I Have Been A Baaaaad Eco-Dyke
You did say the title in your best Elmer Fudd voice didn’t you? If not, please do so now… I’ll wait…
So this morning I figured I would be a good little Landscaping Dyke and start that yearly cycle of mowing the yard… well at least the front yard. I was so proud (and slightly amazed) that I actually thought ahead and plugged the mower in the day before. Yes, you heard me right… plugged it in.
When we moved into our house in Feb 2009, V and I were both still in school. I was a smart Dyke that first year and hired a lawn service. The following year, I decided to take over the yard work because no one could do it the way I liked (not a control freak I promise). So I figured it would be a fabulous time to become an Awesome Eco-Dyke and go completely cordless and gas free. Yay me!! My folks got me a cordless mower for my birthday; I sprang for the cordless edger/trimmer and bloher.
Year one was good. I managed to mow the entire yard (~5300 sqft) all in one day, twice. I quickly found out that to save myself from a heart attack, I really needed to split it up. It was not because I was out of shape (even though I was); it was because I had to move at a power walk speed to get it all done before the battery ran out. Once I got my routine down, it was not bad. Mow the front yard, edge, trim and blow. Recharge the two batteries overnight then mow the back yard the next day.
Last year, I noticed that the cord that attaches the battery to the mower was being testy. So I stopped taking the battery out of the mower to recharge it because it was a pain to get it going again. This meant keeping the mower in the, already over crowded, garage. We made do. I gained more batteries for the Ryobi. Okay I bought more Ryobi cordless tools that just so happen to use the same batteries. A Dyke can never have too many tools or batteries.
So back to this morning… the charger gave me the green light for the mower. I unplugged it and rolled it out of the garage. I fired it up (pulled a handle) and started on my path. I didn’t even make it 100 feet before the battery was giving me a red light. Urgh!! I thought maybe it was because I had it too low since I normally mowed at 3.5 inches. I raised it, but still not change. I turned it around to at least finish the strip I started. Then what do you know, the handle (that makes it go) broke. URGH!! I rolled it back in the garage… defeated.
Admittedly, I had already been contemplating getting a new mower. The whole “let’s take two days to do the yard” was wearing a bit thin. Now if the cordless technology were more advanced, I would definitely get another one. But it is back to the ozone killing mower for now. So now I am only a half Awesome Eco-Dyke.
After giving her a spin tonight, I am happy with my new mower decision. The Lawn-Boy 10603 from Home Depot is light weight for easy maneuverability; cuts evenly; and is not all that loud. I hope she lasts longer than 2 years.
