Mowing the lawn can be a pain in the back, particularly if you are tall like me and find yourself hunching over to reach the handle. So, the way I see it, we should either get robot lawn mowers, or a lawn mower handle extension. In light of avoiding judgment day, I choose the latter. There are a variety of ways lawn mower handles can be extended, and I’ll go through these. First though, I’d like to mention the off-the-shelf solution, adjustable lawn mower handles.

Robotic Lawn Mower

Adjustable Lawn Mower Handles

Some lawn mowers allow you to increase the angle of the handle. This at first appears to be a good solution. The problem though is that it may bring your feet dangerously close to the mower. It may also make the mower more awkward to push.

A better option is a telescoping handle, which is gradually becoming more common. I haven’t tried any of these out personally so can’t say just how adjustable they are. But from the reviews and some common sense, I figure the adjustment is suitable for someone around 6′, but insufficient for someone my height, 6′7″. Of course though, a bit of adjustment is better than nothing. Another yard tool for cutting your grass that can now be found with an adjustable handle is the grass trimmer.

Ryobi Adjustable Lawn Mower Ryobi Adjustable Grass Trimmer

Lawn Mower Handle Extension: Additional Handle

Perhaps you don’t want to buy a new lawn mower. In this case, you could try attaching a handle extension. You can purchase one of these here. Alternatively, some people have taken to attaching bicycle bar-ends. But neither of these solutions may be long enough for the really tall among us. And another issue with handle extensions is that they do not extend the controls. The DIY solution is to use Velcro to hold the on-switch in the on position. Do that at your own risk though!

Bike Bar-Ends



Lawn Mower Handle Extension: Spacer

Rather than putting an extension on the end of the handle, you could put a spacer somewhere in the middle. There are kits for this that are actually intended for mowing on a slope. Except for the tallest of people, these will extend the handle too far, but perhaps you could tweak it. The DIY solution is to use some aluminium or steel pipe, perhaps electrical conduit. You can then add whatever length you desire (the Universal Object Scaler can help you decide on a length). Hose clamps or bolts can hold the spacer in place. But the advantage of kits over the DIY solution is that they likely come with the additional wiring you will require.

My solution was to extend my push mower (I don’t have a ton of grass). This was a relatively simple tall solution. I just unbolted at the connection, and inserted a new piece of pipe. The new pipe of course first had to have holes drilled and ends hammered to a square shape.

Easily Extended Push Mower

Lawn Mower Handle Extension: Tilter

As I mentioned earlier, some lawn mowers allow you to tilt the handle up. For those that don’t, there is a nifty device that changes the angle at the bolt intersection. The great thing about this solution is that nothing has to be changed as far as the controls and wiring. The main issue though is that the mower is now closer to you. This, when combined with long legs, might be an issue.

Tilting Lawnmower Handle Extender

Have you tried any of these solutions or perhaps one I haven’t mentioned? Or do you just get the neighbor’s kids to cut the grass for you?