By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

Frequency is key to both cutting lawns and maintaining mowers. However, at what level of frequency both should be done is largely dependent on many factors. For lawn cutting, things like rainfall and season will factor in. Then for mowers, things such as duration and amount of usage will factor in. To get a better idea of how frequently to do both, Healthcare Facilities Today speaks with leading lawn mower manufacturers about how often healthcare facilities should have their lawns cut and how often to maintenance their mowers. 

How often should healthcare facilities have their lawns cut? 

“Rainfall and irrigation rates will affect the rate of growth of the grass, whether faster or slower, so maintaining the turf at the optimal growing height for the grass type(s) is the best rule of thumb. Frequency of mowing will depend on the variety of grasses present, the time of year, and the amount of acreage to be maintained, but lawns need to be cut at least once a week during the growing season.” 

— Michael Simmon, marketing specialist, The Grasshopper Company 

“Frequency of cut will depend greatly on specific grass type and geographic location. It also depends on preferred look and feel, of course. During the summer months, most lawns would require a cut every two weeks.” 

— Per Kvarby, vice president product management and marketing, and Claudia Martinez, operations senior manager, Greenworks Commercial 

How often should facilities managers maintenance their mowers? 

“Maintenance of mowing equipment should be performed according to the operator’s and/or service manuals provided by the manufacturer(s). Maintenance schedules will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but it is generally a good practice to sharpen mower blades after every eight (8) hours of use, clear debris and grass clippings from the mower and deck after every use, and check all filters, fluids and belts before and after each use to avoid failure of components that will cause unexpected and unproductive downtime for repair.” 

— Michael Simmon, marketing specialist, The Grasshopper Company 

“Lawn equipment requires regular maintenance to perform as expected. However, battery powered equipment requires less maintenance than traditional gas mowers. For example, Greenworks mowers do not run on gas and do not require motor oil changes. Furthermore, Greenworks mowers do not have any spindles or belts. The battery powered system operates with direct drive propelling the blades of the deck. Because these mowers are battery powered, they require less maintenance and have a lower lifetime cost.” 

— Per Kvarby, vice president product management and marketing, and Claudia Martinez, operations senior manager, Greenworks Commercial 

Jeff Wardon, Jr. is the assistant editor for the facilities market.