Ibbetts Guide to lawn mower types- what does it all mean?

Like gardens, lawn mowers come in all shapes and sizes. There are different types of mower for different jobs and different finishes all with different names. For the inexperienced it can a bit complicated to figure out what each type of lawnmower actually does, so here is our guide the break down the jargon…

Walk behind

The image most people have in their head of a lawn mower is that of a walk behind. These are the most common type of lawnmower and are often petrol powered with 4 wheels. These are available in a range of sizes to suit different sized gardens and are measured by the diameter of the blade, e.g 16 inch. The grass box is used to collect the grass clippings, generally the larger the blade diameter the bigger the grass box.

Roller mower

Roller mowers are essentially a walk behind mower, however instead of 4 wheels they will use a heavy duty roller at the back and 2 front wheels. If you’ve ever watched Wimbledon and wondered how they create the stripes on the tennis courts, the roller mower is your answer. As the roller passes over the grass it will flatten it down in the direction of travel. As you pass back and forth on your lawn the light will then reflect of the angles grass creating the striped effect. An additional benefit of using a roller on your lawn is that the roller will level out small bumps and imperfections creating the best possible finish.

Mulching mower

A mulching mower is one that does not collect the grass. Instead of collecting the mulching mower will retain the grass clippings inside the lawnmower and then cut them up into tiny pieces. The cut grass is then sprinkled across your lawn and wilts and disappears within a few hours. The benefits of mulching, apart from the obvious lack of collecting, is that the nutrients from the grass clippings are returned into the soil, rather than being removed. This means that the lawn is continually being fed and should be greener and healthier as a result.

Self propelled

A self propelled mower is one that drives it self forward. A commonly  found option on the larger walk behind lawn mowers, roller mowers and some mulching mowers, self propulsion make operation much easier physically. A self propelled mower is a fantastic option for those who struggle pushing a standard walk behind mower or want to cover a larger area with less effort.

Cylinder mower

A cylinder mower is the traditional type of lawn mower. These are rarely used nowaday but when they are if often by sports clubs looking for a fine cut on sports pitches or those looking for an exceptionally  finished lawn. The are expensive and time consuming to maintain which puts off most garcen owners. For the domestic user Cylinder mowers are not the most practical option. At Ibbetts we no longer stock cylinder mowers, however we can special order.

Ride On Mower

Ride on mowers, or lawn tractors as they are also known, are designed to tackle bigger areas of grass. As the name suggest the operator of a ride on mower sits on the machine itself and drives the mower. Ride on mowers are able to handle a number of cutting blades and can therefore cover a greater cutting width, from 30 inches upwards. Ride on mowers can collect of mulch grass depending on your needs.

Electric mower

Electric mowers are the simplest of lawn mowers. They are powered by an electric motor and require plugging into the mains via a cable. They are excellent for a small area of grass and are extremely light and agile to handle. Maintenance cost of minimal and they are the cheapest type of lawn mower to buy.

Cordless mower

Cordless lawnmowers share many of the benefits of an electric lawn mowers, without the need for an electric cable. The are quiet, clean and very cheap to run. Ideal for a small to medium sized gardens. Cordless lawnmower technology is advancing at such a rate that within a few years

Robot mower

Robot mowers are the new breed of lawnmower. Technology meets grass cutting with these fully automatic robot mowers. Robot mowers can be programmed to cut your lawn when ever the time is convenient but are smart enough to stop cutting in bad weather. Robot mowers are all mulching mowers, so not only cut your grass automatically, they also feed the lawn too!  They can avoid obstacles in your lawn such as trees and stump, or even children and pets. The Viking Imow is the market leading in robot mowers and is the benchmark.