Blasting years of mildew off a piece of patio furniture provides a level of satisfaction that is attainable only with a pressure washer. After you’ve found the best outdoor power equipment for your specific needs, be sure to visit our tips and advice page for more helpful ideas and inspiration. Just note that while this “awesome” snow thrower is effective, even the most powerful of machines may still need a few tries before taking on the heaviest snowfall. Similar to a snow thrower, it uses a rotating auger to scoop up snow, but rather than immediately shooting it out, it feeds the snow into an impeller (a powerful fan) which blows it out of the chute. The central bolt and washers in the correct order are used to hold the blade to the mounting plate. The pins on the mounting plate, some of which may be broken in your case, fit into the off center holes on the blade so that the bolt need only keep the blade pinned to the plate and the pins support the torque.
The easy to see battery compartment in the center of the mower has a clear plastic cover that’s lifted up 90 degrees to access the 40V 4Ah battery. There’s a nice big lift handle in the middle of the mower and the 6-position height adjustment lever is easy to use. There’s a sturdy lifting handle in the center of the mower, making it easy to pick up the entire mower. This is a definite plus when transporting it, putting it into a storage area or for extra maneuverability when mowing. One of the newer models is the SunJoe Cordless Lawn Mower (16LM), with a 16” deck, 40V Li-ion battery and 40 minute run time.
The thing that bothered me most was the need to jiggle and force the ejector flap into place on the top of the grass bag. Hanging the grass bag on the back of the mower was finicky as well. Since the grass bag must be installed to use the mower, and it fills up quickly so needs to be frequently emptied and replaced, this quickly became a real annoyance.
It also has less power than the other models we tested. The smaller Ryobi cleaned all the same things, but we had to hold the nozzle closer to the object and spend a little more time doing that. When it comes to just getting things clean, we preferred the bigger Ryobi, but this one can still work, depending on your timing and technique.
However, some can be quite heavy when they’re not running, but that’s not the case with the Sun Joe hover mower, which weighs just 10 pounds. For modest yards, it’s an efficient alternative to a wheeled mower as long as it’s used for regular trimming. Hover mowers do struggle with long grass, and there’s no adjustment for cutting height. Compared with the hose on the Ryobi electric model, the Sun Joe’s hose is 5 feet shorter, so encircling a car for washing, for example, is more difficult. The SPX3000 also has small wheels that don’t work well on a lawn—expect to do more carrying and dragging than all-terrain rolling. This washer also has a noisy universal motor, rather than an induction motor like the one on our top pick.
If you have a substantial lawn, then bigger is definitely better. You don’t want to be stopping to empty it every few minutes. The only drawback to these mowers is the length of cord you can use. Second, even if you use a heavy-duty cable that might overcome the heat problem, the resistance increases in the cable the longer it is. So daisy-chaining two cords together doesn’t work because enough voltage won’t get to the mower. Each of these efficient tools is backed by a wealth of experience and a terrific reputation for reliability, and it delivers a host of user-friendly and innovative features.
The battery compartment is spring-activated, which makes it easy to install and remove the battery. To install, simply push the battery all the way into the compartment until the battery’s push lock clicks, locking the battery in place. To remove the battery, push the battery down into the battery compartment (you’ll feel the spring pressure) sun joe power washer and press the push lock on the battery until the battery is pushed back up beyond the locking position. The mower is easy to start by depressing the safety lock button and pulling the switch bar (bail) until it touches the foam covered handle. The safety lock is hard to miss – it’s the big green button on the side of the right handle.
The multi-position quick-lock wheels make it easy to adjust the handle height. And the multi-position quick-lock wheels located on the mower deck make it easy to adjust the handle level for pretty much any sized operator. Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC. The mower blade can detach unexpectedly, posing a laceration hazard. This less expensive model cleans comparably, but because it lacks several standout features, it’s much less convenient to use.
Cordless lawn mowers have come a long way in the last few years, with increased power, lighter weight and longer run time. We researched a number of popular gas sun joe lawn mower washers, but none matched the Ryobi pick’s ease of use, warranty, availability, and Honda engine. The Simpson MegaShot MSH3125-S 49-State came the closest.