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BUYERS GUIDE
Here are a few questions and some discussion points to try and help you choose the right machine for you. Our Sales team is highly experienced and will happily go through these options with you and help you try a variety of machines on our grounds or at your own home to help you confirm what you would like.
How big an area of grass do you want to cut?
Mowers are designed to in a variety of sizes and engines to cope with different size areas of land. Therefore, there is no need to have something too big for you, however, you do not want to be purchasing something that is too small for you.
What finish do you want and how long do you want to spend cutting your grass?
What type of grass are you cutting, is it a paddock, wild meadow or lawn area? Would like to collect, discharge or mulch your grass? You can read more into Mulching vs Collecting further down the page. You may also want to look at the speed of the mower and the width of cut if you are taking too long to cut your lawn at present.
Do you have any tight spots like walls or gates to get through and where are you storing your mower?
If so, you may need to take measurements to make sure your new mower will fit.
Are you or someone else cutting your grass?
Before purchasing, you may want the person who will be doing the grass cutting check that the equipment chosen, is something that they can start and manoeuvre.
WALK BEHIND MOWER OPTIONS
They may look small but walk behind mowers have many options to choose from. Here we are mentioning a few to think about.
Engine or power supply: Petrol engines to electric or battery powered mowers.
Starters: With petrol models there is now often the option of having an electric start to assist with getting your mower going without using the pull recoil.
Size of cut: We stock many sizes ranging from around 30cm to just over 50cm
Drive: You can have mowers that require you to push them as they cut. However, you may choose a self-driven mower where they will power themselves forwards when you depress and hold a lever. This can be at a single set speed or variable speed driven mower. We also have autonomous/robotic mowers if you have the right garden for this product.
Blade Brake Clutch (BBC): Having a mower with a BBC means the moment you release the grip, the BBC stops the blades but leaves the engine running. This lets you empty the collector and get straight back to mowing, without having to restart each time. A real time saver.
Collecting & Mulching: Most walk behind mowers are collecting lawn mowers. However, you can get mulching specific mowers, while others can do a combination of collecting, discharging and mulching. You can read more into Mulching vs Collecting further down the page.
Roller mowers: If you like to have a striped lawn then you need a mower with a roller. This does make the mowers heavier however, if you have lots of flower beds and obstacles in the garden a roller can also make your mower more stable to go around these, additionally most have self-driven options to keep you moving efficiently without too much effort.
RIDE ON MOWER OPTIONS
There are many options and some very specialist features on certain mowers. But if you can determine the main options you would like in your mower, then we can assist you in choosing the right mower for you:
Fuel:All our smaller mowers are petrol however; we have options with diesel for Zero-turn and classic mowers with decks of 48 inches and above.
Deck Size: This determines your cutting width. Many of our decks can also create an overhang where the deck width is wider than your wheels. This can help you cut up close to walls or overhang into flower beds and under hedges without putting yourself in the hedge. Many customers adjust their gardens to get around quickly with larger decks but you must remember not to forget where you wish to store your mower and if you have any gates or tight spots you need to drive through. This may determine the size of the deck you can have. Additionally, not all tractors have the power to cut with larger decks and are much more suitable with a smaller deck.
Deck lift and height of cut control: There are three main options. Manual handheld lever to adjust height of cut, Manual foot pedal with dial or hydraulic lever with dial for height of cut adjustment.
Drive and Manoeuvrability: The smaller the machine does not always mean the easiest to manoeuvre into tight areas. There are lawn mower options with power steering, all wheel steer to get around trees, flower beds and obstacles, zero-turn models allow 360 cutting and fast mulching on flat land as well as 4-wheel drive models for more difficult landscapes with hills and steep grounds.
Collecting & Mulching: Many of our ride on machines have the option of both collecting, discharging and mulching with the options of mulch plugs to insert or mulching kits that can be fitted to decks. Collection systems may be in place by being rear hoppers or side chutes with collection bags at the rear. However, mowers can be set up to be specific collecting, discharge or mulching machines. Depending on the tractor size suitable for you, this will determine which options are possible for you and we can discuss whether collection, discharging or mulching is right for your needs. You can also read more into Mulching vs Collecting further down the page.
MULCHING VS COLLECTING
Lawn Health: Cutting and collecting the grass clippings means that the nutrients are removed from the ground. Mulching grass means it is cut and hidden back into the lawn. The grass settles down back on the ground and decomposes, thus adding nutrients back into the soil. Nitrogen in particular increases with a mulched lawn and may mean fewer fertilisers are required for a healthy lawn. However, if you have weeds in your lawn you may feed the weeds and help them spread. Discharging grass means you are cutting the grass and then leaving it on top of the lawn, this can clog up a lawn and the nutrients cannot reach the ground to be absorbed into the soil.
Appearance: This is a very subjective topic. Some homeowners feel that collecting the grass clippings creates a cleaner appearance and looks neater when there are no grass clumps visible. If mulching is chosen, to have a clean appearance the grass needs to be cut more frequently and possibly at a slightly higher cut height and not in damp conditions to avoid clumping. Practicality: Collecting is often the preferred method for homeowners with animals and children or those playing sport due to the lawn finish being cleaner than if mulched. If mulching then the grass clippings will be picked up on feet or shoes and can therefore be brought into the house.
Time: This is an important factor when deciding how you want to cut your grass. Collecting means you will use additional time to handle your grass clippings and depositing of them in the chosen composting area. Mulching means that you will save time cutting the grass because you have removed to need to stop and empty grass collection hoppers or bags. However, with mulching you will need to cut the grass more frequently than if you were collecting, because mulching blades are designed to cut the top third of the grass blade to leave the desired finish, if you try to cut off more than this clumping occurs.
Composting space: If you want to collect your grass please note that approximately 1 acre of grass will yield 10 tonnes of grass clippings in a year. Therefore, you need to allocate a place that is easy to reach with your lawn mower to make a compost heap or have another way to dispose of them.