Hover Lover: The Pros And Cons Of Choosing A Hover Mower

Home & Garden Blog

Keeping your lawn in top shape can be a laborious process to say the least, and using a hover mower to keep your grass trimmed can be a tremendous labour saver. However, while these futuristic devices have a number of advantages over more traditional push and ride-on mowers, they also have some limitations which may make them unsuitable for some lawn owners. If you're considering purchasing a hover mower, keep the following pros and cons in mind before you decide to drop your hard-earned cash.

What are the advantages of using a hover mower?

• Ease of movement: Unlike traditional mowers running on wheels or rubber tyres, hover mowers float on a cushion of air generated beneath the main body and blades of the mower. This air cushion is functionally very similar to the ones used by hovercraft, and allow the hover mower to be moved with tremendous ease -- some smaller models can even be used with fingertip pressure. 
• Manoeuvrability: Without unidirectional wheels to worry about, a hover mower can be pushed in any direction and turned on the spot. This makes them very useful for compact and/or awkwardly shaped lawns, and makes mowing around sheds, static garden furniture and other obstacles much easier.
• Lightness: Hover mowers are necessarily very light to allow hovering, which makes them relatively easy to transport and store. It also makes them highly suitable for use on sloped ground and banks.
• Ground versatility: Because hover mowers exert no pressure on the ground, they are very useful for mowing wet or waterlogged ground without disturbing the soil. They are also adept at navigating uneven and stony ground, as the air cushion automatically follows the contours of the land to keep the mower at a steady height above the grass.

What about the disadvantages?

• Fragility: Naturally a hover mower won't function if it's too heavy to lift off the ground, so hover mowers are generally made from lighter, more fragile materials than ground-based mowers. Many hover mowers use plastic blades instead of metal blades to minimise weight, and while these blades are just as effective at cutting grass they can be chipped or broken by errant rocks or other obstacles. 
• Limited accessories: Another way hover manufacturers minimise weight is by leaving out labour-saving accessories, such as collection bins and raking tines. More powerful hover mowers are capable of limited grass clipping storage, but be aware that these models are generally considerably more expensive. 
• No choice of power source: Hover mowers are always electrically powered, as they are incapable of bearing the weight of petrol or diesel engines. As such, they have a limited range due to power cable length constraints, and are generally unsuitable for larger lawns with limited access to power outlets. Alternatively, you can choose a battery-operated hover mower, but these tend to have very limited battery lives and should not be expected to cut larger lawns on a single charge.

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27 July 2016