Striping is simple, you just have to bend grass in different directions.
Even, you can use any mower to make stripes on your lawn. It’s not about cutting grass at different heights, it’s just bending grass.
Below, you can see some of the best mowers for striping. However, it’s possible to make stripes with your existing mower, you just need a striping kit or you can build your own lawn striper.
DIY Lawn Striper to Get Amazing Stripes
Whether you have a 21″ push mower or a 60″ riding mower, you can get beautiful stripes on your lawn. You just need to bend the grass in different directions.
There are multiple lawn striping kits available that you can mount on your mower, and start making stripes.
But, making a lawn striper kit at home is also very easy and, it’s a lot cheaper than buying a striping kit. Both have their own pros and cons.
Watch this short video to see a comparison of the DIY lawn striper and the Toro Lawn Striping System.
How to Build Your Own Lawn Striper
There are multiple ways to build your own lawn striper. I’ll not go deep in detail, but I’ll add some relevant videos.
You can use a PVC pipe, fill it with sand, granules, etc., and then mount it at the end of your mower. It’s not that difficult, but it’ll take some time.
This is a great video (less than 6 minutes) about how you can easily make your own lawn striping kit.
This video is about making a DIY striper for a zero-turn mower.
With these techniques, you can build a striper for any mower whether it’s zero turn, tractor, or push mower. It’ll work.
Best Lawn Striping Kits in the Market
There are some really good lawn striping kits available in the market. You can buy one based according to your mower.
For 21″ – 22″ Walk Behind Mowers
The best striping kit for 21″ – 22″ walk-behind mowers is Toro Lawn Striping Kit. After assembly, the dimensions will be 13 in. w x 16.50 in. d x 24 in. h. To make it functional, you need to add 16 to 20 lbs of dry sand. You can also fill granules in it.
You can also try Lawn Stryper which fits most 20″ – 22″ gas walk-behind mowers.
For Toro Timemaster
For Toro Timemaster, the most suitable striping kit is a 30″ TORO Striping System.
For 42″, 50″, 54″, and 60″ Zero Turn Mowers
You can go with MTD Lawn Striping Kit. It’ll fit 50″, 54″, and 60″ ZTR models of Cub Cadet, Troy Bilt, and other top models.
You can also buy this Cub Cadet Lawn Striping Kit that fits stamped deck mowers.
Best Lawn Mower for Stripes
Greenworks G-MAX Cordless Lawn Mower
The Greenworks G-MAX Cordless Lawn Mower is lightweight, starts instantly, and delivers gas-like power without fumes, noise, and gas maintenance.
This makes it ideal for striping lawns, landscape maintenance, yard work, or small landscaping jobs.
It includes a 16-inch cutting deck which allows you to maneuver through small to medium-sized yards easier without bumping into things in the process.
This large cutting deck enables you to experience less effort and get more done especially if you’re looking for a lawnmower that stripes.
The 2-in-1 feature offers rear bagging and mulching capability, so you can choose whether to bag or mulch your grass clippings.
While the 5-position height adjustment offers a cutting range from 1-1/4″ to 3-3/8″ for the best cut in all environments, perfect if you want striped lawns.
The six-inch front wheel and seven-inch rear wheel let you maneuver with ease over your yard. It also has easy fold handles, which makes transport hassle-free and straightforward.
The G-MAX lawn includes one 40V 4.0 Ah battery and a charger that can fire up in three hours to charge itself fully and can run for as long as 45 minutes on one single charge, making it perfect for more extensive work areas.
While the cordless battery-operated feature was a plus for many people, others complained that the batteries drain fast, requiring them to charge the batteries more frequently.
BLACK+DECKER Electric Mower
With the powerful 10 Amp motor and steel blades of the BLACK+DECKER Electric Mower, you can now mow through wild grass and create clean and perfect stripes for your lawn without breaking a sweat.
This corded electric mower requires no gas, oil, or tune-ups, but with its 10 Amp motor, it will help you power through rough grass and uneven surfaces across curbs or driveway edges and can quickly achieve a striped lawn.
Delivering a smooth cut on even the toughest grass, it has six height settings from 1 inch to 3 inches for precise cuts.
This feature enables you to cut through tall and short grass alike so you can customize how your lawn looks. It also allows you to shift between mulching, bagging, or using the side discharge chute for custom mowing styles.
Aside from that, a comfortable grip bike handlebar design reduces friction and enhances maneuverability, giving you better control when striping your lawn.
While a front-wheel-drive system is incorporated, which increases stability in turns, it also has rugged wheel treads designed for maximum control when mowing thick grass.
This electric lawn mower features an enhanced clipping collection winged blade that yields a 30% better clipping collection.
An easy-access rear bag is also included to store clippings for quick composting or disposal conveniently.
Some consumers like this mower, but others have complained about a few issues. The size of the collection bag is small, and it fills up quickly.
Some complaint about the collection bag coming off in the middle of cutting.
AchiForce Cordless Lawn Mower
The AchiForce Cordless lawn mower for striping is equipped with a high-efficiency motor that delivers an impressive cut speed providing a smooth and quick mowing experience.
The brushless motor runs fast and robust, which means more mowing in lesser time. And with its impressive cut speed, you can get rid of anything from stubborn weeds to unwanted grass that has overgrown, creating a perfectly manicured and striped lawn.
It features increased efficiency from its wide 13-inch Oregon blade, making cutting grass more efficient.
Still, this expansive cutting deck also enables you to mow in fewer passes which cuts down the time devoted to mowing.
For added convenience, the AchiForce mower has a 5-position height adjustment lever that sets a cutting range from 0.98 inches to 2.56 inches in 1/2 inch increments which helps you achieve a clean, striped lawn that looks professionally done.
It is equipped with a 40 V, 4 Ah lithium-ion battery pack that runs for 45 minutes when fully charged and offers a quick recharge time to match so you can get all of your yard work done in half the time.
The AchiForce motor is also engineered to decrease noise while increasing speed and maximizing the power of each battery charge, while a clog-free deck design ensures a great cut at every mow.
These features combined with an ergonomic handle and a light 27.3 lbs. weight provide maximum user comfort and control for an effortless gardening experience and less fatigue, even on rough terrain.
A few people complained that the assembly process was a little challenging, and the instructions could be clearer.
However, don’t let the accessories and a complex assembly turn you off. A lot of users still think this mower is worth all the effort.
Craftsman Self-Propelled Gas-Powered Lawn Mower
The Craftsman Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is easy to start right out of the box. It is powered by a dependable 159CC OHV gas engine that will give you long years of mowing under the toughest conditions.
No more hard work pushing around a push mower and zero turn mowers or dealing with a pull cord that’s getting harder to pull every year of mowing.
With this striping lawn mower, simply pull the cord to start, and you’re good to go.
You’ll appreciate the unit 3-in-1 capabilities feature, which provides you with side discharge, rear discharge, and mulching capabilities. It allows you to choose the option that best suits your lawn’s conditions.
By selecting the side discharge or rear bagging options, you can have a uniform cut either horizontally or vertically.
The mulching feature is intended to help reduce the number of clippings left on your lawn by allowing the mower blades to engage and chop up the grass clippings.
The high-quality dual-lever adjustable cutting height on this Craftsman mower helps provide the precision and even cut you desire.
Just choose from 6 different height settings to suit your lawn’s needs and watch your mower create a customized striped cut for your lawn.
The self-propelled and variable speed system keeps your pace smooth, and the superior handling system allows you to clean up in convoluted areas with ease.
This mower for stripes also features zag tread tires to enhance traction for increased maneuverability across uneven surfaces, including those covered with inclines or bumps.
This mower gets the job done without making a fuss. Even so, it is undeniably quite loud, so keep that in mind if you can’t handle the loud noise.
LawnMaster Electric Corded Lawn Mower
For a mower with plenty of power and durability, look no further than the LawnMaster electric lawnmower.
This mower has a 15-inch high-impact rust-resistant deck and patented twin blade system to deliver clean, even cuts every time that easily handles small to medium-sized lawns.
This electric mower for stripes is crafted with a powerful 11AMP motor and provides high speeds of 3300 RPM producing enough power to tackle tough yards to create a fresh, clean striped lawn in a breeze.
It comes with six cutting settings ranging from 1 inch to 3 inches and features a one-touch height adjustment lever. This enables you to enjoy perfect results and a super clean lawn edge every time.
Its adjustable handle offers additional comfort. While the 7-gallon collection bag will hold a large amount of grass clipping for each use. This way, you don’t have to stop and dispose of your clippings in the middle of mowing your yard.
The rear and front wheels are no-flat, swivel wheels, measuring 5.5 inches and 7.75 inches in diameter.
It’s ideal for large yards that need a good trim and has front wheels that freely rotate so the operator can adjust it left or right without lifting it from the ground. Plus, it folds down quickly for easy storage.
Despite this, some users have found it hard to maneuver, and the wheels got stuck on uneven terrains, so keep that in mind if you’re working on rough yards.
How to Choose a Lawn Mower to Achieve Lawn Stripes
Lawn Size
When selecting a mower for stripes, the primary considerations are the size of the lawn and the width of the cut desired.
First, the size of your lawn needs to match the length of the mower’s blade. The larger the edge, the larger the area, and the more grass you can cut with a single pass.
The width of the mower’s blade determines how much will be trimmed with each pass, so make sure that it is suitable for the size of your lawn and your desired stripes.
Also, depending on your preferences when creating stripes, you can opt for lawnmowers with a small cutting deck for narrower and more stripes or an enormous cutting deck for wider and fewer stripes.
The smallest and most powerful machines cut the wispiest blades of grass, perfect for small areas.
Conversely, more giant blades and more expansive decks enable fewer passes which is suitable for medium to large-sized lawns.
No matter how big your lawn is, it is essential to choose a machine with a cutting width that covers less than 50% of its area to achieve a professional-looking striped lawn.
Height Adjustment
There should only be one rule to understand when choosing a lawnmower to achieve stripes: don’t cut down too close to the ground!
This is why the best mower for stripes is something with multiple height adjustment settings. This extra feature will put your striping lawn experience to a whole new level of ease.
The cutting height determines how low or high your lawnmower will cut grass. Ideally, you want to have blades that have a high angle so that you can cut dead-center foliage while keeping the grass at the perfect level.
Most professional lawn mower that leaves stripes on the lawn come with four or six-height settings. This way, you can adjust how high or low you will cut and still maintain a precision line. This will also ensure that the grass is cut at consistent levels for a polished stripe look.
Another reason you want lawnmowers with multiple height settings is that when striping, you put your lawn at the risk of scalping.
Scalping is a term used to describe cutting the grass too short. This is because it involves mowing the grass at such a close level that it looks as if it’s been shaved off with a razor which gives your lawn not only an undefined stripe look but will seriously weaken your lawn long-term.
Ease of Maneuverability
For a professional look, choose landscaping equipment that is easy to control. A lawnmower that is hard to steer may result in an uneven line, causing your grass to be spotty.
By investing in easy-to-handle lawnmowers, you’ll achieve professional results every time.
When it comes to cutting stripes on your lawn, there are many options. You’ll want to choose a mower with durable tires that can get you up and down the lawn, as well as one with adjustable handles to make maintaining your stripes a breeze.
Regardless of the type of lawnmower you use, it is essential to remember to start with a durable and easy-to-use machine.
The overall appearance of your striped lawn will improve significantly if you apply a straight line pattern on all pass over.
Remember, a poorly made machine will impair the overall appearance of your lawn and be distracting.
Final Words
Mowing the lawn is a time-consuming and tedious task—let alone creating a striped lawn. You must get the most bang for your buck and make sure that the work you put into managing your lawn is well-rewarded.
Many lawn mower brands are out there making their designs of striped lawnmowers.
Choosing the right product depends on your need, but we all know that not all of them are good.
I hope this article has helped you in choosing the right lawnmower to achieve a clean and professional-looking striped lawn season after season.
