New Advances in Lawn Mowing Technology

In years gone by, the only option for cutting grass was a scythe, or a manual cylinder mower, both of which are heavy

and cumbersome to use. Technological advancements made these manual methods largely redundant as electric and petrol mowers made light work of cutting the grass, and the innovations keep on coming.

Robotic lawn mowers first became available in 1969, but they have really jumped in popularity in the last decade, especially as spare time becomes more precious in today’s fast-moving society. A robotic lawn mower can even locate it’s own charging station, and protect itself from the rain as well as travel from one mowing area to another, which is ideal for properties with more than one lawn. A perimeter wire and a guide wire between lawns allows you to choose which parts are mown and in which order. Using a robotic lawn mower also means you can still cut the grass while you are on holiday, meaning one less chore for your return. Some robotic lawn mowers can be controlled via a smartphone app that allows you to cancel or reschedule a mowing session, or check on the progress of the task while you are out. Some also come with a remote control function, should you want to mow a small area that a guide wire cannot be used in, or if you need to use it away from home. It also makes mowing the lawn more fun than watching an automated mower, and less labour intensive than actually pushing one around. The added bonus of remote control operation is that you can mow a message in a lawn; a nice idea for Valentines Day or a birthday as long as the sentiment is nice!

In Pittsburg, Kansas, city employees are using robotic technology to mow areas of grass where the angles and surrounding features make using a man-operated machine too dangerous. Some slopes that need mowing have a 60 degree incline that would be nearly impossible for a man and a push-along or ride on mower, and drainage ditches

that remain soggy would see traditional machinery getting stuck. This equipment is not quite the same as a fully automatic robotic lawn mower, as it needs someone to operate it by remote control to manoeuvre it around any obstacles. In an urban environment it is not practical to set up and remove a wire perimeter every time, nor can they leave a wire permanently in place for automated operation.

One engineering enthusiast in the UK has taken the cause of lawn mower innovation to the next level, creating a hybrid motorcycle lawn mower. Jack Bussey removed the front wheel of a dirt bike, usually suited to muddy cross country scrambles, and replaced it with an old cylinder lawn mower, fitting the cylinder directly to the front forks. He says it was his long-held dream to build such a machine, being interested in motors and engineering in general. Bussey’s project is not intended to be used for getting a cricket-field standard perfect lawn, as it is not great at cutting grass, nor does it handle quite how it should. This fact is hardly surprising when you see his contraption being used, but it is undeniably amusing, and quite an achievement to have made such a strange looking hybrid – just don’t expect to see it on sale anytime soon.

Have you ever adapted a lawn mower to make it easier or more fun? Perhaps you have been inspired to build your own hybrid mower? Either way, we’d love to find out so let us know in the comments section.