| | A lawnmower is one of the most expensive pieces of gardening equipment. |
| | 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. |
| | One of the two types of blades on mowers are Reel or Cylinder Mowers, those with a set of spiral-cylindrical blades spinning on a horizontal axis. Cutting is by a scissor-like action between the moving spiral blades and a single stationary horizontal blade, or "bed knife". The axle is attached to a gear that is then mounted on one of the wheels in order to spin the blades rapidly for good grass cutting action even when the mower is moving slowly. |
| | The second type of blade is a Rotary Mower, those whose blades spin horizontally on a vertical driveshaft. Cutting is due to a horizontal blade striking the grass at a high speed. |
| | When buying a new mower, take into account your budget, the size of lawn, type of grass and how manicured you'd like your lawn to be. |
| | Another option is a rechargeable electric mower, with no cord to fuss with. These machines are great for lawns under 10,000 square feet, and they mulch well with a full charge. Plan on paying up to $500 for a deluxe model. |
| | A mower with plenty of power is usually preferred, and it's good to let features be your guide |
| | The next feature worth considering is the cutting width--the width that will be cut with each pass. The standard is 21 inches among gas-powered, walk-behind mowers, but wider models are available. If you have a big lawn, wider is better, at least up to a point. |
| | The amount of horsepower can drastically affect the price of any mower. |
| | With proper care a mower will last 10 years; however, the mower will cost from $20 to $50 a year, not including gas and routine maintenance. |
| | One type of lawnmore is a Reel Mower - There are four major types of reel mower: push, walk behind power, riding power, and tow behind gang mower. |
| | A second type of moxer is a Push Mower - These are powered by people pushing them and are usually used on very small lawns. The walk power reel mower can be divided into two types: a (largely obsolete) powered version of the push mower, used for residential lawns and a 'greens mower' used for the precision cutting of golf greens. Riding power reel mowers can also be divided into two types: the 'triplex' which has three hydraulically driven independent cutting heads and is used for golf greens, and the larger 'fairway' machine that has five or seven hydraulically driven cutting heads. Gang reel mowers are towed behind a tractor in sets (gangs) of three, five, or seven. They are 'ground-powered' that is, the tires of each cutting unit are geared to drive the reel. Gang mowers are used to mow large areas of turf such as sports fields or parks. |
| | A third type of mower is a Rotary Mower - Rotary mowers are often powered by internal combustion engines. Such engines can be either two-stroke or four-stroke cycle engines, running on gasoline or other liquid fuels. Internal combustion engines used with lawn mowers normally have only one cylinder. Power generally ranges from two to seven horsepower (1.5 to 5.25 kW). The engines are usually carbureted and require a manual pull crank to start them, although an electric start is becoming a sales feature in some countries. |
| | Another type of mower is a Riding Mower - A popular alternative for larger lawns is the riding (or ride-on) mower. These often resemble small tractors, with the cutting deck mounted amidships between the front and rear axles. An alternative layout for a ride-on is a rear-mounted engine with rear-wheel steering, and a front-mounted deck. These mowers are generally more maneuverable around tight corners than the tractor type, but are generally more expensive. Most of these machines cut using the horizontal rotating blade system, though usually with multiple blades. |
| | A new and different variation of a mower is a Hover Mower - Hover mowers are powered rotary push mowers that use a turbine above the spinning blades to drive air downwards, thereby creating an air cushion that lifts the mower off the ground like a hovercraft. |
| | Another new and different kind of mower is a Robotic Mower - Robotic lawn mowers represented the second largest category of household autonomous robots used by the end of 2005. A typical robotic lawn mower requires the user to set up a border wire around the lawn that defines the area to be mowed. The robot uses this wire to trim and in some cases to locate a recharging dock. |
| | A variation to a push mower is a Pull Mower - A pull mower is essentially the same as a manually pushed mower but the propulsion unit pulls the mowing unit instead of pushing it. Thus it is the normal system when a tractor or animal-drawn mower is used. |
| | The last type of of mower is a Professional Mower - Professional grass-cutting equipment (used by large establishments such as universities, sports stadiums or local authorities and suchlike) usually take the form of much larger, dedicated, ride-on platforms or attachments that can be mounted on, or behind, a standard tractor unit (a "gang-mower"). Either type may use rotating-blade or cylindrical-blade type cutters, although good-quality mown surfaces demand the latter. |
| | Some other grass cutting tools are Clippers - Hand-powered or battery-powered grass clippers can used for the tightest spots, for example around flowers, however one has to be on their knees a lot (though they may be attatched to a long handle to give you the opportunity to work in an up-right position, saving your knees and back). The simplest forms of these are shears, which are like scissors with long blades. |