Lawn mowers

Lawn mowers

>>> Safety first when mowing lawns >>> Hand mowers good for small areas >>> Petrol lawnmower highly maneuverable >>> Electric lawnmower quieter

Munich. Whether you prefer your lawn with daisies and dandelions or billiard-table style short and green, it must be well maintained and mowed. Keen gardeners can choose from a wide variety of equipment. From simple hand push mowers to petrol, electric and hover mowers and even lawn mower tractors, all of those are available in the shops. For information about what mower is best for what lawn plus safety tips, contact TÜV SÜD Product Service:

Clear the danger zone

It may be a truism, but carelessness and rushing are repeated causes of lawn mowing accidents. Overzealous gardeners, for example, frequently cut through the electric cable of their mowers. Sometimes this happens so quickly that the fuse in the electrical system fails to cut off the power supply. Therefore, never touch the cut cable ends. Always pull out the plug first to ensure that the electricity supply is really "cut off" before removing the cable. Protecting the electric cable with an RCCB (residual current power breaker) increases safety.

Parents should never leave their lawnmowers unsupervised. The danger is too great that children may use the mower as a toy and injure themselves. Neither should children be allowed to help with mowing. They are too likely to fall, for example when moving the mower back. Barring children, and pets, from the garden when mowing the lawn is generally advisable; romping children may fall or pets jump in front of the mower in the blink of an eye.

Caution should also be exercised when cleaning your mower. Always pull the plug, for example, before cleaning the blade of an electric mower. If the lawn is wet, it's better to postpone mowing; wet grass tends to stick to the blade, making cleaning necessary after a very short time. Users thus have to handle the blade more often, automatically increasing the injury risk.

Look for TÜV SÜD Octagon

When purchasing a lawn mower, look out for the GS mark of TÜV SÜD Product Service, or the blue TÜV SÜD Octagon. Only equipment tested and inspected for safety bear these marks. One of the testing criteria is that stones and hard objects cannot be hurled out of the casing, injuring people in the direct vicinity. Modern equipment now features safety devices that prevent worst-case scenarios. Many lawn mowers, for example, only operate via a contact lever at the handle; as soon as the handle is released, the power supply is automatically interrupted and the mower thus stops immediately.

Muscle power with hand push mowers

Small lawn areas are easy to manage with a low-cost manual mower. These mowers offer the benefit of sparing the nerves of your neighbours and family because of their low noise level. For more convenience, select a small electric mower provided a power outlet is nearby. High-performance electric mowers also easily manage large areas, although cable length is a restrictive factor in their use. Electric mowers also offer the benefit of being relatively low noise.

Easier to maneuver without cable

Battery-powered lawn mowers do not have the disadvantage of a cable, but are relatively heavy due to the batteries. Additionally, their mowing capacity is restricted to the charging capacity of the batteries. They are therefore more of a practical alternative to electric or manual mowers for small garden areas.
The most suitable for gardens with bushes and trees and very large lawn areas are petrol mowers. They also easily manage hillside gardens - the lawn is best mowed across the hill. Mowing around obstacles is easy and there is no need for a power outlet and extension cables. As disadvantages, petrol mowers are frequently loud and smelly. Nowadays, however, many manufacturers offer low-noise mowers. Petrol mowers with low-emission engines and catalytic converters are also available. They involve less pollutants and are thus more environmentally friendly. To ensure user friendliness, good mowers offer electrical ignition and autodrive features.

Hover mowers

Hover mowers do without wheels completely. Their motor generates an air cushion on which the mower glides over your lawn. Maneuvering the lawn mower is thus absolutely effortless. On the other hand, however, the mower is extremely loud and creates a dust cloud in dry conditions.
The most comfortable, yet also the most expensive, variant to maintain your lawn is a ride-on mower. Such an investment is only worthwhile for very large sites where lawn mowing takes up a lot of time.