Invented in Gloucestershire, England around 1830 by freelance engineer Edwin Beard Budding (wikipedia), the lawn mower is an indispesable tool. The first lawn mowers were rotating blades pushed along on wheels, massively reducing the time that it took to cut large lawns with a scythe. Many decades later came the steam powered and eventaully the petrol driven lawn mowers.

Today the lawn mower is an invaluable asset to a home or an estate or any groundskeeper - a machine that can cut down grass with one or two passes, to equal height, in a tiny fraction of the time it would take to do by shear or scythe. Lawn mowing is a typical part of suburban life and many people find it to be a relaxing and even therapeutic activity. Mowers are very popular with sports grounds and traditionally a gardener will mow up and down in order leaving a neat striped pattern in the grass. These larger grounds usually employ reel mowers which are a cleaner cut and are often pulled by a tractor.

Modern garden mowers are powered by a petrol engine or by electricity. They use a rotating blade that chops the grass, which is then cast either onto the lawn or into a bag or bucket. Some mowers have several blades so that the grass is cut into such small pieces that they can be left on the lawn to naturally dissipate or act as fertiliser.

An even more modern lawn mower is the ride on mower. This refers to a lawn mower incorporated into a small vehicle, shaped like a small tractor or sometimes more like a buggy. These are very popular for large areas as the user can sit back and ride the mower, steering it like a vehicle, cutting large portions of grass at a time. There are even people who race ride on mowers, dispensing with the bags and blades, and turning the machines into speedy little racers with their own leagues and classes. Finally a more rare type of lawn mower works on hover technology like a hovercraft, floating above the grass, able to be gently pushed around the garden with minimum effort.

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John Gibb lawn mower guidance

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It is common knowledge that gas powered lawn mowers are serious environmental polluters. It is estimated that 1 hour of lawn mower use equals driving an SUV 100 miles. I have read that lawnmowers contribute up to 5% of the nation¡Çs pollution. Even more alarming comparisons and statistics can be found on the internet.

Even if you are not an environmentalist, the price of gas will definitely make you a conservationist. Gas prices continue to climb. Personally, going to the gas station with my little gas can is not a trip of leisure, it has always been a chore.

Changing the oil, air filter, and regular maintenance is not what I consider an enjoyable event. John Deere charged me $129 one year to do all that, so it became a semi-annual day of bonding between me and ol¡Ç JD.

We hired a lawn service for a year. He did a good job but his helpers made us uneasy. They seemed friendly whether they could speak English or not. One of the problems we had was we travel a good deal and we just didn¡Çt feel comfortable having strangers running around our yard knowing we were gone. There are enough elements of risk out there without inviting it to our home.

One day on the internet I came across an article for automatic lawnmowers. We ordered it with a healthy serving of skepticism since our robotic vacuum cleaner needed to be replaced more often that our landscaper¡Çs hired hands.

It has exceeded our expectations. So much so we decided to start selling them. They have proven to be very low maintenance and highly reliable. They do a pretty good job cutting the yard.

Technology has advanced where batteries can now power lawn mowers to do an effective job. They can mow, go back to the charger by them selves, and go back out again on a schedule without any help all season.

My wife and I can now travel freely without the worry of a self-inflicted burglary. We no longer have invited strangers running around our yard, yet we have a nicely cut lawn.

Maintenance? Once a year I change the blades. For those who live in the north the robotic lawn mower needs to be housed in the garage for the winter. Since it is all electric it doesn¡Çt burn any gas or oil. That means no pollutants so we can all breathe easier.

Robotic lawn mowers are also very quiet. They are so quiet that they can be run at night while every one is asleep.

It costs about $7.00 a year in electricity to mow my yard. I used to spend more than that in one trip to fill up the gas container.

The biggest problem that we have is with our neighbors. My goodness they love to come out and watch it work. For me the excitement has long gone and I consider it no more of a novelty than the dishwasher. But for some reason our little robotic lawn mower continues to be the neighborhood star attraction day after day.

Robotic lawn mowers aren¡Çt going to put John Deere or the local landscaper out of business anytime soon, but one day the do-it-yourselfers are going to be the ones that will be the neighborhood oddity.

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Kerry Clabaugh http://www.bamabots.com, toll free (877) 383-6054

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Robotic lawn mowers are creeping their way in to everyday American life. Like the dishwasher, they were really more trouble than they were worth in the beginning. But technological advances have made the robotic lawn mower practical.

Robotic lawn mowers can now mow on a time schedule and return to the charging base all season long without human intervention, this is the breakthrough that makes them truly useful.

An advanced feature on at least one model is the self-programmable mode. As these robotic lawn mowers work they determine the size of the yard and how fast the grass is growing, when they go back to their charging base they calculate the next time they need to come out to keep the grass at the optimal height.

Rain sensors are becoming standard equipment. When it starts to rain or the sprinkler system activates, they return to their charging base. Mowing in the rain was a major complaint for early adopters.

Some robotic lawn mowers even have a wet grass detection system. Rain sensors are a step in the right direction, but it is the wet grass detection system that cures the problem. Heavy or long periods of rain can leave the grass wet and the ground soft for days. Heavier robotic lawn mowers could get stuck and dig trenches losing traction and spinning tires. Keeping bags of sand handy was just considered part of robotic lawn mower ownership.

Light weight lithium ion batteries allow mowers to cut longer and recharge much faster. In fact some can recharge in as little as 4 hours allowing the mower to go out twice a day if needed.

In addition to faster recharge times, lithium ion batteries do not have the ¡Æmemory¡Ç problems associated with lead acid batteries. Basically the memory effect is caused when a battery is not fully discharged on a consistent basis, they remember the shortened life cycle, reducing the useful length of time until the need to recharge.

Robotic lawn mowers have become more reliable too. The addition of thermistors that detect when motors are overheating and less heat sensitive circuit boards and higher quality components extend the life expectancy past 10 years, about the same as a new quality riding lawn mower.

Robotic lawn mowers are now pretty much maintenance free. Changing the blade once a year and winter storage is about all the attention needed on a routine basis.

Robotic lawnmowers are now able to handle yards as small as 1/8 acre up to 5 acres. Depending on the model, they can handle slopes of up to 30 degrees. All major brands of robotic lawn mowers are waterproof and can remain outdoors all mowing season long.

Residential robotic lawn mowers require a perimeter wire similar to an electric dog fence to be laid prior to operating. Laying the wire is a one-time event that will last the life of the mower.

Setting the perimeter wire is probably the scariest part of purchasing a robotic lawn mower. It is not difficult to stake the wire in place. It usually takes about 3 hours for 1,000 ft. of wire. The wire need not be buried as the grass and roots will grow over it in about 2-3 weeks.

If the mower should cross the wire boundary it will immediately stop. So there is no need to worry about it running away or mowing the neighbor¡Çs yard.

Operating the robotic lawn mower is simple, actually easier than programming a VCR. In theory, programming the mowing schedule need only be done at the beginning of the season. The LCD screens have full instructions and are easy to read.

There are quite a number of internet sites that have detailed information about specific features of the different models of robotic lawn mowers. Hopefully this general description will give readers the interest to look into these new appliances.

About the author:

Kerry Clabaugh http://www.bamabots.com toll free (877) 383-6054

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Robotic lawn mowers are creeping their way in to everyday American life. Like the dishwasher, they were really more trouble than they were worth in the beginning. But technological advances have made the robotic lawn mower practical.

Robotic lawn mowers can now mow on a time schedule and return to the charging base all season long without human intervention, this is the breakthrough that makes them truly useful.

An advanced feature on at least one model is the self-programmable mode. As these robotic lawn mowers work they determine the size of the yard and how fast the grass is growing, when they go back to their charging base they calculate the next time they need to come out to keep the grass at the optimal height.

Rain sensors are becoming standard equipment. When it starts to rain or the sprinkler system activates, they return to their charging base. Mowing in the rain was a major complaint for early adopters.

Some robotic lawn mowers even have a wet grass detection system. Rain sensors are a step in the right direction, but it is the wet grass detection system that cures the problem. Heavy or long periods of rain can leave the grass wet and the ground soft for days. Heavier robotic lawn mowers could get stuck and dig trenches losing traction and spinning tires. Keeping bags of sand handy was just considered part of robotic lawn mower ownership.

Light weight lithium ion batteries allow mowers to cut longer and recharge much faster. In fact some can recharge in as little as 4 hours allowing the mower to go out twice a day if needed.

In addition to faster recharge times, lithium ion batteries do not have the ¡Æmemory¡Ç problems associated with lead acid batteries. Basically the memory effect is caused when a battery is not fully discharged on a consistent basis, they remember the shortened life cycle, reducing the useful length of time until the need to recharge.

Robotic lawn mowers have become more reliable too. The addition of thermistors that detect when motors are overheating and less heat sensitive circuit boards and higher quality components extend the life expectancy past 10 years, about the same as a new quality riding lawn mower.

Robotic lawn mowers are now pretty much maintenance free. Changing the blade once a year and winter storage is about all the attention needed on a routine basis.

Robotic lawnmowers are now able to handle yards as small as 1/8 acre up to 5 acres. Depending on the model, they can handle slopes of up to 30 degrees. All major brands of robotic lawn mowers are waterproof and can remain outdoors all mowing season long.

Residential robotic lawn mowers require a perimeter wire similar to an electric dog fence to be laid prior to operating. Laying the wire is a one-time event that will last the life of the mower.

Setting the perimeter wire is probably the scariest part of purchasing a robotic lawn mower. It is not difficult to stake the wire in place. It usually takes about 3 hours for 1,000 ft. of wire. The wire need not be buried as the grass and roots will grow over it in about 2-3 weeks.

If the mower should cross the wire boundary it will immediately stop. So there is no need to worry about it running away or mowing the neighbor¡Çs yard.

Operating the robotic lawn mower is simple, actually easier than programming a VCR. In theory, programming the mowing schedule need only be done at the beginning of the season. The LCD screens have full instructions and are easy to read.

There are quite a number of internet sites that have detailed information about specific features of the different models of robotic lawn mowers. Hopefully this general description will give readers the interest to look into these new appliances.

About the author:

Kerry Clabaugh http://www.bamabots.com toll free (877) 383-6054

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A lawnmower is one of those things that everyone has, and yet it¡Çs still really difficult to choose the right one. There are hundreds thousands even of different lawnmowers out there to choose from, and it¡Çs difficult to know which to get unless you have some basic grounding in what you¡Çre looking for.

The first decision you have to make is whether you want a petrol mower, an electric mower or a mower that is powered only by you pushing it.

While push mowers are doubtless the cheapest and most environmentally friendly (not to mention the quietest!), it can be strenuous to push them well enough to cut all the grass, and will be completely impractical for you if you have a large garden that needs to be cut.

Petrol lawnmowers are more powerful, but at the same time more troublesome. They need a fuel supply, which can be expensive as well as dangerous to store, and they also often use difficult pull-string starting mechanisms.

Electric lawnmowers, on the other hand, are just as powerful as petrol ones, but don¡Çt need the fuel and can be started easily. The main downside of electric mowers is that they need a power cord to be plugged into them, and this can be a safety hazard if you accidentally cut through it with the mower¡Çs blades. There are rechargeable cordless mowers, but they tend to be more expensive and will not run for a very long time.

If your garden is big enough, you could even try a ride-on mower. These are exactly what they sound like, big lawn mowers that you ride on. They are generally petrol-powered, and expensive. However, there¡Çs no denying that they get the grass cut very quickly, and they¡Çre fun to ride, too.

Overall, what you choose will depend on the size of your garden, how much you want to spend and which features are important to you. For most people, an electric lawnmower will probably have the best balance of features.

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John Gibb lawn mower resources

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