I often end up mowing the lawn in the evening with the light fading, and aging eyes don't help.
Sometimes it's hard to see the edge between mowed and not. I end up missing a strip, or mowing a half width and doubling the time.
Has anyone built some kind of device to keep them on course? It could be a laser with an arrow or tone, etc.
It needs to be easily movable from mower to mower.
Has anyone experimented with something like this? That would give me a place to start thinking.
You can make a bracket that accepts a can of spray paint, and mount it to the deck of your mower. Extend up a cable to the handle to spray the paint as you see fit, or you could fashion a mechanism from a wheel that sprayed a little on each revolution (assuming you don't just want one big stripe).
I would recommend white paint, or possibly neon red.
Jon
Miner's hat with light
When it's hard to tell, you don't need to mow yet.
I end up missing a strip, or mowing a half width and doubling the time.
Modify the wheels to be steerable. Put stepper motors on them, with bluetooth. Build an iPad or android app to control the stepper motors for steering, using GPS. Put Velcro on the mowers and the iPad/android controller.
Seriously, I haven't experimented, but I've thought about it.
What I think would work is to buy one of those "laser levels" that makes a red line appear on a wall.
Put velcro hooks on it, and the pads on the side of each mower.
Stick the box on the side of the mower so that the line is on the ground in front of you.
When you start each row, find or place an object to aim at after you turn around at the far end.
Solution two: self-propelled mower. Divide the blade length by
3.1415926535... Find a piece of pipe as close to that diameter as possible and plant it firmly into the center of the yard. Get a length of rope that will reach from the pipe to the closest edge of the yard. Fasten one end to the pipe and wrap all the rest of it around the pipe. Place the mower next to it and fasten the other end to it. Start the mower and let it go. It will circle the pipe, unwinding the rope. Since the circumference of the pipe is slightly less than the blade with, each circle will overlap the previous one by a hair. When it gets to the end of its rope, untie it and do the corners of the yard.Solution three: Buy a fence and a sheep.
I recommend some outdoor floodlights:) and am adding them here for the same reason...
althoughj one might add some lights to a mower.....battery operated
but flood lights are better
Wes' comments reminded me of farmers of my dad's generation. There were no marker lines for the first pass across the field when planting a crop. They would measure a given distance from the fence line then plant a flag or temporary post as a target. They aimed the center of their tractor at that target. A marker was a disc or shovel that extended to the side of the planter. That made a line in the worked soil for the farmer to follow on the succeeding passes through the fields. This was before GPS guidance of course. Now the tractors go almost perfectly straight without human intervention. Would it be practical to use a couple battery powered lights to use as targets for your mower? Mount them on a couple mower wheels or something easily movable. Maybe a couple camping lanterns would work. You'd have to move them at the end of each pass, of course. A dowel would work for the distance.
HERE ya go, Has a headband so you wear it on ur head.
Mowing earlier?
Buy a dog teather and a hungry goat. Side benifit. BBQ at the end if the season,. (BTDT)
Who wants white or red stripes on their lawn? Use green paint. Choose a shade that matches your lawn so it doesn't show up. That will look much better.
If it doesn't show up, it doesn't do what the OP asked for. You quoted the request ....
What do you do in the morning and afternoon? I mow in bright daylight and still, sometimes, can't clearly see the next path to mow. A portable worklight might help, Let the grass grow a bit more between mowings....good for lawn, easier to tell what's been cut. I would avoid hi-tech solutions, as common sense is often a better alternative. But, then, what is AHR her for? :o)
Read my reply again, but this time be less serious.
Actually, use SHAVING CREAM. Seriously!
When farmers apply pesticides and herbicides to their crops, they mark where they've been using electrically-operated cans of shaving cream mounted at the ends of the spray boom.
At least the original idea used shaving cream... Nowadays there is a purpose-made foam machine that drops the highly-visible glops of white foam periodically.
The shaving cream will dissolve and disappear after a few hours, and won't harm the grass.
aging eyes don't help.
ing a strip, or mowing a half width and doubling the time.
a laser with an arrow or tone, etc.
lace to start thinking.
aging eyes don't help.
ing a strip, or mowing a half width and doubling the time.
a laser with an arrow or tone, etc.
lace to start thinking.
Yes I have put together a device that allows the operator to see 5-10 feet ahead of the mower. Worked perfectly to maintain proper overlap. It is mova ble from machine to machine. The person I showed it to a few years ago dism issed the idea so I stuck it in a box. Just found it today and started doin g some research. No one seems to have my idea. Bill, 35 year golf course te ch.
With all the replies so far I can't imagine the definitive answer hasn't been offered.
Get your wife to do it!
You're welcome.
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