How long does it Take to Mow A Lawn?
It takes between 10 minutes to 24 hours to mow a lawn. “How long does it take to mow the lawn?" is a question that has several different answers based on your lawn's acreage, the type of lawn mower you use, and its deck size. For example, it's intuitive that mowing your lawn with a push mower will take longer than a lawn tractor — but that's only the tip of the iceberg when estimating how long it takes to mow your lawn.
Americans love mowing their lawns; the average person spends around 384 hours, or 16 days, mowing their lawn over their lifetime. Our team at Mowrator wants to help you understand the best way to estimate how long it takes to mow your lawn, what can increase the time it takes, and the best ways to make your mowing more efficient. Let's dive right in.
Key Takeaways
- Mowing time depends on factors like lawn size, mower type, terrain, and weather, with tools like a lawn mowing calculator providing accurate estimates.
- Efficient mowing requires appropriate equipment, sharp blades, and mowing in dry, ideal conditions to avoid delays caused by obstacles or wet grass.
- Operator skill significantly affects mowing speed, as experienced operators reduce overlap and work more efficiently than beginners.
How long does it Take to Mow Your Lawn? | Lawn Mowing Calculator
How long it takes to mow your lawn will be the area of your lawn (in square feet) divided by how fast your lawn mower is (in miles per hour), the width of your mower deck (in inches), and an efficiency variable (typically around 90%). Once you have all those figures, you can use this handy lawn-cutting calculator to know how long it will take to mow your lawn.
Mowing Time = Lawn Area/(Mower Speed x Deck Width x Efficiency)
For example, if your lawn was 20,000 square feet, your lawn mower's speed was 9 miles per hour with a deck width of 21 inches and an efficiency of 90%, you could plug all those numbers into the formula like this:
Mowing Time = 20000/(9 × 21 × 0.9)
Mowing time = 117.58 minutes
Using a grass-cutting calculator like this gives you a reasonably accurate estimate of the time it takes to mow your lawn. However, this is an estimate, and your lawn care may be shorter or longer depending on other factors like obstacles, taking breaks, and set-up time before you start. The type of lawn mower you have is one of the most significant factors determining how long it will take to mow your lawn.
How long does it Take to Mow an Acre? | Different Lawn Mower Types
The time it takes to mow an acre varies drastically depending on the type of lawn mower you own. Robot lawn mowers can autonomously mow an acre in 12 hours, while a zero-turn mower can mow lawns within 20 minutes if you're efficient. Look at the table below to find out how many acres you can mow using your lawn mower.
| Lawn Mower Type | Time to Mow an Acre |
|---|---|
| Push Mower | 2.5 hours on average |
| Riding Mower | 20 minutes to 1 hour on average |
| Zero Turn Mower | 10 to 30 minutes on average |
| Remote Control Mower (Mowrator) | 2 hours on average |
| Robot Lawn Mower | 12 to 20 hours on average |
What Factors Affect Mowing Time?
Factors that affect your mowing time include the size and terrain of your lawn, the condition of your grass, your lawn mower type, your skill using your lawn mower, and the weather conditions. We've outlined how each affects your mowing time and what you can do to make your lawn care process more efficient.
| Factors | How They Increase Mowing Time | How You Can Increase Acres Per Hour |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn Size and Characteristics | Larger lawns take longer to mow; uneven terrain, slopes, and obstacles like trees or flower beds slow progress. | Use a mower with a wider cutting deck (e.g., 60-inch vs. 42-inch) to reduce passes and clear any debris from your lawn. |
| Grass Condition | Tall, dense, or wet grass requires slower speeds and multiple passes; clumping can occur with damp grass. | Mow when grass is dry; maintain regular mowing schedules to prevent overgrowth; use sharp blades for cleaner cuts. |
| Operator Skill | Inexperienced operators may overlap excessively or waste time navigating obstacles. | Use efficient patterns to minimize overlap, and ensure you are familiar with all your mower's controls. |
| Weather Conditions | Wet, hot, or windy conditions increase time due to clumping, uneven cuts, or mower strain. | Mow during ideal weather (dry, cooler temperatures); raise the deck height in wet conditions to avoid clogging. |
Lawn Size and Characteristics
Your lawn's size directly affects how long it takes to mow — which makes perfect sense. However, other small characteristics of your lawn can also impact how long you spend outside in the summer heat. Obstacles like trees, flower beds, driveways, and forgotten kids' toys can considerably increase lawn mowing time, even if you have the correct type of mower.
The best way to tackle a large and busy lawn is to use a maneuverable lawn mower with an expansive mower deck after cleaning your yard of any debris in the way. This increases the acres you can mow per hour and saves on costs from any damage the debris may have caused to your mower.
Grass Condition
Wet, tall, and dense grass will prolong how long it takes to mow your lawn. The grass' height and density, for example, will affect how quickly you can mow and the number of passes you need to make to reach an even cut. The same is true for wet grass, which will clump together and lead to tearing instead of clear-cutting, which requires extra cleaning time.
To minimize the effect of your grass' condition on your average mowing time, choose when you will mow wisely. Always opt for dry conditions, mow regularly to reduce grass height, and sharpen your lawn mower blades for a more effective cut.
Operator Skill
How skillfully you operate your lawn mower is an understated factor affecting your average mowing speed. You can alleviate this with experience, as a study by the Agricultural and Environmental Letters notes that “Individuals with 6+ years of experience reduced overlap by 7.7% compared to operators with 2–3 years of experience, and by 20.6% compared to new operators when performing similar tasks like fertilizer application or mowing.”
Aside from experience, it's best to revisit your lawn mower's owner manual and understand if there are any hidden features or controls that your mower is capable of. YouTube and lawn care forums are another excellent place to familiarize yourself with mowing patterns and techniques.
Weather Conditions
Weather conditions, both cold and warm, can impact how long it takes to mow your lawn. In extremely high temperatures (above 85℉), mowing can stress out your grass, lead to browning as well as cause you to experience fatigue. Wet conditions can create muddy conditions that make it harder to mow your lawn and increase the time it takes to mow your lawn.
Do you want a lawn mower to conquer slopes, tall grass, and anything else you throw? Introducing Mowrator's collection of remote control lawnmowers — powered by 4 Beast™ motors with up to 75% slope handling. Shop the most easy-to-use lawn mower on the market, and don't look back today.
FAQs on How long does it Take to Mow A Lawn?
What is the 1/3 rule for mowing?
The 1/3 rule for mowing is a rule that advises you to remove only one-third of a grass blade's height during a single mowing session. Studies by the University of Florida show that cutting more than this can stress the grass, reducing its ability to photosynthesize and weakening root growth, which increases vulnerability to weeds, pests, and diseases while promoting a thinner, less resilient lawn.
How many steps does it take to mow a lawn?
The steps you take to mow your lawn can range from 6,000 to 10,000, according to FitBit data, depending on your lawn mower type. For example, mowing 1 acre with a 22-inch push mower requires approximately 9,505 steps, while a 30-inch push mower reduces this to about 6,970 steps, saving over 2,500 steps per acre. Some remote control lawn mowers, like Mowrator's S1 Remote Control Lawn Mower 4WD, relieve the pressure of walking while you mow, which is helpful for elderly and disabled homeowners.
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