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129-542: The Gator vehicles use small but powerful 341 cc (0.341 L) four-stroke engines found in lawn mowers , or an optional diesel engine that is also found in some Deere mowers and utility tractors . They use a continuously variable transmission employing a belt and a conical pulley system. Thus, they require no clutch or gear shifts to operate. Many third-party attachments are available for the Gator, including snow plows, sanders, and gun racks. The recommended maximum payload capacity

258-455: A remote control . Two main styles of blades are used in lawn mowers. Lawn mowers employing a single blade that rotates about a single vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a cutting bar and multiple blade assembly that rotates about a single horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel mowers (although in some versions, the cutting bar is the only blade, and the rotating assembly consists of flat metal pieces which force

387-472: A throttle control on the handlebar with which the operator can adjust the engine speed. Other mowers have a fixed, pre-set engine speed. All are equipped with a governor (often centrifugal/mechanical or air vane style) to open the throttle as needed to maintain the pre-selected speed when the force needed to cut the thicker or taller grass is encountered. Gasoline mowers have the advantages over electric mowers of greater power and distance range. They do create

516-520: A British patent on 31 August 1830. Budding went into partnership with a local engineer, John Ferrabee, who paid the costs of development and acquired rights to manufacture and sell lawn mowers and to license other manufacturers. Together they made mowers in a factory at Thrupp near Stroud. Among the other companies manufacturing under license the most successful was Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies of Ipswich which began mower production as early as 1832. However, his model had two crucial drawbacks. It

645-440: A Gator to Bosnia for Operation SFOR2. It was an off-the-shelf commercial version Gator that was painted in camouflage and equipped with a carrying tray on its hood, as well as brackets to hold rifles. Its main purpose was for casualty evacuation, and it could hold two litters on the rear deck. It came in handy for utility work as well, and was used mostly by the medical supply section for transporting supplies and equipment. In 1997,

774-405: A cylinder or reel mower are: A rotary mower rotates about a vertical axis with the blade spinning at high speed relying on impact to cut the grass. This tends to result in a rougher cut and bruises and shreds the grass leaf resulting in discolouration of the leaf ends as the shredded portion dies. This is particularly prevalent if the blades become clogged or blunt. Most rotary mowers need to be set

903-404: A dangerous electric shock . Installing a residual-current device (GFCI) on the outlet may reduce the shock risk. Cordless electric mowers are powered by a variable number (typically 1–4) of 12-to-80-volt rechargeable batteries . Typically, more batteries mean more run time and/or power (and more weight ). Batteries can be in the interior of the lawnmower or on the outside. If on the outside,

1032-401: A faster differential that allows the machine to reach speeds up 70 km (45 mi) per hour. In addition, they kept the diesel offering, but boosted the machines' speed to 32 mph, then the fastest diesel utility vehicle in the market. The three machines also underwent a styling overhaul and a redesigned box. In 1997 to 1998, the 261st Area Support Medical Battalion of the 44th Medical Brigade brought

1161-417: A gasoline lawn mower can be 95 decibels or more. Corded electric mowers are limited in range by their trailing power cord, which may limit their use with lawns extending outward more than 100–150 feet (30–45 m) from the nearest available power outlet. There is the additional hazard with these machines of accidentally mowing over the power cable, which stops the mower and may put users at risk of receiving

1290-946: A gear reduction, to fully integrated units containing a pump, motor and gear reduction. Hydrostatic transmissions are more expensive than mechanical transmissions, but they are easier to use and can transmit greater torque to the wheels compared to a typical mechanical transmission. The least common drive type, and the most expensive, is electric. There have been a number of attempts to replace hydrostatic transmissions with lower cost alternatives, but these attempts, which include variable belt types, e.g. MTD's "Auto Drive", and toroidal, have various performance or perception problems that have caused their market life to be short or their market penetration to be limited. Riding lawn mowers can often mount other devices, such as rototillers/rotavators, snow plows, snow blowers, yard vacuums, occasionally even front buckets or fork-lift tines (these are more properly known as "lawn tractors" in this case, being designed for

1419-477: A lawn are also legal; there are often local or state laws against letting weeds get too tall or letting a lawn space be especially unkempt, punishable by fees or litigation. Chemical producers unwilling to lose business propagate the ideal of a lawn, making it seem unattainable without chemical aid. Front lawns became standardized in the 1930s when, over time, specific aspects such as grass type and maintenance methods became popular. The lawn-care industry boomed, but

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1548-404: A little higher than cylinder equivalents to avoid scalping and gouging of slightly uneven lawns, although some modern rotaries are fitted with a rear roller to provide a more formal striped cut. These machines will also tend to cut lower ( 13 mm or 1 ⁄ 2  in) than a standard four-wheeled rotary. The main parts of a rotary mower are: Extensive grass trimming was not common before

1677-584: A lower nutritive value. While Middle Eastern and Europeans species of grass did extremely well on the East Coast of North America, it was a number of grasses from the Mediterranean that dominated the Western seaboard. As cultivated grasses became valued for their nutritional benefits to livestock, farmers relied less and less on natural meadows in the more colonized areas of the country. Eventually even

1806-562: A machine that could be drawn by animals, and sixty years before a steam-powered lawn mower was built. In the 1850s, Thomas Green & Son of Leeds introduced a mower called the Silens Messor (meaning silent cutter), which used a chain drive to transmit power from the rear roller to the cutting cylinder. These machines were lighter and quieter than the gear-driven machines that preceded them, although they were slightly more expensive. The rise in popularity of lawn sports helped prompt

1935-506: A mechanism on each of the machine's wheels. The blades may be powered by manual force, with wheels mechanically connected to the cutting blades so that the blades spin when the mower is pushed forward, or the machine may have a battery -powered or plug-in electric motor . The most common self-contained power source for lawn mowers is a small 4-stroke (typically one-cylinder ) internal combustion engine . Smaller mowers often lack any form of self-propulsion, requiring human power to move over

2064-400: A mixture of grass or low plant types is used to form a stronger lawn when one type does better in the warmer seasons and the other in the colder ones. This mixing is taken further by a form of grass breeding which produces what are known as cultivars . A cultivar is a cross-breed of two different varieties of grass and aims to combine certain traits taken from each individual breed. This creates

2193-701: A movement developed in the late 20th century to require organic lawn management . By the first decade of the 21st century, American homeowners were using ten times more pesticides per acre than farmers, poisoning an estimated 60 to 70 million birds yearly. Lawn mowers are a significant contributor to pollution released into Earth's atmosphere, with a riding lawn mower producing the same amount of pollution in one hour of use as 34 cars. In recent years, some municipalities have banned synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and required organic land care techniques be used. There are many locations with organic lawns that require organic landscaping. Prior to European colonization,

2322-759: A new strain which can be very specialised, suited to a particular environment, such as low water, low light or low nutrient. Cool season grasses start growth at 5 °C (41 °F), and grow at their fastest rate when temperatures are between 10 °C (50 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F), in climates that have relatively mild/cool summers, with two periods of rapid growth in the spring and autumn. They retain their color well in extreme cold and typically grow very dense, carpetlike lawns with relatively little thatch. Warm season grasses only start growth at temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F), and grow fastest when temperatures are between 25 °C (77 °F) and 35 °C (95 °F), with one long growth period over

2451-460: A number of older models used two-stroke engines ), running on gasoline (petrol) or other liquid fuels . Internal combustion engines used with lawn mowers normally have only one cylinder. Power generally ranges from four to seven horsepower . The engines usually have a carburetor and require a manual pull crank to start them, although an electric starter is offered on some models, particularly large riding and commercial mowers. Some mowers have

2580-670: A number of seed companies and nurseries were founded in Philadelphia . The increased availability of these grasses meant they were in plentiful supply for parks and residential areas, not just livestock. Thomas Jefferson has long been given credit for being the first person to attempt an English-style lawn at his estate, Monticello , in 1806, but many others had tried to emulate English landscaping before he did. Over time, an increasing number towns in New England began to emphasize grass spaces. Many scholars link this development to

2709-433: A number of tasks). The ability to tow other devices is because they have multiple gears, often up to 5 or 6 and variable top speeds. Compact utility tractors equipped with a belly mower can look similar to riding lawn mowers, but they are typically larger, equipped with diesel engines, and feature a three-point hitch and rollover protection structure ; these features are generally absent on riding lawn mowers. The deck of

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2838-548: A place created first as walkways and social areas. They were made up of meadow plants, such as camomile , a particular favourite (see camomile lawn ). In the early 17th century, the Jacobean epoch of gardening began; during this period, the closely cut "English" lawn was born. By the end of this period, the English lawn was a symbol of status of the aristocracy and gentry . In the early 18th century, landscape gardening for

2967-402: A playing surface both because they mitigate erosion and dust generated by intensive foot traffic and because they provide a cushion for players in sports such as rugby , football , soccer , cricket , baseball , golf , tennis , field hockey , and lawn bocce . Lawns and the resulting lawn clipping waste can be used as an ingredient in making compost and is also viewed as fodder , used in

3096-544: A popular surface and their practical and aesthetically pleasing appearance reduces the use of water-impervious surfaces such as concrete. The growing use of rainwater storage tanks has improved the ability to maintain them. Following recent droughts, Australia has seen a change to predominately warm-season turfgrasses, particularly in the southern states like New South Wales and Victoria which are predominately temperate climates within urban regions. The more drought tolerant grasses have been chosen by councils and homeowners for

3225-400: A practical proposition. Middle-class families across the country, in imitation of aristocratic landscape gardens, began to grow finely trimmed lawns in their back gardens. In the 1850s, Thomas Green of Leeds introduced a revolutionary mower design called the Silens Messor (meaning silent cutter), which used a chain to transmit power from the rear roller to the cutting cylinder. The machine

3354-461: A range of sizes were available, making the Standard the first truly mass-produced engine-powered mower. Rotary mowers were not developed until engines were small enough and powerful enough to run the blades at sufficient speed. Many people experimented with rotary blade mowers in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and Power Specialties Ltd. introduced a gasoline-powered rotary mower. Kut Kwick replaced

3483-442: A rotary mower is typically made of steel. Lighter steel is used on less expensive models, and heavier steel on more expensive models for durability. Other deck materials include aluminium , which does not rust and is a staple of higher priced mowers, and hard composite plastic, which does not rust and is lighter and less expensive than aluminium. Electric mowers typically have a plastic deck. Riding mowers typically have an opening in

3612-476: A separate attachment to discharge grass onto the lawn. Some side discharge mower manufacturers also sell separate "mulching plates" that will cover the opening on the side discharge mower and, in combination with the proper blades, will convert the mower to a mulching mower. These conversions are impractical when compared with 2- or 3-in-1 mowers which can be converted in the field in seconds. There are two types of bagging mowers. A rear bag mower features an opening on

3741-769: A significant amount of pollution due to the combustion in the engine, and their engines require periodic maintenance such as cleaning or replacement of the spark plug and air filter , and changing the engine oil. California passed Assembly Bill 1356 an air pollution control law on October 9, 2021. The California bill barred sales of spark ignited (gasoline fueled) internal combustion engines less than 25HP used for farm or construction machines as of January 1, 2024. The California bill does not ban turf care machines larger than 25HP or those powered by compression ignition (diesel) engines. Electric mowers are further subdivided into corded and cordless electric models. Both are relatively quiet, typically producing less than 75 decibels, while

3870-453: A small agricultural tractor , with the cutting deck mounted amidships between the front and rear axles. The drives for these mowers are in several categories. The most common transmission for tractors is a manual transmission. The second most common transmission type is a form of continuously variable transmission , called hydrostatic transmission. These transmissions take several forms, from pumps driving separate motors, which may incorporate

3999-432: A stress-relieving hobby. During the war itself, homeowners were asked to maintain the appearances of the home front, likely as a show of strength, morale, and solidarity. After World War II, the lawn aesthetic once again became a standard feature of North America, bouncing back from its minor decline in the decades before with a vengeance, particularly as a result of the housing and population boom post-war. The VA loan in

John Deere Gator - Misplaced Pages Continue

4128-433: A superior alternative to the scythe , and was granted a British patent on August 31, 1830. Budding's first machine was 19 inches (480 mm) wide with a frame made of wrought iron . The mower was pushed from behind. Cast-iron gear wheels transmitted power from the rear roller to the cutting cylinder, allowing the rear roller to drive the knives on the cutting cylinder; the ratio was 16:1. Another roller placed between

4257-401: A surface; "walk-behind" mowers are self-propelled, requiring a human only to walk behind and guide them. Larger lawn mowers are usually either self-propelled "walk-behind" types or, more often, are "ride-on" mowers that the operator can sit on and control. A robotic lawn mower ("lawn-mowing bot", "mowbot", etc.) is designed to operate either entirely on its own or less commonly by an operator on

4386-620: A wider swath, were built in the United States in 1919 by the Worthington Mower Company . In the 1920s one of the most successful companies to emerge during this period was Atco, at that time a brand name of Charles H Pugh Ltd. The Atco 'Standard' motor mower, launched in 1921 was an immediate success. Just 900 of the 22-inch-cut machines were made in 1921, each costing £75. Within five years, annual production had accelerated to tens of thousands. Prices were reduced and

4515-480: Is 600 lb (272 kg). The Gator's predecessor, the AMT (short for "all-materials transporter"), was designed to easily be loaded into the back of a pickup truck to be transported to various remote and/or hard to get to location that conventional means such as towing a trailer would prove dangerous or troublesome. The first and second-generation AMT models were simple, easy to maintain, and easy to fix on site. Within

4644-528: Is a cognate of Welsh llan which is derived from the Common Brittonic word landa ( Old French : lande ) that originally meant heath, barren land, or clearing. Areas of grass grazed regularly by rabbits , horses or sheep over a long period often form a very low, tight sward similar to a modern lawn. This was the original meaning of the word "lawn", and the term can still be found in place names. Some forest areas where extensive grazing

4773-490: Is a militarized variant used by the U.S. Army. The Traditional Series is the second generation of the original Gator, designed for medium-duty work. The High Performance or HPX Series Gators, introduced in 2004, are larger than the original Gator, and designed for heavier-duty use. The Compact Series Gators, also introduced in 2004, are smaller and more like a golf cart in size and operation. They are targeted at homeowners rather than commercial customers. The Gator XUV 4x4

4902-632: Is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawn mower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes—it is also commonly referred to as part of a garden . Lawns are usually composed only of grass species, subject to weed and pest control , maintained in a green color (e.g., by watering ), and are regularly mowed to ensure an acceptable length. Lawns are used around houses, apartments, commercial buildings and offices. Many city parks also have large lawn areas. In recreational contexts,

5031-401: Is an electric vehicle. Lawn mowers A lawnmower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower , also often spelled lawn mower ) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the mower's design but generally is adjustable by the operator, typically by a single master lever or by

5160-575: Is capable of autonomous operations such as waypoint following with obstacle avoidance, and following dismounted infantry soldiers, as well as other vehicles. The Turf Vehicles series features the Gator TX, Gator TE, and the ProGator vehicles. The ProGators are intended for heavy-duty farm work, while the TX and TE are for niche industrial duties where quiet vehicles are desired, such as golf courses. The TE

5289-592: Is capable of being air-dropped. The Gator has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan for supply deliveries and casualty evacuation, as it is more nimble off-road than an HMMWV . Although the M-Gator was not designed to carry equipment in the field, troops would put their gear onto the vehicles to lighten their loads when an M-Gator was available to them. M-Gators were also used by Canadian Forces in Afghanistan . In 2016,

John Deere Gator - Misplaced Pages Continue

5418-584: Is first attested in 1540 from the Old French lande "heath, moor, barren land; clearing". It initially described a natural opening in a woodland. In the sixteen hundreds, "lawn" came to mean a grassy stretch of untilled land, and by mid-century, there were publications on seeding and transplanting sod. In the seventeen hundreds, "lawn" came to mean specifically a mown stretch of meadow. Lawns similar to those of today first appeared in France and England in

5547-515: Is growing. In some jurisdictions where there are water shortages, local government authorities are encouraging alternatives to lawns to reduce water use. Researchers in the United States have noted that suburban lawns are "biological deserts" that are contributing to a "continental-scale ecological homogenization." Lawn maintenance practices also cause biodiversity loss in surrounding areas. Some forms of lawn, such as tapestry lawns , are designed partly for biodiversity and pollinator support. Lawn

5676-430: Is often available, but can be poor in some models. The quality of cut can be inferior if the grass is pushed away from the blade by the cushion of air. A robotic lawn mower is an autonomous robot used to cut lawn grass. A typical robotic lawn mower (in particular earlier generation models) requires the user to set up a border wire around the lawn that defines the area to be mowed. The robot uses this wire to locate

5805-669: Is practiced still have these seminatural lawns. For example, in the New Forest , England , such grazed areas are common, and are known as lawns, for example Balmer Lawn . Lawns may have originated as grassed enclosures within early medieval settlements used for communal grazing of livestock , as distinct from fields reserved for agriculture. Low, mown-meadow areas may also have been valued because they allowed those inside an enclosed fence or castle to view those approaching. The early lawns were not always distinguishable from pasture fields. The damp climate of maritime Western Europe in

5934-423: Is straight and definite, as if cut with a pair of scissors. This clean cut promotes healthier, thicker and more resilient lawn growth that is more resistant to disease, weeds and parasites. Lawn cut with a cylinder mower is less likely to result in yellow, white or brown discolouration as a result of leaf shredding. While the cutting action is often likened to that of scissors, it is neither necessary nor desirable for

6063-518: The Great Depression of the 1930s and in the period prior to World War II made it difficult to maintain the cultural standards that had become heavily associated with the lawn due to grass seed shortages in Europe, America's main supplier. Still, seed distributors such as Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in the United States encouraged families to continue to maintain their lawns, promoting it as

6192-559: The Second World War , managed grass spaces became more commonplace. The creation in the early 20th century of country clubs and golf courses completed the rise of lawn culture. According to study based on satellite observations by Cristina Milesi, NASA Earth System Science, its estimates: "More surface area in the United States is devoted to lawns than to individual irrigated crops such as corn or wheat.... area, covering about 128,000 square kilometers in all." Lawn monoculture

6321-500: The U.S. Army adopted a version of the Gator known as the M-Gator. The M-Gator is now also in use with the U.S. Marine Corps . Following the upgrades of the original Gator, it is known in its current version as the M-Gator A1, and features upgrades such as rollover protection. It is the 6x4 variant, and uses the three-cylinder Yanmar diesel engine found in other Gator vehicles, and is also capable of using JP-8 fuel. The vehicle

6450-458: The aristocracy entered a golden age, under the direction of William Kent and Lancelot "Capability" Brown . They refined the English landscape garden style with the design of natural, or "romantic", estate settings for wealthy Englishmen. Brown, remembered as "England's greatest gardener", designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure. His influence was so great that the contributions to

6579-501: The 1700s when André Le Nôtre designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles that included a small area of grass called the tapis vert , or "green carpet", which became a common feature of French gardens. Large, mown open spaces became popular, in Europe and North America. The lawn was influenced by later seventeen-hundreds trends replicating the romantic aestheticism of grassy pastoralism from Italian landscape paintings. Before

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6708-744: The 1710s. The open "English style" of parkland first spread across Britain and Ireland, and then across Europe, such as the garden à la française being replaced by the French landscape garden . By this time, the word "lawn" in England had semantically shifted to describe a piece of a garden covered with grass and closely mown. Wealthy families in America during the late 18th century also began mimicking English landscaping styles. British settlers in North America imported an affinity for landscapes in

6837-442: The 1960s, with chemical firms such as DuPont and Monsanto utilizing television advertising and other forms of advertisement to market pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. The environmental impacts of this widespread chemical use were noticed as early as the 1960s, but suburban lawns as a source of pollution were largely ignored. Due to the harmful effects of excessive pesticide use, fertilizer use, climate change and pollution,

6966-528: The Appalachian Mountains after an introduction on the east coast. Farmers at first continued to harvest meadows and marshes composed of indigenous grasses until they became overgrazed. These areas quickly fell to erosion and were overrun with less favorable plant life. Soon, farmers began to purposefully plant new species of grass in these areas, hoping to improve the quality and quantity of hay to provide for their livestock as native species had

7095-542: The Archimedean Lawn Mower Co. in 1871. In the United States, gasoline-powered lawn mowers were first manufactured in 1914 by Ideal Power Mower Co. of Lansing, Michigan , based on a patent by Ransom E. Olds . Ideal Power Mower also introduced the world's first self-propelled, riding lawn tractor in 1922, known as the "Triplex". The roller-drive lawn mower has changed very little since around 1930. Gang mowers , those with multiple sets of blades to cut

7224-460: The British market. In 1902, Ransomes produced the first commercially available mower powered by an internal combustion gasoline engine. JP Engineering of Leicester, founded after World War I , invented the first riding mowers. This went hand-in-hand with a booming consumer market for lawns from the 1860s onward. With the increasing popularity of sports in the mid-Victorian period, the lawn mower

7353-422: The English garden made by his predecessors Charles Bridgeman and William Kent are often overlooked. His work still endures at Croome Court (where he also designed the house), Blenheim Palace , Warwick Castle , Harewood House , Bowood House , Milton Abbey (and nearby Milton Abbas village), in traces at Kew Gardens and many other locations. His style of smooth undulating lawns which ran seamlessly to

7482-669: The Gator family of vehicles, John Deere produces several lines. They are the Traditional Series, the High Performance (HPX) Series, the Compact Series, and the XUV Series. It also offers several specialty vehicles including the more off-road -oriented Trail Gator, which is olive in color to better serve recreational and sporting uses. The Turf Gator is specially designed to serve golf courses. The M-Gator

7611-522: The Oxford colleges. In an agreement between John Ferrabee and Edwin Budding dated May 18, 1830, Ferrabee paid the costs of enlarging the small blades, obtained letters of patent and acquired rights to manufacture, sell and license other manufacturers in the production of lawn mowers. Without patent, Budding and Ferrabee were shrewd enough to allow other companies to build copies of their mower under licence,

7740-583: The U.S. rated its fleet of military UTVs, indicated as 'LTATV' (Lightweight Tactical All Terrain Vehicles), including the M-Gator A1 and M-Gator A3 at 1,100 lb (500 kg) for 4x4 units, and at 1,200 lb (540 kg) payload capacity for 6-wheeled units. The M-Gator has also been developed into an unmanned ground vehicle , known as the R-Gator. It was developed by John Deere and iRobot . It

7869-487: The United States let American ex-servicemen buy homes without providing a down payment, while the Federal Housing Administration offered lender inducements that aided the reduction of down payments for the average American from 30% to as little as 10%. These developments made owning your own home cheaper than renting, further enabling the spread of suburbia and its lawns. Levittown , New York,

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7998-465: The air cushion and typically have plastic bodies with an electric motor. The most significant disadvantage, however, is the cumbersome usability in rough terrain or on the edges of lawns, as the lifting air-cushion is destroyed by wide gaps between the chassis and the ground. Hover mowers are built to operate on steep slopes, waterfronts, and high-weeded areas, so they are often used by golf course greenskeepers and commercial landscapers. Grass collection

8127-451: The back of the mower through which the grass is expelled into the bag. Hi-vac mowers have a tunnel that extends from the side discharge to the bag. Hi-vac is also the type of grass collection used on some riding lawn mowers and lawn tractors and is suitable for use in dry conditions but less suitable for long wet lush grass as they often clog up. Mulching and bagging mowers are not well suited to long grass or thick weeds. In some ride-on mowers,

8256-418: The back of the tractor. Riding mowers (U.S. and Canada) or ride-on mowers (U.K. and Canada) are a popular alternative for large lawns. The operator is provided with a seat and controls on the mower and literally rides on the machine. Most use the horizontal rotating blade system, though usually with multiple blades. A common form of ride-on mower is the lawn tractor . These are usually designed to resemble

8385-643: The basic species and new ones, often more economical and environmentally sustainable by needing less water, fertilizer, pest and disease treatments, and maintenance. The three basic categories are cool season grasses, warm season grasses, and grass alternatives. Many different species of grass are currently used, depending on the intended use and the climate. Coarse grasses are used where active sports are played, and finer grasses are used for ornamental lawns for their visual effects. Some grasses are adapted to oceanic climates with cooler summers, and others to tropical and continental climates with hotter summers. Often,

8514-510: The best known English machines was the Ransomes ' Automaton, available in chain- or gear-driven models. Numerous manufacturers entered the field with petrol (gasoline) engine-powered mowers after the start of the 20th century. In 1902, The first was produced by Ransomes. JP Engineering of Leicester, founded after World War I , produced a range of very popular chain-driven mowers. About this time, an operator could ride behind animals that pulled

8643-681: The blades of grass against the sharp cutting bar). There are several types of mowers, each suited to a particular scale and purpose. The smallest types, non-powered push mowers, are suitable for small residential lawns and gardens. Electrical or piston engine-powered push-mowers are used for larger residential lawns (although there is some overlap). Riding mowers , which sometimes resemble small tractors, are larger than push mowers and are suitable for large lawns. However, commercial riding lawn mowers (such as zero-turn mowers ) can be "stand-on" types and often bear little resemblance to residential lawn tractors, being designed to mow large areas at high speed in

8772-505: The blades of the spinning cylinder to contact the horizontal cutting bar. When the reel touches the cutting bar the work required by the mower increases dramatically. When the gap between the blades is less than the thickness of the grass blades, a clean cut can still be made without additional friction. When the gap is greater than the thickness of the grass blades, grass will slip through the gap uncut. Reel mowers also have more difficulty mowing over uneven terrain. There are many variants of

8901-428: The boundary of the area to be trimmed and in some cases to locate a recharging dock. Robotic mowers are capable of maintaining up to 30,000 m (320,000 sq ft) of grass. Robotic lawn mowers are increasingly sophisticated, are self-docking and some contain rain sensors if necessary, nearly eliminating human interaction. Robotic lawn mowers represented the second largest category of domestic robots used by

9030-484: The choice of using less water compared to cool-season turfgrasses like fescue and ryegrass. Mild dormancy seems to be of little concern when high-profile areas can be oversown for short periods or nowadays, turf colourants (fake green) are very popular. Lawns are a common feature of private gardens , public landscapes and parks in many parts of the world. They are created for aesthetic pleasure, as well as for sports or other outdoor recreational use. Lawns are useful as

9159-544: The clippings to small pieces. This function has the advantages of forgoing the additional work collecting and disposing of grass clippings while reducing lawn waste in such a way that also creates convenient compost for the lawn, forgoing the expense and adverse environmental effect of fertilizer . Mower manufacturers market their mowers as side discharge, 2-in-1, meaning bagging and mulching or side discharging and mulching, and 3-in-1, meaning bagging, mulching, and side discharge. Most 2-in-1 bagging and mulching mowers require

9288-562: The collection of the National Museum of Australia . The Victa mower is regarded as something of an Australian icon , appearing en masse, in simulated form, at the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. The hover mower, first introduced by Flymo in 1964, is a form of rotary mower using an air cushion on the hovercraft principle. A cylinder mower or reel mower carries a fixed, horizontal cutting blade at

9417-520: The colonies, much of the native grasses of New England disappeared, and an inventory list from the 17th century noted supplies of clover and grass seed from England. New colonists were even urged by their country and companies to bring grass seed with them to North America. By the late 17th century, a new market in imported grass seed had begun in New England. Much of the new grasses brought by Europeans spread quickly and effectively, often ahead of

9546-479: The colonists. One such species, Bermuda grass ( Cynodon dactylon ), became the most important pasture grass for the southern colonies. Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis ) is a grass native to Europe or the Middle East. It was likely carried to Midwestern United States in the early 1600s by French missionaries and spread via the waterways to the region around Kentucky. However, it may also have spread across

9675-549: The cut grass is dropped onto the ground and then collected by a set of rotating bristles, allowing even long, wet grass to be collected. Rotary mowers with internal combustion engines come in three price ranges. Low priced mowers use older technology, smaller motors, and lighter steel decks. These mowers are targeted at the residential market and typically price is the most important selling point. Professional grass-cutting equipment, used by large establishments such as universities, sports stadiums and local authorities, usually take

9804-450: The cutting advantages of professional cylinder mowers. Their distinct environmental benefits, both in noise and air pollution, are also strong selling points, something not lost on many international zoos, animal sanctuaries and exclusive hotel groups. The basic push mower mechanism is also used in gangs towed behind a tractor . The individual mowers are arranged in a "v" behind the tractor with each mower's track slightly overlapping that of

9933-490: The cutting cylinder and the main or land roller could be raised or lowered to alter the height of cut. The grass clippings were hurled forward into a tray-like box. It was soon realized, however, that an extra handle was needed in front to help pull the machine along. Overall, these machines were remarkably similar to modern mowers. Two of the earliest Budding machines sold went to Regent's Park Zoological Gardens in London and

10062-512: The cylinder mower. Push mowers have no engine and are usually used on smaller lawn areas where access is a problem, where noise pollution is undesirable and where air pollution is unwanted. As the mower is pushed along, the wheels drive gears which rapidly spin the reel. Typical cutting widths are 10 to 16 inches (250 to 410 mm). Advances in materials and engineering have resulted in these mowers being very light and easy to operate and manoeuvre compared with their predecessors while still giving all

10191-423: The depleted batteries can be quickly swapped with recharged batteries. Cordless mowers have the maneuverability of a gasoline-powered mower and the environmental friendliness of a corded electric mower, but they are more expensive and come in fewer models (particularly the self-propelling type) than either. The eventual disposal of worn-out batteries is problematic (though some manufacturers offer to recycle them), and

10320-420: The desired height of cut. Over this is a fast-spinning reel of blades which force the grass past the cutting bar. Each blade in the blade cylinder forms a helix around the reel axis, and the set of spinning blades describes a cylinder. Of all the mowers, a properly adjusted cylinder mower makes the cleanest cut of the grass, and this allows the grass to heal more quickly. The cut of a well-adjusted cylinder mower

10449-433: The development of the new suburbia that placed importance on the availability of a grassy space for children to play on and a space to grow fruits and vegetables that further imbued the lawn with cultural importance. Lawns began making more appearances in development plans, magazine articles, and catalogs. The lawn became less associated with being a status symbol , instead giving way to a landscape aesthetic. Improvements in

10578-438: The efforts of social reformer Henrietta Barnett and her husband, exemplified the incorporation of the well manicured lawn into suburban life. Suburbs dramatically increased in size. Harrow Weald went from just 1,500 to over 10,000 while Pinner jumped from 3,00 to over 20,000. During the 1930s, over 4 million new suburban houses were built and the 'suburban revolution' had made England the most heavily suburbanized country in

10707-402: The end of 2005. In 2012, the growth of robotic lawn mower sales was 15 times that of the traditional styles. Tractor pulled mowers are usually in the form of an attachment to a tractor . The attachments can simply function by the movement of the tractor similar to manual push cylinder mowers, but also sometimes may have powered moving blades. They are commonly mounted on either the side or

10836-448: The engine also propels the mower. Much smaller and lighter variants of the roller mower are sometimes used for small patches of ornamental lawns around flower beds, and these have no engine. Riding reel mowers are also produced. Typically, the cutting reels are ahead of the vehicle's main wheels, so that the grass can be cut before the wheels push the grass over onto the ground. The reels are often hydraulically powered. The main parts of

10965-405: The engine drives both the cylinder and the rear roller. Some variants have only three blades in a reel spinning at great speed, and these models are able to cut grass which has grown too long for ordinary push mowers. One type of reel mower, now largely obsolete, was a powered version of the traditional side-wheel push mower, which was used on residential lawns. An internal combustion engine sat atop

11094-567: The first steam-powered lawn mower in 1893. His machine burned petrol and/or paraffin ( kerosene ) as fuel. These were heavy machines that took several hours to warm up to operating pressure. After numerous advances, these machines were sold by the Stott Fertilizer and Insecticide Company of Manchester and Sumner. The company they both controlled was called the Leyland Steam Motor Company . Around 1900, one of

11223-426: The first spring that Levittown had enjoyed, Levitt and Sons fertilized and reseeded all of the lawns free of charge. The economic recession that began in 2008 has resulted in many communities worldwide to dig up their lawns and plant fruit and vegetable gardens. This has the potential to greatly change cultural values attached to the lawn, as they are increasingly viewed as environmentally and economically unviable in

11352-471: The form of much larger, dedicated, ride-on platforms or attachments that can be mounted on, or behind, a standard tractor unit (a "gang-mower"). Either type may use rotating-blade or cylindrical-blade type cutters, although high-quality mowed surfaces demand the latter. Wide-area mowers (WAMs) are commercial grade mowers which have decks extended to either side, many to 12 feet (3.7 m). These extensions can be lowered for large area mowing or raised to decrease

11481-484: The frequency of droughts in Australia, the movement towards "naturalism", or the use of indigenous plant species in yards, was beneficial. These grasses were more drought resistant than their European counterparts, and many who wished to keep their lawns switched to these alternatives or allowed their green carpets to revert to the indigenous scrub in an effort to reduce the strain on water supplies. However, lawns remain

11610-468: The grass were required to maintain the lawn in its correct state, and most of the land in England was required for more functional, agricultural purposes. This all changed with the invention of the lawn mower by Edwin Beard Budding in 1830. Budding had the idea for a lawn mower after seeing a machine in a local cloth mill which used a cutting cylinder (or bladed reel) mounted on a bench to trim

11739-486: The grasses of the Great Plains were overrun with European species that were more durable to the grazing patterns of imported livestock. A pivotal factor in the spread of the lawn in America was the passage of legislation in 1938 of the 40-hour work week . Until then, Americans had typically worked half days on Saturdays, leaving little time to focus on their lawns. With this legislation and the housing boom following

11868-463: The grasses on the East Coast of North America were mostly broom straw , wild rye , and marsh grass . As Europeans moved into the region, it was noted by colonists in New England, more than others, that the grasses of the New World were inferior to those of England and that their livestock seemed to receive less nutrition from it. In fact, once livestock brought overseas from Europe spread throughout

11997-465: The house and meadow, clumps, belts and scattering of trees and his serpentine lakes formed by invisibly damming small rivers, were a new style within the English landscape, a "gardenless" form of landscape gardening, which swept away almost all the remnants of previous formally patterned styles. His landscapes were fundamentally different from what they replaced, the well-known formal gardens of England which were criticised by Alexander Pope and others from

12126-413: The invention of mowing machines in 1830, lawns were managed very differently. They were an element of wealthy estates and manor houses , and in some places were maintained by labor-intensive scything and shearing (for hay or silage ). They were also pasture land maintained through grazing by sheep or other livestock . It was not until the 17th and 18th century that the garden and the lawn became

12255-407: The irregular nap from the surface of woolen cloth and give a smooth finish. Budding realised that a similar device could be used to cut grass if the mechanism was mounted in a wheeled frame to make the blades rotate close to the lawn's surface. His mower design was to be used primarily to cut the lawn on sports grounds and extensive gardens, as a superior alternative to the scythe , and he was granted

12384-447: The large machines. These were the first riding mowers. The first United States patent for a reel lawn mower was granted to Amariah Hills on January 12, 1868. In 1870, Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana designed a human-pushed lawn mower, which was very lightweight and a commercial success. John Burr patented an improved rotary-blade lawn mower in 1899, with the wheel placement altered for better performance. Amariah Hills went on to found

12513-615: The lawn mower and water supply enabled the spread of lawn culture from the Northeast to the South , where the grass grew more poorly. This in combination with setback rules , which required all homes to have a 30-foot gap between the structure and the sidewalk meant that the lawn had found a specific place in suburbia. In 1901, the United States Congress allotted $ 17,000 to the study of the best grasses for lawns, creating

12642-565: The modern context. The appearance of the lawn in Australia followed closely after its establishment in North America and parts of Europe. Lawn was established on the so-called "nature strip" (a uniquely Australian term) by the 1920s and was common throughout the developing suburbs of Australia. By the 1950s, the Australian-designed Victa lawn mower was being used by the many people who had turned pastures into lawn and

12771-422: The most successful of these being Ransomes of Ipswich, which began making mowers as early as 1832. His machine was the catalyst for the preparation of modern-style sporting ovals, playing fields (pitches), grass courts , etc. This led to the codification of modern rules for many sports, including for football , lawn bowls , lawn tennis and others. It took ten more years and further innovations to create

12900-417: The motors in some cordless mowers tend to be less powerful than gasoline motors of the same total weight (including batteries). Lawn mowers powered by propane were also manufactured by Lehr. In hand-powered lawn mowers, the reel is attached to the mower's wheels by gears, so that when the mower is pushed forward, the reel spins several times faster than the plastic or rubber-tired wheels turn. Depending on

13029-471: The mower in front of it. Gang mowers are used over large areas of turf such as sports fields or parks. A gasoline engine or electric motor can be added to a cylinder mower to power the cylinder, the wheels, the roller, or any combination of these. A typical arrangement on electric powered machines for residential lawns is for the motor to power the cylinder while the operator pushes the mower along. The electric models can be corded or cordless. On petrol machines

13158-408: The mower's width and allow for easy transport on city roads or trailers. Commercial lawn-mowing companies have also enthusiastically adopted types such as the zero-turn mower (in both ride-on and stand-on versions), which allow high speed over the grass surface, and rapid turnaround at the end of rows, as well as excellent maneuverability around obstacles. Lawn A lawn ( / l ɔː n / )

13287-424: The north made lawns possible to grow and manage. They were not a part of gardens in most other regions and cultures of the world until contemporary influence. In 1100s Britain, low-growing area of grasses and meadow flowers were grazed or scythed to keep them short, and used for sport. Lawn bowling , which began in the 12th or 13th century , required short turf. Establishing grass using sod instead of seed

13416-414: The placement of the reel, these mowers often cannot cut grass very close to lawn obstacles. Hover mowers are powered rotary push lawn mowers that use an impeller above the spinning blades to drive air downward, thereby creating an air cushion that lifts the mower above the ground. The operator can then easily move the mower as it floats over the grass. Hover mowers are necessarily light in order to achieve

13545-685: The production of lawn clipping silage which is fed to livestock as a sustainable feed source. Lawns need not be, and have not always been, made up of grasses alone. There exist, for instance, moss lawns , clover lawns , thyme lawns , and tapestry lawns (made from diverse forbs). Sedges , low herbs and wildflowers , and other ground covers that can be walked upon are also used. Thousands of varieties of grasses and grasslike plants are used for lawns, each adapted to specific conditions of precipitation and irrigation, seasonal temperatures, and sun/shade tolerances. Plant hybridizers and botanists are constantly creating and finding improved varieties of

13674-402: The reel housing and drove the wheels, usually through a belt. The wheels in turn drove the reel, as in the push mower. Greens mowers are used for the precision cutting of golf greens and have a cylinder made up of at least eight, but normally ten, blades. The machine has a roller before and after the cutting cylinder which smooths the freshly cut lawn and minimizes wheel marks. Due to the weight,

13803-570: The romantic and transcendentalist movements of the 19th century. These green commons were also heavily associated with the success of the Revolutionary War and often became the homes of patriotic war memorials after the Civil War ended in 1865. Before the mechanical lawn mower, the upkeep of lawns was possible only for the extremely wealthy estates and manor houses of the aristocracy. Labor-intensive methods of scything and shearing

13932-700: The saw blade of the "Pulp Saw" with a double-edged blade and a cutter deck, converting the "Pulp Saw" into the first ever out-front rotary mower. One company that produced rotary mowers commercially was the Australian Victa company, starting in 1952. Its mowers were lighter and easier to use than similar ones that had come before. The first Victa mowers were made at Mortlake , an inner suburb of Sydney , by local resident Mervyn Victor Richardson. He made his first model out of scrap in his garage. The first Victa mowers were then manufactured, going on sale on 20 September 1952. The new company, Victa Mowers Pty Ltd,

14061-442: The shortest time possible. The largest multi-gang (multi-blade) mowers are mounted on tractors and are designed for large expanses of grass such as golf courses and municipal parks, although they are ill-suited for complex terrain. The lawn mower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding of Stroud , Gloucestershire, England. Budding's mower was designed primarily to cut the grass on sports grounds and extensive gardens, as

14190-427: The side or rear of the housing where the cut grass is expelled, as do most rotary lawn mowers. Some have a grass catcher attachment at the opening to bag the grass clippings. Mulching mowers use special mulching blades which are available for rotary mowers. The blade is designed to keep the clippings circulating underneath the mower until the clippings are chopped quite small. Other designs have twin blades to mulch

14319-453: The spark for lawn care to become an industry. After World War II , a surplus of synthetic nitrogen in the United States led to chemical firms such as DuPont seeking to expand the market for fertilizers. The suburban lawn offered an opportunity to market fertilizers, previously only used by farmers, to homeowners. In 1955, DuPont released Uramite, a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer specifically marketed for lawns. The trend continued throughout

14448-425: The specialised names turf , parade , pitch , field or green may be used, depending on the sport and the continent. The term "lawn", referring to a managed grass space, dates to at least the 16th century. With suburban expansion, the lawn has become culturally ingrained in some areas of the world as part of the desired household aesthetic. However, awareness of the negative environmental impact of this ideal

14577-444: The spread of the invention. Lawn mowers became a more efficient alternative to the scythe and domesticated grazing animals. Manufacture of lawn mowers took off in the 1860s. By 1862, Ferrabee's company was making eight models in various roller sizes. He manufactured over 5000 machines until production ceased in 1863. The first grass boxes were flat trays but took their present shape in the 1860s. James Sumner of Lancashire patented

14706-667: The spring and summer (Huxley 1992). They often go dormant in cooler months, turning shades of tan or brown. Many warm season grasses are quite drought tolerant, and can handle very high summer temperatures, although temperatures below −15 °C (5 °F) can kill most southern ecotype warm season grasses. The northern varieties, such as buffalograss and blue grama, are hardy to 45 °C (113 °F). Grass seed mixes have been developed to include only grass seed species that grow will in low sunlight conditions. These seed mixes are designed to deal with light shade caused by trees that can create patchiness, or slightly heavier shade that prevents

14835-473: The style of the English lawn. However, early in the colonization of the continent, environments with thick, low-growing, grass-dominated vegetation were rare in the eastern part of the continent, enough so that settlers were warned that it would be difficult to find land suitable for grazing cattle. In 1780, the Shaker community began the first industrial production of high-quality grass seed in North America, and

14964-428: The urban middle class, in which the condition of the lawn becomes representative of moral character and social reliability. The social values associated with lawns are promoted and upheld by social pressure, laws, and chemical producers. Social pressure comes from neighbors or homeowner associations who think that the unkempt lawns of neighbors may affect their own property values or create eyesores. Pressures to maintain

15093-415: The way Americans interacted with themselves and nature, and the industrialization of war hastened the industrialization of pest control. Intensive suburbanization both concentrated and expanded the spread of lawn maintenance which meant increased inputs in not only petrochemicals , fertilizers , and pesticides , but also natural resources like water. Lawns became a means of performing class values for

15222-466: The widespread application of the vertical shaft single cylinder gasoline/petrol engine. In the United States this development paralleled the market penetration of companies such as the Briggs & Stratton company of Wisconsin. Most rotary push mowers are powered by internal combustion engines . Such engines are usually four-stroke engines , used for their greater torque and cleaner combustion (although

15351-399: The world by a considerable margin. Lawns began to proliferate in America from the 1870s onwards. As more plants were introduced from Europe, lawns became smaller as they were filled with flower beds , perennials , sculptures, and water features. Eventually the wealthy began to move away from the cities into new suburban communities. In 1856, an architectural book was published to accompany

15480-494: Was a reflection of more than an interest in offsetting depreciation, it propagated the homogeneity of the suburb itself. Although lawns had been a recognizable feature in English residences since the 19th century, a revolution in industrialization and monoculture of the lawn since the Second World War fundamentally changed the ecology of the lawn. Money and ideas flowed back from Europe after the U.S. entered WWI, changing

15609-466: Was also being exported to dozens of countries. Prior to the 1970s, all brush and native species were stripped from a development site and replaced with lawns that utilized imported plant species. Since the 1970s there has been an interest in using indigenous species for lawns, especially considering their lower water requirements. Lawns are also established in garden areas as well as used for the surface of sporting fields. Over time, with consideration to

15738-546: Was first documented in a Japanese text of 1159. Lawns became popular with the aristocracy in northern Europe from the Middle Ages onward. In the fourteen hundreds, open expanses of low grasses appear in paintings of public and private areas; by the fifteen hundreds, such areas were found in the gardens of the wealthy across northern and central Europe. Public meadow areas, kept short by sheep, were used for new sports such as cricket, soccer, and golf. The word "laune"

15867-470: Was immensely heavy (it was made of cast iron ) and difficult to manoeuvre in the garden, and did not cut the grass very well. The blade would often spin above the grass uselessly. It took ten more years and further innovations, including the advent of the Bessemer process for the production of the much lighter alloy steel and advances in motorization such as the drive chain , for the lawn mower to become

15996-512: Was incorporated on 13 February 1953. The venture was so successful that by 1958 the company moved to much larger premises in Parramatta Road , Concord , and then to Milperra , by which time the mower incorporated an engine, designed and manufactured by Victa, which was specially designed for mowing, rather than employing a general-purpose engine bought from outside suppliers. Two Victa mowers, from 1958 and 1968 respectively, are held in

16125-484: Was introduced in 2007 as a more extreme-use Gator, for both commercial and recreational use. These models are often set up with snow plows and have severe use in the industry. The model comes with either gasoline or diesel engine choices. In response to an ever competitive market, Deere expanded the XUV line-up in 2011 to include an 825 cc, three-cylinder gas engine as an option to the current 625 cc engine. The 825 also sported

16254-497: Was much lighter and quieter than the gear driven machines that preceded them, and won first prize at the first lawn mower trial at the London Horticultural Gardens. Thus began a great expansion in the lawn mower production in the 1860s. James Sumner of Lancashire patented the first steam-powered lawn mower in 1893. Around 1900, Ransomes ' Automaton, available in chain- or gear-driven models, dominated

16383-486: Was one of the most important factors in Levittown's success – and no feature was more prominent than the lawn. The Levitts understood that landscaping could add to the appeal of their developments and claimed that, "increase in values are most often found in neighborhoods where lawns show as green carpets" and that, over the years, "lawns trees and shrubs become more valuable both aesthetically and monetarily". During 1948,

16512-407: Was the beginning of the industrial suburb in the 20th century, and by proxy the industrial lawn. Between 1947 and 1951, Abraham Levitt and his sons built more than seventeen thousand homes, each with its own lawn. Abraham Levitt wrote "No single feature of a suburban residential community contributes as much to the charm and beauty of the individual home and the locality as well-kept lawns". Landscaping

16641-413: Was used to craft modern-style sporting ovals, playing fields, pitches and grass courts for the nascent sports of football , lawn bowls , lawn tennis and others. The rise of Suburbanisation in the interwar period was heavily influenced by the garden city movement of Ebenezer Howard and the creation of the first garden suburbs at the turn of the 20th century. The garden suburb, developed through

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