Mowers

Practically any mower will cut your grass. But you'll get better results with less effort if you choose a machine based on your lawn size, mowing preferences, and budget

Mowing options range anywhere from $100 manual-reel mowers to tractors that cost $4,000 or more. If you have a small yard, a manual-reel or electric walk-behind mower is probably fine. Gasoline-powered walk-behind mowers are appropriate for most lawns up to about a half-acre. If your lawn is larger, you might appreciate the ease and speed of a ride-on lawn tractor.

Compared with cars, gasoline-powered lawn mowers produce a disproportionate amount of air pollution. Federal regulations aimed at reducing smog-producing mower emissions have made today's gas-powered mowers cleaner than old ones--something to consider if you're now using an older mower.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE



Manual-reel mowers are still made by a few companies. Major brands of electric mowers include Black & Decker and Craftsman (Sears). Of all brands, Craftsman sells the most gasoline-powered walk-behind mowers. Other less expensive, mass-market brands include Bolens, Murray, Yard Machines, and Yard-Man. Pricier brands, traditionally sold at outdoor power-equipment dealers, include Ariens, Cub Cadet, Honda, Husqvarna, John Deere, Lawn Boy, Snapper, and Toro. Several of those brands are now available at large retailers, including Home Depot and Lowe's.

Which type is best for your lawn? Here are the basics about each to help you decide:

Manual-reel mowers. Pushing these simple mowers turns a series of curved blades that spin with the wheels. Reel mowers are quiet, inexpensive, and nonpolluting. They're also relatively safe to operate and require little maintenance other than periodic blade adjustment and sharpening. On the downside, our tests have shown that cutting performance is typically mediocre, and most can't cut grass higher than 1 1/2 inches or trim closer than 3 inches around obstacles. Some models have cutting swaths just 14 to 18 inches wide--another drawback. Consider them for small, flat lawns a quarter-acre or less.

Price range: $100 to about $400.

Electric mowers. These push-type, walk-behind mowers use an electric motor to drive a rotating blade. Both corded and cordless versions start with the push of a button. They produce no exhaust emissions, and, like reel mowers, require little maintenance aside from sharpening. Most offer a side or rear grass catcher, and many can mulch--a process where clippings are recut until they're small enough to hide unobtrusively within the lawn. But electrics are less powerful than gas mowers and less adept at tackling tall or thick grass and weeds. What's more, their narrow, 18- to 19-inch swaths take a smaller bite than most gas-powered mowers at 21 inches. Both corded and cordless electrics have other significant drawbacks. Corded mowers limit your mowing to within 100 feet of a power outlet--the typical maximum length for extension cords. Cordless versions, while more versatile, weigh up to 30 pounds more than corded models and typically mow just one-quarter to one-third acre before their sealed, lead-acid batteries need recharging. Both types of electrics are mainly suitable for small, flat lawns of a quarter-acre or less.

Price range: corded, $125 to $250; cordless, $400 or more.

Gas-powered walk-behind mowers. These include push mowers and self-propelled models with driven wheels. Most have a 4.5- to 6.5-hp four-stroke engine and a cutting swath 21 or 22 inches wide, allowing you to cover more ground with each pass, and handle long or thick grass and weeds. All can mow as long as there's fuel in the tank. But gas mowers are relatively noisy and require regular maintenance.

Most gas mowers provide three cutting modes: bagging, which gathers clippings in a removable catcher; side-discharging, which spews clippings onto the lawn; and mulching, which cuts and recuts clippings until they're small enough to settle and decompose within the lawn.

Consider a push-type model for mowing relatively flat lawns of about a quarter-acre or for trimming larger lawns. Choose a self-propelled model for hilly lawns or lawns of a half-acre or more. You might also choose a self-propelled mower if you mostly bag clippings; a full bag can add 20 or 30 pounds to the mower's weight.

Price range: push-type, $150 to $400; self-propelled, $200 to $900.

How to Choose



You'll see lots of competent choices for mowing the typical quarter- to half-acre lawn. Here are the most critical points to consider as you shop:

Pick your power. Gasoline-powered mowers continue to perform best overall, especially in long or dense grass. Self-propelled models are best for larger or hillier terrain, while lighter push models are fine for smaller, flatter lawns or for trimming. On the downside, gas models of both types are relatively noisy, create exhaust emissions, and require periodic tune-ups. Most also require pull-starting.

Electric mowers are quieter and create no exhaust emissions. They also free you from fueling and engine maintenance, and start with the push of a button. But even the best corded electric mowers aren't as powerful as gas models. Cordless models free you from the tether and tangles of a power cord. But they're pricey and have limited run time before their batteries need recharging.

Manual reel mowers are another clean and quiet option, since they rely solely on people power to move their spiral-shaped mowing blades. Most models are relatively inexpensive (about $130 to $200). But some can be hard to push. And those in past tests couldn't match a power mower's cut quality.

Pick your mowing mode. Most walk-behind mowers can mulch, bag, or side-discharge clippings. But as the Ratings show, not all mowers handle all three modes equally well. Choose a model that scored well in the mowing mode you use most. If you bag most clippings, you'll probably prefer a self-propelled mower, since a full bag can make push types a handful, especially uphill.

Check the drive control. Most self-propelled mowers have two controls: a blade-engagement bail you must hold against the handlebar and a bail for adjusting the speed. Some new models now use a short lever that allows you to engage and vary ground speed by squeezing it with the right hand.

Those we tested worked well. But some levers can be stiffer than others--a potential problem for some users, since all require constant pressure to keep the machine moving. As with all controls, see if you can try such levers before buying.

Don't get bowled over by big names. You'll find a Honda engine on even more non-Honda walk-behind lawn mowers this year as Craftsman, Lawn-Boy, Yard-Man, and other brands use Honda's premium image to give their machines some added cachet. These newer engines aren't the commercial-grade versions that made Honda's reputation for durability, however. While those we tested performed well, so did the more-plebeian Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh engines on many other machines.

Don't count horses. High horsepower is another rallying cry at the store and online. Many of the mowers we tested now have up to 7 hp on tap. But mowers with at least 5.5 hp performed just as well overall as higher-horsepower models.

A lawn mower, alternately spelled lawnmower, is a device which by means of one or more revolving blades is used to cut grass or other plants to uneven length.

Lawnmowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel mowers.

Many different designs have been made, each suited to a particular purpose. The smallest types, pushed by a human, are suitable for small residential lawns and gardens, while larger, self-contained, ride-on mowers are suitable for large lawns, and the largest, multi-gang mowers pulled behind a tractor, are designed for large expanses of grass such as golf courses and municipal parks.

Lawns are a standard feature of ornamental private and public gardens and landscapes in much of the world today. Lawns are created for aesthetic use in gardens, and for recreational use, including sports. They are typically planted near homes, often as part of gardens, and are also used in other ornamental landscapes and gardens.

Lawns are frequently a feature of public parks and other spaces. They form the playing surface for many outdoor sports, reducing erosion and dust as well as providing a cushion for players in sports such as football, cricket, baseball, golf, tennis, bocce and stake. In sports venues, the word lawn is often replaced by turf or green.

Many different species of grass are used, often depending on the intended use of the lawn, with vigorous, coarse grasses used where active sports are played, and much finer, softer grasses on ornamental lawns, and partly on climate, with different grasses adapted to oceanic climates with cool summers, and tropical and continental climates with hot summers. It is also not uncommon to mix grass seeds. A 50/50 mixture of grass types can, for example, form a stronger lawn when one grass type does better in the warmer seasons and the other is more resistant to colder weather.

A lawn aerator is a garden tool designed to aerate the soil in which lawn grasses grow. Aeration improves soil drainage and encourages worms, microfauna and microflora which require oxygen.

[edit] Lawn problems

Lawn aeration constitutes two things, controlling lawn thatch and reducing soil compaction. Lawn thatch is a layer of dead organic tissue that deprives your lawn from much-needed oxygen. Soil compaction makes it difficult for your grass to root and it disturbs natural rainwater irrigation, therefore it is important to aerate your lawn. This is especially true for highly trafficked lawns. If people walk or even run over a lawn, the pressure generates compaction in your soil.

In the present age of abundant production, it is easy to come across an overabundance of lawn mower designs to select from. Lawn mowers can operate on gas or can be motorized, self-propelled or pushed. More often than not, an individual can possess a lawn mower but may also be contemplating a substitution, or alternate parts.

Secondly, as lawns tend to be mowed at the same time, this considerably incrases the amount of pollen in the atmostphere. Speak to anyone who suffers from hayfever, to find out how painful this can be.

For my part, there will be no need to push me to mow the lawn anymore - in view of the above, I shall be more that pleased to do my bit for the enviroment I live in, and at the sametime gain a beautiful garden.

These new style of push mowers are perfect for smaller lawns, excellent for the environment, easy to clean and inexpensive to operate. If you have a very large lawn, this style of walk-behind mower might not be the best for you, but if your lawn is of average size, electric mowers are a popular and smart choice.

An electric mower’s most significant selling point for most people is its benefit to the environment. According to experts, mowing your lawn for just one hour with a regular gas walk-behind mower causes more air pollution than driving a new car 150 miles. By using an electric mower, you simply plug and go. The only drain on resources is the energy it takes to power the mower, and that’s not a lot.

Riding lawn mowers are ideally suited for lawns that are large. The gadget makes lawn mowing less laborious. Generally a lawn exceeding 1,440 square yards is regarded as one where the use of riding mower is essential. These mowers can be maneuvered more flexibly around tight edges, but are quite costly.

A majority of these machines scythe the grass blade, making use of the horizontal rotating blade system with multiple blades. Prior to purchasing a riding lawn mower, it should be borne in mind that they are more costly in terms of both buying price and handling costs.

If you’re looking to purchase a popular mower that’s easy to find and relatively inexpensive, consider a gas mower. These walk-behind mowers are affordable, easy to care for, and effective. They are also in ready and abundant supply.

Gas push mowers are best for lawns less than an acre in size. This type of walk-behind mower is fairly easy to maintain and there are no cords to haul around; the mower itself generally won’t be too heavy when you’re hauling it around the yard. You do, however, have to keep it gassed.

There are two factors that primarily make the final decision: First, the size of the lawn. The bigger the lawn, the more speed and power from a modern lawn mower it requires. Second, the cost of the modern lawn mowers. This can be an obstacle too – it really depends on how much you can afford.

Decide whether you want a sit-on or walk behind type. These are two kinds of the modern lawn mower. Though the sit-on mowers have become relatively popular because it may be cheaper than the walk-behind mower but it gets the work done.

A lawn mower is an indispensable garden tool required for trimming grass on lawns. In order to keep a lawn in perfect condition, clipping grass is absolutely necessary. If grass is not mowed regularly, the unchecked growth will definitely spoil the appearance of the lawn and the hard work put behind the creation of a lawn will be made worthless. A lawn mower trims grass to a uniform length. Two types of mechanisms are generally used.

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Lawn mower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A lawn mower, alternately spelled lawnmower, is a device which by means of one or more revolving blades is used to cut grass or other plants to an even length. A late 19th century reel mower. History ...
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