Everyone desires to have a clean and beautiful lawn, but overgrown grass is an obstacle in your way to having one. Thick and uneven grass makes your garden look less attractive.
There are different types of tools you can use to deal with this problem, like String trimmer and Lawn Mower. While a String trimmer can only trim your grass, a lawn-mower can cut grass and keep your lawn clean.
You can get a clean and even cut with the help of a lawn-mower. It is an effective and reliable gardening tool. There are several types of lawn-mowers, and they work so differently.
It is easy to get confused between them, so here is an in-depth article about all types of lawn-mowers and how do they work.
Types Of Lawn Mower
There are several types of lawn-mower based on their engine, blade, and a moving mechanism. We are going to see how deferent types of lawn-mower work and what features do they bring to the table?
Based On Blade Style
There are mainly two types of blades found on a regular lawn-mower.
Reel or Cylinder Lawn Mower
Reel lawn mowers traditional mowers that are mostly used by the people who have a small lawn. A Reel Lawn Mower has a fixed horizontal blade and a reel of 3-4 helical blades. The reel of blades pushes the grass on the fixed blade to give a scissor-like, clean, and even cut. The wheels are connected to the reel, so when the lawn-mower moves, it cuts through the grass.
Mostly you need to push the lawn-mower around to cut the grass, but it also comes with gas and battery-powered engine.
This lawn-mower is best for cutting the grass in the small lawn as it requires a lot of workforces. It gives you a clean and healthy cut, so the grass grows more quickly, and you don’t have to worry about the grass turning yellow or about spreading disease in your lawn.
The quality of the cut on this lawn-mower depends on the width of the grass. The grass will slip right through the mower if the gap between blades is more then the width of the grass.
Reel Lawn Mowers Don’t work well on uneven ground. Tall and rough terrine can also affect the quality of the cut as it can only cut through small grass properly.
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Rotary Lawn Mower
The Rotary lawn-mower is more popular among people because it is cheaper and easier to use then Reel Lawn Mower. It comes with a blade that is located on a deck under the lawn-mower. Rotary Lawn Mower has a motor that spins the blade vertically to chop the grass when it comes in contact with it.
This lawn-mower has a simple mechanism that is easier to maintain. The wheels and the blade are separate. Wheels are used to move around the mower, and the blade gets the power from the motor. It can be gas or battery-powered, which can be used to power the blades or both blades and wheels.
This lawn-mower is useful for cutting long and rough grass or weeds in a medium-sized lawn.
This type of lawn mower doesn’t give cleaner cut like the reel lawn mower because it has only one blade that can lift and chop or mulch the grass. Sometimes it rips the grass, which can result in green grass in your lawn turning yellow.
To learn more about Mower Blades, Click here.
Based On The Power Source
There are two different types of Lawn Mower Power sources.
Gas Or Petrol Powered Lawn Mower
The gas-powered engine is used in a rotary lawn-mower that is powered by an internal combustion engine. It gives more torque and power to grass mowing, and that’s why it is widely used for the larger lawn where it takes hours to get the job done.
Gasoline or Petrol powered lawn mower usually has a two or four-cycle engine. In a two-cycle engine, a mix of fuel and lubricant is used to power up the engine; while the four-cycle engine, you have different components for the fuel and oil.
Because of the power the engines create, it is suitable for more extensive lawns. It can easily cut taller and rough grass.
These types of lawn-mowers create a lot of noise and air pollution. I’ll advise to use it for commercial use or where the loud noises don’t bother neighbors.
If you want to buy a gas-powered Lawn Mower at a low price, you can read our article about Best Gas Lawn Mowers under 300$
Electric Lawn Mower
Electric engines are suitable for small and medium-sized lawns. These are quieter and less pollutive then the gas-powered engines. They are also lightweight and easy to navigate.
There are two types of electric engines available in the market.
- Corded Lawn Mower- This lawn-mower works better in the small lawn because it needs a power connection to work. It doesn’t require a lot of care and maintenance like other lawn-mowers. You need to be careful while using this because there is a possibility of the cord getting in the way of mowing. Don’t mow wet grass with this lawn-mower.
- Cordless Lawn Mower- This is perfect for easier and more comfortable mowing. Cordless or Battery-powered lawn-mower has a rechargeable battery. The lawn-mower has less power comparing to a gas-powered or corded mower, but it does get the job done efficiently. It needs to be recharged before every use. The battery can stay up for 1-2 hours based on the quality of the lawn-mower and its usage.
To see some best Electric Push mowers read our article about The best push mower for the money.
Based On Movement
There are two types of Lawn Mowers based on how it moves.
Push Lawn Mower
In this lawn-mower, you have to push the mower to cut the grass. Reel and some of the rotary mowers are prime examples of this lawn-mower. It requires manpower to move around, and the blade can be powered by gas or battery.
In Reel Lawn Mowers, you push the mower to cut grass as their wheels are connected to the blades. In rotary mowers, the blade’s mechanism can be different than the wheel.
This Lawn Mower can do its work better in a flat surface as some of the lawn-mowers can be pretty heavy, and you won’t be able to push it on a hill. It is less expensive and easy to handle.
It is suitable more suitable for you if you have a small lawn where it doesn’t take hours to mow your lawn because long hours mean more hard work to mow your lawn.
If you decided to get one for yourself, we have some options for you; read our article about Best Push Mower under 300$
Self-Propelled Lawn Mower
This lawn-mower moves around on its own you just have to guide it and navigate it. This type of lawn-mowers has the same mechanism for both the wheel and the blade, so it needs less manpower to work.
It comes in gas-powered or electric-powered motors. It is usually expensive but easy to use.
Because you don’t have to put too much power pushing it, you can use it on both flat and an uneven surface like a hill. You can use it on the small and medium lawn.
It requires high maintenance and care to work properly, but it can be useful for the people who don’t want to spend too much time and work on lawn mowing.
Self-propelled mowers can make mowing a very easy task for you, we compiled a list of the Best Self-Propelled Mower for you so you can buy the best product available.
Other Types Of Lawn Mowers
Aside from these main categories, there are some other types of lawn-mower that you should know about.
Hover Lawn Mower
It is like rotary lawn-mowers, except it has an Impeller on the deck that creates an air cushion while spinning. When the blade and impeller spin, they push the air downwards, so the lawn-mower floats above the ground.
You just have to simply navigate it through your lawn as it doesn’t require manpower to move.
Hover Lawn Mowers are made of plastic materials so they can easily float above the ground. It can be beneficial mowing on hills because it can reach places that a regular lawn-mower can not.
It is not suitable for large lawns and uneven grounds. Because of the floating, sometimes it pushes the grass, and they are left uncut or uneven. It is also not very effective around edges.
Riding or Ride-On Lawn Mower
It is the most comfortable way of lawn mowing because you don’t have to do anything other than sitting on a seat and steering the law-mower. Riding Lawn Mowers are big and are very pricy, but their use surpasses all of it.
It is effective for bigger lawns, and they work perfectly with both gas-powered and battery-powered engines.
It takes less time and effort for lawn mowing. It can easily cut tall and rough grass, and weeds give you the most satisfaction of lawn mowing. It may be a little overpowered for smaller lawns, but you can use it if you want the comfort and ease this lawn-mower provides.
There are three main types of Ride-On Lawn Mower.
- Tractor Lawn Mowers- This is the most commonly used Riding Lawn Mower, you must have seen it somewhere around your house. In this lawn-mower, you have steering for better control. It is effective in both smaller and larger lawns. It is not as precise as the other lawn-mowers, but it can do its job just fine.
- Zero-Turn Lawn Mower- It is like a tractor lawn-mower, but rather than steering, it has two sticks to control them. You may need some practice to take better control of it. It can cut grass on steep slopes without any problems because of its amazing maneuverability. It is an excellent tool for mowing in large lawns and around obstacles and rough corners.
- Articulating Lawn Mower- This lawn-mower has its cutting deck mounted on its front so you can take a good look at what you are mowing. It has better maneuverability than other Ride-On lawn-mowers. You can cut grass under the obstacles, and it is easy to handle.
See our list of best Riding Lawn Mower to find the best options for you.
Robotic Lawn Mower
This lawn-mower is compact and easy to use and doesn’t require any manpower or supervision to work correctly. You have to set a boundary of wires to set its mowing area, and it does all the work by itself.
Robotic lawn-mower is not commonly in use, but it can be a very effective and powerful tool for lawn mowing.
If you have a small lawn and don’t want to do the mowing by yourself, then it is the perfect choice for you. Some of the robotic mowers require one-time programming for schedule, and they can automatically do the mowing when its time.
Robotic lawn-mower does its work silently, so it is useful for you if you have neighbors who don’t like to disturb by the lawn-mower’s sound. You can also use it at night, just switch on the mower and let it do the work.
To Conclude
Every lawn has its own needs, and you should consider it when you are going to buy a Lawn Mower. There so many types of lawn-mowers to choose from, and knowing about them can help you choose the right one for you.
A lawn-mower is only effective if you use it correctly, in a suitable environment. So go buy a lawn-mower that will be most effective for your lawn.
Let me know if this article helped you with the right choice.