so I don't need to deal with gas?
I did my first lawn mowing in several decades this year when it became a choice between the lawn man and retirement.
Regarding dealing with gas, my lawn mower uses next to none on my suburban lot (30-45 min to mow). The 1 gallon I bought in March lasted through June. I only got 1/2 a gallon in the can when I re-loaded since gas isn't supposed to be stored that long.
For the gas, go to walmart (or where ever) and buy
- one gallon gas can (a few bucks)
- funnel (since the spout that comes with the gas can will pour it all over the place, a few bucks)
- Sta-Bil Fuel Stabilizer (a few bucks)
Then go to a gas station and get 1/2 gallon of gas (about $1). I mixed the Sta-Bil in (a few ounces).
I also got a weedwhacker off amazon (
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B011HX29H0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, for $55). The first spool lasted 4 months for my lawn and replacements are fairly cheap. It's got a battery, and seems to do fine for my lot.
Like you, I got a lawn mower as a gift (powered). Since it hadn't been used in 10 years (literally never left the garage), I took it to the shop and they serviced it for $125 or so (normal annual service is ~$75 where I live, and you can find DIY instructions on youtube to cut that cost quite a bit).
The only thing so far I regret is not getting a battery powered blower when it was on sale at Target in Spring. It's really hot now, and sweeping afterwards is a PITA.
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The question on whether to keep it or not is too personal, I think.
We had a reel mower when we were young and it was a chore and a time sink.
Gas mowers are loud, but quick. Mine (and probably yours) is powerful enough to cut through the pretty dense grass that I've left for too long (vacations), and it's self-mulching. I put on my sound-deafening headphones (and sunglasses, of course) and get to it.
Now that the minimum day time temps are in the 90s, I am really happy I'm not doing all the work.