Mowing mowing patterns

[Soundguy]

I have a question on mowing patterns. Before I usually just mowed the outside diameter, eventually loosing areas on the corners.. becoming eccentric, etc.

Lately I have been mowing into the center of an 'imaginary' square,( I break my rectangular pasture into 3 imaginary squares ) and then making a circle, and spiraling out from there. No missed corners, and the spiral gets increasingly larger.. not tighter.

Still leaves trim work on the corners though.

Any thoughts for the best mowing paterns on a rectangular field?

soundguy

 

[chrisjbell]

Well, there was this thread about mowing posted a while back. But since you jumped in to that one I figured you wanted more thoughts...here's my method.

I start mowing on one side of the area, mow a strip, turn either right or left (depending on area) and go several tractor lengths or so. Then I turn in as square as I can estimate to the first strip and try and make my line as close to parallel as I can. Then turn and go in a kind of "decreasing rectangle" until that area is done.

Then I move over to the unmowed area and repeat. This works for me as I don't have nice flat, even areas and I can choose the size and shape of where to cut based on terrain and obstacles. It leaves pretty nice mow "lines", too.

Sounds like pretty much the same thing you do, but in reverse (outside to in rather than inside to out). And I need more than three areas to do it. But I don't do circles - I try to overlap my mowing by about 1/4th of the cutter and keep my lines close to straight - minimizes the trimming I have to do.

Actually, when it comes to trimming what I try to do is whenever I trim I come right back with Roundup and spray the area that my mower can't hit. I do the fencelines and then fill in some extra areas in the corners, where the mower won't quite fit. Yeah, it is dead, but better than having to trim by hand /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

 

[Soundguy]

I also try a little overlap. And yes, I remember the other thread.. but after mowing for a while, I can't say that I've ever seen anyone else use this technique... even though it, or some similar variations like you describe seem fairly 'labor saving / time saving'. I think perhaps the circular cut might not provide as nice 'mow lines'.. but then in the end when it is all cut, I couldn't really see them anyway... guess the overlap helps a bit. My overlap tends to be about 8" or so.. or the width of the front tire +/-.. either way looks decent.. keeps the wife happy.. etc.

thanks fro the reply.

Soundguy

 

[BB_TX]

I mow pretty much as I think Chris described. Except that I first mow 2 passes around the perimeter of the area I intend to mow. Then after mowing on the long side, I move over what I estimate to be 4 or 5 mower widths and mow back parallel to the long side I just cut. I keep repeating that across the pasture. That is sort of traveling rectangle. That way I never have to back up. And the fact that I mowed 2 widths around the perimeter means I don't have any corners left unmowed at the end of each pass.

 

[herbenus]

I have too many trees to have much of a pattern. I've tried all of the above. I like the traveling rectangle the best - it's a good one for if you don't finish because it looks like you just planned to mow so much. Second, I also like spiraling out from some center. With all the trees I always wind up leaving the pattern to go around a tree for what was missed. Of course size matters here. The area I'm referring to is probably about 3 acres.

 

[bigpete]

Every lot/lawn/pasture is different. It takes a little extra time but I have a rotation of three fairly efficient patterns. Supposedly, changing your mowing pattern promotes a healthier growth pattern for those of you who, like me, try to maintain at least part of your property in a more cultured ornamental lawn. I do know that if I cut the same pattern repeatedly I can develop turf scuff death where I have tight turns or trimming turns.

The other thing I have put a little extra effort into over the years is to create all of my beds and tree rings with rounded contours that have a radius slighly greater than the radius of the tightest uncut circle with my mower deck. This speeds things up a bit by reducing the number of stop-and-go, multi-point turns.

 

[gsganzer]

I can have any pattern I want, as long as it's round. I haven't had any success in getting the goat to make square corners as he "mows" his way out from the stake. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[WVBill]

Another element to consider is which side your discharge chute is on. I don't like to discharge into un-cut grass and have to "chop it twice" so since my discharge is on the right, my turns are best made to the left.

Generally, I just cut a left spiraling rectangle with the corners having a radius slightly more than the minimum turning radius of the mower. If I need to make the corners square, I make a 270 degree right turn. When the un-cut swath gets too narrow for a 180, I do an 90 right - 270 left.

 

[herbenus]

I interpreted the original post as mowing patterns for pastures, fields, etc. Of course I have different patterns when mowing the St Augustine with riding lawn mower up by house. Ususually it's the spiral down to center. But I alternate and even include the diagonal mowing from time to time. And when my 10-year old mows, the pattern's never the same...

 

[frank_f15]

i am talking field grass here not lawn grass. i usually mow around the permiter then try to mow in a rectangle, seems like i never do i the exact same every time. probably better that way any how! not matter how i do it, it takes the same amt. of time, give or take a few min. depending on the grass. i just cut as i feel like it on that particular day /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif