American Lawn Mower Company 1204-14 14-Inch 4-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Red
About this item
- 4-blade reel with a cutting width of 14” and durable 8.5” polymer wheels for maximum maneuverability
- Mechanical lawn mower with an adjustable blade height of 0.5”-1.75” with scissor action cut
- Manual grass cutter blades made of heat-treated alloy steel that stays sharp for years
- Environment-friendly alternative to gas-powered lawn mowers which is pollution-free and noise-free; Low maintenance, lightweight and easy to use
- Capable of cutting grass up to 4 inches tall
How to mow the lawn on slope
Many homeowners view lawn mowing as an unpleasant task, while others see it as an opportunity to beautify their property. When done properly, this activity helps keep your lawn green and healthy. Plus, it reduces weeds and bare areas. With a little practice, you can even form interesting patterns when mowing your lawn.Part 1 Preparing the mower and lawn
1
Use a lawnmower suitable for your type of lawn. Gasoline powered walk-behind mowers tend to be the most common choice for typical suburban garden lawns, but you actually have several options:
- Manual reel mowers activate only when you push them. In addition, they are an affordable and ecological option for very small and flat gardens.
- Electric walk-behind mowers are quieter and easier to operate than gasoline models, but they are also heavier and more expensive. In particular, corded models are best suited for small gardens, 1000 square meters (0.25 acres) or less.
- Gasoline mowers come in both manual and self-propelled varieties. Either is considered suitable for fields up to approximately 2000 square meters (0.5 acres).
- Mower tractors cost more than manual models, but save significantly more time when mowing fields larger than 2,000 square meters (0.5 acres). However, it is not safe to use them on slopes that are too steep.
2
Keep the mower blades sharp and free of debris. Dull blades produce uneven cuts in grass blades, leading to brown tips and disease. If your grass looks uneven after cutting, it's probably time to sharpen the blades. [1]
- You may need to sharpen them 1-2 times a year.
- You can extract and sharpen the blades on your own with a few tools and a little mechanical knowledge, or you can type “lawnmower sharpeners near my area” into a search engine to find professionals in your area.
- Even if the blades don't seem to need sharpening, you should check them for damage every 3-4 cuts and brush or rinse off any accumulated grass debris from the blades and on the underside of the mower.
3
Set the cutting height according to the type of grass and the weather. Many people tend to mow their lawn too much in an effort to reduce the frequency of mowing. However, this procedure causes the gardens to turn brown and leads to the growth of weeds. Ideal cutting heights vary based on a number of factors, but are typically 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm). [2]
- You should measure from the ground to the bottom of the mower deck and then from this point to the blades. This total equals the cutting height.
- You can find specific cutting guides for your grass type (for example, at the following link: https://www.lowes.com/projects/lawn-and-garden/mow-your-lawn-correctly/project ).
- You can also contact your local agricultural extension program for advice.
4
Check the fuel and oil levels before starting the mower. It is not safe to add fuel to a hot mower engine, so fill the fuel tank before starting to mow. Also check the oil level every 2 to 3 cuts and add oil as needed before starting the engine. [3]
- You should also change the oil from time to time and clean the fuel lines, or have a professional perform this routine maintenance for you. Consider adjusting your mower once a year in early spring.
5
Mow your lawn in good time, not yours. Some people mow like clockwork every Saturday afternoon, but it's best to mow based on your height. Use the "rule of one third" and avoid cutting more than one third of the total height of the grass at each cut. [4]
- Therefore, if you keep the height of your grass at 2 inches (5.1 cm), you should wait until it is 3 inches (8 cm) tall before mowing it.
- You should also check the weather forecast for dry weather days. Wet grass can clog the mower. Also, it makes the garden compact and too slippery to be mowed safely.
- It is best to mow at night after a dry day. In this way, accumulation, damage and heat stress are reduced. Therefore, you should plan your cuts accordingly. [5]
6
Clear grass debris and remove pets and children before mowing. You should walk around the lawn and pick up branches, rocks, toys, pet waste, or other obstructions that could damage the mower or make a mess. Even more important, you should send pets and children indoors, or at least to a safe area away from where you will be working. [6]
- Some lawnmowers can shoot rocks or other debris at dangerous speeds, so it's always best to keep other people and pets out of that area.
7
Wear safety glasses, hearing protectors and suitable clothing. You should wear safety glasses to protect yourself from flying debris and hearing protectors to silence the mower engine. You should also wear sturdy closed shoes and long pants to protect your feet and legs. [7]
- Apply sunscreen and wear a hat, even on cloudy days or if it's early or late in the day.
Make sure you stay hydrated.
You can take breaks if you go to work in a large garden, feel agitated, or start feeling drained.
Part 2 Mowing the lawn efficiently
1
Mow around the perimeter and over any obstacles first. Unless you have a square or rectangular garden, your initial goal should be to create a square cut area. You should work your way around trees or along curved beds, and then create straight lines and angles in those areas. You can turn the remaining grass into one or more rectangles for easier cutting. [8]
- You can cut around the perimeter first to square your lawn and give yourself room to turn the mower as you go in rows.
- You may want to go around the perimeter twice to create an even larger turning area.
2
Cut back and forth over sloped areas. You must account for any sloping areas when creating rectangular cut areas. You should never cut a slope that is too light. Instead, you should proceed in a straight line perpendicular to the slope. [9]
- If you have trouble going up or down the slope on wet grass, avoid mowing it up or down, even if the grass is dry.
- Manual reel mowers are less dangerous than larger, heavier powered models on slopes. However, you could still be injured if you slip and fall.
- Instead of using a lawnmower on a slope, try using a brush cutter or consider planting or placing something other than grass in that area.
3
Mow the lawn from back to front in straight lines forming a slight overlap. For each rectangular area you have created, you should start at one side and work your way from one end to the other. Then turn the mower over and cut an adjacent row in the opposite direction. Continue this procedure until you have cut the entire section. [10]
- The amount of overlap required will depend on the configuration of your mower. However, you should generally place the wheels (on one side) just above the cut line you created with the previous row.
- Front-to-back turns will be easier if you use a zero turn mower. If not, you should turn on the rear wheel closest to the next row and readjust as necessary to get into position.
4
Discard the clippings in the previously cut row. The fine clippings help nourish your lawn, so you can leave them scattered throughout your yard when possible. If you have a side discharge mower, you should point the clippings towards the row you just cut. A mulch mower is used to cut and disperse the grass blades. [eleven]
- However, you should avoid leaving clumps of clipped grass on your lawn, as this is more likely to happen if you have a dull blade or the lawn is wet. You can place the clippings in a bag or use a rake to spread the accumulations.
- If you want to reduce thatch from your lawn, you can use a bag and attach it to the mower to collect clippings. You can place the clippings in a compost pile, use it as mulch, or throw it away in the trash or a compost collection system.
5
Change the direction of the rows by cutting regularly. For example, you shouldn't mow square grass on the same north and south lines every time. If you do this, the grass will start to lean permanently in the direction of the row and will show the marks of the mower wheels. [12]
- Instead, consider switching between the north and south to east and west lines with each subsequent cutting session.
6
Use a brush cutter or brush cutter after you finish mowing the lawn. These tools are not that fast or efficient, so it is best to use the mower to cover as much grass as possible. You can then use other tools to take care of the remaining grass that the mower couldn't reach. [13]
- However, some people prefer to cut the edges first, as it is easier to spread out the heavy clippings this way. This is a viable option, but you will spend more time than necessary cutting the edges. Also, these methods tend to be more damaging to the lawn than the mower (for example, it is easier to cut the grass too much at certain points).
Part 3 Create stripes on the lawn
1
Form simple rows back and forth to create basic grass strips. The lightest and darkest stripes that you can see on the well-groomed lawn of a professional sports field are created simply by bending the grass in the direction you are cutting it. Grass that bends away from you is lighter, while grass that is bent toward you is darker. [14]
- So a traditional back-and-forth cutting method will create straight lines that alternate between lighter and darker shades (depending on your viewing angle).
- To enhance the fringe effect when folding your lawn more completely, you should get a garden roller and use it to repeat the pattern you just cut.
2
Create chessboard-like stripes by cutting the grass in perpendicular rows. To create a checkerboard style that alternates light and dark squares, you simply mow the same area twice.
- First, you need to cut it with standard lines back and forth (for example, north to south). Then cut the same area on the east and west lines from one side to the other. Once you are done, you should observe the characteristic pattern of a chessboard. [fifteen]
- You should finish the job by going around the perimeter once more at the bottom to eliminate any irregularities caused by the mower's turns.
3
Use an interesting diamond or zigzag pattern. A diamond-shaped pattern is actually not much more difficult than a checkerboard. You simply need to rotate the alternate cutting lines 45 degrees, so that you can essentially cut from one corner to the other within the square cutting area. [16]
- To make a zigzag pattern, you must first create a diamond pattern. Then you should do a repeating series of alternating 90 degree turns each time you cut more than 3 diamonds (either in series of light-dark-light or dark-light-dark in the shadow). This pattern takes practice, and it may be easier for you to create a diagram beforehand to use as a guide.
Warnings
- To make getting started easier and safer, you should start the mower on a sidewalk, driveway, or other solid surface.
- You should keep pets and children away from the area where you are going to work and the mower you are going to operate.
- You must choose your hearing protectors carefully. Although the goal is to protect yourself from the noise of a gasoline engine, you should not isolate yourself too much from the sound so as not to be aware of what is happening around you. Ideally, use a quality pair of earplugs that offer protection while allowing warning sounds to enter (for example, a car horn or a person yelling).
- Power mowers are dangerous equipment. If operated improperly, they can cause serious injury and even death.
- Check the manufacturer's instructions. You should inform yourself about the power, functions and limitations of the mower. In addition, you must know the safety devices, their operation and how they should be maintained. Try to understand the difference between a safe operation and a potentially dangerous one.
- You must be especially careful when pulling the mower in your direction so that you don't trip or fall. Instead of pulling the mower towards your body, consider standing on the opposite side of the discharge. Then walk forward while pulling the mower from the side.
- When mowing the lawn, you should always wear hearing and eye protectors, as well as sturdy shoes. Professional lawn care experts wear long work pants and lightweight, long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from electrical equipment, debris, sun exposure, and insects.
- If the blade becomes clogged with clippings or other debris, avoid using your hands to clear it. Instead, you should turn off the gasoline mower and spray water on the blade with a garden hose to clear it. Even if the mower is off, the blade can start turning once you clear the obstruction. This is due to the torque built up in the motor.
- You should wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying debris. Versions that have wraparound strips are ideal. Although modern mowers are designed to keep this problem to a minimum, there is always the possibility of an incident occurring.
- It is a bad decision to use a portable device to listen to music (for example, an iPod) while mowing the lawn. While headphones can block sound, listening to music provides a dangerous mental distraction at a time when full concentration is required to properly control this dangerous machinery.
Things you will need
- hearing and eye protectors
- a lawnmower
- lawn mowing equipment (including enough fuel)
