CYLINDER V ROTARY MOWERS
Not all mowers are the same. When you are choosing to buy a new mower for your lawn Allett recommend that you consider the following points to be sure that you select the right mower for the results that you want to achieve with the time that you have available. Your choice of mower type will be mainly driven by the quality of the finish you desire balanced with your budget, grass type and how regularly you are prepared to mow. In general, cylinder mowers are used where a lower height of cut is desired which gives the surface a more fine and ornamental appearance. Rotary mowers perform well where the height of cut is higher and cutting frequency is less. They handle long grass well, leave a better finish when the finished height of cut is over 2", are much more tolerant of debris like stones and sticks and cope with mowing uneven surfaces.
Quality of Cut
A cylinder mower relies on a series of sharp, spiral blades on the reel rotating on a horizontal axis. The rotating reel, operating at a fixed height above the soil, feeds the blades of grass between the spinning blades and a stationary bed-knife producing a scissorlike cutting action. This scissor action gives the sharpest cut to the blade of grass. This means the plant is less traumatised, giving less bleeding, quicker recovery, less brown tips at the injury, less water loss and therefore the grass plant is less susceptible to disease.
Height of Cut
A cylinder mower is better at mowing at low heights of cut. Specialised greens mowers mow as low as 1/16” without scalping. The height of the grass is the same across the whole. Lower mowing encourages tillering creating a dense lawn with a more manicured appearance.
Strong Striping
The best cylinder mowers have full width front and rear rollers which level the surface and create stripes for pristine presentation.
No Wheel Marks
By using two full width rollers and no wheels or tyres the stripe is perfectly consistent across its width. The same ground pressure of a roller means level surfaces are maintained unlike the point-loads of the tyres.
Grassbox Location
A cylinder mower’s grassbox is located at the front of the mower so that the clippings collected are always visible so you know how much grass is being cut, how well the mower is cutting and whether you have the capacity to make another run.
Additional Versatility
Some cylinder mowers have the feature of being able to remove the cutting cartridge and replace with a series of interchangeable cartridges for a wide range of essential turf maintenance tasks to further create a healthier more wear resistant surface.
Purchase Price
Generally Rotary mowers are simpler in construction and cost less to manufacture and this is reflected in the cost price.
Long Grass Performance
Rotary mowers cope well with cutting larger volumes of grass when the requirement is to cut less frequently. Because rotary blades create an uplift draft, when higher finished grass height is required, the rotary leaves a better finish.
Simple to Use
A rotary has less adjustments and is easier use, with less maintenance required.
Clean-up
A rotary is very useful for clearing the grass of leaves during the autumn.
Wheels
Most rotary mowers rely on wheels for height of cut control. These wheels make the mower easy to transport, although make mowing over the edge of a cut away flowerbed difficult and will leave unsavory marks on the lawn
Grassbox Position
A rear mounted grass collector makes mowing into corners easier.
Debris Tolerance
A rotary mower relies on a high-speed rotating blade with sharpened edges which impacts on the grass blade at high speed in the same way that a machete cuts grass. The machete action of a rotary blade is very tolerant of un-seen debris on the lawn like stones and sticks which might otherwise damage a cylinder mower.
Check out our wide range of lawnmowers in action over on our YouTube page
Advantage of Cylinder Mowers
Quality of Cut
A cylinder mower relies on a series of sharp, spiral blades on the reel rotating on a horizontal axis. The rotating reel, operating at a fixed height above the soil, feeds the blades of grass between the spinning blades and a stationary bed-knife producing a scissorlike cutting action. This scissor action gives the sharpest cut to the blade of grass. This means the plant is less traumatised, giving less bleeding, quicker recovery, less brown tips at the injury, less water loss and therefore the grass plant is less susceptible to disease.
Height of Cut
A cylinder mower is better at mowing at low heights of cut. Specialised greens mowers mow as low as 1/16” without scalping. The height of the grass is the same across the whole. Lower mowing encourages tillering creating a dense lawn with a more manicured appearance.
Strong Striping
The best cylinder mowers have full width front and rear rollers which level the surface and create stripes for pristine presentation.
No Wheel Marks
By using two full width rollers and no wheels or tyres the stripe is perfectly consistent across its width. The same ground pressure of a roller means level surfaces are maintained unlike the point-loads of the tyres.
Grassbox Location
A cylinder mower’s grassbox is located at the front of the mower so that the clippings collected are always visible so you know how much grass is being cut, how well the mower is cutting and whether you have the capacity to make another run.
Additional Versatility
Some cylinder mowers have the feature of being able to remove the cutting cartridge and replace with a series of interchangeable cartridges for a wide range of essential turf maintenance tasks to further create a healthier more wear resistant surface.
Advantages of Rotary Mowers
Purchase Price
Generally Rotary mowers are simpler in construction and cost less to manufacture and this is reflected in the cost price.
Long Grass Performance
Rotary mowers cope well with cutting larger volumes of grass when the requirement is to cut less frequently. Because rotary blades create an uplift draft, when higher finished grass height is required, the rotary leaves a better finish.
Simple to Use
A rotary has less adjustments and is easier use, with less maintenance required.
Clean-up
A rotary is very useful for clearing the grass of leaves during the autumn.
Wheels
Most rotary mowers rely on wheels for height of cut control. These wheels make the mower easy to transport, although make mowing over the edge of a cut away flowerbed difficult and will leave unsavory marks on the lawn
Grassbox Position
A rear mounted grass collector makes mowing into corners easier.
Debris Tolerance
A rotary mower relies on a high-speed rotating blade with sharpened edges which impacts on the grass blade at high speed in the same way that a machete cuts grass. The machete action of a rotary blade is very tolerant of un-seen debris on the lawn like stones and sticks which might otherwise damage a cylinder mower.
Check out our wide range of lawnmowers in action over on our YouTube page