Reel lawn mower

[tpozywio]

Made it all summer using my Reel Lawn mower!
Savings:  ~200 for the mower, and about 100(?) in gas to power said motor mower
Plus some added badassity for fun workouts

[Zamboni]

Well done!

[ender]

I've a friend who likes these because

1. You can mow whenever you want (ie at midnight doesn't drive neighbors to call police)
2. He's more comfortable carrying his 9 month old with him than with a real lawnmower (get it? real? reel? ha)

[Left]

hm how does it perform? I've looked into one, but haven't took the leap yet. I keep reading people saying it needs to be mowed twice, and bad for hills :S. I don't have hills, just a small slant which I can use something else for. But what about going over it multiple times? I don't mind twice, but would rather not do it 5-10 times over either. Another concern are the blades, do they require a lot of maintenance? For sharpness/alignment. I sharpen mine about once in 2-5 years (I don't mow often... once a month?)


plus... I'd be tempted to attach a motor to it, maybe a bike one? :D or some other motor and some batteries. not because I need the help, more because I would want to see if I could.

[ender]

I don't think hills are the problem as long as they are sloping or gradual.

You run into problems when the ground is uneven, though, so if a hill is very pronounced you're SOL (think of what is happening physically and this makes sense). Or if you've got lots of bumps/etc.

[Left]

yeah I have bumps :S mole hills. I try to flatten them before hand but when mower can plow through them, I skip a few that aren't that big.

[nawhite]

eyem- The biggest reason I've noticed needing to go over more than once is because of the cutting surface changing shape. On a motorized mower, one point on the ground will be covered by the blade surface for up to a second or two as the mower passes over it. With a reel mower, there is only one cutting line where the fixed blade is. So if at a particular instant your wheels hit a bump or you accidentally push down on the handle instead of forward, wherever the blade was at in that instant will not get cut at the same height and you may have to go over it again.

The trick I've found is to go slow and just to stop caring. I'll mow it again in 2 weeks, it doesn't really matter if one spot isn't exactly the same height as the rest for 2 days (the same way haircuts look better after a week).

[catccc]

we love our reel mower!  The kids can play outside while we use it (you can hear them easily and quickly stop mowing if they get too close).  It smells a lot better.  And it starts every time.  Makes a pleasant flicking noise.  Grass flying up behind it is satisfying. 

We have a slight grade but I just mow it crosswise, or take the long way around and only go downhill.  Highly recommend for small yards!

[zarfus]

I gave up on mine. We have an acre, and it took forever.  You have to do it more than once a week (like, once every 5 days) or else it would be an incredible chore.  It looked great when it cut, but if any blades ever got too high (or dandelions), good luck cutting them.  So eventually it looked like crap.  Doesn't mulch grass/leaves.  Doesn't cut wet grass very well at all (and by wet, I mean moist. damp. anything.)

I did like the lack of fumes and sound. I really wanted to like it.  I could see myself using it again when I have my retired lifestyle, when I dont care if I have to mow the lawn every couple of days while the suckers are working for stuff.

[tpozywio]

Hills are tough to go up, it often doesn't cut super even.   Part of that is surely a function of how much i try.   1 acre would be a LOT to mow with it.   A quarter acre feels about right

[dorkus619]

I've used one for many years because my yard is wayyyy too small to make any sense getting a small push mower. I'm on a 1/4 acre that my house takes up most of and the back yard is all shed/parking/shade (no grass). So really its a tiny tiny front yard.

People think I'm crazy. I always get "I didn't know they still made those things" "too much work"
But really I couldn't possibly burn 1 tank of gas in a season even if I mowed 2-3x / wk. I'd just waste. and ew gas smell.

Makes a pleasant flicking noise.

+1

[dantownehall]

I love mine!  got it brand new on craigslist for $65 (new $129) from a couple who moved to a bigger place a month after they bought it.  The sound is soothing, and it's just right for my 1/3 acre, mostly wooded lot.

[BlueMR2]

As I've said time and time again on this site, my reel mower was one of my best investments ever!  The money I save on gas would buy me a new one every year if I so desired.  :-)

After my 4th Summer using it exclusively I gave away my power mower to a friend (not a complete altruistic thing, I had to make room for the motorcycle I bought...).

[pl28]

I got one about year ago, still goings pretty strong.  I only have about 1000sqft of grass in the front.

However I would like to get the blades sharpen,  anyone got any good suggestions?  I have a Scott's 20 inch

[jba302]

I got one about year ago, still goings pretty strong.  I only have about 1000sqft of grass in the front.

However I would like to get the blades sharpen,  anyone got any good suggestions?  I have a Scott's 20 inch

Flip the mower upside down, adjust the blades so they just barely scrap the cutting bar, and then spin the tires in reverse with lapping paste on the blades.

[Ironfist]

Reel mowers are the bicycle of lawn care.  No gas, no oil, no engine to maintain, it's just a few simple parts.  With gas being $4/gallon I know I've saved a lot over the years.

[Cinder]

I have a reel mower. It's only 16" wide, I wish I had a 22 or 24" width, it would take a lot of time off. 

I have a 22" powered mower, and I had previously modified it (aka removed the 'safety bar' around the opening where it shoots out grass).  It would always clog when my grass was too long (or slightly damp).  I do find that every so often if I let my lawn get away from me, I need to use the regular push mower simply because I don't have enough time (I have spread out my mowing to several days, but there are still lots of other productive things I could be doing), where as I can do my entire lawn in one 45 min sprint with the powered mower which needs only one pass, as opposed to doing double passes (I remow with half the width of my reel mower each way).  Also similar weed issue as above, as well as long grass issue.

Properly adjusting your blade makes a HUGE difference.  I went from having to do three passes over everything and my wife not being able to see where I mowed, to being able to get away with one pass if I wanted to.  My problem is that I usually go 3~4 weeks between mowings.