A FASTER way to mow your yard!!
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Ever wondered if there is a faster way to mow your yard? This video is my trial and error report. If you've got other methods, please let me know and I'll try it.
I tried several different ways and will walk you through my results. - Навчання та стиль
i still think the outside to inside (modified) method is fastest. IOW, follow the path shown at the 6:00 min mark, but combine them into one section by stretching them over the entire front yard mowing over the walkway that extends from the house to the street (just as you do at the 7:32 min mark). yes, you have to do more turns (in number) but the turns are only 90deg turns and therefore, one 90 deg turn should = 1/2 the time as one 180 deg turn. so, using your example at the 7:32 min mark, you make (5) 180 deg turns. my way covers the same area with (8) 90 deg turns. this effectively eliminates the time it takes for you to do one complete 180 deg turn. as for the little "L" shape near the side of the house, maybe due to its small size, your 180 deg style will work best, but then again, i still get (4) 90 deg turns (which = (2) 180 deg turns in time) to your (3) 180's, which makes my way shorter by the time it takes for you to do one 180 degree turn.
Thanks for the comment! I can tell you put as much thought into it as I did making this video. I keep trying different methods and the 90 degree turn is one that keeps coming back into the rotation. With the size/shape of my yard, the only problem comes in with that at the end when I get down to the smaller size in the middle. I think it's because my yard portions are longer than they are wide. Because of that, I have to end up doing a bunch of 180 degree turns eventually. That's why I thought to just eliminate the short axis turns altogether as much as I could.
Thanks again for the comment, I really appreciate the great feedback!
TXSuburbanHomestead thanks for replying to comments! I learned a new method. I used to do the outside to inside, and it took 11 hours.
Plus I am always thinking about mowing the previous pass clippings... So the outside in you never do that... Depending on if you go counter-clockwise...
This is the video i been searching for. I too have a Riding tractor and was looking for the best methods in order to maximize cut time
This was awesome. Thank you! I just mowed my new yard using a riding mower for the first time. I knew there had to be a BETTER way!!!
Great work! I've done the same calculations over the years. The time saving is great, but the added benefits are less hours on your equipment and less gas used.
As an IE myself and a lawn tractor owner I am enjoying this video so much. I have been trying to find an efficient way to mow my yard. This makes me happy to see all the thought invested in this video.
Thanks so much!! So many comments throughout the years that essentially say I wasted my time. Nice to hear from another IE that thinks about efficiency like I do.
I mowed a lot of groves and properties with a big tractor for almost 8 years that were fenced all around it and the best method for me was the last one because it is very similar to the one I used to use. I used to call it the number 8 method 😁.
@@tavojimenez9833 Thanks for taking the time to comment. You're on to something. I grew up mowing pastures in the summers. My dad's advice was, "if you're turning, you ain't mowing... keep cutting".
Thanks for the video. I'm also an IE by degree and although I'm now retired, up until this summer, I never sat on a riding lawn mower! Always did the longest access with the push mower, though, so had already accessed the efficiencies you pointed out over outside to inside. After trying a riding mower for the first time and seeing how much inefficiency is involved in a 3PT, I began wondering about a better way. Just "in my head" I saw that if I did the "every other pass" method, it would be quite efficient. The problem I had when implementing the process was getting the skipped areas the right width; so many times I'd be a few inches too wide and need another pass (forehead slap). The yard I'm mowing is my father in law's old place, which I hope will sell soon and put me out of a mowing job. He's got an acre and he's got bushes and tree obstacles all over the place too, which makes it hard to find an efficient pattern. Anyway, thanks for "nurding out". Where would we be without enginurds?
i have a similar type of yard you describe with trees and irregular lot plus hilly parts of the yard.... but i first circle around the house so that the cut debris flies away from the house.. I also start nearest the house because i figure that will scare the bugs away from the house lol... but once i clear a few passes all the way around the house i break the rest of the yard into sections and start in the middle of the long axis and work my way out.. there is not 3pt turn except the first one.. But at the end there is a lot of long drives across to get to the other side for the next pass. But i use those as a chance to look for areas that need more (usually around trees and other obstacles
I just realized I think I'm getting old or I have no life at all... I watched the whole video my God..
Jeff Hinneburg I ask myself the same thing when I’m editing...
I’m 17. Just trying to mow effectively and get my money.
Boomer
I'm 12 and I'm tryna get some papers 🤣😭
Been doing the continues for many years on 3+ acres. It also is a plus if the grass gets longer than it should. Gives the grass time to dry out a little before you are back to the same area if you need to re-cut some of it when it's really long.
Mow around the perimeter 2 times, then longest axis after that.
That's more along what I'm doing now. It doesn't speed me up any, but it surely does cut down on my cleanup afterward.
Smart
I have a 1 acre backyard. I found the easiest and most relaxing way to mow, is to minimize turns by mowing in concentric circles from outside in. I never stop to do a right angle turn, I'm always moving.
Not good to use same pattern over n over. Right?
This was super helpful. I have a 3/4 acre lot. The last two summers was a push mower, this year we purchased a rider. The last few weeks mowing I kept looking at the lawn thinking "There's got to be a better way!" The Out to In method just doesn't look as nice and I felt that I could do it a lot faster, but HOW!? Luckily a quick UA-cam search led me here and confirmed a hunch I had! I'm mowing tonight and totally trying out the continuous tourn method. Thanks!
Great! So glad to hear that it was helpful. Thanks for the comment.
Nicely analyzed. I have a D-130 also, and am new to riding mowers and this new property in Texas. I've got, probably, 1-2 acres to mow, including driveway borders and along the road out front. I tried a few different approaches, as you did, though it never even occurred to me to do 3-point turns. I settled on the long axis, continuous method that you use, though for 2 of the lawns I precut a full border and pre-circle the trees and other obstacles. Then I regularize the various short rectangles caused by stairways and the patio extension. I offset rows based on the turning radius of my mower, which also helps keep the clippings from piling up. If the mower stays in motion and I'm not going over previous cuts, I figure I'm going it right!
Among other things, I used to teach continuous process improvement for Boeing, back in the day. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the encouraging comment. I've started cutting borders/trees now too. The only real downside with the long axis continuous method was that what time I gained, I lost with the blower on the sidewalks.
That change has really helped me in the long run! When I make a change, I just tell my wife I'm trying to minimize my non-value added tasks.
LOVE your approach there.. I had an issue with clippings piling up so i started mowing from a center start on the long axis and mowed outwards so i push all the clippings towards the woods on both sides. I will try your approach.
Clickable timecodes on this early learning video that a lot of folks think is too long:
4:29 Outside to in Method
6:47 Longest Axis Method 3-pt turns
9:31 Longest Axis turned 3-pt turns
11:35 Longest Axis - Continuous turns
12:27 Neighbor's yard
Wow this is beautiful. I'd like to see stats on circular mowing, inside to out...
Thanks for the tips.
Haven't kept stats on circular...yet.
Enjoyed you mapping out this logic. I've been thinking these things but nice to have the thoughts illustrated and logisticized. Next, I need to figure out not only how to deal with and/or illiminate obsticles (beds/trees/plants etc) and non-straight garden bed edges. Did see how someone edged the wavy rock long garden bed with mulch that was a straight line. for 12" out. That idea is a mowing game changer and going to impliment it. I have 1.5 acres and there's 10 areas for the tractor and 1 big pen 2000'ft for the up and coming garden that I hand mow. It has a big burn pile in the middle and lots of other items as well as developing raised garden beds. My husband is the gardener primarily and I am the mower. Getting the 2 on the same page is not always easy. Need to find common ground between beauty and function. Thanks for your video. 56 now and everytime I mow, all I think about is how to be more efficient, how to enjoy the ride and be safe as well as how to grow better grass for less money and effort. Spent 2 whole years gettng rid of stumps and dips and roots. Way better but could be much better too. I wonder too, how long I can keep this up. I remember my stout Grandpa though on his John Deere at 80 some going at it. Lots of obsticles too. He never complainted. His lawn always looked picture perfect.
Thanks for the comment! Good luck with your planning!
I like your method. Will try it next time. My current solution is to treat the path as a rounded rectangle, where the corner radius is relatively large to allow for constant mower speed at every point along the path (i.e. out-to-in with large turning radius). No time is lost because the mower is always cutting along the turn, similar to your method here. It does get tricky as the minor axis becomes smaller than the mower's smallest practical turning radius at nominal speed (new video for optimized small area rider mowing?). The mow time is path length / avg. mower speed plus any polishing time, which should approach the theoretical minimum mow time because the polishing time should approach zero. But it might be best for large, unobstructed areas.
I’m glad you nerded out. I just got my ride on mower for my fairly small yard. It was free so I took it. I’ve been wondering how I’m going to get away from those 180 degree turns.
So glad to have helped! Nerding out is what I seem to do best, always glad when it's appreciated. Enjoy the new mower!
I actually found the video very useful, just what i was looking for. The analysis and numbers don't lie, they help you determine the best way of getting the job done quickly. I think some of us are naturally efficiency experts, its just the way our brain works...
Thank you for such a kind comment. I'm so glad this helped.
I love mowing my lawn so much, it is the happiest time of my life. For that reason this is a great video because it shows me how to increase my time doing my mowing!... More turns!
Thanks for getting this video. I love mowing mine and my neighbors' yards. It's not always about doing it to get them over with, it's just the thoughts you have about how to make the experience even better.
I’m a teenager and I enjoy shoveling snow and mowing grass.
My husband is also an IE. You share a common trait. My family learned long ago that the definition of engineer is someone who will take something simple and make it difficult. I still struggle to understand some of his ideas, especially in the garden. LOL
My garden ideas are more than a bit crazy...
I have used the spiraling out method on a 42 inch riding mower but found mowing the four leftover corners was a time consuming pain. I found the most efficient was to do four blocks on the longest axis with wide turns taking 45 minutes to do large backyard and small front yard, about 3/4 acre.
This summer I upgraded to a 42 inch ZTR and now do 180 turns and cut my time to 35 minutes, a combination of faster ground speed and less maneuver time. Now I need to try the wide turn method to reduce overlap with the 180 degree turns.
I don't like to deal with raking or bagging, so I first do a perimeter cut, then long axis from the inside out so that I throw all the cuttings along the perimeter. They dry out in a day or two and smother any weeds causing less use of the trimmer. You can't even see the dried clippings especially if you mow often enough.
Been doing this for over 25 years. Got the idea from watching the Zamboni driver resurface an ice hockey rink. They need to do it quickly. It's a continuous path on an ice rink. On your lawn it depends on it's shape as you said. Cant seem to avoid creating ruts around the perimeter though. Figure that one out and I'll really be impressed!
The only way I've figured out how to avoid the ruts is to alternate the pattern. U/D & side to side. I even, about once a month, go diagonally. It's really solved my rut problems. Thanks for watching.
I recommend mowing like a Zamboni machine finishes an ice rink. Very similar, but I imagine you don’t always have the right distances so that your mower deck makes full cuts, and probably find yourself going back to get a narrow strip.
There's a lot to be said about how the lawn looks when you're done mowing. The 3PT method or Striping is probably the most aesthetic; if you have a zero turn mower the turns take a lot less time and the stripe looks much nicer if you have a stripe roller on the back of the deck.
You’re right. The zero turn would yield these ways mute. With the striping. i’ve tried it several times, with my St. Augustine, because it’s such a heavy bladed grass, the only way I can get a good stripe is by alternating my mowing deck height each pass.
One engineer to another Whoop Love it! Sitting on a lawnmower for 3 acres I tried this continuous method but did not run the numbers so I am glad it proved out. Found it a little hard however to get that optimal turn for a 1 lawnmower width and therefore no need for an extra run. On the long axis method a cut a few passes on each short axis side so I have a turn radius but it ends up cutting grass twice in this area. Again no numbers run I think it beats time backing up at each turn.
Since this, I've tried several variants to try and get the best turn to minimize the small passes. My JD won't turn for the one pass width, so I'm forced to go wider. It usually works out okay and is still faster than the turn each pass.
don't forget soil compaction. There are many things about lawn husbandry that shouldn't be put to mathematical scrutiny. Among those: introspection- soul searching, escape-from other drudges of life, the thrill of accomplishment-job well done. Or, if you don't enjoy mowing, just set the deck at 1" and go like hell till you're done.
I do worry about soil compaction. I brought in about 18 yards of good fill dirt and don't want it compacted like the clay I took out. I do alternate my patterns every so often. I even do diagonals from time to time. The mowing's a great get away from my office job, but I just can't help myself... everything turns out to be math eventually.
The best thing for your lawn is to mow in a different direction every time you mow. So one week it is north to south, next week is east to west, next week is northwest to southeast, next week is just mow in a constant turn outside to inside, then finally northeast to southwest. Need a power point for each of those methods. They say it helps to not compact the soil as bad as mowing the same way all the time.
You're absolutely right. I've been switching up since I did this video. When this video was made we had only had the new lawn with new dirt/grass for about a year. Constant mowing in the same direction caused me to have compaction ruts. I filled those in with a soil topdressing this winter and switch it up every week now between N/S, E/W, and even a diagonal. This is still the most efficient method for me, but I've got a much flatter lawn now.
In the golf industry it's called mowing 6-12, 3-9, 4-10 etc. It's good to cut in a different direction each week not only for soil compaction but if you keep cutting in the same direction each week eventually the grass will start lying down and it won't all get cut. Good information guys.
I have a yard very similar but only one tree in the front yard. I have tried two different ways. Starting at the tree and cutting in circles around the tree with each circle overlapping and growing bigger essentially mowing the yard in circles...this way I never have to stop its one continuous motion. Also tried the outside to inside however rounding the corners on the first pass or two making it a rectangle with rounded corners again eliminating the stopping and turning just one fluid continuous cut not sure which of the two is faster though as there is quite a bit of weed eating around my property to be done before i can even start the cut
Great video. Optimizing things in ones life is a great life skill, a green belt in six sigma doesnt hurt either. LOL
I've been doing your "continuous method" for years. Fewer turns, less overall time I spend mowing, which equals less fuel consumption and less wear and tear on the equipment. I only looked at overall time mowing but it works for me.
I really like enjoy when people take their passion and put it into other aspects of their life. I am not an engineer, wish I had the math skills to do that but I do not. My background is in Agriculture. Just like yards, no two farm fields are the same. So, when a sprayer operator enters a field that probably isn't square he or she must survey the best way to approach the most efficient way to do it. This was all before the advent of GPS technology in every spray rig that has autosteer. It does all the "thinking" for you. I'm old school, so I had to figure things out on my own. After a few times of being in the same field, you can figure it out. The larger the field the more efficient you can be. Here in Ohio, we have fields ranging from 5 acres to 200 + acres. I know this is off topic but I just wanted to share a different perspective on a similar process. I clicked subscribe because I want to see what else you have going on. I love to analyze every aspect of what I do. I'm currently tying to fix a privacy fence that someone else shouldn't have built. I have spent a ton of time going over the numbers! Thanks for letting me share. All the best to you and your family.
Thanks for such a positive comment. I grew up on tractors bailing hay, so that's where this train of thought came from. It's very similar to yours. The numbers game you're talking about with the fence is a fun one for me. I sometimes have "paralysis by analysis". That carries over into my videos as well. I've got about 10 ideas, but I spend so much time working on the shot layouts that they take forever to get made. Thanks for watching & subscribing. Hopefully I'll have some interesting content for you. All the best!
"Eliminate non-value adding tasks" words to live by.
Brandyn M Amen.
…but he wasted four years at Texas A&M. Go figure.
Thanks a lot. This was very helpful. You gave me very good insight on how to cut my grass with my riding mower. Appreciate your video. Take care.
Thank you for the note. So glad to have helped.
Thank you for this video,and be diligent about what you found to be an efficient way to mow. I have a 5 acre property with a grave that takes at least 5 hours to mow. So thanks for 'nerding out lol
So glad it was of use to you! I get such mixed responses on this video, so posts like this are always welcomed!
What do you mean with continuous turns? Is that the same as wider turns?
How about the L method starting at the bottom left or upper right mixed with long axis method at the end ??
Just got my first rider E170 JD will try this method thanks for the video
When I got a 457/38 Rover MDT lawn tractor it was great I got It was because I found it was becoming more and more painfully difficult to mow my lawn. As over the last few years I developed two arthritic knees. My lawn tractor though expensive was one of the best investment I ever made. And though it expensive to buy and maintain As ever few years I go though the usually amount of belts and blades. (Blades here cost about $20.00 and belts about $36.00) But it is well worth it. But I still have to go though a bit of preparation before I can even mow the lawn My one problem with mowing my yard is getting in to those tight corners, around my yard. So to fix this Ill will go and mow the corners first with ether my lawn edger or my push mower. But with the lawn tractor doing most of the heavy work Doing these small arias two arthritic knees. is a lot easier for me. After I have done this first. before I mow with the lawn tractor I to mow the lawn with two munching blade out side to in. it seem get a better result takes lest time and looks better because when I get off the lawn tractor Im finished.
The best way to speed up mowing is to use a zero turn mower, or get a wider cut deck.
100% true, no doubt, but sometimes you've got to figure out a way to make the best with what you've got.
Believe me, if I had the capital to invest, I'd be all over a zero-turn with a 60" deck. Just playing with the hand I was dealt. Bought the JD used from a neighbor who was moving for a steal...
Love my ZTR for two reasons. One is its maneuverability. Second, is its faster ground speed.
LEAN Mowing!! I’m honestly the same. My work is also in industrial engineering/ lean manufacturing and that type of thinking really does permeate all of your personal tasks as well.
Everything!
PA LawnGuy. I have a problem, each 3 point turn is 3 shallower turns with the time increase for backing up There fore each of those need to be counted as 2 turns at least with added time fore backing up. Please comment.
It’s harder to get straight nice lines with continuous, i came up with a extremely similar method and was satasfied with the time just not as much with results
Great video! Check out a used John Deere X304. It is tractor style but with 4 wheel steer (mechanical linkage). Helps with tight turns on your continuous method so you dont leave odd shaped passes. Cheaper to buy than a zero turn because less hydraulics. It does still have a hydro-static trans.
Thanks for the tip. I'm always on the lookout for new gear!
Using a lawn tractor efficiently on a small residential yard is a challenge. I used to center split the yard and do ovals cutting outside of one patch and the inside of the other doing large continuous ovals. Finally decided to go for maximum mowing efficiency and upgraded to a ZTR machine. Faster and much easier with the ZTR. Cut mowing time from 20 minutes to 15 minutes.
Yeah, I end up mowing a couple of neighbors yards for them. Also upgraded blower to Echo 8010 and have a deal with neighbor, I mow and he trims and blows it off. He really likes the big Echo blower. :)
Although it seems good to do a optimised long axis pattern as you call it, I find that it does make a significant difference to the normal long axis method (called striping by us lawnies). when you go up one pass, do a 3-point turn and then go back down right alongside the previous pass, you start to create a very good-looking stripe pattern. If your mower doesn't stripe or if you dont really care then doing the "optimised long axis pattern" is fine but to make it look really good doing the normal 3-point turn striping pattern is best.
I've got St Augustine and it doesn't stripe. If I had a finer texture grass like Bermuda, Fescue, or Bluegrass, I'd definitely do a stripe. However, down here in southcentral Texas, St Augustine is what we've got and the thick coarse texture doesn't stripe at all.
Yeah I mainly try to stripe regardless of whether it is really obvious or not just to keep it in my mind but whatever works for you ;D
Unfortunately efficiency doesn't always result in the best cut. Hence why a zero turn and a double or triple pass cut is how most highly curated lawns are done. That being said, if you are cutting with a tractor and just need to get it cut and looking pretty nice, this video is great.
I think the overlapping serpentine method you have @11:56 is the best method
I have been using your method for years, not to save time, but because I found other methods too repetitive and boring. I rarely mow a yard the same way twice, and I have lots of fun, especially watching people trying to figure out my mowing track after I finish.
That's the point I'm at right now. I change up my methods now just so I don't get bored! I used to change up my methods to find the fastest way because I was mowing so many yards. Now it's about just keeping myself happy throughout the process.
I’m almost embarrassed that I was balls deep into this video lol damn I’m getting old. Thanks for the video man, will give this a go today!
Thanks! This is exactly the kind of video I was searching for.
What if your non-value added action included not mowing over an already mowed section?
For me, the non-value added task is the additional activities it takes to turn and go back directly along the line of demarcation between mown/non-mown grass.
Thanks for watching & taking time to comment.
I'm going to try a modification on my next mowing day ( when I get it back from servicing at the Deere dealer). After making the first long axis cut, I'm going to the centerline of the area for the return pass. I'll then turn back and run an adjacent leg next to my first pass and turn into and adjacent leg on the far side of my centerline pass. The net effect will be a sort of spiraling cut with passes in both directions, ending when I cut the final return pass at the far side. Wish me luck...
That does sound interesting. Good luck; you'll have to let me know how it goes.
That wastes time travelling over already cut areas. I know because I am constantly looking for ways to turn less with my manual garden tractor.
I would love to have you as my neighbor! I didnt get a degree in school but did spend 3 years as a aviation hydraulic tech in the US Navy way back in the 80s.I think very similiar to yourself and on a day to day basis Im always thinking about better ways to do this or that! From driving, to building small wood crafts,to just about anything! I do believe us thinkers excercise our brains the most over the folks that just accept life the way it is without change!
Definitely nerd out but extremely useful. I am a data scientist and i will use this method frim now on. Thanks for the empirical derived method. Fyi, i did something similar for my ride home from work. Thanks for the vid.
Thanks! When your life is data, you're hard pressed not to see data wherever it may exist.
I got here by painfully stumping my toe before mowing my yard. 😅 As I was waiting for the pain to subside, I thought somewhere out there somebody has a more efficient method of mowing than me. Well, this is it. Thanks! Now, I am going after my own 22% reduction in mowing time!😊
Awesome!! Not that you stumped your toe, but that you didn't hate the video! Glad you got good results and thanks for the positive comment.
We have just under 4 acres. If I could go back a year and slap myself for not watching this sooner, I would! I have used this method twice this year now and have cut my time in half. Thank you so much for the visuals and the math.
I'm so glad it helped!
U also can mow in huge circles to where every turn u make while grass is being mowed eliminates wasted mowing over areas already cut & eliminates any backng up or stopping,but the amount of trees/obstacles/shape & size of yard are all factors. I would say a clock may be the best judge of the fastest way 4 a certain yard & if it looks good if u care about stripes. Some overlapping is needed 4 a clean look.!
I also skip rows to avoid excessive movement in one turn and/or reversing. It helps, until you lose focus and either cut too much or too little in width, forcing you to make additional passes for a mere 3ft of grass, for example. For my particular yard, tire chains and a more powerful motor would be of greater help. I am also an engineer. Thanks.
Thanks for the comment. In need of chains and a bigger mower, sounds like you may have bigger fish to fry than the the time. It's good to know that other engineers think about these things too.
Thx for the nerding out
All the 180 turns take a few seconds to switch to the appropriate gear. On mine, there’s a button I hold and then push the reverse pedal
My neighbor taught his children who are my friends the circle method for his backyard. It’s big and there’s barely any trees except for in the perimeter. I never saw them do the perimeter. I’d switch to a rectangle with curved points for the bigger portion of my property. There’s 4 medium sized trees evenly spaced along the property
Long axis with continuous turns allows you to go faster and use your driveway or street to make turns and reduce damage to turf.
I call it the Zamboni method because they do not use reverse or make sharp 180⁰ turns.
Drive it like your throttle is stuck wide open and slow for trees and turns.
I dont understand snowplowers that use pickup trucks and Bobcats to plow hugh shopping malls.
They plow to one side of the lot then back up several hundred feet and do it again and again in the same direction.
Their plows are spilling over and they have to make more passes to clean them up.
Dig the Zamboni name!
Thanks. Will be trying this.
Thanks for the note. Hope something here helps!
This is awesome! Well done!
You do it just like I do. I start on the left hand side and never stop. I even cut my ends on the go.
Always good to get a positive comment like this. Glad to see I'm not the only one!
I prefer the outside to inside method. But I've been using zero turn mowers for over 30 years. Before that, I used a (non-gas) reel push mower & the.longest axis method.
I keep getting the suggestion of the zero-turn. Next mower, I think I'll probably upgrade, but not nearly to the scale you did!
You won't regret it. I'd suggest buying used. My first one was new, definately not worth the extra cost.
You and I are on the same channel with the continuous method. Something I figured out a few years ago. NOW that I have a Snapper mower with a Hydro static transmission. I can do forward and backward mowing and take care of the spots that need special attention, later. I have trained my self to get a 'feel' how I'm mowing in reverse to cut the next track of grass. I also select small areas of grass and input my method of forward and reverse cutting, where I can. Doesn't work all the time. Your continuous method is effecient.
I am an engineer also (civil). I have been moving my yard similar to this for more than 30 years. Only difference is that I do it in blocks the width of two end turns. This is not new to me either. I saw farmers doing it that way to forage harvest more than 50 years ago. If you are pulling chopper and a wagon behind a tractor, it is near impossible to turn sharply or back up. Nice to see some actual numbers.
That's where I got the idea, from mowing fields when I was younger. Thanks for the kind words.
Great video. I think u nerded out way too much. A freaking power point. Lol. Thanx for the advice. I’m gonna try out ur methods on my next cuts. Ur awesome man. I’m sharing this on my Facebook page.
Can't disagree with the nerding out comment... You work with what you've got though 😀Thanks for the share!
tried all kinds of methods, including even the roomba method; continuos method is the way to go
U-Tube sent me this in my suggestions. No problem there, but this NOW is December !!! Dah. Can't wait for July to be shown how to snowblow my driveway
Great Video. Very Helpful Information. Thank you.
Try this, hope I explain it, on the golf cause I worked at , we went down the middle for the first run, then did the outside of 1 half, coming back into the centre again and going down and doing the outside of the other half, then keep going in that direction of inside to out and then outside to in, you won’t be doing any180 deg turns, it’s like doing figure 8s but after a few cuts you can go from side to side and make sure you end up on the opposite outer side to let you maximise you turning circle, as they will be a consistent arc not a hard turn, lI hope ive explained it so you can understand, it’s a heard thing to explain with just typing,
I like that option. I will have to give it a shot and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing!
Should alternate between left right and up down.
3 point turns, you have to almost come to a complete stop. Skiping a lane makes that arc where you can maintain a higher speed, along with less possible wheel damage to grass from the turn. Only issue is making lines straight.
I couldn't agree more. I've started alternating L/R & U/D. I've also do a diagonal from time to time. It's interesting though, since I've started doing this, I don't run over the same lines as before, so I run into less of an issue with the wheel damage because the lines I'm cutting are more random as to their origin/termination points.
Outside to inside- that how I have mowed grass for 60 odd years. I always cut a double wide perimeter pass and then start mowing the interior box. However any obstacles in the interior will determine how you cut it. I save the hard parts for last and often nibble at them while I am cutting the interior box. I last try to divide my yard in squares and cut them, I dividually. I try to change my plan, so I have as little double cutting, as possible. I learned how to cut grass, efficiently, by learning how to plow a field at my grandfather's farm, as a boy. I do not like 180 degree turns and try to make most of my turns only 90 degrees. Since I direct all clippings to the inside, so I can mulch them up on succeeding passes. So, my turns are mostly, right turn, march.
Really appreciate the video.
Fellow engineer here and i appreciate the data!
"I have a PowerPoint presentation"... bro... I laughed out loud. Ha ha. Nice. I appreciate this 5 year old video.
I love this video. I wish I was this analytical .... and then you applied it. I just need to borrow your mind for this physics test tho. 🙈🙈
Denise La Thank you for such a kind comment. Just remember tomorrow to keep your units straight, remember your constants, and be sure to understand what the problem is looking for before you start working it, and you’ll be fine.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck!
My God, you can turn a five minute conversation into a thirty minute one. I'd hate to get caught by you if I was your neighbor 😆 you'd be getting a lot of "that's crazy man" from me hahaha
Hey, you get what you get from a new UA-cam creator...🤷♂️
I had a similar epiphany a few years ago... why not mow like a Zamboni drives on an ice rink? They don't make 3 point turns.... saved me a substantial amount of time!
MagnumDurango4.7 i’ve tried three point turns they take a lot of time but it does now the lawn better
Shifting ovals, which is “the zamboni method” has no stops. Agree.
It takes five seconds to sat mow like a Zamboni versus 16 minutes of this video. The guy is right but basically he just mowing his lawn like a Zamboni driver cleans the ice.
I take my time. In fact, I'll do it twice. Keeps me away from my wife cus I'm sure she'll bitch that I did it wrong anyways.
Lol robert. So much rage
I just saved 16.34 minutes by turning this B.S. off.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Hahahhahaa. You are a generous genius!!
Hahahahaha
Thank you I did. I gave it 2 minutes though
I push mow and I mow forward and drag my mower backwards instead of turning. My ideal lawn would be a circle that I could spiral cut from the center out.
I tried spiral cutting out from trees and obstacles, but then you end up with so many odd leftover shapes that all require mental power to mow...and they all seem to be 1.2 tractor widths or 2.2 tractor widths (requiring an extra pass). Give me a circular house in the middle of a circular yard and I'd be happy! Or would I? I'd be bored! Who wants a life without a few entertaining problems?
You could use my method. Cut the perimeter then cut the middle of the un cut section, now you have 2 sections. Always cutting the opposite uncut section middle that way your always going forward and widens your turn making it easier. Saves fuel and time also a full cut each time. I have been doing this for 40 years and I cut a lot of grass. 5 acres of yard, then bush hog 15 acres. I found it applies to all , the type of machine doesn't matter. Calculate that one. Save a hell of a lot of time and fuel as opposed to other methods. My way has cut my mowing time by better than half, try it.
that is exactly what i do... when you get near the end you do a lot more just driving than cutting but i use that time to hit little spots that might need a little more or around an obstacle or tree...
Hi, I know this post is about 4 years old but I wanted to give my process. I do a combination of several things. The first message I do is to go around the perimeter of the property in a clockwise direction. Then I try to figure out my longest run. Then I use what I call the Zamboni method. If you watch the Zamboni on the ice during the hockey game break, you will see that they will come in and follow the perimeter, then they will cut through the longest section in the middle. I'm sure there is a diagram of how they do that on the internet. What I learned from talking to the guy that runs the Zamboni, he said that they can't make sharp turns because they have to keep a constant speed in order to keep the ice level. That gave me an idea that I can go a constant speed and my turns come out to being quarter turns. My yard has three different sections. One of them is a perfect rectangle can I use this method and get the job done quick. I have the same owner as you do, in smaller yards it is harder to maneuver around the yard, so the Zamboni method works best. Try it out and see how it works for you. I'm glad I'm not the only one who tries to figure these kind of things out. Most people just fire up the mower and go and end up spending a lot of time in the Sun. I live in South Texas which is much warmer than you guys up north. LOL
Thanks for sharing. Even though this video is several years old, I still get a lot of comments weekly from it.
The problem with the new method is that with a push mower, your paths are differently colored so your yard would look like an odd stripe pattern of like 1,3,1,2,2,2,1,2
This all goes out the window with a push mower, but with a riding mower and St. Augustine it's not that big of a deal. To get stripes on St. Augustine, you really have to work because of the density of the blade.
How about outside-in across the long axis. If you go straight across the sidewalk you will reduce your number of turns by half.
I've been trying that recently. It works great until I get to that little patch close to the house. There are so many little turns in there that even with a hydrostatic mower, it ends up taking longer.
Mow the right side that includes your little patch in a front-to-back ( ^ v ) fashion first, and then go side-to-side ( < > ) when you get to the large area in front of the house.
Great video.
Thanks! Always glad to hear something struck a chord with someone.
the optimized method saves you on mechanical maintenance by not beating up your reverse in the transmission and on the wheel bearings.
So very true. I've got a neighbor who got a similar mower and has just been having trouble with his hydrostatic transmission. Mine is still going strong.
Form video like this I bought a lawn tractor I live in Queensland Australia. Im 67 I have only a quarter acre block. I all ways thought my quarter acre block.was to small for a lawn tractor When I got old I retired then I found out I have osteoarthritis in both knees So I was finding it all most impossible to mow my lawn with a push mower So over the years I been spraying it with round up weed killer. but the problem was over time the weed killer kill off all of the good grass Then what was left of my lawn was mostly four feet high paspalum grass, it a weed that grows here when it rains It this weed ever ends up in you years it almost impossible to get ride of When it rain it will rain for two weeks in that two weeks paspalum grass, will grows to be about four feet high and be about a quarter inch thick. When it gets to that stage it is all most impossible to cut it with a push mower. I have only a quarter acre block. And now Im only on a government pension So eventually I could not afford to pay some one to keep coming out and keep mowing it . As they would charge $100.00 first time then it was $50.00 ever two weeks. So for a while it did not get mowed Then the local council keep sending me letters. I did not know what to do until I saw your video of you using a Lawn tractor to mow a small block So I bought a second hand Rover 547/38 lawn tractor. it was only a year old for $2000.00 New these sell in my country for $3,300.00. when I bought it it had only about 38 hours on it. But The first day I use it I did not know about blunt blades cutting the four feet high paspalum weed with the blunt blades it had I burned the deck belt out. But after I replace the blades with a set of Gator blades and the new deck belt it cut though the paspalum grass like it was nothing. I have now put another 10 hours on it and been fantastic. so thanks for posting
So, I do similar and found it easier but I have to plan the discharge so I don't have as much clean up which would just shift the time rather than save it and don't rip up the turf as much so it looks better and I now save 30% of my mowing time so I can sit in the shade more and enjoy the view while using the words 'so' and 'and' to eliminate periods so I can say the sentence faster. :)
I always use the mulchingso it's not as big of a deal with the discharge. I can see how that will make a difference though.
Great vid!
Thanks so much! I appreciate it.
You split the yard up for outside in but not for longest axis. not a fair comparison. And what about just doing a circle/oval and then hitting the corners?
I wanna do the Zamboni method but I feel I’ll end up missing a row haha
And my wife thought i was the only crazy man that sat around thinking of ways to reduce my time spent cutting the grass. My lawn use to take me 4-5 hours non stop. Ive reduced that time to just over 3 hours in the last summer. By means of your way of thinking here. So we are not so crazy, are we lmao
It's always good to know you're not alone!
Mow the perimeter and then mow in a circular fashion until reach center. Like a spiral. One continuous turn.
Haven't tried that one yet. I should & let y'all know.
problem with that is once you get towards the middle if youre on a regular riding mower the turn radius wont be enough. objects in the way kind of mess it up also
Very true. I've started mowing around the trees to start and spacing the passes out more so that I don't run into that problem of the turning radius. It's not a perfect solution, but it has helped. Thanks for the comment.
Not the best way for the lawn, you want to change the pattern you mow.
Definitely. It's best to change regularly to minimize soil compression patterns. But even when I do, I take the same principle. It's interesting though, I seldom mow on the same lines like I did before, so even if I don't vary the direction, compression and growth hasn't been an issue as much as it was when I mowed in the same pattern all the time.
My mower dosnt turn that tight. I need two lines between my 180 turn
problem with this method is unless you have GBS, you don't know exactly where your next line is. So you fuck up your lines and waist time to move some places twice.
Like you said it works for you
That’s pretty much how my grandpa taught me to mow when I was a kid. Do the perimeter of the rectangle and then use the area you’ve already cut on the short ends of the rectangle to turn in so all the rows are the same length. Divide it into sections small enough that you don’t waste to much time turning on grass you’ve already cut but large enough that you don’t have to reverse to change direction.
I’m like you though, I’ve tried every pattern imaginable and time myself when I mow.
Thanks for the response. It's so funny the life this video has taken on. This was my very first video and I change how I mow all the time. I now mow my neighbor's yard in a "continuous circle" where I mow an outside line and then split the yard in half and continue to loop on the outside in. It's really fast for his yard because it's a big rectangle, but for mine there are lots of other better ways.
TXSuburbanHomestead That sounds like what I settled on for my grandparents old house. I still mow the yard and one day I decided to just mow the entire thing at once instead of breaking it into sections. did the entire 3 acre perimeter and worked my way in, now I cut it in half and do it that way, I cut 30 minutes off the time.
It's not how fast you mow,It how well you mow fast
Very well said!
Not being a TV watcher, I had totally missed that... Good catch.
I get it. My dad was an electronics engineer. He could also, talk for two hours, about a mouse running into a hole.
For some reason..I found this funny. But that is very true man!
Ralph Hix LMFAO