown land, as they’re designed to deal with brush, saplings, and hardy weeds.

Handlebar Height

As previously mentioned, stability is key when it comes to walk behind rough cut mowers. When perusing the market for one of these tools, always look for units that have flexible handlebar heights. Having the ability to adjust the height of the handlebars allows operators to comfortably retain control of the mower during use. This will also help you prioritize ergonomics, which is important when it comes to working outdoors.

Rough Terrain Handling

With heavy-duty cutting jobs, you may encounter rough terrain along the way. In order to maneuver these rough patches without trouble, you’ll need a walk behind rough cut mower that’s up for the job. For example, we have chevron tread tires on our mowers. The special V-shaped pattern on these pneumatic tires promotes forward movement in ground conditions where a lesser tire would become stuck. Our walk behind rough cut mowers also have a reverse mode so, if need be, you can back out of tight spots with ease. When you’re completing heavy-duty cutting, it’s important to have as much control and maneuverability as possible.

Caster vs. Regular Wheels

A caster is a specific variation of a wheel that makes turning a lawn mower easier. Casters are able to do this because they connect to a yoke that can rotate in any direction. You can usually find casters on the front two wheels of mowers, while the back wheels are more traditionally fixed so that they can generate movement. On a mower where there are no casters, you must push with more force to make turns, which can make it harder to maneuver in certain spots. There are also mowers without front tires. This design makes it easier to dig into dense brush.

Maintenance Needs

When purchasing a walk behind rough cut mower, plan ahead for routine maintenance. You’ll have to check areas such as the blade, oil, and air filter. If your mower’s blades get too damaged over time, you must replace them with a new set.

In order to do this, you’re going to need to start by removing the spark plug wire. By doing so, you’ll avoid the danger of the blades turning while you’re near them. From there, you can loosen the designated bolt and washers keeping the blade in place, and remove them along with the blade itself. Once the old washers, bolts, and blades are out of the way, you can replace them with a fresh set. At Swisher, we have service kits available for properly supplying our walk behind rough cut mowers with high-quality replacement blades and other essential components. Whenever you purchase replacement parts for a walk behind rough cut mower, it’s always important to get them from the original manufacturer.

Other supporting maintenance measures shouldn’t be too complicated to deal with. To replace the oil, be sure to consult the owner’s manual prior to maintenance to ensure you’re following the right steps for your specific mower model. When your air filter gets dirty, there are two avenues you can go down depending on the level of dirtiness. In some mild cases, you can simply brush off the dust and gunk that has periodically built up on the filter. When doing this, always use a soft-bristled brush. If your air filter is beyond a good brushing, it’s time to swap it out with a brand-new filter.

Invest in Reliability

When it comes to buying lawncare equipment like a walk behind rough cut mower, you might be leaning toward the cheapest options on the market simply to save some money. However, if you invest in unreliable brands just for the cost savings, it will reflect in the mower’s insufficient performance.

Instead, make the effort to invest in a walk behind rough cut mower that comes from reliable manufacturers in the industry. That way, you can guarantee a high-quality means of tackling the task at hand. Going with the made-in-America products that Swisher offers, such as our Briggs and Stratton walk behind rough cut mowers, will ensure that the mower you choose meets a high standard of quality.

By referencing this buying guide for walk behind mowers, you can avoid investing in the wrong machine for the job. As power equipment manufacturers, Swisher Acquisition Inc. develops finish and rough cut mowers that can aid with making your grass cutting more productive.