Yes, you can push a self-propelled lawn mower. When the self-propelled feature is not in use, the mower can be pushed forward by the user.
However, let me tell you a personal story about pushing self-propelled lawn mowers and explain why significant pushing of a self-propelled mower is not typically ideal.
The short story:
Many years ago when I was in high school, I spent my summer days mowing lawns for my friend’s landscaping business. Our mowers started as being self-propelled but this feature quickly broke down from the wear and tear of mowing several lawns per day using residential mowers.
My friend, being cheap or broke, didn’t want to spend the cash to repair the mowers. We ended up pushing the self–propelled mowers until the end of the season. It was a grueling task to say the least and had me wishing I ad a lightweight push mower or repaired self-propelled mower for daily use.
There is often a big difference between the weight of a push vs. self-propelled mower . Push mowers tend to be much lighter than self-propelled mowers. A push mower does not have the extra weight of the self-propelled mechanism. Additionally, mower manufacturers typically keep the weight of push mowers reasonable to allow for easy manual operation.
Self-propelled mowers can be much heavier since they have the assistance of the self-propelled feature to move them forward. In other words, the mower does all of the moving of the heavy weight.
To demonstrate the weight difference between push and self-propelled lawn mowers, we listed the weights of a selection of lawn brands in the tables below.
The average weight of the push mowers is 62 pounds. The average weight of the self-propelled mowers is 88 pounds. There is a 26 pound difference between the push vs. self-propelled mowers.
Table of Contents
Push Lawn Mower Weights
| Lawn Mower | Model # | Cutting Width | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toro SMARTSTOW, High Wheel Push Mower | 21329 | 22" | 69 lbs. |
| Toro High Wheel Push Mower | 21320 | 21" | 59 lbs. |
| Toro High Wheel Push Mower | 21319 | 21" | 54 lbs. |
| Honda | HRN216PKA | 21" | 73 lbs. |
| Honda | HRS216PKA | 21" | 64 lbs. |
| Ariens LM Push | 911157 | 21" | 72 lbs. |
| Cub Cadet | SC100H | 21" | 65 lbs. |
| Cub Cadet | SC100HW | 21" | 63 lbs. |
| Yard Machines | 11A-02BT729 | 20" | 50 lbs. |
| Lawn-Boy | 17730 | 21" | 61 lbs. |
| Poulan Pro | 961120134 | 21" | 57 lbs. |
| Aavix | AGT1320 | 20" | 63 lbs. |
| MTD | 11A-02BT706 | 20" | 50 lbs. |
| PowerSmart | DB2321C | 21" | 58 lbs. |
| Troy-Bilt | TB160 | 21" | 70 lbs. |
| Craftsman | CMXGMAM1125500 | 21" | 72 lbs. |
| Bolens | 11A-020W765 | 20" | 48 lbs. |
| Average Weight | 62 lbs |
Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Weights
| Lawn Mower | Model # | Cutting Width | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toro PoweReverse, Personal Pace, SMARTSTOW, High Wheel Mower | 20355 | 22" | 77 lbs. |
| Toro PoweReverse, Personal Pace, High Wheel | 20357 | 22" | 83 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, All Wheel Drive Mower | 20353 | 22" | 77 lbs. |
| Toro SMARTSTOW, Personal Pace, High Wheel Mower | 20340 | 22" | 80 lbs. |
| Toro SMARTSTOW, Variable Speed, High Wheel Mower | 20339 | 22" | 78 lbs. |
| Toro Variable Speed High Wheel Honda Engine Mower | 20379 | 22" | 75 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace Mower | 20332 | 22" | 78 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Spin-Stop Mower | 20333 | 22" | 89 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Electric Start Mower | 20334 | 22" | 87 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace Mower | 20372 | 22" | 81 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Spin-Stop Mower | 20373 | 22" | 90 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Electric Start Mower | 20374 | 22" | 87 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Honda Engine Mower | 20337 | 22" | 78 lbs. |
| Toro Variable Speed Mower | 20377 | 22" | 71 lbs. |
| Toro Variable Speed, High Wheel Mower | 20378 | 22" | 72 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Super Recycler Mower | 21381 | 21" | 86 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Honda Engine Super Recycler Mower | 20382 | 21" | 85 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Spin-Stop, Super Recycler Mower | 20383 | 21" | 94 lbs. |
| Toro Personal Pace, Electric Start, Super Recycler Mower | 20384 | 21" | 91 lbs. |
| Honda | HRX217VKA | 21" | 89 lbs. |
| Honda | HRX217VLA | 21" | 95 lbs. |
| Honda | HRX217VYA | 21" | 95 lbs. |
| Honda | HRX217HYA | 21" | 97 lbs. |
| Honda | HRX217HZA | 21" | 106 lbs. |
| Honda | HRN216VKA | 21" | 82 lbs. |
| Honda | HRN216VYA | 21" | 88 lbs. |
| Honda | HRN216VLA | 21" | 87 lbs. |
| Honda | HRS216VKA | 21" | 69 lbs. |
| Ariens LM Self-Propelled | 911158 | 22" | 92 lbs. |
| Cub Cadet | SC300 | 21" | 90 lbs. |
| Cub Cadet | SC300HW | 21" | 90lbs. |
| Cub Cadet | SC500HW | 21" | 90 lbs. |
| Craftsman | CMXGMAM1125505 | 21" | 84 lbs. |
| Average Weight | 88 lbs. |
Conclusion
While you can push a self-propelled lawn mower, the weight of these machines often makes it a laborious task to mow a full lawn by pushing. The ability to push a self-propelled lawn mower is often reserved for when the self-propelled mechanism is not practical. For example, when you are mowing around yard obstacle such as trees or swing sets, it may easier to mow by pushing instead of self-propelled.
If you purchase a self-propelled lawn mower, the majority of the lawn should be mowed using the self-propelled feature. If you find yourself pushing your self-propelled mower more than using the self-propel feature, you may be better suited for a lighter push mower.