Improved cutting units
I was reading up on some new equipment and improved cutting units this morning and came across the below article on the history of lawnmowers. It makes for an interesting read. Also see the pictures of the 2 different types of mowers you get on the market and their different characteristics.
History of the Lawn Mower
Mechanical mowing became possible early in the 19th century by an English engineer named Edwin Budding.
While working in a textile mill, Budding noticed a machine that was used to shear the nap of velvet, which to Budding, was very similar to his overgrown grass at home that he had to cut with a scythe every Saturday afternoon instead of going down to the pub and listening to reports of the soccer game come in.
Through Budding's ingenuity he developed a cylinder, or reel-type mower. It was a series of blades arranged around a cylinder with a push handle. It really looked much like our non-polluting, non-powered, aerobic workout, lawn mowing machine of today—the classic reel mower still available in many hardware and home improvement stores across the country.
In 1870, Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana designed a machine that basically brought push mowing to the masses. It was lighter, easier to push and had fewer moving parts than the old versions. By 1885, America was building 50,000 lawnmowers a year and shipping them to every country on the globe.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, men from all walks of life began realising what a chore it was pushing one of those clunkers around the yard every week, so they started tinkering with ways to get more power (meaning more non-human power) behind the mower. First they figured the best thing would be to hook up a horse to the mowing machine, but the wife complained about the horse trampling her favourite roses. Then someone got the idea of using a steam-powered engine to push it around the yard, but in reality, it took longer to fire up the boiler than it did to actually cut the lawn.
In the United States, the first gasoline powered mowers were manufactured in 1919 by Colonel Edwin George (you had to guess that it would take a military man to get some real power behind those whirling blades). However, before the Second World War the power mower was little used in most neighbourhoods. It wasn't because that husbands didn't want to have one of those new powered mowers, it was because we were in the midst of a slight depression in the economy and it was kind of hard to explain to the wife that you'd like to buy a power lawn mower instead of buying food for the family for the next six months.
During World War II, when most of the able-bodied men were off fighting the war, women were left at home to take care of the yard themselves along with cooking, shopping, cleaning, and oh yes, all that working in the factories business. I think that was the real secret to the power lawn mower boom that followed the war. When the fighting men came home, they didn't want to mess around with cutting grass with an old push mower. After all, they had been out driving about the world in tanks, and Jeeps, and bombers and such. The idea that now they were relegated to pushing an old 19th Century lawn mower around the backyard, just didn't quite cut it with the GI's. Not being shy about such things, they told their wives that they weren't going to cut the grass anymore; after all, it was woman's work. Women in mass stood up and in a quiet revolt pointed their respective husbands towards hardware stores across American in search of the power mower. Things haven't been the same since.
By the early 60s gasoline powered mowers were so common that in 1961 C. B. Mills, an expert in grass seed and lawns at the time, said this about powered mowers: "Today, if all of them in a single neighbourhood were started at once, the racket would be heard round the world." He probably lived next door to someone who liked to cut his grass early on a Saturday morning.
Today, new technology is bringing us improved mower versions. Low emission gasoline engines with catalytic converters are being manufactured to help reduce air pollution. Improved muffling devices are also being installed to reduce the noise pollution. Battery powered mowers are also becoming practical. Although slightly smaller with an average cutting swath of only 17-19", these new mowers will quietly cutting lawns without the common cloud of blue smoke hanging in the air, for about an hour per charge. Prices are comparable to a high-end gasoline powered mower.
America's love affair with the lawn mower is here to stay. There's something about cutting your lawn that drives some basic need in man for order and regulation that a freshly mown lawn gives us. The feeling of standing behind that smoke belching, engine roaring, grass throwing machine is like no other feeling I know, unless of course you like to ride your Harley-Davidson around the backyard on a Saturday afternoon.
History of the Lawn Mower
Mechanical mowing became possible early in the 19th century by an English engineer named Edwin Budding.
While working in a textile mill, Budding noticed a machine that was used to shear the nap of velvet, which to Budding, was very similar to his overgrown grass at home that he had to cut with a scythe every Saturday afternoon instead of going down to the pub and listening to reports of the soccer game come in.
Through Budding's ingenuity he developed a cylinder, or reel-type mower. It was a series of blades arranged around a cylinder with a push handle. It really looked much like our non-polluting, non-powered, aerobic workout, lawn mowing machine of today—the classic reel mower still available in many hardware and home improvement stores across the country.
In 1870, Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana designed a machine that basically brought push mowing to the masses. It was lighter, easier to push and had fewer moving parts than the old versions. By 1885, America was building 50,000 lawnmowers a year and shipping them to every country on the globe.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, men from all walks of life began realising what a chore it was pushing one of those clunkers around the yard every week, so they started tinkering with ways to get more power (meaning more non-human power) behind the mower. First they figured the best thing would be to hook up a horse to the mowing machine, but the wife complained about the horse trampling her favourite roses. Then someone got the idea of using a steam-powered engine to push it around the yard, but in reality, it took longer to fire up the boiler than it did to actually cut the lawn.
In the United States, the first gasoline powered mowers were manufactured in 1919 by Colonel Edwin George (you had to guess that it would take a military man to get some real power behind those whirling blades). However, before the Second World War the power mower was little used in most neighbourhoods. It wasn't because that husbands didn't want to have one of those new powered mowers, it was because we were in the midst of a slight depression in the economy and it was kind of hard to explain to the wife that you'd like to buy a power lawn mower instead of buying food for the family for the next six months.
During World War II, when most of the able-bodied men were off fighting the war, women were left at home to take care of the yard themselves along with cooking, shopping, cleaning, and oh yes, all that working in the factories business. I think that was the real secret to the power lawn mower boom that followed the war. When the fighting men came home, they didn't want to mess around with cutting grass with an old push mower. After all, they had been out driving about the world in tanks, and Jeeps, and bombers and such. The idea that now they were relegated to pushing an old 19th Century lawn mower around the backyard, just didn't quite cut it with the GI's. Not being shy about such things, they told their wives that they weren't going to cut the grass anymore; after all, it was woman's work. Women in mass stood up and in a quiet revolt pointed their respective husbands towards hardware stores across American in search of the power mower. Things haven't been the same since.
By the early 60s gasoline powered mowers were so common that in 1961 C. B. Mills, an expert in grass seed and lawns at the time, said this about powered mowers: "Today, if all of them in a single neighbourhood were started at once, the racket would be heard round the world." He probably lived next door to someone who liked to cut his grass early on a Saturday morning.
Today, new technology is bringing us improved mower versions. Low emission gasoline engines with catalytic converters are being manufactured to help reduce air pollution. Improved muffling devices are also being installed to reduce the noise pollution. Battery powered mowers are also becoming practical. Although slightly smaller with an average cutting swath of only 17-19", these new mowers will quietly cutting lawns without the common cloud of blue smoke hanging in the air, for about an hour per charge. Prices are comparable to a high-end gasoline powered mower.
America's love affair with the lawn mower is here to stay. There's something about cutting your lawn that drives some basic need in man for order and regulation that a freshly mown lawn gives us. The feeling of standing behind that smoke belching, engine roaring, grass throwing machine is like no other feeling I know, unless of course you like to ride your Harley-Davidson around the backyard on a Saturday afternoon.
 |
 |
 |
Rotary mowers have a horizontally mounted fan-style blade that spins in a circular motion. The fast sweep of the fan blade over the top of the turf cuts the grass. Rotary mowers are always powered mowers, as it takes an engine to spin the blade with the velocity required to cut grass. Because the blade spins horizontally, rotary mowers are especially suited to lawns that are largely made of weeds, dandelions and other tall sprouting grasses. Singular tall stems or blades can be missed by reel style mowers that lay them flat, only to have them spring up again.
Weeds aside, most professionals agree that between a reel and rotary lawn mower, the reel cuts lawn more evenly and much closer than a rotary. Reels can give lawn that "putting green" look. Reels also cut cleanly, allowing grass to create a natural seal that protects it against harmful pathogens. Rotary mowers are likened more to tearing grass. When grass is torn rather than cut it might develop brown tips that can take away from the overall beauty and health of the lawn.
If your lawn is less than 8,000 square feet (743 sq. meters), the choice between a reel and rotary lawn mower might be an easy one. Mowing the lawn frequently will keep the experience enjoyable, as a tall grass requires more push. A manual reel mower is a great way to get exercise and keep your yard looking its best.
Among mowers that are powered, the reel and rotary lawn mower comes in one of two models: push or self-propelled. The engine on a simple power mower is only used to spin the blades. This is supposed to make it easier to push the mower over the grass; however, you now have the added weight of the engine. If you want the mower to be self-propelled as well, a different engine and design is used. This is the most expensive kind of mower, but the easiest to use.
No matter which mower you choose, lawns have differing height requirements to look their best. Some lawns are healthier longer, while others are at their best trimmed a little shorter. A healthy lawn will be springy like a mat and won't be damaged by normal wear. Sod can be cut by either a reel or rotary lawn mower, but wait the recommended length of time after planting it before its first cut.
Frequent mowing helps reduce weed growth while strengthening grass. When mowing the yard, it's best to overlap rows by half, and mow the entire lawn in a back and forth pattern, for example north and south. Follow this with perpendicular rows, or east and west. Avoid mowing in a circular pattern. Reel and rotary blades should be professionally sharpened as a matter of routine to keep your lawn looking its best.
All the best,
Andre Gerber
0824514158
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Like it? Click an Icon to Share it:
On Course
