The lawn mower is one of the indispensable tools for those who want to take care of their garden or green space. For both the professional and the hobbyist user, there are many types of tools in the market for cutting the turf. They can differ in the cutting method (with fixed blades, with floating blades, with helical blades), for the dimensions (from the small domestic mower, to the medium-sized one, to the tractors), for the power supply (push, electric, petrol, diesel), for the type of surface to be maintained (garden, golf, field, etc.), for the dimensions (small, medium, large, very large).
How and why to choose a lawn mower?
That’s why before buying a lawn mower it would always be better to know the use that will be made of it: cut the small lawn at home, use it daily for professional purposes, occasionally use it for mowing the tall grass of your olive grove. Another element not to be underestimated but which consequently comes from the previous ones is the weight and the consequent handling
If you need to replace your old lawnmower or buy a new one, do not be immediately convinced by the captivating writings, colors and shapes, but be advised by a serious dealer who can advise you without taking advantage of your good faith. Before, you could also do a fact-finding survey on the internet to understand what the market offers. The latter solution, however, could be misleading. Often by reading industry forums, machine descriptions, and spinning like crazy, you may get confused. It is better then to ask your gardener what he would advise you, since he already knows you and knows your garden well.
You know what kind of lawn you have in the garden: A high maintenance one with frequent cuts, a rustic one with very varied species and with cuts every fifteen days, an uncultivated one with occasional mowing. In the first case, the grass will be tender and easily cut but with the need to have well-sharpened blades. In the second case, a common mower with a good engine and also with good traction will be fine. In the last example, we will need a machine with a more powerful engine, with a robust rather than well-sharpened cutting apparatus.
Your lawn is composed of lolium and fescue, to have a good quality cut you will need a machine with performing, well sharpened blades, mounted on a good cutting deck. If you make almost daily cuts on a lawn like this, you could use a mower with a helical mower deck. Excellent for the quality of the mowing but with the “defect” of not being able to cut “tall” grass.
If you have a small garden, you could buy an electric lawnmower, with wire or battery. In recent years, the innovations in this type of machine have followed one another with increasing rapidity. Batteries with increasing autonomy, increasingly reliable and low-consumption engines. Remember that there are many products on the market but the related classes, then they are equivalent for the salient characteristics (hobby electric, medium professional, tractor for home use). If you have many angles and tight curves, you could opt for a car with pivoting front wheels (which turn on themselves independently), you will gain in handling.
Do not forget that it is always important to choose a quality product if our pockets allow it. A good quality mower, but slightly smaller in size, is better than a larger one of dubious origin.
Types of lawn mowers:
As we have seen above, there are many types of lawnmowers, some of these we can see strengths and weaknesses.
- Electric lawn mower with wire, ideal for small gardens, particularly simple to use, the engine does not require any particular maintenance, it is important to keep an eye on the blades which are usually very light, not suitable for tall and wet grass;
- Battery-powered lawnmowers, are the evolution of electric lawnmowers, much more comfortable and easy to handle, if of good quality, they can guarantee excellent battery autonomy, they have the main defect the price, generally higher than traditional ones of equal capacity;
- Lawn mower with petrol engine, equipped with a four-stroke petrol engine, fueled by petrol, ideal for medium and large gardens, generally reliable if of good quality, with greater autonomy and power than the previous ones.
- For who has a larger garden and feels like a driving genius, it will be difficult to resist the temptation to buy a lawn mower, with operator on board, with various power ranges and with cutting systems of different sizes;
- You have a large surface, with limited slopes but with numerous obstacles, a zero-turn or zero radius, it will be the ideal solution, with variable power motors, operator seated, with control levers that are easy and comfortable to maneuver.
What are the main components of a mower:
First of all, the engine, which is of good quality, reliable, with spare parts available easily and at low cost,
- The cutting deck differs in the type of cut it has to do: mulching cut, with rear or lateral discharge, with collection or without collection,
- Below the blades, which will be selected according to the type of plate used on the machine, with deflectors, straight, simple, double,
- Traction. In a good lawnmower with traction allows having little maintenance and reliability in continuous use,
- The quality of even the apparently secondary components can make the difference on a mower. Having to stop because a bearing of a rue has yielded is never pleasant,
- Last but not least, the ergonomics of the machine, with consequent handling. A machine too low for a tall person is very tiring to use. An excessively heavy machine for a woman is not easy to drive even if for a few hours
One of the latest innovations in this sector is represented by robotic lawnmowers and radio-controlled lawnmowers. The former are independent in the cutting and daily management of green spaces. Provided that a correct installation of the machine and perimeter wire has been made. The second, still very uncommon, allows you to control the machine remotely with a radio control without having to manually operate it. A nice saving of energy. Those currently available of the latter kind are however large and heavy machines, designed for steep terrains, with cutting systems indicated mainly for uncultivated or rustic surfaces.
Cost of the mower
A good quality lawn mower has a price proportionate to what it offers, first-rate components, durability, reliability, good performance. A product with low costs can present greater unknowns. But unpleasant surprises will not necessarily be encountered. If we contain the expense to buy a good product but slightly smaller than necessary, we have chosen to arrive at an excellent compromise between reliability-performance and cost.
Directions for use
To cut the grass with a lawnmower of any kind, remember to always wear a pair of headphones to protect your hearing, a pair of glasses to repair your eyes from any fragments of grass scattered in the air, a good pair of gloves to preserve your own hands and also a good pair of shoes, if possible with a reinforced toe. Always carefully read the safety rules for the use of these tools. They seem trivial advice but can protect you from unpleasant and dangerous accidents at work.
Remember to never put your hands under the cutting system with the engine running and the blades moving.
Constant maintenance of your mower will lengthen its useful life and allow you to always have it ready at the right time. Always well sharpened blades, allow impeccable cuts and with little effort.
At this point the choice is yours. A lawn mower, a little common sense, and a great desire to do. Happy gardening