Types Of Lawn Mowers-You Should Know Before Buying
Last Updated on July 25, 2024
A lawnmower is one of the most important tools for a gardener. In fact, I think it is an essential tool that anyone thinking of pursuing gardening should own. This is because the lawn is one of the largest areas in the garden. It is also one of the first things that your guests notice even before going inside your home. Therefore, for the gardener, choosing the best lawn mower is vital.
Shopping for them can be a real hustle as there are so many TYPES OF LAWN MOWERS in the market. They have different features and are designed for different sizes of gardens, power requirements, and even styles.
There is a huge type of lawn mowers present in the market, and you can buy them depending on your requirement, land size and land type. You must consider the features of the lawnmowers before purchasing one.
Every mower has its specifications and features some pros as well as cons. However, all of them are great in the main work for which they have been developed, and it is cutting grass.
Table of Content
Types Of Lawn Mower
1. Push Lawn Mower
Push mowers are ideal for small lawns, most probably less than one acre. One of the features that make it superior over several others is its ability to navigate through the yards. This makes it perfect for lawns with terrains that are uneven. However, to ensure that you get a clean-cut, you are supposed to control its movement. It is relatively cheap.
This type of mower gets its power primarily from the user. The engine of a push mower varies from one mower to another.
You need to drive and push the mower around the lawn. The mower performs its job of cutting the grass while you move it in the required direction.
A push mower provides you with some extra workout as you push the machine all around the lawn. The average weight of this mower is 60 pounds though it varies with models.
If you search, you can get heavier as well as lighter models. You can check the exact weight of a particular model of this mower from the product specification mentioned on the product.
2. Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
A push lawn mower can sometimes get so hard to manoeuvre, rendering the self-propelled lawn mower easier and better. Most of the self-propelled lawn mowers are petrol or gas-powered. Therefore, they are powerful.
Many models also have speed controls that allow you to choose the most appropriate speed for you.
However, one of their disadvantages is that they are very noisy.
This type of mowers drives itself, and you need to steer it to guide its path. You do not have to push it to move it all around the yard. It has a transmission that drives it around the lawn.
This propelling technique leads to an increase in the price of the mower. This mower requires more maintenance as compared to other mowers like a push mower.
Your strength and the nature of mowing you need to make the cost worth it.
3. Reel Lawn Mower/Cylinder Mower
This is a lawn with cylindrical blades at the front. The blade rotates vertically while cutting the grass against a blade that is fixed at the bottom. The lawnmower has multiple blades. The one with more than three blades is the most ideal.
In addition, they are most suitable for lawns with flat terrains. They can be either electric powered or petrol powered.
This mower is very environment-friendly and at the same time takes extreme care of any lawn. These mowers do not run on oil, gas or electricity. You need to push it around your yard to mow the area.
Thus you can enjoy some physical workout while getting your lawn cleaned. The reel mowers are quite. They do not rip off the grass rather cut them in the manner a scissor would have done.
Your yard will look manicured and healthy. You have to mow your lawn two times every week to get an amazing result.
4. Robotic Lawn Mower
This mower has become more commonplace these days, replacing the other mowers. It is a technological advancement that can recognize lawn edges as well as obstacles. Although they are not cheap, they are worth the money in the long run. They come as a remedy for the people who are not into mowing.
Once you lay the perimeter wire, you can leave it and do other things. You need to install a boundary wire, and the robotic mower will perform its work within that particular area.
You can program these lawn mowers according to your need, and it will cut the grass as per the set instructions. The robot lawnmower also has known as the automatic lawnmower.
It can even work at night and do not create much noise while cutting. You can relax and let your mower do the job for you.
5. Riding Lawn Mower
They are powerful machines that ease the process of mowing due to their easy manoeuvring. You can be able to ride them over your yard, no pushing. They can also prove helpful when you want to mow large-sized lawns, saving time and energy.
There are two varieties of lawn mowers the zero turn and the standard riding lawnmowers that helps in mowing large areas.
The standard one comes with steering wheels and provides you with maximum flexibility and movability. The zero-turn mowers are considered to work more precisely and provide you with a neater look. Good examples include:
a. Zero-turn mowers, which is ideal for the many gardeners who dread mowing. They are powerful and sturdy mowers that mow within a very short time.
b. Lawn tractors, which have a mid-mounted cutting deck. They also have easy manoeuvrability.
c. Rare-engine riding mower, which is the ideal choice for the people with little storage space for manoeuvring through. They are relatively cheaper compared to the lawn tractors and zero-turn mowers. They also provide a smooth cut due to deck pivots.
6. Hover Lawn Mower
This mower hovers above the ground on your lawn. This makes it easier to push, adept, and manoeuvre while mowing at uneven terrains, making them suitable for both even and uneven lawns.
They are also cheaper compared to other mowers. However, they are only efficient for smaller gardens. They are mostly electrically powered.
These mowers are gravity-defying. You can move then in a sidewise direction along with the usual forward and backward direction movement. The hover mowers are flexible.
7. Remote Control Mower
This mower is ideal for any lawn, be it small -or large. They are silent, so you can use them at any time without worrying about being a nuisance to your neighbours. They are fully automated to rendering them efficient for that person who does not want to push a mower every weekend.
8. Tow-Behind Lawn Mower
This mower is suitable for you, whether you are cutting rough trails or trimming and maintaining a lawn. However, they do not have propulsion of their own. It depends on a riding mower for movement, either a UTV or an ATV. They come in three types, namely gag reel, finish cut, and rough-cut. One thing to note about them is that they are efficient in cutting through rough and heavy brush, but not grass lawns.
9. Rough Cut Lawn Mower
It is a type of tow behind the lawnmower. It is mostly used to trim on lawns where the regular push or riding mowers is unable to mow. This rises when the mower needed is required to have high power and tolerance, which these other mowers lack.
It has a more massive blade and is, therefore, able to cut through thick branches easily. Some of them even have stump jumpers that enable the blade to continue turning even when it encounters objects on the ground. These tow-behind mowers have large tires too. They come in different types including;
a. Brush hog mower
The brush hog mower is attached at the back of a tractor and driven through a PTO (power take-off). They have rotary blades are dense so that they can cut through thick and dense plants. The blades are heavy, too, making the centrifugal force pulling out stronger than other forces from the vegetation bouncing in.
b. Flail mower
The Flail mower is used for heavier grass. Most of them are PTO powered, but some are self-powered (especially the smaller models). +They can cut through a tree of up to 20mm thickness easily. They are rougher and stronger. The name ‘flail’ is derived from the flails that are attached to the drum that is always rotating horizontally. These flails are staggered so that they can complete cut.
c. Sickle-bar mower
The sickle-bar mower is an improvement from the traditional tool. They have considerably evolved over the years. It is a lightweight machine that can be fitted on a small tractor. It is suitable for irregular terrain and requires little horsepower. They also produced a less motion compared to other mowers such as the drum mower. Their main disadvantage comes when you need to repair or replace the blades because it is expensive and time-consuming.
Types Of Lawnmower Power
Lawnmowers also have different power types. They include;
a) Battery power
Battery-powered lawn mowers are garden mowers that are hassle-free. Their advantage is that you do not need a cable, as the battery is always in the mower. They, however, require a frequent recharge. They can also be expensive.
b) Electric power
Mowers that derive energy from electricity are always connected to a cord. It is therefore advisable that when buying the electric lawn mower, you should check if the cable would allow for mowing to every corner of your lawn.
c) Gas-powered
Mowers that derive power from gas are suitable for large gardens. They are used mostly where a mains cable is unsuitable. However, they need regular servicing and oil top-ups.
d) Manual powered
Here, you push the mower manually over your lawn. However, they can be tiresome to use, especially in large fields. The main advantage of this power type is that you do not incur costs such as gas and electricity, among other power sources. They were once the real before competition from other mowers arose. However, they are still a preference among many gardeners today.
Lawnmowers are vital. It does not matter the type you own. Mowing your lawn has cosmetic benefits. A mowed lawn is a remarkable sight. However, before deciding on a mower, it is better to check for the one that matches your preference.
Conclusion
You might get confused when you have to purchase a mower for your lawn. You can search the internet to check their specifications and select one that suits your requirement.
There are several lists available that have ranked mowers depending on their features, specification, and many other factors. These lists are really helpful and can provide you with great ideas on which one to buy. You will also find guides on how to use these lawnmowers.
