The Cutting Edge of Lawn Care

In just under 200 years, a series of blades assembled around a cylinder, based on a tool which uniformly cut carpet, has evolved into a superb 4-wheel driving machine with gigantic mowing decks, zero turn devices and even robotic lawn mowers akin to the Roomba and Shark Matrix vacuum cleaners. Indeed, this is not your grandpa’s mower. The first grass mower invention with a patent granted was in England in 1830. Forty years later, a horse-drawn version came to our country, with a human-powered one close behind. The well-known inventor-investor team of Briggs and Stratton revolutionized mowers with the first lightweight aluminum engine. Today, the company makes lawn mower engines from 98% recycled aluminum, kinda cool, right? The original reel or rotary mower with a 16-20” blade width morphed into a push power mower,  then a self-powered mower you could walk along with, steer and not need to push. You can buy a battery-powered mower or an electric cord mower, with decent results for small yards. However, like snowblowers have replaced many a snow shovel, riding mowers are in vogue, not to be trendy, but to be functional, and, ahem, conserve a person’s energy. Robot and Electric Mowers Several companies like Segway and Husqvarna make robot mowers. Robot mowers have an electric mower that runs using rechargeable batteries. They are smaller than gas-powered mowers and use a buried perimeter wire or GPS and sensors to determine property edges. Other sensors detect trees, pets and obstacles and navigate around them. Robot mowers are designed to mow much more often than traditional mowers, even daily. They are quiet, return to their station for charging, do not need oil changes or spark plugs, and are compact for size and storage. They may, however, struggle with thick grass, not leave clean mowing stripes and depend on software and WiFi connections. The electric or battery powered mower, like from Ryobi, provides more power than a 150 cc gas mower and runs about 45 minutes or up to half an acre on one 40V 6Ah lithium battery. While these models are lighter and simple to operate, they have limited range and less torque and power. The 46” Cub Cadet I don’t generally like to write in the first person, as I did for my King Ranch F-150 in the MarchApril issue, but – we did not have a vehicle for that issue. Since we cover anything with wheels, lawn mowers slide into the NRV Rides series perfectly, and I just happen to have a new, dual-cylinder, 46” deck Cub Cadet. This front engine lawn tractor is one powerful, amazing machine. And as some would say – at my age! One good thing about “my age” is that I am familiar with starting something with a choke. I’ve learned enough to mow my small farm property as my regular mower person was compelled to retire. I paid for it, but the newfound knowledge and skills to operate it come courtesy of a long-time friend, Jim Higham, founder and owner of Power Zone. Today’s most popular mower decks are 42-48” for residential machines. Commercial mowers can be 72” and larger. Zero turn is a huge advancement and time saver with a spin capability that nearly eliminates back up to move forward out of tight spots or simply to turn back for another slice of lawn. While lovely, this 90-degree turning radius suits me fine. The front tires are 20 x 10 x 8 and back ones are 15 x 6 x 6. Front and rear deck wheels are 5 inches. The latter are called anti-scalp wheels or rollers and prevent the mower blades from scalping too short when driving on uneven terrain.  When the deck enters a dip, it could chop the grass far too short, even digging into the ground, and these wheels prevent that. They do not support any weight and are a valuable part of the end result. The made-in-the-USA engine on this model is a 22 HP, 725 cc Kohler 7000 Series V-Twin engine. The vehicle sports a hydrostatic transmission, and the gas tank holds three gallons of regular gas (with or without ethanol). I love riding a horse more than a mower, but there are similarities, namely, checking the brakes. Good brakes (whoa) on a responsive horse are as important as good brakes, especially going downhill, on a riding mower. This is the first thing I check when riding either one, as much to refresh my memory as to test the horse’s training or the mower’s performance. Today’s riding mowers are loaded with safety features. Accessories include useful attachments for bagging, mulching, dragging things and even snow removal. Multiple adjustments for cutting height allow for higher cuts during drought and lower when grass is growing faster. With a couple built-in dishes and a cup holder, what’s not to love about driving around while the mower blades produce a neat cutting edge.  If you are reading this and know of an interesting vehicle, please alert me at jmawriter1@gmail.com. Nothing wrong with tooting your own horn for your own set of wheels. Text by Joanne M. Anderson