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Archive for the ‘tools and equipment’


cordless electric lawn mowers

Cordless electric lawn mowers are the new wave in our energy- and environmentally-friendly times.  They have imminently practical applications for lawns no larger than, say, 1/3 of an acre or less.  Larger lawns might be too stressful on the battery capacities, which are the basis behind the technological improvements allowing them now. Having said that, recharging batteries take hours not days so even larger lawns can be mowed with these new and less polluting, quieter appliances.

Indeed, the noise reduction aspects might just be as important as anything.  There are any number of levels of sound in a metallic machine, from the high whines of inter working metal pistons and rings, to the exhaust sounds emitted during the running.  This bears mentioning, especially inasmuch as hearing loss is an issue with professionals.  Much of that, needless to say, is due to the vast number of gas-powered mechanical implements used in lawn mowing, from weed eaters and mechanical edgers, to the actual mowers themselves.

Needless to say, spent gasoline emissions are non existent as well. Cordless electric lawn mowers offer a 100% reduction in spent gasoline emissions, decidedly less noxious to the environment and certainly healthier for the practitioner who leans into the exhaust constantly, clearing blades or removing clippings from containers.

Cordless electric lawn mowers, to my mind, represent a huge step towards smarter and more socially conscious gardening. This may be a step in progress similar to the introduction of aluminum engines and even hybrid cars to automobiles. It should allow us to keep what were verging on a dinosaur:  our gorgeous green lawn, with all the weather-impacting and oxygenating properties of it.

The lawn mower grave yard

A lawn mower graveyard can be a sight for sore eyes for the lawn mower enthusiast.  Anyone, in fact, looking to load up on commonly-worn out parts should try and locate one of these modern “jewels”, or at least make a firm mental note on its location and the variety therein.  The fact is, we all know someone with a pile of lawn mowers somewhere.  Lawn mower repairmen are a most certain trade, found in every town with a population over 5,000, I would have to imagine. Certainly, I have encountered many, let me put it that way.

These fellows often collect them, the truth is. They will identify hard-to-locate parts or machines and store them for eventual cannibalization and reuse like a true mechanic will. One can often find piles of spent motors, spent undercarriages, even spent wheels and axles along with an amazing supply of debris-catchers, the lawn mower’s fondest need, inasmuch as these, typically fabric units wear out rapidly with constant use.  Indeed, there are several products of lawn mowing parts which tend to have a one season duration. Then, when Spring rolls around, there we sit, without a catcher and with some 3 weeks to wait while our grass grows and our hopes of getting it on time plummet.

A lawn mower graveyard is a truly marvelous find, if sometimes an oily and greasy mess.  They are not only just museums for spent lawn mowers of out past, but active participants in our futures and our “presents” as well. They can be, but not always are, resources for the truly creative user.

riding lawn mower parts

Riding lawn mower parts represent one of the most maddening pursuits of home ownership.  There are endless “almosts” in this category, yet, more maddening still, they are not all universal between brand names.  Debris-catchers, wheels, cords, starters, blades, attachments and engine parts all represent an irritating menagerie of frustration and thus an diabolically evil abuse of the typical American Male!

There are few ready answers to these conundrums, other than to mention that some brand names are more reliable and responsive than others to solving these crises.  Naturally, when one wants to have a mower serviced, he has already waited too long, the story goes, because lawnmower repair people get inundated in early or pre-Spring with guys with lawnmower issues.

My advice as a pro?  Buy a brand name product whose parts would be available when needed.  Do some research locally and find who markets the products and check into how they service the people buying from them.  One needs to know if they have the parts over the counter or not, first.  Then one wants to know how long the typical shipping scenario is.  It would also be handy to ask if any professionals at the business have experience with the items. I strongly recommend this, as one who has paid just a little less for a product only to face exasperation over my own or my repairman’s time lag in getting the necessary parts.

commercial lawn tractors

Commercial lawn tractors have revolutionized lawns and gardens for literally everyone. Commercially, they give the ability to mow huge expanses of lawns in a timely manner, for businesses and estates. For the average homeowner, needless to say, they do the same. But for the homeowner, they offer so many more absolutely cool variables to make the place more labor-friendly, thus also making it more able to represent one’s fondest lawn and garden fantasies of beauty and representation.

 

The attachments available now are legion. Not only is bagging and disposal of clippings easier, but also for those with substantially-sized lawns and gardens, the mere addition of a wagon is noteworthy. Then there are the many attachments: chippers, leaf mulchers, aeration attachments, thatch-removal mechanisms, the list is nearly endless. All these user-friendly items can enhance the traditional hard labor of lawn upkeep by miniaturizing the time frames of these optional tasks when compared to prior eras.

lawn tractor

What results by owning a heftier and more capable machine like a commercial lawn tractor is a resulting smaller number of hours spent doing what were once optional chores. Now a desire to dethatch, for example, can be accomplished in 10% of the time and without hiring specialists for the work. The result is, of course, a gorgeous production someone can feel hugely proud of displaying.

average water usage lawn sprinkler

Average water usage for lawn sprinklers is among the most legitimate questions a homeowner with an irrigation system can ask. In these days where water conservation is becoming a legitimate issue, a new term is making its way into the venacular of lawn owners. The word is “Water Audit”.

Water auditing is an analysis of the amount of water used during an irrigation regime. One can assess it easily enough, by analyzing the number and styles of sprinkler heads in a system and cross-checking with catalogues which universally list the amounts of water emitted through a particular nozzle at the top of any head. By assessing the number and water quantities cast out, one multiplies by the time itself, i. e. minutes and times used per day to come up with a real audit, revealing the amount of water your lawn uses per application or per day or week. It is actually not that hard to assess and it can be highly instructive when the time comes to tweak systems to lessen or increase water amounts based on seasonal factors. As well, assessing a water bill is made much, much easier in terms of what percentage of usage is reflected in irrigating a lawn or garden.

You can use a Google search by entering “average water usage lawn sprinkler” and find abundant resources for researching your own system. It provides manufacturer specs, studies on impending restrictions and many more factoids relevant to water usage regimens. Proper use of water is an important component consideration in not only maintaining a healthy lawn, but also is a fiscally and socially responsible approach to a much-used resource.
lawn sprinkler

Modern technology is providing increasing methods in dealing with these water resource issues. Drip irrigation is a quantum leap in the conservation of this precious resource and there are many other ways in merely redesigning or in reconfiguring continually-improving nozzle technology. For the budget-conscious, water conservation and the correct maximum utilization of these newer technologies can provide substantial long-term savings for hard-earned dollars.

the automated lawn mower

Automated lawn mower technology represents a virtual and actually funny Holy Grail for the American Male and his typical slaves: his children. There are actually some now on the market, although the discontinuation of a few lines undoubtedly represents some systemic failure in those units indicating the technology required has either been bad enough to acquire law suits or they have simply not yet found a reliable enough performer when faced with real lawns with real lawn problems.

It’s funny, too, in a way.  You can go to almost any convention dealing with large earth-moving equipment and see fabulous demonstrations of riderless, remote-controlled bulldozers performing perfectly.  Naturally, these demonstrations take place in quality-controlled environments, with ideal soil and working conditions, for example, no rain and soil that has no gigantic impediments..Laser technology has made excavating and grading tons easier, there is no doubting this, in the very practical world where they are abundantly in use now in road grading and site formation. This much is a done deal and represents hope for those lusting for the next wave of excellent remote controlled lawn mowers. And we are legion!

Just the same, when the breaks occur and you start seeing some actually being used, you may then assume the technology has grown up.  As yet, we are close, there’s no doubt about it. As yet, power issues, inclement weather, the current need to bury vast amounts of wire underneath and the constancy of varying lengths of the grass itself add up to a pretty steep learning curve.  It will happen, I have no doubt.  We’ll just need to wait a bit longer for a reliable variant to be m,ass produced at a price we could afford.