Mower

**Mower Configurations**:
– Larger mowers are often ganged for adapting to ground contours.
– Cutting units can be mounted underneath a tractor or on the back with a three-point hitch.
– Dedicated self-propelled cutting machines have mower units mounted at the front and sides.
– Boom side-arm mowers are mounted on long hydraulic arms for mowing steep banks.
– Grounds mowers can have reel or rotary cutters.

**Mower Types**:
– The cutting mechanism in a mower can be a sickle mower, rotary mower, reel mower, flail mower, or drum mower.

**Sickle Mower**:
– Sickle mowers have a long bar with sharp sickle sections for cutting grass.
– The bar can be tilted to adjust the height of the cut.
– Grass is cut between the sickle sections and finger-plates.
– Sickle mowers were the first successful horse-drawn mowers on farms.
– General principles of sickle mowers still guide modern mower design.

**Rotary Mower**:
– Rotary mowers have rapidly rotating bars or disks with sharpened edges.
– Capable of mowing grass at high speeds in optimal conditions.
– Blades attached to disks can swivel to absorb blows from obstructions.
– Used for rougher grass in gardening and land maintenance.
– Rear-mounted units are sometimes called scrub cutters.

**Specialized Mower Types**:
– Reel Mower:
– Reel mowers have a horizontally rotating cylindrical reel with helical blades.
– Used for producing short and even grass on lawns, parks, and sports grounds.
– Can be pulled by a tractor or operated by a person.
– Home reel mowers offer benefits like quiet operation and environmental friendliness.

– Flail Mower:
– Flail mowers have small blades on chains attached to a horizontal axis.
– Used on rough ground or tougher vegetation like brush.
– Better at cutting thick brush due to high inertia of blades.
– Some types gather cut material in a collection bin.
– Can be used upright as a hedge-cutter for trimming hedges.

– Drum Mower:
– Drum mowers consist of large drums with spinning blades that chop down grass.
– Known for simplicity and robustness, making them easy to maintain.
– Effective in tall and dense grass but may struggle on uneven terrain.
– Ideal for smaller farms or those on a budget due to affordability.
– Their powerful cutting action makes them suitable for quick work.