On Jul 26, 9:53*pm, Mat wrote:
On Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:51:14 -0400, Dimitrios Paskoudniakis wrote:

"Mat" wrote in message
news
I hate gas mowers/trimmers:

1. They are noisy, the trimmers can drive one crazy trying to sleep in
on a saturday morning
2. They pollute
3. They are +20x more expensive to operate than electric
4. They never start reliably
5. Always out of gas

The extra few minutes dealing with an ext cord are no big deal

Please share with us what lot size you have. *Would you recommend this for
someone with 3 to 5 acres?

7000 sqft, of course not. I should have qualified the post. Also, we have
clean hydro electric generated power here.

Possibly your original post should have been more specific, then. Or
possibly you should not have generalized your experience without
more thought.

We have two acres, and our electricity is generated by burning coal.
We
have a 16-hp John Deere lawn tractor. We live just outside of Ann
Arbor, MI,
about 5 miles away from my workplace. Hardly the boondocks, and only
about $200,000 ten years ago. (Probably worth about the same today.)

Allow me to address your points individually:

1. They are noisy, the trimmers can drive one crazy trying to sleep in
on a saturday morning

Well, we don't use a trimmer, and relatively few of my neighbors
(whose
yards are typically one or two acres) do, either. I try to wait
until
8 on a Saturday or 9 on a Sunday before mowing. (Mind you, I wake
up at 4:30 on weekdays and no later than 5:30 on weekends.)

2. They pollute

So does electricity generation, except in those few places
where hydro is feasible. Even that is not completely non-polluting
if you take into account the pollution generated during the building
of
power plants.

3. They are +20x more expensive to operate than electric

Not everywhere. A pity I didn't open my electric bill last night;
I might have more accurate info on electricity rates here. I
believe it might be $0.20/kWh, but my memory isn't what it
used to be.

4. They never start reliably

Only if you fail to keep them properly maintained.

5. Always out of gas

Only if you are irremediably disorganized. It's not difficult
to keep the gas can filled.

The extra few minutes dealing with an ext cord are no big deal

Granted, if your lot is small enough. We had under 4000 sqft when
I was a kid, and we had an electric mower.

For those rare occasions when I use a trimmer, I use an electric
one, although it's hardly quiet. I'm only interested in trimming
relatively near the house.

Cindy Hamilton