Wide-cut mowers were once the machine of choice only for landscape contractors who valued them for speed and compactness. Just more homeowners are discovering the do good of these fast, broad-cut mowers. For many people, these are the perfect way to mow a lawn that'south either too small for riding equipment or where the backyard has features similar slopes, corners and pockets that make the agility and stability of a broad cut mower safer and faster.
More Grass Per Laissez passer
A typical residential walk mower uses one blade to cut a swath from 20 to 22 inches wide. A wide-cutting mower on the other hand, cuts a swath from 26 to at least 30 inches wide; commercial versions of these machines have a cut width from 32 to 54 inches. Cutting more grass per pass helps yous get done faster.
A residential 22-inch mower will be equipped with an engine somewhere in the range of 163-cc to 190-cc. Wide-cut mowers start at 223 cc and go upwards to about 337 cc. That high power-to-weight ratio helps speed y'all through normal cutting conditions just can exist a significant advantage when the going gets tough, such as when the grass is tall and lush in early bound or when there are leaves on the grass in the fall. And it tin be particularly useful when mowing the edge surface area to keep alpine weeds and non-turf grasses from encroaching on the backyard.
Also, as you move closer to the heavy-duty end of the spectrum with these machines, you find not only larger engines, but other durability-extending features, such as spin-on oil filters, commercial-duty air cleaners, and grease fittings.
Wide cutting mowers are powered by gear bulldoze or hydrostatic drive transmissions that give them a top speed in the range of iv to 6 miles an hour. At peak speed, many of them move so chop-chop that y'all'll have to trot to proceed upwards.
Wide-area Testing
The nigh important matter that we await for in testing a wide-area mower is whether it really is a better fit than a small piece of riding equipment under the same atmospheric condition. We put a premium on the mower's ability to handle terrain that would prove challenging or dangerous to a small-scale rider. We mow uphill and down, specially on slopes xxx degrees or steeper, and nosotros as well similar to see how the mower does on long sidehills. Our pivot test is designed to examine whether the wide area or a small rider provides a closer and cleaner cutting in a tight spot. In that test we bulldoze the mower in and so pin out. Considering these mowers are designed to reduce your mowing time, nosotros push them as hard as possible to run across if they live up to their potential.
Well Engineered
Toro TimeMaster 21199
Cut width: 30 inches Engine: 223 CC
Toro pioneered the broad-cut residential mower and that experience is evident here. This is a thoroughly engineered and well-behaved mower that'southward surprisingly like shooting fish in a barrel to use, especially for something that weighs as much equally this does. The TimeMaster employs Toro's well-regarded Personal Pace speed command. Push forward on the handle to make the mower go faster; its top speed is 4.5 mph, making it among the fastest mowers we tested. Other well-designed features: ii-lever height control, a forward-fold handle for more compact storage, and a large grass bag. Its speed and ease of use make information technology well suited to wide suburban lawns, less so for push-pull and pivoting cuts in tight spots. The Toro is a capable and powerful hill climber, we found, but did not do particularly well in side hill applications. Those are small asides, though. This is a thoroughly outstanding production suited to the suburbs and rural properties.
Battery Powered
Greenworks M060L423
Cutting width: 30 inches Motor: 60 Volt
Nosotros were very pleasantly surprised by this 25-inch mower, the but wide-cut machine in the cordless class. Information technology'southward a fast cutter and a clean one; we thought enough of it after taking it for a exam drive concluding fall to proper name it as a recipient of our annual Tool Awards. We're looking forwards to doing a total-blown test on it to see how much grass it volition cutting on one charge. Given its blueprint run fourth dimension of 60 minutes, nosotros recollect it should practise somewhere in the range of at least 6,000 square feet. Its major features are these: rear wheel drive with variable speed command, fold-forward handle, dual-mode adequacy (mulch and purse), a turbo setting for leaf pickup or tall grass, and seven cut heights controlled with unmarried-lever adjustment.
Loftier HP-to-Cutting Ratio
DeWalt DW33
Cutting width: 33 inches Engine: 382 CC
Having tested DeWalt products since the brand was reborn every bit a power tool company in 1992, we know information technology means business organisation. So we're non surprised to see that information technology'southward trying its manus at commercial-duty mowers. We haven't tested this American-built 33-inch mower, but we call up it's got several things going for it. First, information technology'south powered by a 382-cc, 24-hp engine; the ratio of engine to cutting surface is quite loftier. That'due south every bit large an engine every bit you discover on riding mowers with 48-inch decks. Next, you've got piece of cake deck height control with a robust single lever that places the deck in one of eight positions, ranging from 1-1/4 to iv-three/4inches. 4 forwards speeds and i reverse speed should requite y'all enough of command to match ground speed to terrain. Professional users and homeowners akin should be pleased that the typical repair and maintenance parts (blades, spin-on oil filter, spark plug, PTO chugalug, air filter and etc.) all take DeWalt part numbers and are listed in the possessor'south manual. That should aid reduce the search-and-destroy performance that many users become through every time their mowing auto needs some mechanical attention.
48-inch Cut Width
DeWalt HW48
Cutting width: 48 inches Engine: 15 HP
And while we're on this topic of the new DeWalt mowers, we'd leave the word half completed if nosotros didn't mention this thoroughly commercial 48-inch mower. Its engine is respectable, a forced-air cooled Kawasaki V-twin with cast iron cylinder liners, dual-element air filtration, and pressurized lubrication. The engine is coupled to a hydrostatic manual providing a top speed up to seven mph. Better than its top speed is that the transmission is a commercial-grade Hydrogear ZT-2800, complete with an external oil filter. And icing on the manual cake: Hydrogear makes a commercial transaxle oil service kit. You purchase the entire package and there's no confusion over office numbers or the right lubricant. Yous get 10 quarts of oil, two Hydrogear commercial filters and replacement O rings. Nosotros like information technology when manufacturers pay that much attention to ensuring the reliability of their equipment. That asLandscapers and homeowners alike will be interested in the automobile'south two-twelvemonth, no-60 minutes-limit warranty. That can aid give you a little more conviction in your purchase, especially given what this thing costs ($5999). Other features we like are a whopper of a gas tank (v gallons) and an electrical PTO that makes for much smoother (not to mention more reliable) blade engagement and detachment.
Multipurpose
Swishwer Versa VTFC42
Cut width: 42 inches Engine: 389 CC
We oasis't tested this automobile, but we'd similar to because information technology's fascinating. And at that place are several reasons that cause united states of america to retrieve that. Kickoff, information technology's a Swisher. We're big fans of these Missouri-built machines. They're basic, well engineered and extremely robust in their construction. The company has been building their equipment this way for decades. Second, it's an interesting two-part design. The power caput consists of a 389-cc Honda engine and the transmission is a hybrid consisting of Hydrogear pumps paired with commercial-duty Danfos cycle motors. That massive power caput provides both motive power and an output shaft to a 42-inch rotary blade mowing deck built out of 11-gauge steel. You can also bandy the deck for accessory crude-cut deck and a snowfall plough (sold separately). The mower comes with the sulky shown, if you'd rather stand up every bit you mow, rather than walk.
Roy BerendsohnSenior Abode EditorRoy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Pop Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn intendance, chainsaw use, and outdoor ability equipment.
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