Mowing the lawn can be your solo motorsport.

      Andrew P. Collins

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      As I near my 40s and have recently become a homeowner, I’ve suddenly developed a keen interest in lawn mowing—not primarily for aesthetics, but rather due to the thrill of mastering my new zero-turn mower, which has quickly become a favorite pastime of mine.

      Mowing with a compact tractor stimulates some of the same sensations as high-performance driving. It involves striking a balance between speed and control, understanding the terrain, and becoming in tune with your machine. While it’s not necessary to do so, engaging actively makes the experience much more enjoyable.

      Our yard includes a fenced area for dogs and a grassy perimeter before it transitions into dense woods. Mowing along the fence demands precision, while planning how to tackle the different sections of our property requires some strategy. Is it better to cut small areas first, or to make larger loops around the entire property? I haven’t settled on a method yet and continually experiment with dividing the lawn into various subsections. Additionally, I prefer to set the blade height at 3.75 inches.

      The headlights come in handy when mowing close to sunset. Andrew P. Collins

      As I become more adept, I’m able to mow faster. I own an electric zero-turn mower, which has sensitive and slightly jerky throttle controls. Since the left and right wheels are powered independently, it can spin around like a tank (hence the term “zero turn”). I’ve discovered a technique to flick the throttles in such a way that the mower performs a spin-slide, allowing me to change direction and cover more ground in a visually impressive manner, even if it doesn't necessarily increase speed.

      Additionally, tracking my progress is straightforward. I’ve timed my full-property mowing sessions and have improved my time from approximately two hours down to under 1.5. This speed challenge motivates me to maximize efficiency, similar to racing on a track. My goal is to navigate the lawn quickly without causing damage to the mower or missing any spots. This, my friends, is how I’ve come to see lawn mowing as a motorsport.

      My wife and I are fortunate to have a few acres in a rural area between New York City and Albany. Although much of it is wooded, a large portion is grassy. Initially, I used a borrowed 1996 Craftsman push mower, which was effective but quite labor-intensive. Lacking a grass chute, I resorted to taping a used pizza box to the mower deck, which was only viable for one mowing session (after reinforcing it midway) before the grass broke through and hit me in the face again.

      When I shared this story with my grandfather, he chuckled and offered me a superior solution: I received an indefinite loan of a Cub Cadet ZT1 42E from his family’s construction and estate management business.

      It turns out it had been deemed unfit for whatever purpose his brother purchased it for. It’s a 2022 model that only had 18 hours of usage when I fired it up, making it my first electric vehicle.

      Using electric power for lawn maintenance is quite practical. You don’t require much range since you stay on your property, and the decreased noise and absence of exhaust fumes greatly enhance the quality of life. This particular mower is nearly perfect for our 3.3 acres; I only deplete about half a charge to mow the entire area, and it recharges in just a couple of hours. Some weekends, I’ll mow one section, charge it while doing something else, and then finish up later. I’ve only used the headlights once—taking pictures—because my mowing coincided with the end of daylight. It was a fitting way to close out my weekend.

      Andrew P. Collins

      I don't think I would have gone out to buy an electric ride-on mower, but a gift mower is hard to turn down. The only major drawbacks I've encountered so far are that it struggles with excessively tall grass (which just means I need to mow more frequently) and I’ll need to store it inside during the winter. The latter is unfortunate, as it takes up most of a garage bay. I may need to find an alternative location for it this weekend so it doesn’t take up space needed for a car.

      I've heard that the blades on electric mowers are somewhat lighter-duty to extend their range, but I’m fairly certain all Cub Cadet 42-inch decks use the same cutting blades.

      In any case, if there’s interest, I can revisit this topic and share more about my experiences with the electric Cub Cadet in a future post. I had a rocky beginning with it and caused a somewhat costly mishap during my first mowing session. However, I fixed it, learned how to operate it properly, and since then, I’ve been mowing nearly every weekend. This summer