Splendid in the grass: self-propelled mowers.(Lawn Mowers - Test)(Evaluation)

SELF-PROPELLED MOWERS

The best of these work-saving machines still cost the most. But our tests of more than 30 models reveal two CR Best Buys that mow nearly as well for far less.

Most mowers with engine-driven wheels start at roughly $300--about twice the price of push mowers, covered on page 38. But you may find the extra cost worthwhile for half-acre lawns or those with hills. Manufacturers continue to make these inherently friendly mowers easier to use.

All of the models in this report can mulch, bag, or side-discharge clippings, and nearly all allow you to switch among those modes without tools. They also started easily, and two--the Cub Cadet SC621 and John Deere JS63C--can turn tight circles easily via swiveling front wheels, like the ones on shopping carts. Awkward cut-height adjustments have been the trade-off with that feature, though the Deere, shown at right, solves the problem with two convenient levers. You can also lock both wheels easily for mowing across slopes.

Cleaner-running engines are another development. Roughly two-thirds of these mowers meet strict new rules for California. Similar rules will go into effect nationwide by 2007 and are expected to cut allowable exhaust emissions by 390,000 tons per year compared with emissions for 2000. Newly manufactured mowers that do not meet California rules can't be sold in that state, as noted in the Ratings on pages 36 and 37, though even those machines are far cleaner than models made in the mid-1990s.

The best news is value. While the John Deere JX75, $800, tops our Ratings, two impressive CR Best Buys--the Craftsman 37779, $500, and John Deere JS63C, $410--cost hundreds of dollars less.

WHAT WE TESTED, HOW THEY DID