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Robot lawn mowers. Photo credit: HOON Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0 |
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Typical riding mower with grass clipping bag attachment. Photo credit: tyle_r Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0 |
A variety of mowing system choices are widely available for maintaining turf areas. Below is a brief synopsis of different types of the mowers with their pros and cons. Costs vary depending on size and power of mower.
Type of Lawnmowers:
Sheep
PROS
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Multi-use (wool, milk, meat)
- Potential for profit
CONS
- Expense
- Winter housing and feed
- High level of knowledge, skill, and management
- Manure management
- Municipal codes may prevent use
Reel Mowers
PROS
- No emissions
- Quiet
- Does not need much storage space
CONS
- Uneven cutting
- Clippings need to be raked
- Blade sharpening
Electric Push Mowers
(cord or cordless)
PROS
- Quiet
- Longer charge on cordless mowers than previous models
CONS
- Power cords can be run over
- Need to be recharged
- Difficult to use in tall grass
Walk behind gas power mowers –
mulch, bag, side chute (throw)
(push, self propelled)
PROS
- Powerful – can cut long or thick grass
- Does not need much storage space
CONS
- Exhaust emissions
- Noisy
- Self propelled models may not work effectively
Riding Gas Mowers
Zero turning radius mowers
PROS
- Get into tight spots
- Mow large swath
CONS
- hard to control on hills
- controls require practice
- needs more storage space
Lawn tractors
PROS
- Mow large swath
- Can use add on equipment such as snow throwers
CONS
- needs more storage space
- maintenance – may need trailer or truck with ramps to take to service center
Rotary cutters
Brush hog (pull behind)
PROS
- Can mow large areas quickly
- Can mow thick and tall brush
CONS
- Debris can be thrown from the machine creating a serious safety hazard
- Large sharp blade
- Objects can get tangled in the PTO (power take off attachment to tractor)
Robot Mowers
PROS
- No emissions
CONS
- Variable performance
- Needs supervision
- Needs to be kept away from pets and children
Additional Resources:
West
California – Healthy Lawns – Mowing
Southeast
Florida – Selecting a Lawn Mower (contains links to other sites)
Louisiana – Lawnmowers – Equipment