Rotary electric lawnmowers.
One of the most popular garden tools in the UK is the rotary electric lawnmower. Rotary lawnmowers have a single blade bolted to the underside of the machine which rotates at high speed cutting/tearing through the grass.
There are three basic types of electric rotary lawnmower.
4-wheeled.
These lawnmowers have 4 wheels and can be self propelled or manual push (meaning you have to physically push the mower).
Rear roller.
Instead of two rear wheels, these mowers have a rear roller for the striped lawn effect. Again they are available in both self propelled and manual push types.
Hover.
Hover lawnmowers such as the Flymo ‘float’ on a cushion of air created by the specially designed turbine.
Self propelled rotary electric lawnmowers.
If you don’t fancy pushing the mower around the garden, go for a self propelled rotary electric lawnmower. With self propelled mowers, the rear wheels or roller is driven by the motor leaving you to simply steer the mower. Look for a self propelled machine with an adjustable speed control as this will allow you to determine a comfortable walking pace.
Lawnmower cutting width.
For smaller lawns, a 30-35cm wide mower will be adequate. For medium sized lawns, up to the size of a tennis court, a width of around 40cm will save you a lot of time. For lawns larger than this, it might be worth considering a petrol lawnmower
Why are rotary electric lawnmowers so popular?
In short, price and ease of use.
A rotary electric lawnmower can cope with the majority of lawns, including uneven ground.
Easy maintenance. When it’s time to sharpen the mower, a rotary blade is far simpler to sharpen than a cylinder mower’s blades. It’s simply a case of removing the blade, sharpening the two cutting edges and replacing. Many lawnmower blades can be sharpened without having to remove the blade from the mower.
It’s important to sharpen the blades regularly on any mower to ensure a clean cut and prevent brown tips developing on the grass stems. Sharp blades also prevent the lawnmower motor from becoming over-stressed.
Rear rollers on electric lawnmowers.
Rotary electric lawn mowers are available with either a rear roller or rear wheels. A rear roller will give you a striped finish to your lawn and will allow you to mow right up to and slightly over the edges of beds and borders. The rear roller will prevent the lawnmower from dropping to low and scalping the lawn.
High wheeled rotary electric lawnmowers.
Some manufacturers supply high wheeled electric rotary mowers specially designed for rougher terrain. These machines offer a greater degree of manoeuvrability than smaller wheeled lawnmowers.
What are some of the popular brands of electric rotary lawnmowers?
Flymo
Bosch
Lawn King
Hayter
Qualcast
Mountfield
Toro
Oleo-Mac