Reel Lawnmowers Provide A Classic Cut For The LawnA mower is a tool for cutting vegetation growing on the ground. Mowers are of various types - one of them being the reel mower. The types depend on the kind of work that is done. Mowers can be used on residential lawns or larger areas of grass such as sports fields. These lawnmowers are either self-powered or of such a modest size that it can be propelled by hand. Rotary or reel cutters are used in ground mowers. Thus a lawn mower uses one or more blades that revolve to hack grass and other types of growth evenly. In a rotary mower the blades rotate on a vertical axis but in a cylinder or reel mower the blades rotate across a horizontal axis. This article will look at the various types of reel mowers and the advantages and disadvantages of them. The first mower made its debut in 1827. Full-scale manufacture started in the 1860s. The designs were gradually improved upon. At the turn of the 20th century Ransome's Automation working on chain/gear drive came to be known as one of the best in the world. After the close of World War I Leicester based J.P. Engineering manufactured the first reel or cylinder mowers that soon became very popular. Reel lawnmowers are basically of four types. In the first model the power is manual - the operator has to push it with his hands. In the second type the operator pushes it but it is self-powered. In the third type the operator rides on it. Large reel lawnmowers known as gang mowers are towed behind a vehicle. Push reel lawnmowers are ideal for small plots of land. It has no external power source or motor and is operated simply by manual pushing. The wheels impel the gears quickly to spin the reels. Generally the width of ground it covers ranges from 12" to 20". There are two varieties of riding power reel lawnmowers. The triplex has three independent cutting heads that are hydraulically driven. These are ideal for golf courses. In the second variety there are five to seven cutting heads driven hydraulically. The cutting wheels march ahead of the main wheels of the vehicle. This sees to it that the grass is cut before the wheels crush and flatten the grass. A tractor pulls gang reel lawnmowers. The reels are in groups or gangs comprising of three, five or seven. These are ideal to crop large areas of land. Reel lawnmowers generally are cheap (without maintenance costs), noiseless and safe and pollution free. However one faces problems with tall grass, twigs and fallen leaves. As can be seen there are several advantages and disadvantages to using a reel mower, not least the cost of the mower and the running costs, and the fact that they tend to be lightweight. In order to discover whether a reel mower is for you it is best to go online and do some research to ensure that you get the reel mower that suits your lawn. |