Lawn Mowers

Lawn mowing is a partial defoliation of the turfgrass plant.

The primary type of mower used on most home lawns is the rotary mower. This mower uses an engine (gasoline or electric powered) to horizontally rotate a blade. The blade is designed to create a vacuum resulting in the grass being lifted then sharp edges of the blade cut the leaf blades. Rotary mowers are constructed to trim close and are useful for mowing at higher mowing heights. Height adjustments of rotary mowers is relatively easy. Many sizes and models are currently on the market ranging from small push models to large riding units capable of mowing large areas in a short period of time.

One of the most recent advancements in rotary mower technology is the refinement in mulching mower design. Recently, a number of manufacturers have introduced mulching mowers into their product lines. These introductions are in response to the demand of homeowners to assist in making the return and recycle programs an aesthetically satisfactory option. In general, the mulching lawn mowers are modified standard rotary mowers designed to cut then recut the clippings many times to allow the filtration of the fine pieces into the canopy of the lawn and not remain on the surface. The design modifications intended to assist in this recutting include the use of high lift blades with expanded cutting edges and restrictions on the grass discharge ports.

Reel mowers are still used by a limited number of homeowners. If properly adjusted, reel mowers will provide a higher quality cut than the rotary mowers. The advantage is most apparent at close mowing heights. A study conducted at The Ohio State University compared the reel and rotary mowers on Kentucky bluegrass at a 1 and 2 inch mowing height. Plots cut with the reel mower consistently rated higher in quality than those mowed with the rotary model. A reel mower is also better at following the contour giving a uniform height of cut. In Ohio, reel mowers have limited popularity today due to the inability of some models to adjust mowing heights, difficulty in sharpening, and reel mowers are not well suited to the higher mowing heights now recommended. Additionally, the current marketing emphasis of most manufacturers is on the rotary models.