More accidents take place around the home than anywhere else, and the operators of lawn mowers and lawn tractors feel the brunt of those accidents. A lawn tractor is a great boon, if treated with respect.
If you have a relatively large garden, you'll save a lot of time mowing your lawn if you buy a garden tractor. The tractor's cutting deck can cut twice as much as a normal push mower in one pass, and since the operator is sitting in a seat there's no need for physical strength.
When purchasing a lawn tractor, there are a few features that you'll want to look for:
Can the seated operator switch automatically between side discharging, mulching and bagging functions?
Does it have front-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive?
What is the turning radius?
Automatic transmission? Cruise control?
How noisy is the engine?
Safety concerns
The average push lawn mower is dangerous in its own right. Objects can be kicked up by the blades and hit the operator in the face. If the blades jam, careless operators try to clear the jam with their fingers, sometimes without turning off the mower...and bang go a couple of fingers. Therefore it's always a good idea to wear eye and ear protection, and always use a tool to clear out jammed grass or leaves.
The same safety issues apply to lawn tractors. When it comes to lawn tractors, a piece of rock or wood perhaps won't come flying back at you - but it may hit an innocent bystander. Therefore a good rule of thumb is to not do any mowing at all when there are people about.
Do you have to mow a slope? That's just about the most dangerous thing you can do...many's the hapless operator who has been pinned under an upturned mower because the slope was too steep and the lawn tractor too heavy, or with a bad center of gravity. Indeed, the best thing to do with a slope is to get rid of it - terrace it with various flower beds, or plant ground cover or ornamental grasses that don't require mowing.
Precautions
• If you've got a lot of trees, scout the yard before you start mowing and remove any broken branches, any noticeable rocks that somehow have made it in to your yard, etc.
• Wear safety glasses, ear protectors, and stout shoes - not tennis shoes.
• If someone, in particular a small child, comes within five feet of the mower - turn it off immediately. Better still, do your mowing when there's no chance that you'll have an audience. And never take a passenger. Mowing needs all your concentration.
Familiarity breeds contempt. That's an old cliche but cliches become cliches because they are true! If you've been operating the same old lawn mower for a few years, you may become a bit careless and not take proper precautions once in a while - because you're pressed for time, because you want to hurry up and do something else, or what have you. It's on those occasions that accidents will happen.
So always give your lawn tractor the respect that such a big, and potentially dangerous, machine deserves.
About the Author
Andrew Caxton is a freelance writer for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . For additional information on lawn tractors or lawn tractors
subjects have a look at his web.
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Roomba & Other Home Robots, Robot Vacuum Buyers Guide Intro
Can A Leaf Vacuum Take The Work Out Of Yard Work?
Ah, the beautiful colors of fall foliage. It's a wonderful time of year. There is a cool crispness in the air, a welcome change after the heat and humidity of the summer. In fact, fall is some people's favorite time of the year - unless, of course, they are the ones who have to rake all the leaves after they fall to the ground.
Collecting leaves and bagging them can be a tedious, hard, time consuming project. If you have very many trees in your yard, or a very large yard to rake, you might want to think about investing in a lawn vacuum. This piece of equipment can decrease your amount of yard work, and make a hard job much easier.
There are three different kinds of leaf vacuums. These vacuums are available in a handheld model, a push model and a riding vacuum. The model you decide to purchase will depend on how large of a job you have.
For small jobs and tight spaces, the hand held model is ideal. If you have a larger area, a walk behind push type vacuum works well. For large yards with lots of leaves, you might think about investing in a riding leaf vacuum.
Handheld models are great for small jobs. These machines usually often double as both a blower and vacuum. The vacuum feature usually attaches to a bag that collects the leaves. However, these hand held models don't have a large motor, and don't offer a lot of suction.
They work well only after leaves are freshly fallen, and not so good after they have gotten wet and packed down. Along cleaning small areas, these hand held vacuums can also be used to clean patios, pool decks or driveways.
A walk behind push vacuum works much like a push mower. As it cleans the leaves from your yard, this vacuum will usually mulch or shred the leaves and then send them to an onboard bag which can be dumped at your curb, or easily bagged.
Many gardeners like these types of vacuums because the collected, shredded leaves can be used to make mulch. However, these push vacuums don't maneuver easily into small spaces so you may wind up raking these anyway.
If you have a large woodsy yard, you might want to consider a riding leaf vacuum. These vacuums look much like a riding mower except they have a vacuum instead of a cutting blade. These riding vacuums are better than push ones because they can clean a larger path and also have stronger vacuum motors than push vacuums.
They also require less effort on your part since all you have to do is steer the vacuum. The collection bags on these riding vacuums also holds a much larger volume of leaves than those on the push variety and don't have to be emptied as often. This means you spend more time cleaning your yard and less time emptying the collection bag.
So if you are facing a big raking job, you might want to think about a leaf vacuum. With three models available, you are sure to find a vacuum that is perfect for your needs.
About the Author
For more vacuum information please visit http://www.vacuumtips.com - a popular vacuum website that provides tips, advice and vacuum resources. Don't forget to check out our page on leaf vacuums.
