Whether or not lawn mower batteries charge themselves depends on the type of lawn mower you are talking about. Nearly all riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors come with alternators that charge the batteries. In contrast, push mowers do not.
To learn more about which lawn mowers have batteries that charge themselves, keep reading. This article fully describes the different types of lawn mowers and which kinds have batteries that charge themselves. Scroll down for more.
Push Mower Vs Riding Lawn Mower Vs Lawn Tractor
In order to understand which lawn mowers have batteries that charge themselves, it’s important to understand the different types of lawn mowers that are available. Most lawn mowers fall into one of three categories: push mower, riding lawn mower, and lawn tractor.
Between these three types of lawn mowers, most confusion happens when discussing a riding lawn mower versus a lawn tractor, which happens to be the two lawn mower types with recharging batteries.
What Is A Push Mower?
Most people who are familiar with lawn mowers know what a push mower is. A push mower requires you to manually push the mower while it cuts your lawn. These mowers are best for those on a budget and those with smaller areas to cut.
What Is A Riding Lawn Mower?
A riding lawn mower is much more suited than push mowers for large areas. It uses an engine so that you don’t have to manually push the mower. Instead, it moves on its own and you steer it to go in the direction you want.
The sole difference between a riding lawn mower and a lawn tractor is the position of the cutting mechanism. On a riding lawn mower, the cutting mechanism will be in front of the mower, offering more maneuverability than with a lawn tractor.
As a result, landscapers often opt for riding lawn mowers because they offer more precise cuts around shrubs, gardens, and other similar ornamentation.
What Is A Lawn Tractor?
In many ways, a lawn tractor is very similar to a riding lawn mower. You sit on it, it moves, and you simply steer the machine while it cuts your lawn. It is perfect for open yards that don’t have a lot of ornamentation, bushes or need for maneuverability.
What separates a lawn tractor from a riding lawn mower is the position of the cutting mechanism. Instead of being located on the front of the tractor, this mechanism is at the middle of the tractor. This results in less maneuverability but offers quick cutting speeds.
Why Do Riding Lawn Mowers And Lawn Tractors Have Batteries?
Of the three types of lawn mowers, riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors are the only types that have batteries that charge themselves. These devices have batteries because the batteries are what make the device move without being manually pushed.
In contrast, push lawn mowers have no need for a battery. They use gas power to cut grass, but they depend on you to move the device forward. This explains why push lawn mowers do not have a battery.
How Do Lawn Mower Batteries Charge Themselves?
So that you’re riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors work as they should, their batteries charge themselves. In many ways, these lawn mowers have a charging system that is very similar to the alternator in an automobile.
Most lawn mowers have one of two charging systems.
1. Belt-Driven Alternator System
The most popular system is a belt-driven alternator, which is often mounted on the engine. A belt turns the alternator, which continually creates power so that the battery stays charged. This system is very similar to the system in your vehicle.
2. Stator System
The second charging system uses a stator underneath the flywheel. A stator is a metal body. It has a central hole that is surrounded by prongs that are wrapped in coil wires. This charging system is much less popular than the first one.
Do Electric Push Lawn Mowers Charge Themselves?
At this point, you might be wondering about push lawn mowers that are driven by electric power instead of gas power. Do these sort of lawn mowers charge themselves? Unfortunately, most electric lawn mowers of this kind do not charge themselves.
Instead, these sorts of electric lawn mowers require charging in between usage. The charge often doesn’t last that long either, making them poor lawn mower options for those with a lot of areas to cover at once. After every use, you will need to recharge the battery.
Not to mention, electric push lawn mowers are nowhere near as effective as riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors. Even though both technically have batteries, the riding models also use gas to offer superior efficiency, whereas electric push mowers aren’t very powerful due to their electric-only design.
What If My Battery Is Not Working?
If you’ve had your lawn mower for a long time, it’s natural that the battery will eventually wear out and die. When this happens, you will either need to purchase a new battery or a whole new mower. It’s up to you to decide which of the two items you want to purchase.
If your mower is incredibly old and breaking in other ways, it might be time to invest in a whole new mower outright. If everything else is working on the mower, you might want to save some money by simply buying a new battery instead of a new mower, though batteries are expensive too.
For electric mowers, simply make sure that the battery is charged up. If it still isn’t working, contact the manufacturer to learn if there are any possible defective issues or purchase a new battery as a replacement. Batteries for electric mowers are also very expensive.
Conclusion
Simply put, riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors have batteries that charge themselves but push lawn mowers do not. Most of these mowers use an alternator system so that the battery gets recharged whenever the engine is in use. This allows you to ride the lawn mower, turn on lights, and utilize other electric features of the device.
