What mower do I need?

Lawn mowers come in various sizes and designs to give you the finish that you want for your lawn. The basic differences in the mowers we sell are as follows:

Metal Vs Polymer?
Metal decks are generally lighter in construction and designed for domestic machines. It is important with all metal deck machines that wet grass is not left in contact with the deck for long periods as corrosion can occur. The exception to this is professional metal decks which are made from alloy rather than simple pressed steel. Polymer decks are designed to last longer and be more robust over expended periods. A common misconception is that a plastic deck is not as strong as a metal one. In the case of professional machines this is true as the deck is made from a very robust alloy material, but with most machines - domestic - a polymer deck is far stronger and will last much longer.

Wheels Vs Roller?
Depending upon the finish that you want for your lawn depends on whether you want a roller or wheeled machine. A roller will always give a finer finish as the grass is laid flat each time it is cut. This will also give the effect of stripes on the lawn and is good for creating a formal looking lawn. A wheeled machine is fine if you want to cut a normal lawn, where you have children playing for instance, and a good quality cut is required but a formal finish is not. Roller machines are generally more expensive because of the market they are aimed at. Roller machines can also be useful if you have a lot of boarders that need to be mowed around as the roller enables you to get right up to the edge, where a wheel would be in the boarder.

Push Vs Self Propelled?
Whether you want a metal, polymer, professional, wheeled or roller machine one of the most important choices you will make is whether you want a push or a self propelled machine. If you only have a small garden then a push machine will be fine. If you however have a larger lawn or one with lots of trees or flower beds to go around a self propelled is the answer. Most self propelled machines have a fixed speed whish is set at normal walking pace, however some of the larger machines have either a gear system  normally 3 speed - or a hydrostatic system - continuous - which enables the speed to be varied from a slow walking pace to a fast trot. Self propelled machine cost more than push equivalents because of the gearbox, they are however worth the extra in the right location.

Deck Size?
Decks come in various size from around 16" (40cm) up to 21" (53cm). The size you need depends on the area of lawn you wish to cut. The following is designed as a guide, and although this information is useful it should be remembered that a larger mower will always take less time to cut the lawn but that a large mower is also hard to manoeuvre in a  tight space. For a lawn of 500-1,200 square meters a 16"-17" machine will suffice, for lawns of 500-1,500 square meters a 18"-19" machine will make life faster and will not strain the mower so much, if you have a lawn that is between 800-2,500 square meters you really need to look at the larger machines i.e. those with a 21" deck as anything smaller will put too much stress on the operator and machine. For gardens with over 1,500 square meters of lawn it may well be worth considering a professional machine or indeed a "Ride on Mower / Tractor". If you have any doubts what you require do not hesitate to contact us to discuss the options available to you.
 

Electric mower

Can I get an electric mower?
Why buy an electric mower, no fuel, no oil. The only problem is that you then have a long lead trailing around the garden which is not only restrictive but under the wrong circumstances dangerous. The latest mower from Honda uses powerful batteries to provide a mower with excellent performance, light weight, and durability. Click the link to see this new mower for yourself.
 

Mulching

What is mulching?
Mulching is an alternative to collecting the grass. It is important to remember when mulching that you should only cut about 1/3 of the grass at a time as the cuttings will need to be hidden in the remaining grass for it to look nice. This is fine when the grass is hardly growing but when when the grass is very lush you may need to cut the grass 3 times a week. The other thing to know is that when you mulch the grass over long periods it can have a tendency to promote thatch, which then requires scarifying to remove. It does however stop you from needing to find somewhere to put those cuttings that pile up through the summer months.