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Summer '16

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:16 pm

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So it's been a busy year for us, slowly developing our repertoire of reviews and blogging away about the subject closest to our heart - keeping your garden looking great all year round!

We've been so busy getting carried away with everything that we realised we'd been neglecting the good people at Garden Stew, and thought we had better show our face here again, as it's been a whole year since we were here last - time really flies!

This wet summer weather leaves a lot to be desired, but hopefully the sun will be shining again this weekend so we can all get out there, and for one thing cut the grass (all the rain will have given it an invigorating boost), not to mention actually take some time to actually enjoy our gardens. Glass of wine sat out in the late evening sun anyone?

How have you been getting on with your gardens? I’d love to hear about any great revelations or new gadgets you’ve had success with this year.


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Summer is nearly here, let the fun begin!

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 4:01 pm

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So it's been a while since I last posted, but to celebrate the start of the season here's a little bit of silliness to raise a few smiles :)

http://lawnmowerwizard.com/featuredarticles/how-not-to-use-your-lawnmower/



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Three Reasons to Use Corded Electric Mowers

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:02 pm

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Petrol lawn mowers are often seen as the only way to go by many people, but it doesn't have to be this way!

1) Pulling the starter cable on a petrol mower can frankly be exhausting for some, with an electric mower you'll have no such trouble, simply push to start button or turn the key.

2) If your mower has a two stroke engine it will require a petrol and oil mix to get it started. This is both messy (black smoke in the face anyone?) and a pain to get right. A four stroke is slightly less work, but it still requires oil checks and fresh petrol to be added regularly. No need for this with an electric mower

3) Electric mowers are quiet. You won't be upsetting anyone should you choose to mow outside of socially acceptable hours.

Electric Mower tips

To get the best out of your corded electric mower, follow these simple tips:

1) Keep the cord slung over your shoulder so that it doesn't get in yours or the mower's way

2) Keep the cord away from the discharge chute if mowing without a grass collection box to prevent it getting caught up in clumps of grass

3) If mowing on a slope mow along it rather than up and down it to avoid losing your footing and landing in a heap at the bottom with the lawn mower on top of you.


Last edited: Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:03 pm

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Lawnmowers On The Moon?

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:12 pm

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Totally irrelevant, but I found this and had to share... I never knew moon dust was quite so quirky!

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/09nov_lawnmower/

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Petrol Lawn Mowers and EU Emissions Regulations

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:28 am

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If you live in Europe then you're probably aware that changes to the rules surrounding the power of electrical goods are either in force or on the horizon, but what you may not know is that there will soon be legislation introduced with the aim of reducing emissions in petrol driven equipment such as trains, barges, and other 'non road' vehicles, as well as garden machinery such as lawn mowers.

The details of what these changes will be exactly isn't exactly clear at the moment, but it's likely that the overall power of such appliances will be reduced as a means to cutting emissions overall.

When the power reduction legislation for vacuum cleaners came into effect it led to people 'panic buying' the higher powered models whilst there were still stocks, the same will probably be true for lawn mowers, but is there really a need to panic, or can such changes be managed with a bit of careful consideration?

We believe the answer is yes, and whilst it may well prove frustrating that you won't be able to hack up your lawn with the same ferocity as you may have done with a machine fitted with a larger engine, it doesn't mean that the task will be any more of a chore with a less powerful mower. What it will likely mean is spending a bit more time keeping your mower properly maintained, and most importantly keeping the blade properly sharpened, so that even with a reduction in power the mower will still be able to cut through even the thickest and toughest of grass.

Then of course it's worth considering whether you possess a garden with a large enough lawn to warrant a petrol mower, of any size. The fact is for a lawn of under 400 square metres you can quite happily tackle the job with an electric mower, just remember your extension cord, or better still invest in a battery powered mower.

In conclusion, power isn't everything! Yes a bit of TLC might be required, but to be honest that's good practice anyway if you want to get a decent service life from your mower. Or it might just be a case of swallowing your pride, and acknowledging the fact that you just don't need the latest 'Lawn King 3000000' to cope with your modest lawn!



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3D Printed Lawn Mower

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:39 am

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It seems that the whole 3D printing thing is everywhere these days, even the garden isn't exempt from gadgets and gizmos that can be made at the touch of a button. I read this the other day, granted it looks a little basic, but the guy does stress it's the first in what will probably be a long line of prototypes before achieving the perfect mower.

http://www.gizmag.com/3d-printed-lawn-mower/35456/

It's interesting stuff, and I guess anything that helps us keep our garden in tip top shape has got to be a good thing (even if printing robots to do the more unpleasant tasks for us is still a little way off).


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Stalemate

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2015 9:31 am

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Happy new year to all!

Though the new year means a lot of potential lay ahead for improvements in the garden, at this time we really are in the middle of Winter, and frustratingly that means there isn't a lot that can be done to help the garden in it's tired state.

As my passion the lawn is particularly frustrating as to walk on it would only damage the grass, especially when there is snow or a heavy frost.

I guess I'll just have to wait with bated breath and hope that all the cold weather prep I did by laying mulch on the lawn back in early October pays off!

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How Best to Prevent Death by Snow Shoveling?

Category: Home and Garden Care | Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:44 am

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A few weeks ago there was widespread media coverage of snow storms in and around Buffalo NY, and as if the sheer inconvenience of several feet of snow wasn't bad enough there were also reports of another less expected negative consequence of all this snow fall, people dying as a result of the seemingly innocuous activity of clearing the roads and paths around their homes.

On reading further this actually made sense, people who might otherwise be sedentary were exerting themselves in cold whether. Not only would they be exercising in ways their body wasn't used to, they'd also face the double whammy of doing it in the cold, causing arteries to contract, and ultimately a lot of stress on the heart. In older people and those with pre existing heart conditions this is all a big no no.

Now I don't know about you, but I wasn't familiar with this problem at all until reading about it, though of course here in the UK we seldom see snow at all, let alone have the chance to shovel it.

It makes me wonder what the best course of action is for people facing the unfortunate situation of having to clear snow, especially in countries where you are legally obliged to clear snow from the path in front of your home. Even snow blowers don't seem to be a guarantee you'll make it through in one piece, one poor soul even met his end during the aforementioned storm whilst using one of those.

I think there must be a better solution out there for someone to find!

In any case, take care shovelling snow this Winter folks!


Last edited: Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:50 am

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Thinking of Buying a Lawn Mower For Someone This Christmas?

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:38 pm

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Ok so time is running out, there are just a few days to go before the Festive season is upon us once again, and if you're not already panicking about what to buy your friends and family there's a good chance you might start soon!

Maybe there's a keen gardener in your life, someone who takes pride in every last intricacy within their garden, you know the type, a real stickler for detail, with every branch pruned, every gnome polished and every blade of grass painstakingly manicured to perfection.

Or maybe there's a real 'big boys toy' fanatic in your midst, someone who simply has to have every one of the biggest, most powerful, dirty, noisy and smelly pieces of equipment going.

Whoever you're buying for, you might not have considered buying them a lawnmower, after all it's hardly the time of year for it! Just think though, in months to come when all the stocking fillers have been condemned to the bottom of a drawer somewhere, when one pair of socks is indistinguishable form another pair received last Christmas, your present will be making it's proud debut in your loved ones garden.

They won't forget just how thoughtful that was of you, and they'll remember it every time they mow the lawn from that moment on, just make sure you do your research first!



Last edited: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:54 pm

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The Rise of the Battery Powered Mower

Category: A World of Lawnmowers and Lawncare | Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:14 pm

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These days it's hard to imagine a world without batteries, in fact they're the embodiment of the oldest form of electricity generation known to man, chemically generated electricity. The battery was developed in the late 18th century by Benjamin Franklin among others, but there are also claims that they existed among ancient civilisations, though the clay pots and rolled up bits of copper that supposedly constitute such artefacts remain a subject of debate.

In any case it's fair to say that batteries have stood the test of time, but with the development of the internal combustion engine early in the 20th century, the use of the battery as a means of power for many applications was for the most part forgotten, especially in heavy duty machinery such as cars, aircraft, or in this case the humble lawn mower.

The battery's fate has for the most part been sealed by two rather large factors that leave it unable to compete with good old gasoline as a source of power, these are:

1) Weight - batteries able to store enough charge to be of any real benefit or use have traditionally needed be bulky and heavy
2) Charge - Similarly, batteries are well known for making things work brilliantly one minute, to being about as useful as a dead fish the next when they suddenly run out of juice.

Likewise of course, there are some applications where the sheer power output of the accompanying motor is unable to compete with it's gas burning engine equivalent, but when it comes to lawn mowers this is less of a deciding factor.

The good news is that in the last 10 or 15 years battery technology has advanced leaps and bounds, to the point where we are seeing everything from Radio Controlled Helicopters becoming common consumer items (once a past time of the dedicated enthusiast only) , to companies developing flexible batteries to integrate with the next generation of mobile devices. All this development and hard work also means that new a generation of battery powered lawn mowers are now a confident competitor to traditional mains powered electric and gas mowers.

Most of these machines are powered by 'Lithium Ion' batteries, which have a much higher energy to weight ratio than other rechargeable batteries, meaning that it's now not uncommon to be able to get an hour and a half of cutting time for a similar amount of charge time, which is not at all unreasonable. If you like the clean and quiet nature of electric mowers, but also want the freedom associated with gas mowers, then a battery mower is a very viable alternative.

Clearly there are still downsides (no miracles have been worked just yet), for example you won't meet the demands of a large or overgrown lawn with the power output and mowing time offered by a battery mower, and unfortunately the technology is still rather expensive. All of this is ever improving though, and the popularity of emission and cord free mowing will only increase as time goes on.



Battery Power: It's here and it's proud! ( photo / image / picture from lawnmowerwizard's Garden )





Last edited: Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:40 am

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