Landscape & Urban Design Issue 44 2020 | Page 37

PUBLIC MAINTENANCE Green areas When lawns take up a lot of space it is important not to mow too low. Leaves on the blades of grass transport moisture from root to tip and without them, the grass dies. Rotary mowers are often used and are well suited for park areas, roadside greenery, sports fields and playgrounds, as they have a high area capacity and offer an adjustable cutting height. Front mowers are agile and offer a good view of the attached appliance. The mowing deck is easily accessible and quick to assemble. Medium mowers are ideal because of their unchanged driving characteristics with a mounted deck and the shortness of the system. Straight cutting marks are far easier to implement. Lawn sweeping machines pick up the cuttings from the ground via a roller and throw them up overhead into a container. Grass suction devices are connected to the mower and suction off the cuttings into the waste container using a vacuum blower. To maintain borders, trees and bushes, battery-powered handheld devices are best. Battery-powered brush cutters, chain saws, leaf blowers and hedge cutters are up to 50 percent less noisy and do not release any emissions. They also generate up to 80 percent fewer vibrations, depending on the manufacturer, making handling easier and less stressful for the blood circulation. They are also compact, making precise work easy in narrow, winding areas. Sweeping in outdoor areas Sweeping is not just sweeping. The choice of machine and accessories must suit the underlying surface, type of dirt and size of the area or paths. The classic riding sweeper suits individual areas such as car parks, open-air swimming pools or outdoor areas around multi-purpose halls. The side brush sweeps edges and corners and the collected street dirt is absorbed by the main sweeping roller. Whether the machines are batteryoperated or driven by LPG, petrol or diesel depends on the application area. Smaller areas can be managed with battery-operated machines. Municipal or vacuum sweepers sweep the dirt together via side brushes, after which it is absorbed by the suction nozzle. Larger areas can be processed rapidly and longer distances in road traffic are manageable with driving speeds of up to 40 km/h. Municipal machines are suitable all for seasons, as the cab provides driver comforts such as air conditioning. The more flexibly accessories and appliances can be combined for a specific fleet, the more efficiently outdoor spaces can be managed all year round. www.kaercher.com/uk/ Follow us @ludmagazine www.landud.co.uk 37