When they first became popular lawnmowers were pushed along, using a chain drive from the wheels to turn cutter bars and trim the grass by trapping it against a fixed sharp blade.
Then they were used almost solely on lawns.
But today, powered lawnmowers are self-propelled and made to cut any type of grass from paddocks and orchards and garden paths to smooth lawns.
And those first machines just dropped the cut grass back on to the lawn, although a collection box followed on pretty soon.
Now the modern mower is far more versatile so that a modern machine can tackle all sorts of grass except the very long stuff.
So here are mowers from Italian company Oleo-Mac and German makers Einhell which are truly versatile.
The Oleo-Mac G53-TK AllRoad Plus-4 Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is a wide cut mower – 51 cm – and has four ways of dealing with clippings.
So for paddocks and orchards where the finish is not important you can discharge the clippings at the rear or to the side – this last one useful in areas like small paddocks.
The for the formal lawns you can mulch the clippings. Mulching is when the grass is held in the cutting deck for a little longer so it can be chopped down to tea leaf-sized pieces before falling back to the lawn where they rot away, becoming a useful fertilizer.
And then you can collected them in the 70 litre grass box in the normal fashion and dump them on the compost heap.
The engine is a powerful 196cc model and there are six cutting heights from 28mm to 75mm.
This exclusive mower costs £319.95, £180 less than the recommended price, has a three year warranty and is delivered free the next working day.
From Germany comes the Einhell RG-PM 51/1S 4-in-1 Hi-wheel Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower.
This is another mower exclusive to Mowdirect from a leading engineering and manufacturing company.
With a 51cm cutting width it can take on areas up to 2000m2 and has higher wheels so it can handle rougher areas more easily and will be more stable to use.
Firing this one along is a Briggs & Stratton 190cc engine, easy to start and providing loads of power. Cutting heights are from 30mm to 75mm.
This is a really solid mower and yet comfortable to use with adjustable, padded handlebars.
This too has the four methods of dealing with the clippings making it another great all-round machine designed to last for years
With this machine at the moment comes a free 10-litre Jerry can worth £24.95.
It costs £329.95, £200 less than the recommended price and it has a two-year-warranty. Again, delivery is free the next working day.
Similar Einhell mowers are available with an electric start to make it easier to fire up and with variable speed so you can mow the pace which best suits you and the conditions.
See these pages for an extensive list of lawnmowers. And if you need advice before making up your mind please give us a ring on 020 3026 8712.
