Technical


Impact cutting blade, dull after only a few hours' work


Public safety and human factors: keeping people safe


The consistent, low impact, efficient cutting with cylinders will benefit the operator and machine components. All mower types leaving a manufacturer’s production line will meet machine safety regulations for noise and vibration levels experienced by the operator. A rotary or flail, with its impact cutting,


means that it is more likely to experience wear and tear over time, which moves noise and vibration levels beyond the recommended limits. This increases with more heavy mechanically moving parts. Oftentimes, these machines can continue cutting grass adequately in this worn state, but long term damage may be caused unknowingly. Bystander safety is always of key concern


when working in public places, and thrown objects are one of the main risks. Although commercial rotary mowers are heavily tested to ensure any thrown objects are kept to a very low level, by their nature of cutting grass, risks are always higher.


Turf health: how green?


As well as being the most efficient, the rotating cylinder scissoring action is the least stressful


way of cutting grass, encouraging regrowth into tighter swards with less space for weeds and a greener overall appearance. How important is this though amongst all the other challenges faced by local municipalities? The individual leaf condition of general


municipal turf areas is under far less scrutiny than that of fine sports surfaces. There are also more factors affecting health that cannot be controlled in municipal spaces. There is even an argument that health doesn’t matter at all and stressed turf will discourage growth between cuts. Rotary and flail mowers impact cut the grass, shredding the leaf tips, causing stress. Granted, you are not going to hear complaints on the poor microscopic appearance of leaf blades in local green spaces but then, if the pursuit of turf health is abandoned, you are very unlikely to hear that “Station Road is looking fantastic this year”, and we could all do with a boosting compliment after a long dusty day on a mower.


Encouraging downward spiral of no attention


By no means are rotary and flail mowers ineffective ways of cutting grass. Some modern developments have made these machines very easy to use, especially for seasonal labour where operators may be inexperienced with


Some modern developments have made these machines very easy to use, especially for seasonal labour where operators may be inexperienced with using mowers


Tidy finish of a triplex cylinder PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 I 141 ”


Although commercial rotary mowers are heavily tested to ensure any thrown objects are kept to a very low level, by their nature of cutting grass, risks are always higher


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using mowers. At the top of the range, the triplex Ransomes Meteor flail has almost done away with all of the disadvantages of rotaries and cylinders. However, you cannot get away from the fact


that cutting with a cylinder is the most efficient way of cutting grass. Correctly selected mow and cylinder speeds, knife number and cylinder diameter can push the capabilities of the method. Correctly trained operators and respect for machines can keep operating costs low. Is that such a bad behaviour to encourage? Blindly moving to rotary or flail mowing, and


expecting lower bills, may be a dangerous downward spiral where less inspection is expected, so less occurs, and machine condition deteriorates faster than a machine that has been under a more watchful eye. The same pattern could be seen on the turf itself. Where expectations are lowered, so less care is given, dropping expectations again, continuing downward until we look back and wonder, what have we lost?


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