Best Mower for Uneven Ground – Buyer’s Guide

Maintaining an uneven lawn can be quite a challenge for any gardener, especially when it comes to finding the right mower. Choosing the wrong mower can not only leave your lawn looking unsightly but also make mowing a tedious task. This is why it’s essential to invest in the best mower for uneven ground to ensure that your lawn is looking neat and healthy.

In this blog post, we’ll be exploring some of the top mowers that are specifically designed for uneven terrain, discussing their features and benefits, as well as providing some tips on how to choose the best mower for your specific needs. So, whether you have a hilly yard, a bumpy lawn or a garden with varying terrain, this guide will help you find the right mower for the job, making lawn maintenance a breeze.

1. Greenworks MO40L02 – Best Electric Mower for Uneven Ground

When it comes to fully electric landscaping equipment, Greenworks stands out as the leading brand in the consumer-grade market, offering a range of solid options for commercial-grade applications as well. Greenworks was specifically founded and specializes in the production of these products, which contributes to their expertise and reputation in the industry. Although this particular model is positioned towards the consumer-grade end of the spectrum, it is unequivocally the best electric mower we have encountered for uneven ground. However, it is important to note that, like any well-crafted product, the Greenworks mower commands a higher price compared to other alternatives, and its electric motor power inherently falls short of the performance delivered by gas-powered engines.

One of the notable advantages of the Greenworks mower is its cordless power, a defining characteristic of electric mowers. This feature carries significant implications. Although not as robust as comparable gas-powered models, the Greenworks mower still possesses surprising cutting power and can effortlessly handle even moderately thick grass. Some customers have observed an imperfect cutting pattern that necessitates multiple passes, but ultimately, the grass is effectively trimmed. This cutting power is primarily attributed to the utilization of newer 40V motors, which are twice as powerful as their previous generation counterparts. Furthermore, the integration of brushless motor technology not only augments the torque output but also ensures enhanced durability.

The Greenworks lawnmower boasts a solid 21″ deck, exemplifying the brand’s commitment to exceptional build quality. Beyond the technical aspects, one of the most advantageous qualities of an electric mower lies in its ease of use compared to gas-powered models. The push-start mechanism of an electric mower eliminates the hassles associated with the pull-start method commonly found in gas-powered mowers. Furthermore, the Greenworks mower offers the convenience of a single lever for height adjustments, streamlining the process and eliminating the complexity of the 4-pin method utilized by other mowers.

2. Husqvarna HU800AWDH – Best Lawn Mower for Large Uneven Garden

For anyone with even a little experience using professional or commercial grade lawnmowers, it should come as little surprise that a Husqvarna takes the top spot on our list. As one of the oldest continuously running companies in the world, Husqvarna has earned a solid reputation for one of the better values in the professional landscaping equipment market. This particular model offers some of the best cutting power that we saw and combined it with enough options to ensure that you do not risk scalping your lawn at an uneven point. Other than a higher price, there is little reason not to consider our Editor’s Choice pick is also the best mower for uneven ground.

Solid Power

Great Ranges

When trying to avoid scalping your lawn, one of the most important consideration is the range of cutting options you have available. The Husqvarna is by far the best mower in this regard on our list with the widest cutting range between 1” to 4”. This cutting range is even more impressive due to the 9-position cutting settings to accommodate whatever grading you run across. This is in a fair bit due to the 12” wheel which beyond their size are also especially rugged and durable. To make sure you have no maneuverability issues, the Husqvarna also has an AWD drivetrain to help maintain traction. Finally, this is a self-propelled lawnmower, so you do not need to worry about the labor and fatigue associated with push mowers.

3. Craftsman 37430 – Best Push Mower for Uneven Terrain

As a company, Craftsman is far more well known for their power tools than they are for their outdoor landscaping equipment, but if it is a tool used for commercial jobs, Craftsman likely makes one. Even better, Craftsman made sure to include their customary level of quality, so you know you do not have to worry about longevity issues. That is not to say that the Craftsman is a perfect mower as every budget-friendly option has a few warts. That said, none of the issues actually affect the Craftsman’s ability to perform its function making it the best budget mower for uneven ground.

Solid Power

Though it is not the most powerful lawnmower on our list, the Craftsman is still fairly respectable – especially at their price point. Most of this has to do with the inclusion of a Briggs and Stratton 140cc engine which is one of the better small block manufacturers in the market. This engine comes with a solid 5.1 hp and 5 lbs/ft of torque making it more than a match for pretty much any homeowner yard you have. This power is able to put to full use with a cutting transmission that provides for multiple cutting actions including rear and side discharge as well as a mulching option.

Ups and Downs

In order to get such a good mower at such a low price, you have to expect some minor inconveniences, and in this case, it is all of the creature comforts. For instance,  this is a pull-start mower with a spring-loaded starter and a quick-start spark plug, but it is still a pain.  This is also the only push mower on our list which will make using the Craftsman more tiring than the other options reviewed. It does have a decent cutting height range of 1 ¼” to 3 ¾”, but you have to adjust the height setting with multiple levers instead of just one. On the other hand, the 11” wheels are the second-largest on our list and allow the Craftsman to go over uneven ground without biting into the lawn.

Best Type of Lawn Mower for Uneven Ground – Buyer’s Guide

Type

When choosing a lawnmower, the first thing to consider is where and for what tasks you will be using it. These answers will inform which type of lawnmower would best serve your uneven ground as different types are best suited for different people. That said, the type setting is based on what type of power source the lawnmower uses with the options being gas-powered or electric. Though within the electric type there is a further division between corded and cordless models, the corded models are generally not maneuverable enough to qualify for our list.

Gas-Powered

This is the most common type of lawnmower on the market, though that is more due to technology development than anything else. That said, gas-powered lawnmowers do have some distinct advantages over electric lawnmowers in terms of cutting power because electric motors require far more energy to get the same power as combustion. Of course, combustion requires fuel and many lawnmowers also require a fuel and oil mixture. On the other hand, engines are generally more durable than motors, though brushless motors are fairly comparable. It is also worth noting that gas-powered lawnmowers are usually more expensive than all but the best electric lawnmowers.  On top of that, gas-powered lawnmowers are often heavier and less maneuverable than electric lawnmowers. 

Cordless Electric

All cordless electric lawnmowers, and landscaping equipment more generally, will use a battery pack to provide power to the motor. Not long ago, this means that most cordless electric lawnmowers were heavily limited in cutting power due to a smaller maximum voltage. Thankfully, the consumer-grade market has recently seen a surge in the development of 40V electric motors which allows it to generate cutting power comparable to a corded electric lawnmower – though it still falls a good bit short compared to a gas-powered lawnmower. That said, electric lawnmowers a significantly easier to use since they do not require fuel and use a push-start as opposed to a pull-start.

Power

Rather than referring to the power source, power in this sense is meant to refer to the cutting power that the lawnmower can generate. As mentioned previously, gas-powered lawnmowers are generally able to produce more cutting power than a comparable electric mower, but the transmission of the engine or motor’s power to the blades involves more than just raw energy. Still, it is important to consider what specs are important and which are more fluff than anything else.

With respect to cutting power, this often comes down to the difference between cutting speed and torque. While generally the torque is by far the most important for cutting, it impacts how well the blade cuts when meeting resistance. Grass, however, offers little to no resistance until you start to compact it like when using a mulch cutting action. In fact, for pure cutting purposes, the blade speed isarguably more important to ensure a clean cut rather than ‘push down’ – though you only need to meet a baseline floor of about 2000 to 2500 RPMs.

Deck

Outside of the nuts and bolts, the most important thing to consider is the actual physical cutting specs since this will determine how effective the mower is when cutting uneven grass. That said, the deck is important for far more reasons than that, not the least of which is that its size will heavily determine how long it takes you cut a given piece of land. The larger the deck, the fewer passes you must make on the same size plot as with a mower that has a smaller deck. In this regard, anything over 20” should be seen as pretty good, though walking mowers will always be a bit more limited in this regard than other types of mowers.

Another important consideration with regards to the mower’s deck is how wide of a cutting height range it has and the number of different height settings. When the ground is uneven, you need the ability to cut it at different heights depending on the grade of the surface you are cutting. The wider the cutting height range and number of cutting positions the bigger differences and more complex differences in elevation the mower can tackle. That said, this is also determined by the height and size of the wheels which provide points of leverage for uneven cuts.

Ease of Use

Considering lawnmowers are some of the few pieces of equipment that homeowners use just as regularly as professionals, this is seen as an important consideration in the market – even for professional-grade lawnmowers. That said, there is a clear winner with this quality as the electric lawnmower is by far the easier of the two types. This begins with getting the two devices started and only expands from that point as managing batteries is much easier than gasoline and oil – occasionally in mixtures.

On top of that, a number of things that a gas-powered lawnmower require manual actions for the electric lawnmower can do electrically. The most obvious of these qualities comes once again with getting the lawnmower to start. Specifically, most gas-powered walking lawnmowers use a pull-start which, even when aided with spring-loaded mechanisms and primed spark plugs, is still much more inconvenient than simply pressing a button. One important feature that is not exclusive is a self-propelled transmission which will greatly reduce the amount of energy you spend using the lawnmower.

Conclusion

In the end, there are few mowers for uneven ground that can compete with Husqvarna’s raw power. The impressive 190cc Honda engine can spin the blades up to 3000 RPMs and cuts with over 8 lbs/ft of torque for the heaviest of grass mulching jobs. Though it is the most expensive option on our list, it also has the largest deck, wheels, cutting range, and number of cutting positions. When you add the fact that it is a self-propelled lawnmower, the price tag seems like more of a bargain. Of course, if you are looking for a true bargain, then we recommend the Craftsman that is a little bit less power, a little more inconvenient, but about half the price of the Husqvarna.