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From: rh@mit-eddie.UUCP (Randy Haskins)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: hover-mowers
Message-ID: <1812@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-May-84 22:12:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.1812
Posted: Fri May 11 22:12:56 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 13-May-84 07:21:11 EDT
References: <444@mhuxd.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 22

When in doubt, listen to the "professional."  (I worked for a yard
maintainance outfit back when I was just of working age...)

We indeed had a mower that floated on air.  I believe the brand
name was "FlyMo."  It had a light B&S 2-stroke on it, and the chasis
(I guess that's the term) was made of plastic.  There was a spiral
blower on it that was attached to the blade-shaft (scooped in the
air to put under the mower).  Now, how did it work?  Not so great.
We used it occasionally on steep slopes (like at shopping malls.  Those
people do some pretty impractical things when it comes to landscaping.)
I didn't cut too well (okay, I guess), and if the grass was thick, it
would slow the blade down which would slow the blower action down, and
it would sink into the grass, making the blade slow down more... (you
get the picture).  I wouldn't recommend them unless you had a lot
of steeply sloped ground.  Then the approved method is to use two
people and a rope (or you could rope the mower.  Did I mention that I
didn't think the idea was terribly safe?)  Another thing to consider
is that they don't have anything to guide them in a straight path.
A nice gimmick, but not terribly practical (I don't think my boss
was terribly happy that he bought it.)
-- 
Randwulf  (Randy Haskins);  Path= genrad!mit-eddie!rh