Have you ever wondered who came up with the idea of adding extra teeth on lawn mowers to make them more efficient? The original idea was to make mowers more efficient for two reasons: safety and price. The extra teeth on a mower, or push blades as they are sometimes called, would allow a gardener to trim more closely around corners and curves in a garden. This would make a garden safer for children playing around, as well as anyone operating the mower who shouldn’t be. It would also help cut down on the number of lawn clippings produced by a typical machine.
The first set of gardeners choice lawn mower blades were circular in shape, approximately eight inches in diameter. The second set of blades were not quite as large, but were larger than the first set, perhaps a little more than ten inches in diameter. These blades were made of steel and equipped with a gear that could be adjusted to tighten or loosen when needed. To further improve safety, these blades often had a safety guard installed so that the owner of the mower wasn’t left open to attack from behind. However, many gardeners preferred the smaller, eight-inch blades as they had the ability to get into small places without needing a lot of room.
Mower blades made of metal are a common sight on lawns all over the world. They are the preferred type of blade for many gardeners because they are both lightweight, and they can withstand getting struck by other sharp objects such as branches or cars. Because they are made of metal, they do tend to rust over time, but this is something that is easily prevented. Metal blades cut back noise as well as allowing air to circulate under and around them, which helps keep a lawn free from the effects of dry, dusty air. They are available in a wide variety of styles and models to appeal to the different tastes of gardeners.
Some gardeners prefer to use a blade type known as disc type or scroll mowers. These blades, although they are not very sharp, can cut through tough grass like most bladed mowers can. If one cuts a thick layer of snow in the winter, these blades work best. On the downside, they are much heavier than the blades made of plastic that are popular with families. These are available in both four-wheel drive and five-wheel drive models.
Two other common types of gardeners’ blades are flat blades and ribbed blades. The flat blades are the easiest to operate and are the blades most gardeners recognize and use. Flat blades are usually made of steel and they have a large cutting area that allows for efficient trimming of thick lawn or grass.
The ribbed or spiral mower blades are more difficult to operate and are used most often by commercial gardeners. These blades are also heavier than the flat blades. Gardeners often find the ribbed or spiral blades require more maintenance than the flat blades. These mowers have a number of adjustments to turn back the grass cutting momentum so that the blades do not bind up. Blades that become misaligned or worn can cause the blades to cut incorrectly or even not cut at all. This may result in extra time and money spent on cutting the lawn.
There is a growing number of homeowners who prefer to own their own mowers. These gardeners may not want to buy a new machine every year because they are not satisfied with the performance of their current machine. Some gardeners choose to replace old blades made of metal with new blades made of fiberglass. Fiberglass blades cut easily and are very lightweight. Newer mowers also have replaceable blades made of carbon and fiberglass.
If the blades are damaged, they can be easily replaced on an older mower. The only real problem with replacing blades made of metal is that the edges may cut into the ground too easily. Many gardeners have found that the edges of blades made of wood or plastic cut into the dirt instead of just past the grass.