Lawn mowers

A lawn mower is the main tool for forming a lawn. A properly selected lawn mower not only saves you time and effort, but also allows you to achieve optimal lawn surface quality comparable to the quality of a good stadium surface.

The choice of a lawn mower is determined by the area of the plot and its relief. A small lawn with an area of up to 400 m²., located on a fairly flat plot, experts recommend mowing with an electric lawn mower. The main advantages of these devices are ease of operation, low noise and relatively light weight. They do not need fuel for their work and can be used to mow the lawn on steep slopes, i.e. where, for example, a gasoline lawn mower cannot be used due to the fact that fuel may spill. This type of lawn mowers also compares favorably in price – the cost of the cheapest electrical devices with a small mowing width (25-33 cm) starts from 570 UAH.

The disadvantages of electric lawn mowers are obvious – they depend on the power source, so they cannot be used, for example, in the field. The power cord of the device must be pulled along the site, which makes working at a distance of 40-50 metres from the power source extremely inefficient, especially if there are trees, shrubs or stones on the site, among which it can get tangled. The cord has to be constantly adjusted so as not to damage the plantings. You also need to take care not to cut it accidentally with mower knives. It is impossible to work with an electric lawn mower in wet weather and with wet grass — in these cases there is a risk of electric shock. The power of such mowers is on average less than 2 kW.

Gasoline lawn mowers are devoid of these disadvantages. They are more mobile than electric ones, so they can be used for mowing lawns with complex compositions and large areas - from 6 to 18 acres. Large grass collectors allow you to take breaks less often for harvesting mown grass. The high power and performance of gasoline lawn mowers makes it possible to cope well even with dense vegetation. At the same time, such devices are much heavier than electric ones (from 20 to 55 kg), more difficult to operate and emit toxic fumes. Gasoline lawn mowers cannot be refueled on the lawn, otherwise spilled gasoline can leave brown spots on it. They need regular technical inspection and maintenance, depending on the number of hours worked.

 

Gasoline lawn mowers use four-stroke and two-stroke engines. Most lawn mowers have two-stroke engines with a capacity of 3 to 6 horsepower. They are lighter than four-stroke and do not require special skills for maintenance. For the operation of such engines, a special mixture of gasoline and oil or unleaded gasoline AI-92 is used. Four—stroke engines also have their advantages - they work quieter, are considered more environmentally friendly, use fuel more economically, and do not require a special mixture of oil and gasoline to work, which need to be poured into the engine separately.

For uneven lawns and tall grass, special models of gasoline mowers with large rear wheels are used, making it easier for them to move through the grass. The front-wheel drive makes the mower more manoeuvrable, and the wheels with rolling bearings will ensure its reliability and durability. Some models of such mowers are equipped with a mulching knife, which, together with a deck of a special shape, creates an air flow in the device, which allows cutting the mown grass several times and returning it in crushed form to the lawn as fertilizer. The minimum cost of gasoline lawn mowers is from 1,500 hryvnia.

Battery–powered lawn mowers combine the main advantages of gasoline and electric - mobility and environmental friendliness. But they cannot be used for cutting large areas and therefore are considered unprofessional equipment — they are used by owners of small plots. One battery charge is enough to process from 200 to 400 square metres of lawn. Recharging the batteries takes from several hours to several days, and the duration of operation is from 35 to 55 minutes.

In terms of power, rechargeable lawn mowers are inferior to gasoline ones, since the battery charge is limited. Their movement is not limited by the length of the power cord, and their manoeuvrability and mobility allow them to be used for mowing grass in a small area with complex compositions, trees, shrubs or garden furniture. Such devices can be used on dry grass of medium length, and it is better to refuse mowing wet grass.

The cost of battery-powered devices is quite high, since this type of lawn mower is still a novelty in Ukraine, and the number of models of battery-powered lawn mowers is still relatively small. The cheapest lawn mower of this type is 2 300 – 2 700 hryvnia.

The simplest type of lawn mowers are manual or mechanical. The principle of operation of these mowers resembles the work of scissors or razors – when moving on the lawn, a drum cutting mechanism is activated, which cuts the grass. Usually, they are used on small or decorative lawns with an area of up to 100 square metres for a grass stand with a height of less than 10 centimeters. The low speed of rotation of the knives of the drum mechanism ensures careful and accurate cutting of grass and high-quality haircuts, therefore, such lawn mowers are often used to trim golf courses.

Experts recommend them for mowing newly created lawns, since the low speed of mowing prevents the pulling out of plants with an immature root system. In areas with overgrown or dense vegetation, it is better not to use manual lawn mowers - the drum knives, rotating, will press down rather than cut the grass, and the absence of an engine will make cutting more time-consuming. The operation of such a mower is almost silent, and does not require regular refueling or recharging of batteries. They have a relatively low weight, are light and easy to maintain and are the safest among all types of lawn mowers on the market.

Their main drawback, because of which such mowers have not been in demand for a long time among amateur gardeners with experience and professionals, is the lack of a function of collecting grass after cutting. However, some new models have it provided. Therefore, if you want to buy a manual lawn mower, pay attention to this. In addition, they are inefficient to use on lawns with uneven terrain or complex compositions. The price of such devices is from 700-800 UAH.

 

Motorcycle mowers and trimmers

You can mow the lawn in a hard-to-reach place, where a lawn mower cannot pass, using a motorcycle mower or a trimmer. With the help of these devices, it is possible to tidy up the space around plants, along fences, on mounds or pits with a depth or height of more than 50 cm, etc. These devices are a long rod, at one end of which there is a gasoline or electric motor, and at the other there is a rotating working head with a fishing line, a metal knife or a cutting disc. Using a belt suspension, the device is carried on the shoulder. Both mowers and trimmers can have an upper (at the operator's hands) or lower (at the surface) location of the engine. It is believed that devices with an upper engine location are more powerful and can work longer in almost any conditions, while equipment with an engine located close to the surface of the earth has a small continuous operation resource – less than 15 minutes. A trimmer with an upper engine arrangement allows you to mow wet grass, with a lower one – only dry. But trimmers and mowers with an upper engine arrangement are also more expensive – from 350 hryvnia, against a minimum price of 150 hryvnia for devices with a lower one.

When purchasing a motorcycle mower or trimmer, it is important first of all to pay attention to its weight or balance. The device will have to be constantly kept in the air, so additional elements such as hand straps will not be superfluous. Another disadvantage of this haircut technique is the inability to adjust the height of the haircut. It is almost impossible to trim the lawn with them exactly, so they are used only for occasional mowing in places inaccessible to the lawn mower. These devices are not equipped with grass collectors and do not collect grass for themselves.

Lawn areas that are inaccessible even to trimmers or mowers, for example, small strips of grass in flower beds, experts recommend cutting with lawn scissors powered by batteries. The principle of operation of such devices resembles the operation of a hair clipper in a barber shop – they cut the grass as delicately as possible, guaranteeing good quality with minimal effort on the part of the operator.

It is better to cut large lawns (from 1,500 square metres) using a tractor-lawn mower. The cutting mechanism is located under the operator's seat, which controls it, evenly trimming the area. For large plots, several such tractors can be used simultaneously.