If you have a regular lawn, the most convenient lawn mower you can have is the battery-powered one. You don’t have to spend money on gas and you are not limited by a cord. You just need to charge the battery.
How Long Does It Take to Charge a Lawn Mower Battery?
It can take anything from 30 minutes to six hours to fully charge a lawn mower battery depending on the battery type and the age of the lawn mower. New battery-powered lawn mowers are fitted with more advanced batteries than can be charged in just half an hour. The higher the Ah number on a battery, the more capacity it has, so it can run for longer, but will also take longer to fully charge.
Battery-Powered Lawn Mowers
There are many different kinds of lawn mowers in the market. But one thing is for certain, the battery-powered ones are the most convenient.
However, it’s not for all lawns. Battery-powered lawn mowers are best for regular lawns, by that, we mean the backyard lawns of regular homes and not the large ones in mansions and commercial spaces.
Why are they convenient?
First off, you don’t need gas and oil to make it function. This means that you can save money, too.
Plus, the maintenance isn’t much of a hassle since you don’t need to change the oil regularly.
Moreover
There are no cords to contend with. Cords are sometimes the bane of mowing since they could trip you up while doing so.
Or the mower could get tangled just because you made a wrong turn.
Here’s more:
These mowers are so much easier to start. There are also different ways to make them start–some just have the push button, others use a key, while some make use of a lever.
They are also lighter and easy to store. A lot of battery-powered machines are collapsible for easy storage.
Plus!
It’s not noisy at all. You won’t feel bad if you mow the lawn any time of the day–whether it’s too early in the morning or super late at night.
You are not going to disturb your neighbors who might still be sleeping or those who just crave peace and quiet throughout the day.
But it’s not perfect
The main issue with battery-powered lawn mowers is its power provider–the battery. Much like iPhone batteries, lawn mower batteries don’t last too long.
That’s why we emphasized that this is great for smaller lawns since you are bound to experience a dead battery in the middle of mowing when you have a large grassy yard.
Here’s the scenario
You are mowing the lawn. Just when you are about to finish up, the battery is dead. But you were so close.
Wouldn’t that be the most annoying thing?
The best thing you can do is to prepare a spare battery or batteries so that you don’t have to wait for your lone battery to fully charge before you continue mowing the lawn.
That’s why it’s essential that you know the answer to this question: How long does it take to charge a lawn mower battery?
By the way
Battery-powered machines are environmentally friendly. They have zero emissions so you don’t have to worry too much about adding to the destruction of the environment.
Charging a Lawn Mower Battery
When you buy a battery-powered lawn mower, it already comes with a charger.
When do you charge the battery or batteries?
- Before you use the lawn mower for the first time.
- Before you store the lawn mower for winter.
- When the battery is dead – this happens fairly often during spring and summer months when the grass is continuously growing.
If you have old mowers
Then your batteries may already be dead. If not, they wouldn’t last for too long.
The problem with old battery-powered lawn mowers is that they didn’t have a mechanism to stop the battery from being overcharged.
What happened then?
When batteries overcharge, they won’t last as long as they used to.
There was also a tendency that toxic gasses were released during the process of overcharging.
Good thing:
Batteries and chargers of new lawn mowers have been improved over the years. The current battery chargers already have a system that would prevent overcharging.
This way, in case you get too busy and forget to unplug the charger, your battery won’t be damaged and will continue to work as it should.
Further
You don’t have to worry about toxic gasses that would be emitted from overcharging.
Chargers also went through innovation and some of them can charge batteries quickly. Not too quick that they are no longer annoying, but at least, you won’t have to wait for hours before the battery gets fully charged.
Now
If you could choose your own charger, you need to invest in one that has a lot of beneficial features.
Chargers already come with the lawn mower. But if you are not satisfied with the free charger, you can always buy one.
Here are some important features of a good lawn mower battery charger:
- Different mode settings: slow, fast, and jumpstart.
- Hookup failsafe – to ensure that you won’t connect it to something incompatible.
- Automatic shutoff system.
- Controlled amp rates.
- Various clamps for different connections.
How do you charge properly?
Every lawn mower has a booklet that indicates how to charge the battery step by step. The first step is always to check if you have the right charger.
Sure, a charger comes with the lawn mower when you buy it. But you can never be too sure that the person who packed the set included the right charger.
Basic steps to charging a battery
- Wear gloves (safety glasses would be good, too). In most cases, you need to get your hands inside the machine in order to connect the charger. It’s just better to be safe.
- Locate the battery.
- Connect the positive side first. By the way, at this juncture, the charger should not be plugged to the outlet.
- Connect the negative side.
- Input the appropriate setting.
- Plug the charger.
- Wait for the battery to fully charge.
Charging Time: What to Know
How long does it take to charge a lawn mower battery?
The answer is found in your instructions manual. Different lawn mowers require different charging times.
But if you want a range
Charging could go as fast as 30 minutes or as long as two hours. But if we’re talking about the older generation, charging time could go as long as six hours.
The difference in charging times are due to two components:
Voltage
Current models of battery-powered lawn mowers run on 12V batteries. The older models use 6V.
You have to check the voltage and use the charger that matches your mower’s voltage.
Amperage
The amperage refers to the speed that the battery can charge. However, for lawn mowers, the charger cannot go more than 10 amps.
Ten is the maximum amperage you can use or the battery will be damaged.
Let’s be more specific
Just to give you an idea of the specific charging times, here are some of the best battery-powered lawn mowers in the market:
Snapper XD SXDWM82K Cordless Mower
They say that battery-powered lawn mowers are not great for hilly terrain. This mower certainly proves naysayers wrong.
This cordless mower runs on a 2 Ah battery with a run time of 45 minutes. You can fully charge it in just 30 minutes.
EGO Power Plus Mower
This high-quality lawn mower has batteries that could be charged with different amperage: 4 Ah, 5 Ah, and 7.5 Ah. The charging times are 30 minutes, 37 minutes, and 55 minutes, respectively.
The respective run times are 45 minutes, 55 minutes, and 90 minutes.
Makita XML03PT1
This is one well-made machine. It uses two 18V batteries that could run for 60 minutes–more if you use lower speed. The batteries can also be charged within the hour.
Greenworks PRO GLM801600
This may be a battery-powered lawn mower but works like a gas-powered one. It comes with a rapid charger, too.
The 2 Ah battery can be fully charged in 30 minutes. It also has a run time of 30 minutes.
Summary
How long does it take to charge a lawn mower battery? It depends on the kind of mower you have. You need to read the instructions to make sure you have the right charging time.
Usually, it takes between 30 minutes to a couple of hours to fully charge a battery. But if you have an older model, it could take between four and six hours. That’s what’s great about the new models, they charge faster and they have a mechanism that batteries won’t overcharge.
Battery-powered lawn mowers are the most convenient machines for your yard. The only inconvenience is when your battery shuts down in the middle of mowing.
You Might Also Like
We mentioned a lawn mower appropriate for hilly terrains earlier. Here’s the complete list of the six best lawn mowers for the hills.
But for a more comprehensive list, here’s the essential guide to the best lawn mowers in the market today.
Now, if you are buying your first mower, you should know the most important factors to consider.
- Which Lawn Mower Should I Get? – Chicago Tribune
- Should You Switch to Battery-Powered Lawn Tools? Expert Provides Advice – CTV News Toronto
