Mowing the yard is a chore some homeowners love and that others despise. Whether you bask in the satisfaction of making perfect lines in the grass or find it a homeowner’s hassle, mowing the lawn takes time and commitment.
The overall time it takes to mow the lawn depends on the type of mower you have. For instance, mowing an acre yard will take significantly more time with a push mower than with a riding mower. Keep reading for more information on how long it takes to mow an acre!
Popular Types of Mowers and Their Mowing Speed
No matter the type of mower you have to mow your acre yard, it’s going to take some time to get all the nooks and crannies. However, the style, power supply, blade reach, and sharpness of the blade all factor in how long it takes to mow your lawn. Here is a list of the varying types of lawn mowers and how long they take to mow an acre.
Push Mower
Push mowers will take the longest to mow an acre yard. Because push mowers are self-propelled, they can only go as fast as the person mowing can push them. The speed at which a person can walk to move a mower is proven slower than riding mowers that propel themselves.
If you factor in the average speed a person mows with a push mower and an acre of grass, it will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish the mowing job. Keep in mind that the blade reach and sharpness play an integral role in how long it will take. We recommend a 22-inch push mower with freshly sharpened blades to get the job done in that timeframe.
Riding Mower
Riding mowers come in all different shapes, sizes, and styles and are good for mowing larger areas. The most common type of riding mower is a lawn tractor. Lawn tractors have front-mounted engines and an average deck size of 42 to 54-inches.
If you combine the deck size and the fact that they are self-propelled, you will conclude that a lawn tractor riding mower is a significantly faster way to mow an acre lawn than a push mower. If you have a 46-inch deck on your lawn tractor it will take approximately 28-47 minutes to mow an acre or 24-40 minutes with a 54-inch deck.
Zero-Turn Mower
The mother of all riding mowers is the zero-turn mower. Zero-turn mowers don’t have a steering wheel like most other riding mowers but instead have lap bars. The lap bars control the motor’s speed by pushing them forward or backward. They also control the turns you make. To turn a zero-turn mower, you push forward one of the handlebars while keeping the other stagnant or pulling it backward for a sharper turn.
Zero-turn mowers get their name by the degree to which they can turn. The sharp turn capabilities make them the mower of choice for professional mowing companies as they provide a cleaner cut. Zero-turns tend to mow a lawn at quicker speeds than other mowers. If you have a zero-turn mower, you can expect to mow an acre in 15-23 minutes.
Stand-on Mower
Stand-on mowers are a type of zero-turn mower. Instead of sitting down with the lap bars literally over your lap, the stand-on mowers are designed with the lap bars in front of you as you stand on the back of the mower.
This type of mower is another popular option for professional landscaping companies as you get the zero-turn precision but don’t have to constantly sit down and stand back up.
Stand-on mowers provide the average cut time for an acre as zero-turns at anywhere from 15-23 minutes.