All About Lawn Mower Fuel Types

When you run a professional landscaping business, you have many obstacles to overcome, from the right machine to the right fuel. When it comes to the bottom line, every piece of information can affect the efficiency of the operation and be the deciding factor between continued operations or an unsustainable business model. Even a seemingly minor decision like fuel can impact productivity, create harmful emissions and cause noise pollution. 

At Johnson Fleet & Farm, we like to help our clients get more efficiency from their machines. In that spirit, we’ve put together this short guide with some information about the different types of fuels for lawn mowers. For all your lawn equipment needs, visit us at one of our locations in Yulee and Fernandina Beach, FL and Homerville, GA. We also cater to the areas of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, FL. 

Gasoline

The standard option among commercial and personal mowers, gasoline is easily available at local gas stations. However, its convenience and availability are probably its best features. Gasoline engines are thought to be the most low maintenance option, but this just isn’t true. The benefit here is mostly that gasoline engines are so common that most small engine repair shops only work on gasoline engines. 

Gasoline-powered lawn mowers usually have the lowest upfront cost and, because they’re so popular, there’s always some new technology that’s increasing their efficiency or reducing service intervals. If simplicity and convenience are your primary requirements for fuel, then gasoline is a great choice.

Diesel

Diesel fuel offers some benefits for lawn mowers. These engines are more efficient than their gasoline counterparts. This means your overall running cost for a lawn mower will be lower. Service intervals are longer, which means less time between tuneups. This goes for engine components as well, including less oil and filter replacement, as well as a reduction in the overall wear the engine experiences. That means diesel mowers can last significantly longer than gasoline mowers. 

These benefits come with a price: diesel mowers cost more! Their engines are more expensive to make, and diesel is more expensive than gasoline or else more difficult to acquire. However, if you’re running a business and use your mower every day, longer life and more efficient running costs will be the better deal in the long run.

Propane

Propane mowers are becoming more popular as gas prices rise. Their biggest perk is the clean-burning fuel has little environmental impact — a growing concern among landscapers. Propane engines don’t experience the same carbon build-up as gasoline engines, making them last much longer (though not as long as a well-maintained diesel engine). Many municipalities, government agencies, colleges and homeowners associations require contractors to use propane-burning lawn mowers as part of sustainability efforts.

Refueling propane lawn mowers is a quick and easy process, usually as simple as disconnecting one tank and slipping another one in. That means more uptime for your mower and little worry of spillage. While propane isn’t as common as gasoline, most gas stations have propane available, so it’s easy to stock up at the beginning or end of the day. However, this isn’t always the case, and some propane mowers only accept tanks designed specifically for the mower, making it much more difficult to keep a working supply of fuel on hand. 

Ready to look at some lawn mowers for sale? Come on down to Johnson Fleet & Farm at one of our locations in Yulee and Fernandina Beach, FL and Homerville, GA and we’ll give you a complete tour of our inventory. We also serve the good people of Jacksonville and St. Augustine, FL.