What Is The Fastest Way To Mow A Lawn?

Before deciding which is the fastest way to mow a lawn, you should test several mowing methods. Remember that the optimal way is varied depending on:

• Size and shape of your landscape
• Its surface and terrain
• Your mower
• Number and distribution of obstacles in your lawn

These obstacles are probably walkways, landscaping rocks, flowerbeds, and ornamental trees, which will avoid mowing in an even way. Below is an ultimate guide to help you:

Choose the right mower to mow faster

There are two common types of mowers:

Drive Mowers

Drive mowers are undoubtedly the faster option to mow medium to large lawns that have flat, even terrains. When considering the best drive mowers, there are three common options to choose from.

• Zero-turn mowers
• Rear-engine riding mowers
• Lawn tractors

Each version is specifically designed for specific lawn size and terrains so if you pick the right one, it will help you mow faster and effortlessly.

Zero-turn mowers

This is an in-between of the lawn tractors and the rear-engine riding mowers, generally featuring an engine of 12 to 25 HP with 425cc to 700cc of size ranges. The deck size of most zero-turn mowers is between 32” to 60”.

This version is a great choice for large residential or commercial lawns.

Rear-engine riding mowers

It commonly features a deck size of 30” to 33” and a 10-11HP rear engine. In comparison, rear-engine riding mowers are the smallest, which is perfect for large backyard with fewer trees or décor.

Lawn tractors

It features a front-mounted engine (ranging within 18 to 25 HP) and a steering wheel with a 42”-54” deck width. It is the biggest version out of three but also the most powerful, which makes it ideal for ultra-large lawns like golfs or commercial-grade lawns that feature flat, even terrains.

Walk Mowers

Walk mowers work faster than drive mowers in small to medium lawns featuring various obstacles because it is highly flexible and maneuverable.

In the selection of walk mowers, there are a couple of features to consider.

Gas engine size

Larger engine size gives you more torque to work faster, especially uphill. It is also powerful enough to mow tall grass.

The ideal range to choose is 140cc to 190cc.

Drive

• All-wheel drive – built to mow faster in steep uphill and downhill, side-hill, or across washboard surfaces
• Rear-wheel drive – work fastest for side-hill and uphill
• Front-wheel drive – best for the level ground with numerous obstacles

Rear-wheel size

The larger the rear wheel size, the easier the mower to navigate ruts and rough ground, making it work faster.

Bonus:

Aside from choosing the right type of mower for your lawn, proper maintenance on it is another key role to shorten your mowing time.

Besides, according to experts, mowing early in the morning is also done more quickly than in the afternoon as both the grass and soil are still soft.

But if the grass is soggy after a downpour or heavy rain, avoid mowing it.

Many experts also advise changing the cutting lengths to avoid scalping of your landscape, especially when it is not flat and even.

To give the lawn a natural appeal, remember to regularly change directions such as from vertical to a horizontal pattern.

What Is The Fastest Way To Mow A Lawn?

Row Patterns

Out of the three mowing methods, row patterns are considered the fastest and most efficient. Just one thing to note: Be aware of the mowing direction.

The reason is when the working rows relate with the most extended part of the landscape, the number of turns needed to make will be fewer, which helps cut down the time significantly.

For example, if your lawn features more length than the width, mowing lengthwise is the best. On the contrary, if the width is more than the length, horizontal rows will finish the job faster.

“What to do if my lawn is square?”

Great question! As the length and the width are equal, in this case, just start at whichever part you like but remember to overlap the working rows a little bit so that during the initial pass, you won’t miss out on some spots.

Double Spiral Patterns

Another quick and effective mowing method is concentric mowing, however, it has one big flaw. It will end right in the center position of your lawn and when you want to get the mower out, it will cause unsightly tracks and crushed vegetation.

That’s why I suggest this advanced mowing way – the double spiral patterns – overcome that weakness.

Accordingly, just follow the same pattern but leave behind a row that isn’t mowed in between the mowed ones. So when reaching the center part of your lawn, just turn it with an S pattern and go back the way you came from mowing the rows you left in between.

Circular Patterns

Circular patterns are particularly perfect for a lawn with many objects, like flowerbed or tree. By the circular mowing motion, it can be done effectively, which is super-handy.

While helping to cut down the frequency of turns, this concentric mowing pattern is easy to make as the direction is identical with no sharp edges, which means it also reduces the time taken on turning.

Conclusion

I hope this ultimate guide has helped you find out the best answer for “What is the fastest way to mow a lawn?”. There are actually many methods available but whether it works or not depending on the specific size, shape, and terrain of your lawn. Choose it wisely and you’ll save tons of time on this task!