How to choose a lawn mower for a summer cottage? The main types of lawn mowers for summer cottages and criteria for choosing the required model, depending on the requirements of summer residents.
The history of the invention of the lawn mower
In the small town of Stroud in England, Edwin Beard Bading invented the lawn mower in 1830. As a foreman at a local textile factory and overseeing the fringe trimming equipment, he took the principle of the mechanism as a basis and for the first time a cylindrical lawn mower was born. It was a very heavy cast iron mechanism, but it became much easier to care for English lawns than mowing large lawns with a regular scythe. The Ransom company became the owner of the patent for the invention and began producing small machines for gentlemen and large lawn mowers for working on large areas. The history of the lawn mower began its development.
Scotsman Alexander Shanks became the successor of inventions and was the first to create a self-propelled model, which was pulled by a horse instead of a man. The unit became wider and lighter thanks to Thomas Green in 1853 after replacing heavy cast iron gears with a chain drive. Amary Hill made the lawn mower even lighter and more practical. The next stage in history was the creation of a mechanical lawn mower by Elwood McGuire from America.
Steam and gasoline mowers appeared in the 1890s. In the early 20th century, Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies became the main manufacturer of gas-powered lawn mowers. Europe began to use lawn mowers en masse only after the Second World War. The main manufacturer is a German company. A rotary brush cutter was born in Australia. In the early 60s, Flymo introduced the world to an air cushion model. Let’s take a closer look at all types of lawn mowers.
How to choose a lawn mower for a summer cottage?
There are three types of lawn mowers in production today.
Manual models can be gasoline or electric. The cutting mechanism is attached to the bottom of the bar-holder and the motor itself is attached to the top end. There are also special handles on the boom with which the operator controls the unit. The main advantage of handheld models is the ability to mow in the most difficult places with maximum proximity to trees, bushes, fences. The operator puts the belt over his shoulders and guides the mower to the desired location with his hands. To protect useful plants from accidental cuts, the mowers are equipped with a cover.
Wheeled models are designed for lawn processing on flat and large areas. The operator does not need to carry the mower by hand. Now he just pushes her in front of him. But this model is not suitable for neat mowing of grass near fences, trees and walls. There are models equipped with the function of mulching the cut grass or a special basket for collecting it.
Raiders are distinguished by their power and the ability to handle huge areas without much effort. It is a mini tractor with a comfortable operator seat. In addition to mowing, the raider mulches the grass or collects it in a box installed at the back of the chair.
Criteria for choosing a tool for grass care
First, you need to roughly determine the area of the field, and what type of grass it is sown. Any technique will work on a flat lawn, the encountered thickets of lignified perennial stems will not obey every cutter. The choice is influenced by the width of the cultivated space between the flower beds and along the fences, whether the grass grows close to the hedge. These characteristics are important when choosing a lawn mower.
The choice depends on the user:
- Electric network drive;
- Battery motor;
- Gasoline 2 or 4 stroke engine;
- Manual mechanical device.
In addition, the method of movement of the wheeled mechanism or the rod mechanism is more suitable for your case.
The choice of a unit for a country estate
That is why it is a manor, so that the owner can look around the well-groomed lawn with elements of landscape design. Alpine slides, group plantings are in fashion, but a well-groomed lawn sets the tone for everything. And the question is how to choose a prestigious brand lawn mower that works efficiently. You can use an electric trimmer to treat the local area. For mowing the grass along the fence, this is the most effective tool.
For a smooth lawn with a slight incline of up to 25 0, it is optimal to choose a self-propelled lawnmower with a gasoline four-stroke engine. Depending on the presence of hills or absolutely level ground, the size of the rear wheels is selected. If the wheels are larger, the controllability of the unit is higher. But with a large slope, the diesel mechanism will have problems, the fuel tank will flow in an inclined position.
Therefore, a trimmer or cordless lawnmower can be used on steep slopes. Well-known manufacturers have already anticipated how to choose a lawn mower for an uneven suburban area. A slightly shifted center of gravity and high rear wheels make handling the slope more comfortable.
How to choose a lawn mower for your home
Before choosing a lawn mower, you need to carefully and impartially examine the property. Work will be a pleasure if the tool performs all functions flawlessly. The choice of technology depends on the condition of the lawn, the relief and the size of the site. There are self-propelled models, and driven by the force of the hands. For a large flat lawn, a robotic lawnmower or raider is suitable.
Conditions for the purchase and efficient operation of a robotic mower
When choosing a grass robot, take a close look at your lawn first. Unfortunately, this technique is not suitable for all areas.
There are several conditions for the robot to work correctly and efficiently:
- The plot must be perfectly flat. A certain number of bumps and depressions is allowed, but be sure to choose a model that has a tilt sensor;
- Swings and slopes should be no more than 45%. Each lawn robot model equipped with a tilt angle sensor has a critical value. Most often it is 20-25% (for household models). With professional appliances, the cutting angle is increased. They can handle steeper slides. However, not more than 45%. This is the maximum slope for such a mower;
- The sown grass must be of certain varieties, soft, well-groomed. If the vegetation is very tough (weeds, wild-growing stems), then the robot mower will not cope with it. He will simply stop work, or perceive the grass as an obstacle to detour, or worse. A breakdown will occur;
- Correctly laid out perimeter. Since the principle of operation of robotic technology is based on the signal from the perimeter limiter, special attention must be paid to the laying of this cable. We lay the copper single-core wire along the contour of the lawn. The perimeter must be continuous, the entrance and exit are brought into the base. Here you need to take into account that the sensors that see the obstacle are triggered only when the machine stumbles upon them, and react to a size greater than 10 cm in height. That is, they will bypass a tree and a shrub or a bench too, but they may not notice the fountain, as well as flower beds. Therefore, everything that is below 10 cm and can fall under the knives of the lawn mower is also encircled with a loop cable. Including a reservoir without fencing.
Types of mowing robots and features of their work
What is a robotic lawn mower? It is an autonomous and fully automatic technical grass cutting device that is controlled by a software board. It has a variety of sensors for avoiding obstacles, fixing the amount of moisture in the air, measuring the angle of inclination of the surface. Connected with the charging base, where it returns if the charge level is critical. The same base gives a constant signal that goes along the limiter cable. The cable defines the cutting contour. Depending on the model, mulching (chopped grass is thrown away as organic fertilizer), smartphone control, PIN entry and alarm are available.
Externally. It is a small machine weighing up to 15 kg, enclosed in an impact-resistant plastic case. In front, it is narrowed, aerodynamic. At the bottom there are cutting knives (2 or 3) that rotate and cut off the ends of the grass. The height can be set as required, in most cases it is adjustable in steps in three to five positions.
The wheel part is presented:
- Actually, by wheels (wheeled robots). When buying them, pay attention to the tire protector. It should be deep, with a clear pattern, so that the robot does not slide on wet grass;
- Caterpillars. The crawler robotic lawnmower is designed for heavy loads and areas that have a large tilt angle. The traction between the tracks and the grass is always stronger than between the wheels and the grass, so the tracked models hold better in difficult terrain.
Because areas planted with grass that require cutting are of different sizes. From a small lawn near a house to football fields, mowing robots are different from each other.
If the starting point is to take the size of the site, then we highlight the following types:
- Household. These devices are designed for an area of 5 acres (the least powerful) and 10-20 acres. With a more capacious and powerful battery. The width of the passage can be from 18 to 30 cm. Models with a narrow cutting width are convenient on the so-called busy lawn, where there are many obstacles and narrow, hard-to-reach places;
- Professional robot mower. This type of equipment is very popular, although its price is higher than that of household models. But such a device can very quickly and efficiently process large areas. The cutting width reaches 56-60 cm, which in terms of productivity is comparable even to gasoline lawn mowers. Recommended plots from 20 ares to 1 hectares. Their technical characteristics are suitable for both home lawns and professional use in park areas;
- Commercial robotic lawn mowers will mow quality mows over vast areas. Their lot. 1000 square meters and more. The most powerful can easily cut grass on an area of 2.5 hectares and can work together on the same site.
How to choose a robotic lawn mower: types and principle of operation
Author: Alexey Ryndya
Expert category: All for garden and vegetable garden
The rapid development of the world of technology has led to the fact that the word robot today no longer seems to be something fantastic and transcendental, but has firmly entered our everyday life. Few people are already surprised by a robot vacuum cleaner that cleans the house, or a robotic lawn mower that briskly mows the lawn. And although this complex machine is quite expensive, its popularity is growing.
But before deciding on an expensive purchase, you need to know that there are certain conditions for a robotic lawnmower to work on your lawn. And when choosing it, you need to know which indicators and characteristics are of paramount importance. This, as well as what types of robotic lawn mowers are on the market today, will be discussed in our article.
Way to travel
Before choosing a lawn mower, you should immediately decide whether you will move it around the site yourself, or it should be able to move on its own. The first ones are distinguished by an affordable price, lighter weight and dimensions. It is easier to store and transport them, but physical effort is required to move them. Women and elderly people should not use non-self-propelled mowers.
By choosing a self-propelled version that moves independently, you can serve larger areas. Human intervention in the operation of such a device is reduced only to the task of the direction of movement.
The equipment is distinguished by relatively large dimensions, weight and price, but it is suitable for work on an area of up to 1.2 hectares and does not greatly affect operator fatigue.
In addition to two-, three- and four-wheeled lawn mowers, there are hover models. Their advantages are high maneuverability and cross-country ability on the territory with uneven terrain. But the costs for such mowers are higher than for the wheeled versions, and they are more difficult to operate, hovercraft are not in great demand and are rare. One of the few electric models of this type available for purchase in 2019, the Flymo Turbo Lite 330, with a mains supply, a 1.15 kW motor and a mowing width of 330 mm.
Deck type
A deck is a part of a lawn mower with knives. Usually, the following materials are used for its manufacture:
- Aluminum is a metal that increases the price of the device;
- Plastic is the most profitable deck material;
- Steel is a medium-priced option.
To increase the service life of your mower, choose the right model with an aluminum deck. It differs from the plastic version in increased strength, from the steel part in its lighter weight and resistance to corrosion. The plastic deck is used in the cheapest mowers. But, sometimes, when servicing a plot of 2-4 acres, it makes no sense to overpay. The engine of inexpensive and low-powered equipment will fail earlier than a plastic deck.
Grass collection container
Almost any modern lawn mower model is equipped with a grass catcher in which the cut grass is collected. It can be hard or soft. The first type is stronger and more durable, requires almost no maintenance, but it is more difficult to regulate the degree of filling. Soft collectors will have to be washed periodically, and they serve less, but the amount of grass filling such a bag is noticeable even when the mower is running.
Tank capacity matters when serving large areas. In a small area, you will have to empty the collector no more than 1-3 times during the mowing period. If you need to mulch the grass, the bag or tank for it can be removed and work without it.
Features of the electric mower
The lawn mower is one of the basic assistants for caring for a personal plot or summer cottage. It is them that should be chosen, since hand scythes and sickles have long since sunk into oblivion. Progressive humanity continues to take steps forward, inventing more and more improved models of lawn mowers. Is there a wide enough choice? How do these models differ from each other? How to choose the perfect lawn mate?
The main advantage of an electric lawn mower is its cost. Battery and gasoline counterparts are significantly more expensive than electric ones. In addition, they do not save resources as much during operation.
What to look for
Electric lawn mowers are divided into two types, self-propelled and non-self-propelled. The energy of the self-propelled model is mutually distributed between the wheels and working knives. Thus, the mower will independently move around the territory of the site, and a person just needs to set its direction. This technique has significant weight, which makes it difficult to transport, rearrange or mechanically drag it from site to site. However, there are undeniable advantages of good maneuverability and ease of handling.
A non-self-propelled lawnmower will not drive on its own if it wants to. It is designed so that during work the owner moves the mower to the right place manually. Such models are relatively lightweight. It is she who should be chosen if the owner has a small plot, because then he can easily move the equipment to the garage after work or transport it from the dacha to the city for storage.
Engine power
Once you have decided on the width and height of the mowed grass, take an interest in the following technical parameter of the lawn mower, its power. Everything is simple here. The larger the area of the intended working area, the more powerful the mower itself should be. The optimal power is 600 watts. And for larger-scale works, stop at equipment with a power of at least 1000 watts.
Deca refers to the part of the mower where the knives are located. The deck can be made of aluminum, steel or plastic. The service life of the equipment itself depends on the quality of the deck. But on the other hand, the deck is the part that is the last to wear out or break down. The mower contains many other vulnerable parts, such as wheels or a motor. Therefore, everyone chooses an acceptable option for himself. Either the future owner opts for expensive and durable materials, or chooses a cheaper option with a plastic deck for a small area and small volumes of work.