A mower is a person or machine that cuts (mows)

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

ing grain

crops A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. In other words, a crop is a plant or plant product that is grown for a specific purpose such as food, fibre, or fuel. When plants of the same species a ...

, e.g. with

reaper A reaper is a farm implement that reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually the crop involved is a cereal grass, especially wheat. The first documented reaping machines were Gallic reapers that were used ...

s and combines. A smaller mower used for lawns and sports grounds (

playing field Play is a range of Motivation#Intrinsic and extrinsic, intrinsically motivated activities done for recreation. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other high ...

s) is called a ''

lawn mower A lawn mower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower, also often spelled lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by ...

'' or ''grounds mower'', which is often self-powered, or may also be small enough to be pushed by the operator. Grounds mowers have reel or rotary cutters. Larger mowers or '' mower-conditioners'' are mainly used to cut grass (or other crops) for

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

silage Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...

and often place the cut material into rows, which are referred to as ''

windrow A windrow is a row of cut (mown) hay or small grain crop. It is allowed to dry before being baled, combined, or rolled. For hay, the windrow is often formed by a hay rake, which rakes hay that has been cut by a mowing machine or by scythe ...

s''. ''

Swather A swather (North America), or windrower (Australia and rest of world), is a farm implement that cuts hay or small grain crops and forms them into a windrow for drying. They may be self-propelled with an engine, or drawn by a tractor and p ...

s'' (or ''windrowers'') are also used to cut grass (and grain crops). Prior to the invention and adoption of mechanized mowers, (and today in places where use a mower is impractical or uneconomical), grass and grain crops were cut by hand using

scythe A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...

s or

sickle A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting or reaping grain crops, or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feedi ...

Mower configurations

Larger mowers are usually ''ganged'' (equipped with a number or gang of similar cutting units), so they can adapt individually to ground contours. They may be powered and drawn by a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

draft animal A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for transportation (e.g. riding horses and camels), while othe ...

s. The cutting units can be mounted underneath the tractor between the front and rear

wheel A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...

s, mounted on the back with a

three-point hitch The three-point hitch (British English: three-point linkage) is a widely used type of hitch for attaching ploughs and other farm equipment, implements to an agricultural or industrial tractor. The three points resemble either a triangle, or the le ...

or pulled behind the tractor as a trailer. There are also dedicated self-propelled cutting machines, which often have the mower units mounted at the front and sides for easy visibility by the driver. ''Boom'' or ''side-arm'' mowers are mounted on long hydraulic arms, similar to a

backhoe A backhoe is a type of excavating equipment, or excavator, consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. It is typically mounted on the back of a tractor or loader (equipment), front loader, the latter forming a "backh ...

arm, which allows the

to mow steep banks or around objects while remaining on a safer surface.

Mower types

The cutting mechanism in a mower may be one of several different designs:

Sickle mower

''Sickle mowers'', also called ''reciprocating mowers'', ''bar mowers'', ''sickle-bar mowers'', or ''finger-bar mowers'', have a long (typically six to seven and a half feet) bar on which are mounted fingers with stationary guardplates. In a channel on the bar there is a reciprocating sickle with very sharp sickle sections (triangular blades). The sickle bar is driven back and forth along the channel. The grass, or other plant matter, is cut between the sharp edges of the sickle sections and the finger-plates (this action can be likened to an electric hair clipper). The bar rides on the ground, supported on a skid at the inner end, and it can be tilted to adjust the height of the cut. A spring-loaded board at the outer end of the bar guides the cut hay away from the uncut hay. The so-formed channel, between cut and uncut material, allows the mower skid to ride in the channel and cut only uncut grass cleanly on the next swath. These were the first successful horse-drawn mowers on farms and the general principles still guide the design of modern mowers.

Rotary mower

Rotary mower A rotary mower is a unit of powered machinery that uses a rotating blade or blades to cut vegetation. Use An American rotary lawnmower mechanic (b. 1927) when queried as to the first rotary mower he knew of - produced a picture of a machine mass ...

s, also called ''drum mowers'', have a rapidly rotating bar, or disks mounted on a bar, with sharpened edges that cut the crop. When these mowers are tractor-mounted they are easily capable of mowing grass at up to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) in optimal conditions. Some models are designed to be mounted in double and triple sets on a tractor, one in the front and one at each side, thus able to cut up to 20 foot (6 metre) swaths. In rough cutting conditions, the blades attached to the disks are swivelled to absorb blows from obstructions. Mostly these are rear-mounted units and in some countries are called ''scrub cutters''. Self-powered mowers of this type are used for rougher grass in gardening and other land maintenance.

Reel mower

''Reel mowers'', also called ''cylinder mowers'' (familiar as the hand-pushed or self-powered cylinder

), have a horizontally rotating cylindrical reel composed of helical blades, each of which in turn runs past a horizontal cutter-bar, producing a continuous scissor action. The bar is held at an adjustable level just above the ground and the reel runs at a speed dependent on the forward movement speed of the machine, driven by wheels running on the ground (or in self-powered applications by a motor). The cut grass may be gathered in a collection bin. This type of mower is used to produce consistently short and even grass on bowling greens, lawns, parks and sports grounds. When pulled by a tractor (or formerly by a horse), these mowers are often ganged into sets of three, five or more, to form a ''gang mower''. A well-designed reel mower can cut quite tangled and thick tall grass, but this type works best on fairly short, upright vegetation, as taller vegetation tends to be rolled flat rather than cut. Home reel mowers have certain benefits over motor-powered mowers as they are quieter and not dependent on any extra form of power besides the person doing the mowing. This is useful not only to lessen dependence on other types of power which may have availability issues, but also lessens the impact on the environment.

Flail mower

Flail mower A flail mower is a type of powered garden/agricultural equipment which is used to deal with heavier grass/scrub which a normal lawn mower could not cope with. Some smaller models are self-powered, but many are PTO driven implements, which can a ...

s have a number of small blades on the end of chains attached to a horizontal axis. The cutting is carried out by the ax-like heads striking the grass at speed. These types are used on rough ground, where the blades may frequently be fouled by other objects, or on tougher vegetation than grass, such as brush (scrub). Due to the length of the chains and the higher weight of the blades, they are better at cutting thick brush than other mowers, because of the relatively high inertia of the blades. In some types the cut material may be gathered in a collection bin. As a boom mower (see above), a flail mower may be used in an upright position for trimming the sides of hedges, when it is often called a ''hedge-cutter''.

Drum mower

Drum mowers are known for their simplicity and robustness. They consist of two large drums, each containing three to four spinning blades that chop down the grass or crop as they move over it. This straightforward design makes them easier to maintain, often leading to a longer lifespan. Drum mowers are particularly effective in tall and dense grass, where their powerful cutting action can make quick work of the task. However, they may struggle on uneven terrain, and their cutting speed may be slower compared to more modern designs. Their affordability and sturdy build make them an attractive option for smaller farms or those working on a budget.

References

External links

{{commonscatinline, Mowers Agricultural machinery nl:Maaimachine pl:Kosiarka