Gasoline self-propelled lawn mower make work easier on the site How to choose a gasoline self-propelled lawn mower for a suburban area. In the article we will compare different brands and tell you which one is better. Professional lawn mower work
Varieties of self-propelled mowers and their features
Although above we drew a line between units driven by a motor on wheels and trolley models that need to be pushed by the operator, self-propelled mowers still differ little from the latter, at least externally. But there are models that look and work completely different raiders that look more like a mini tractor. On such devices, the operator can freely move around the site, regardless of the unevenness of the terrain, and operate the knives in relatively comfortable conditions. It is necessary to distinguish between raiders and conventional cart self-propelled mowers, which have to be operated on the go.
Of course, a raider is practically useless at the dacha, so choosing it for a small decorative lawn is far from the best solution. The first thing to think about is the extremely high cost. Some models are much more expensive than mini tractors, even though the latter are much more functional. The second determining factor is the turning radius, which is too large for a small area for a raider. And, of course, there are some difficulties in mastering the controls for those who have never encountered anything more difficult than a trimmer before. Therefore, for a summer residence, it is better to choose a cart version, which is much more maneuverable and cheaper.
Much more interesting is a self-propelled robotic lawnmower that is smart enough to handle unattended lawn mowing. It costs, of course, also not cheap, but it completely eliminates the need to spend time mowing the grass. These agile and nimble robots have many sensors that determine both the height of vegetation in the area allocated to them for work, and the boundaries set using a special cord, infrared or laser beams. An automatic lawn mower is more often electric, but a gasoline mower can also be purchased, however, the former has more advantages, it finds a base for recharging itself. You can also control such units using the remote control.
The main criteria for choosing a self-propelled mower
Like any other motorized units, wheel-driven mowers differ in power supply and, accordingly, in the type of engine. They are gasoline and electric. The latter are also divided into two groups, namely wired and battery models. Mowers operating from the mains are of little interest to us now, so we just note that wired options work longer than battery ones, but they are less mobile due to the cable and, of course, are not autonomous, they need an outlet. Gasoline engines can be two- or four-stroke, the former have higher power and, as a result, noise, and the latter are distinguished by their reliability and fuel economy.
Like other mowers, self-propelled mowers can be large, medium or small, while compactness is far from an advantage, since the smaller the unit, the lower its power. It is logical that in tall grass with stiff stems a small and even very maneuverable mower will get stuck, not coping with the load. The optimal solution in terms of price and efficiency is a unit with average parameters in terms of dimensions and motor power, it is suitable both for a small summer cottage, and for a large-scale farm. The garden helpers with the most horsepower in the engine are usually very expensive and consume a lot of fuel, which can only be justified on large farmlands.
Pictured is a self-propelled gasoline lawn mower
Before choosing a gasoline lawn mower, especially a self-propelled one, it is important to consider the material from which the casing is made. For this purpose, metal and plastic are used, which determines the durability of the device. However, each type of housing, be it steel or polymer, has disadvantages. So, the plastic case will facilitate the unit, but at the same time it will become its vulnerable part due to its low resistance to impacts. The metal casing is very durable, but will make a gasoline lawnmower quite heavier, which already has a massive engine along with the fuel tank and the fuel itself. Many people choose plastic, forgetting that a self-propelled mower does not need muscular strength to move.
And finally, the units have different types of knives. Rotary ones with a shaft with a knife with two blades (like a two-blade helicopter propeller) are quite popular. This is the simplest option to deal with almost any type of weed. Another type is cylindrical, with a shaft equipped with several rows of short blades, more suitable for cutting grass. There are also differences in the width of the mowing, the working sector of the knives can be narrow, within 25-30 centimeters, and quite wide, from 40 or more. The optimal strip is considered to be 40 centimeters wide.
How is a self-propelled lawn mower different from a conventional
No matter how well-groomed the site is, its natural or artificial landscape will still never be completely flat, with the exception of concrete-filled areas. As a consequence, any wheeled device designed for mowing grass must have, in addition to productivity, at least also maneuverability. However, even in this case, the usual carriage version of the mower on the broken terrain is quite difficult to control, especially with a significant mass. Therefore, it is much more convenient to choose a trimmer and a manual gasoline or electric scythe, or, if productivity is needed, a self-propelled mower.
The main difference between a self-propelled unit and a bogie unit is that the drive from the motor is connected not only to the knives, but is also separately conducted to the wheel pair, front or rear. Thus, the mower begins to move itself when starting, which greatly simplifies the work, since you do not need to make efforts to push the unit, as is the case with the simplest trolley models. Devices with a wide range of functions have a speed changeover, knife speed adjustment. A self-propelled gasoline mower with a limited set of functions moves at a predetermined speed, which is far from always convenient, especially for women and children.
Disposal of clipped grass
Many modern models combine several uses for cut grass. The simplest is dumping waste directly onto the lawn. This is done backward or sideways. This procedure allows you to mow the entire lawn without stopping.
To get a neat lawn, the waste will have to be removed with a hand tool.
The second option is grass catcher application. It is made from plastic, soft durable nylon, or a combination of soft and hard materials.
It is more practical to use a plastic container. It can be easily emptied and washed with a water jet from a hose.
Third option using the mulching function. The process consists in the use of additional equipment provided with the lawn mower.
By installing a plug in the vent hole, you can use the grass as a natural fertilizer.
Mulching knives will grind the cuttings to a state of dust and bring them into the soil right in the direction of travel. This procedure will heal your lawn in a natural way, without the use of chemical fertilizers.
In combination with mulching, it is better to use aerators and scarifiers. In this way, you can achieve the best nutrition for the roots of the plants and in the future get an ideal green lawn.
Ideal model specifications
According to the power source, grass clippers are divided into electric, petrol and diesel. Gasoline models are the most popular in the market due to the maximum set of advantages in comparison with analogues. They are divided into self-propelled and non-self-propelled.
One of the main advantages of a gasoline unit is the ability to work for a long time and handle large areas. This is beyond the power of electric models.
You can read here on how to choose a self-propelled electric lawn mower for your garden.
Gasoline-powered devices are characterized by high power. You can choose a lawnmower with two-stroke or four-stroke engine. Cycle is the movement of the working piston in one of the directions.
For two-stroke models, this movement is down or up. At this time, compression and expansion occurs. At the same time, fuel is injected and exhaust gases are discharged.
Four-stroke models use a separate measure for each of these actions. The main differences are expressed in the fact that two-stroke engines have a liter and specific power more than four-stroke ones. Wherein the fuel consumption of the second option is more economical up to 30%.
In addition, such a design will reduce the noise level from the device, improve environmental friendliness and extend the life of the device. Two-stroke models are much easier to maintain due to their simple design.
The engine on the mower can be located at the front or rear. The rear engine position will provide the apparatus with greater maneuverability.
Self-propelled mower means that there is a drive on the wheels and the operator only needs to direct the machine in the right direction to achieve the result. These models are usually equipped with a gearbox that allows you to control the driving speed.
If the device is not self-propelled, then you need to make some effort to move it around the site. In this case, the cutting mechanism is powered by the engine. The advantage of such a mower is that all the motor power is spent on the main task of cutting grass. It is better to purchase such a device for small areas.
If you take a closer look at how to choose a self-propelled gasoline lawn mower, you can determine that they are divided into rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. For areas with a flat surface and lack of pronounced relief, rear-wheel drive mowers are perfect.
Front-wheel drive is more maneuverable. Therefore, they are used in areas with a lot of interference and unevenness.
Manufacturers use fuel tanks of various sizes for their products. When choosing this indicator, you should also take into account fuel consumption. Then it will be possible to pick up exactly the device that can process the customer’s site without refueling.
The easiest way is to use mowers with an automatic start system. It is enough to press the button, and the engine is started, and the device is ready to work.
Mowing width depends on the size of the mower. The wider it is, the faster you can process the entire area. Such a machine is deprived of the ability to cut grass in narrow places, on paths between flower beds and in aisles.
Therefore, it is worth choosing a wide model if the site is flat, without such obstacles. A mower with a medium cutting width will be universal.
A lawn mower equipped with sharp blades will provide the best view of your lawn. This machine will neatly trim the plants, leaving the lawn green and tidy.
After such treatment, the lawn may turn yellow and the lawn will lose its fresh appearance.
The main thing is the fuel mixture!
In this case, the remnants of plastic dissolved in a brutal environment create such terrible things in the combustion chamber that you will definitely not be able to do without completely overturning the mechanism. Petrol self-propelled lawn mowers choice. But you will certainly remember forever how to store fuel correctly.
What can you do when the fuel was just normal, there is a spark, but the petrol trimmer won’t start? It may be that you just filled the candle with gasoline. In this case, it must be unscrewed, wiped with a clean cloth and dried. reliable electronic braid trimmers. By the way, it will be completely useful to check the candle itself for performance.
Some reasons
It often happens that users of this kind of machines try to save it by filling the tank with not fuel with the usual octane number, but something incomprehensible that has been in a plastic canister for almost a dozen years.
Tips
- Always clean your lawn mower after work. Dried grass can stick firmly to it. It also smells bad when it starts to rot. Therefore, as soon as you are done mowing, clear the mower of any grass.
- Never leave the mower over the winter with gasoline in the tank. During storage, it can thicken and clog the carburetor.
- Never run your mower without proper lubrication, unless you love buying a new mower every time.
The Advantage Of Gasoline Lawn Mowers
The main competitor to gasoline lawn mowers is electric lawn mowers. The advantages of gasoline lawn mowers over electric ones are as follows:
- Does not depend on the availability of a power source
- They have a more powerful engine, which allows you to work on large lawn sizes
- agile, because do not have an electric cable that will trail behind and cling to all obstacles.
- The petrol lawnmower can cut even harder grass
- Cheaper to maintain (although they break more often)
Despite this, gasoline lawn mowers have several significant disadvantages, namely:
- Make noise
- Assumes additional material costs for fuels and lubricants (fuels and lubricants)
- Emission of harmful emissions into the atmosphere
- frequent repairs and maintenance
- The design of the engine is built in such a way that when the gasoline lawn mower is operating on hills steeper than 25 °, oil stops flowing into the lubrication channels of the rubbing parts, as a result of which the lawn mower may break.
Types of gasoline lawn mowers
Gasoline lawn mower design
There are several types of gasoline lawn mowers, namely:
By engine type:
- Household (for a plot of up to 8 acres, with a motor resource of 500 hours and having a power of up to 5 hp)
- Semi-professional (for a plot of up to 18 acres, with a motor resource of 700 hours and having a power of up to 7 hp)
- Professional (for sites of any size, with a service life of 1000 hours, power over 7 hp)
Cutting width:
- With a width of 42-28 cm. Suitable for plots of no more than 8 acres.
- With a width of 51-53 cm. Suitable for plots up to 18 acres.
By type of collector:
- With cloth collector (for powerful machines). The dignity is well filled. The disadvantage is difficult to clean.
- With plastic grass catcher. The advantage is ease of maintenance. The disadvantage is poor filling of the container.
- With combined collector (plastic cloth). ADVANTAGES Ease of maintenance, good filling.
By functional features:
- Guide the cut grass into the collection box. These types of petrol lawn mowers do not have the more important functions of mulching and side discharge of cut grass.
- Mulch the soil with mown grass. The cut grass is additionally crushed in the deck of the machine and laid with a thin mulch layer on the lawn. These lawn mowers have an outlet for a grass catcher and a plug.
- Lateral discharge of cut grass. Used when servicing large areas of the lawn.
For adjusting the mowing height of the lawn:
- Individual adjustment. Each wheel of the machine has a separate lever for adjusting the cutting height.
- Central adjustment. The adjustment lever simultaneously controls the entire cutting height.
- Screw adjustment. The simplest and most inconvenient way of adjusting the cutting height, in which the height is set manually by moving the wheel axle up / down.
By type of movement:
- Self-propelled. Has a drive that allows the petrol lawn mower to move automatically. The main thing is to direct it to the mowing area.
- Not self-propelled. The unit is moved manually.
By drive type:
- Front wheel drive lawn mower. It is more maneuverable and can be used on level ground.
- Rear wheel drive lawn mower. Used when mowing grass in hilly areas, because more stable when driving with a load on the rear wheels (driving uphill).