Cylinder mowers

The very first lawn mower was invented by Edwin Budding (an Englishman, of course) who was granted a patent in 1830 for his machine. The invention was inspired by a machine in a textile’s factory, which used a cutting cylinder to trim the irregular surface of cloth. Initially developed for the maintenance of sports grounds, they are still widely used for maintaining bowling greens and for ornamental lawns where a very fine finish is desired.

Also known as reel mowers or manual push mowers, they work by a scissor action as they roll along, slicing the grass between a horizontal, rotating cylinder of curved blades and a permanently fixed, straight blade. This is a much cleaner cut than that of a rotary mower, whose fast-spinning blade can shred or tear the grass if not kept sharp.

They are often the choice for the lawn enthusiast who has no qualms about mowing 1-2 times per week, and possibly more often during growing season, which is necessary as they don’t tend to work as well with longer grass.

Often, they are highly adjustable and can mow down to a very close-cut finish. This isn’t advisable for your average domestic lawn, as mowing too short can cause scalping and make the lawn more susceptible to disease and weeds, but for bowling greens or other sports pitches, cylinder mowers are often the preferred choice. Nowadays, petrol and electric cylinder mowers are also available for those who want a little assistance with moving it around the lawn.

The maintenance requirements are more demanding for a cylinder mower; the blades need periodic and precise adjustment to maintain the quality of cut. Though you can do this yourself (see our maintenance guide for cylinder mowers), this may be undesirable for the less mechanically minded.