Lawn Mowing

[tpozywio]

About to move into a house for first time.  Should I get a reel-lawn mower to save money versus buying an expensive motorized one and the gas it takes to power it?  How much do people spend on powering their mower (I have an average sized yard 1/4 acre)
Thanks!

[Jamesqf]

I'd get a rechargeable electric.  I have one, and it's nice not to have to fiddle with gas, pulling cords, etc.

[samustache]

Do yourself a favor and don't. If you have more than 1/2 an inch to cut, no amount of weight lifting gets you in shape enough to use one, and they don't work at all for really long grass. 1 gallon of gas lasts me about 6 months (in AZ where we cut grass all year round) and the mower cost me 75 bucks off craigslist.

[jscott2135]

Interesting mix of replies here.  We just sold our $400 John Deere for $225, got a reel lawn mower and can't believe I ever ever ever used one with gas.  Its not just the initial cost and the gas and the oil and the nasty sound.  The reel lawn mower works excellent for our small to mid-size lawn, we don't suck fumes or have a hellacious time cleaning it, the simplicity is amazing.  I look at it like having cable...it was just the thing to do and once I un-did it I think WTF was I ever thinking?  Some of the old school methods are best IMO.  I'll never go back.

[StarryC]

I think it really depends on your yard/grass.

I lived in a house with a very small yard, but there was a pretty steep hill and the grass was always pretty wet because it was shaded.  The gas mower totally sucked, but the reel one we tried was a total failure. 

If your yard is relatively flat or with an even slope and you can mow when the grass has been dry for 8-12 hours I think you'll be good. 

[kendallf]

Just bought a reel mower for our new (tiny) lawn at the house we're renovating.  Here in FL, you have to keep up with it pretty often in the summer, but I like the thing.  Simple to use and it leaves a very nice cut when used regularly. 

Bonus: it cuts better when you run with it, so your wife can speed walk the lawn and get her workout done at the same time.  I should've taken video.

[oldtoyota]

I have slow growing grass--zoysia--in the front. That helps.

We had a reel lawn mower, and it was a pain in the rear. It pulled at the grass instead of cutting at it. And, if you happen to go a bit too long without mowing, forget it!

I can't believe I am recommending an items that runs on gas, but I am.

[kudy]

Like most things in my life, my mower was free :) - it's really old, and belches blue smoke when I mow. Every time I use it, I think about getting an electric instead... it's very polluting and loud. On the flip side, I don't want to spend a few hundred on an electric mower, so I guess officially, I'm waiting for the old one to get worn out before I make the jump.

My neighbor bought an electric a few years ago, and she loves it, despite having to drag around an extension cable.

[Milkman666]

I bought a used, corded, electric one. Pretty simple machine, little maintenance, quiet and effective. $40.

[mahina]

how about converting some or all of that lawn to vegetables, fruit trees, berry shrubs, and maybe some bamboo (depending on where you live) to use for stakes, trellis, fencing, etc? it is nice to have a patch of lawn if you have children who will romp on it, but the less you have, the less you have to mow, and the more good stuff you can grow! :)

[Tami1982]

how about converting some or all of that lawn to vegetables, fruit trees, berry shrubs, and maybe some bamboo (depending on where you live) to use for stakes, trellis, fencing, etc? it is nice to have a patch of lawn if you have children who will romp on it, but the less you have, the less you have to mow, and the more good stuff you can grow! :)

+1

I'm slowly converting my yard over to garden, fruit trees, berries, but it takes money to do this.  And I'll always have some grass for my dog and nephew to play on:)  Grass was already here when I moved in (1/4 acre doesn't sound like a large lot, but it's all grass and can take about 90 minutes to do)  and until I can afford to make all the changes, it's lawn mowing. 

[PantsOnFire]

I recently watched a show on PBS about converting your grass lawn to moss.  It takes a while to establish, but the moss gives you a fuzzy green carpet to walk on, never needs mowing, is highly drought tolerant, and is generally awesome.  Or so they say.  Anyone know more? 

[Dee18]

I was given a used corded electric mower several years ago.  I love it! it takes minimal effort to mow with this (I was about to buy a rechargeable electric, but they are heavier to push). And I love the quiet, no fumes, and no need to have a greasy can of gasoline.  It made the difference for me in mowing the yard myself vs. hiring a local teen.

[Spork]

how about converting some or all of that lawn to vegetables, fruit trees, berry shrubs, and maybe some bamboo (depending on where you live) to use for stakes, trellis, fencing, etc? it is nice to have a patch of lawn if you have children who will romp on it, but the less you have, the less you have to mow, and the more good stuff you can grow! :)

I don't want to discourage a garden... We have a decent sized garden and I love the fresh food from it.  But weeding a garden is a lot more work than mowing a lawn.  (So much so that we finally put in lots raised beds and let the grass grow between rows.)

Grass (or weeds for that matter) does have a real function:  It keeps the water run off from tearing up the surrounding landscape.  You can do the same thing with piles of hay or rocks or ... pretty much anything.  But grass is cheap.

[daverobev]

Reel mower here. I like it. Dandelions have got away from me a bit though, as we had a solid week of wet weather and everything has 'jumped'.

It doesn't get down as low as I'd like and it doesn't do the edges so well (where there is a height change, like next to the path). I'm going to have to get a strimmer.

But no, it's good. I have a 20" one - get wider if possible.

[BlueMR2]

got a reel lawn mower and can't believe I ever ever ever used one with gas.  Its not just the initial cost and the gas and the oil and the nasty sound.  The reel lawn mower works excellent for our small to mid-size lawn, we don't suck fumes or have a hellacious time cleaning it, the simplicity is amazing.  I look at it like having cable...it was just the thing to do and once I un-did it I think WTF was I ever thinking?  Some of the old school methods are best IMO.  I'll never go back.

Same here.  After converting to a reel mower, a powered mower just seems so incredibly wasteful.  I can't even begin to imagine going back to a powered one.

[PantsOnFire]

One tip that has saved me some time:  Do the edging/trimming first.  Then when you mow, most of the debris gets bagged or mulched into the lawn or whatever and you have less to clean up. 

[CptPoo]

I've been looking into buying a hand scythe. They are a bit more expensive, but they seem to be pretty easy to use and relatively enjoyable.

[EmJay7]

Do you think there is potential to share a lawnmower with a neighbor?  I can't help but think that it's silly that there is a lawn mower for every house on the block, and it only gets used once a week or less. My friend had a trade where her neighbor had a mower, and she had a weed whip, and they'd borrow from each other. My husband and I have arrangements with neighbors where we'll take care of each others' dogs during vacations, borrow saws and other equipment from each other, trade veggies for garden work, carpool, and lots of other things--- not only does this help everyone out a ton, but it really helps us get to know our neighbors and build up a sense of community where we live. Let that lawn get long and start asking around-- perhaps you have another mustachian in your neighborhood!!

[FlorenceMcGillicutty]

Do you think there is potential to share a lawnmower with a neighbor?  I can't help but think that it's silly that there is a lawn mower for every house on the block, and it only gets used once a week or less. My friend had a trade where her neighbor had a mower, and she had a weed whip, and they'd borrow from each other. My husband and I have arrangements with neighbors where we'll take care of each others' dogs during vacations, borrow saws and other equipment from each other, trade veggies for garden work, carpool, and lots of other things--- not only does this help everyone out a ton, but it really helps us get to know our neighbors and build up a sense of community where we live. Let that lawn get long and start asking around-- perhaps you have another mustachian in your neighborhood!!

We share with our neighbor! We let them store it in our shed in exchange forborrowing it. We also let them use our weed eater. It works out well.

[Heather]

I used to have a nice push mower, a beat-up used gas mower, and a scythe.  Perhaps this was not frugal?. 
 
The push mower was for the lawn in front of the house, the scythe for the orchard and anything outside of the 'fancy lawn' area, and the gas mower was used if the grass got away , and was too long for the push mower.   
I find mowing with the push mower much more enjoyable.   Quiet, effective and good exercise.

[lisahi]

I had a reel mower and it really wouldn't work with my lawn. I have St. Augustine, which is a very vine-like grass that is tough to cut. It also grows extremely fast in hot weather (which is nearly year-round where I live), so unless I cut every other day, the lawn gets too long to use a reel mower. My reel mower actually broke due to the toughness of my grass. It's sitting in my garage right now.

But, if you have a slight or thin grass that is not vine-like, a reel mower might be a lot easier to use.

[markstache]

I'm a reel fan. I got mine for free. I'm going to call complaint pants on any one who says they are difficult. That said, you do need to mow frequently. If you go too long without meeting be prepared to borrow a gas mower to knock it back down.

Edit: I'll allow that some grasses might not be suited.

[Mark31]

A reel mower is usually the better option. If it pulls grass instead of cutting, it just needs adjusting and/or sharpening.

It's a higher quality cut too, professional greenkeepers use motorised reel mowers as they actually cut the grass, not slash it.

Some modern reel mowers are very light, but they work better if they're heavier. Try buying an old cast iron one.

If you haven't got a large yard, you can trim the edges with garden shears. No need for a motorised anything.

[worms]

Any cylinder mower (push or powered) will provide a better cut on most lawns but if you are thinking of buying a push one, definitely look for an old model as mentioned above.  The newer ones work fine at first but on most, the cogs and drive wheel are plastic and wear out fairly quickly. 

My machine was a top quality one and it is now worthless - I've only had it for 20 years and as a moustachian I would expect every machine I own to give life-long service in return or for all the individual parts to be replaceable if they are likely to wear out.

[PantsOnFire]

Woot.com offers mustachian deals on rare occasions (99% of the time it's crap no one needs.)  Perhaps this is one of those offerings that's worth biting on:

http://tools.woot.com/offers/fiskars-staysharp-push-reel-lawn-mower-2

The reviews on homedepot.com are good.  $115 + $5 shipping seems reasonable. 

[tpozywio]

Thanks for all the advice!  I got the reel mower and its not easy, but not significantly harder than pushing a motorized one.  Love not having fill her up!

[Theadyn]

Am new mower here myself.  Was lucky to inherit a john deere self propelled my dad fixed up for my late hubby.  It is motorized, but so far needs little gas and starts up every time.  Bagger is nice.   If this one bites the dust (am hoping it last years, since it was free just for asking around, thanks DAD!!), will probably go with a corded or cordless one.

Happy mowing!!      Am now on my second time mowing ever in my life, btw.  :)

[dcheesi]

After I killed my second gas mower, I switched to a corded electric. So far I've been quite happy with it, though dealing with the cord takes a little practice. I'd say it's a good compromise if you have a yard that might be too challenging for reel (eg. steep, uneven, rocky), but still small enough for a cord to reach.

I considered a rechargeable, but I was concerned about battery life and weight. Plus I think they were a relatively expensive special order, whereas my plug-in was only around ~$150 at Home Despot.

[adesertsky]

My reel mower started out fine the first year or two but has gotten progressively worse (I got it about 3.5 years ago).  We had to sharpen it, which was fine, but then you have to adjust the second blade and our screws won't budge to move it at all.  In effect, unless we mow every couple days, the grass just wedges between the blades in large clumps until it eventually stops moving altogether.  I am pretty tough and I'll put up with a lot, but this thing is on its way out.  I have a medium sized lawn and 90 minutes of barely moving and swearing while my neighbors watch is more stressful than I care for.

[BlueMR2]

My reel mower started out fine the first year or two but has gotten progressively worse (I got it about 3.5 years ago).  We had to sharpen it, which was fine, but then you have to adjust the second blade and our screws won't budge to move it at all.  In effect, unless we mow every couple days, the grass just wedges between the blades in large clumps until it eventually stops moving altogether.  I am pretty tough and I'll put up with a lot, but this thing is on its way out.  I have a medium sized lawn and 90 minutes of barely moving and swearing while my neighbors watch is more stressful than I care for.

Are you sure you were supposed to sharpen it?  Mine specifically says DO NOT SHARPEN.  Just adjust the screws to get the right gap as necessary.  I adjusted it a little the second Summer I had it.  Currently on Summer 4 and it still cuts like a champ.

Based on how the action appears to work, it's more of a crushing between 2 thin plates than a true cut.  If you sharpen it, there'd be a thin edge to get all torn up if a stick is hit, etc...

[adesertsky]

Yes, it said it should be sharpened.  We used the liquid grit that is supposed to be used.  The problem is the adjusting part.  Whether or not we sharpened it, there is no way to adjust the blade because the screws are un-moveable (we tried a power drill with screwdriver bit with no luck).  I love the exercise I get using it but this particular mower (a Scott's) is now just a pain in the neck.  Maybe the Fiskar's stay sharps are a better model?

[George_PA]

I highly recommend a reel lawn mower.  Its silent, no gas, and just peaceful to use.

Truth when I first bought the reel mower it worked great at first, but then it really became a struggle after a few weeks.  One day I was pushing it as hard as I could and it would just grab the grass instead of cut it; I was sweating and swearing. I was on the verge of giving up on it entirely and going back to gas.

Then I found out entirely by accident that the calibration screws make all the different in the world.  Once I had it calibrated well, mowing the yard was so easy it was a joke; it was such a breeze and joy again;

Thus, reel is the best way to go but you have to master the blade alignment (with the 4 screws in front).  It took me 2 whole days of carefully experimenting and studying manuals and making diagrams but I now have it down to an exact science.  I searched the Internet for a good guide on the procedure and interestingly found little (probably because it is old technology that was more popular before the Internet was around; I would have been better off asking an Amish person).  Reel mower maintenance appears to be a lost skill to the general population; At least the Mustachians and Amish are keeping it alive. 

Anyway I just took a series of photographs, annotated notes, and made my own custom guide for later reference.  I carefully noted exactly which tools worked and which did not.  By the way adesertsky, even though they look like screws, on my mower you actually use a 7/16" wrench to adjust the screws not a screwdriver (I tried all kinds of screwdrivers and the screws never budged at all like you said).   

The screws are so sensitive that they really need re-calibrated every time you mow or just about every other time you mow.  I always test the blades for exactly alignment first before I mow every time, it is really that important.

If you can master the screws, the wonderful world of reel mowers will be unlocked to you.  Everyone who says that reel mowers don't work probably say that because they were using one that did not have the blades aligned properly.  As a side note, the blades also need sharpened (which is a different procedure entirely from blade alignment), however blade sharpening only has to be done once a year.

 

[CorpRaider]

I got one of the cheap 22" husqvarna's with the 4-stroke honda motor.  Runs like a champ and is very Japanese in its fuel consumption. 

[adesertsky]

@George_PA- I had no idea!!  I will give that a try and see if we can get them to turn- I don't want to give up on it if I don't have to! THANK YOU!

[anastrophe]

how about converting some or all of that lawn to vegetables, fruit trees, berry shrubs, and maybe some bamboo (depending on where you live) to use for stakes, trellis, fencing, etc? it is nice to have a patch of lawn if you have children who will romp on it, but the less you have, the less you have to mow, and the more good stuff you can grow! :)

I don't want to discourage a garden... We have a decent sized garden and I love the fresh food from it.  But weeding a garden is a lot more work than mowing a lawn.  (So much so that we finally put in lots raised beds and let the grass grow between rows.)

Grass (or weeds for that matter) does have a real function:  It keeps the water run off from tearing up the surrounding landscape.  You can do the same thing with piles of hay or rocks or ... pretty much anything.  But grass is cheap.

One of my neighbors replaced their lawn with some kind of little groundcover plant, vinca I think? They hack it back with a weedwhacker and run it over with the lawnmower twice a year and that's it. It's invasive so you might not want to use that exact plant but it's certainly lower maintenance than grass and it flowers too!

[adesertsky]

just an update that i now endorse reel mowers.  i was able to adjust mine with a wrench and now the lawn looks great!  hooray!

[c]

I have a reel mower, but don't listen to me as my garden is tiny. It did take some getting used to and I had to adjust it a few times to get it where I wanted it.  I think I'd enjoy it more if my yard was a little larger as by the time I get going in one direction it's time to turn and go in the other, but there's probably a sweet spot that's smaller than the average American lawn.

[George_PA]

alright, Good job adesertsky!!

The reel mower is great because there are no fumes, no electric cord, no big batteries, no loud engine shooting pebbles out in every direction like bullets; also I don't miss the weird feeling you get in your wrists from the vibrations in the handle with a gas mower or pulling that stupid string to get it started; also to add to the fun with gas mowers is that when you store it all winter and try to start it up the next spring, the gasoline gunks up the engine during the offseason and the gas turns into a sticky syrup in the lines, how fun is that to deal with?

[Spork]

alright, Good job adesertsky!!

The reel mower is great because there are no fumes, no electric cord, no big batteries, no loud engine shooting pebbles out in every direction like bullets; also I don't miss the weird feeling you get in your wrists from the vibrations in the handle with a gas mower or pulling that stupid string to get it started; also to add to the fun with gas mowers is that when you store it all winter and try to start it up the next spring, the gasoline gunks up the engine during the offseason and the gas turns into a sticky syrup in the lines, how fun is that to deal with?

I have no opinion on reel mowers (as I have never tried them).  But the simple solution to gunky gasoline is to not leave gas in the tank.  This goes for pretty much any gasoline powered equipment.

[BlueMR2]

In our gas mower days, we never bothered to drain the gas and never had a problem with the gas congealing.  We even had a mower sitting out by the side of the house for several years of disuse that we just topped off since the stuff in the tank looked kind of off-color and it fired up on the 3rd pull.  My friend that is a petroleum engineer has told me that gas in the lines should be stable for 10-15 years.  The only problem you should see is the evaporation from the tank.  That matches up exactly with what we saw.

[Spork]

In our gas mower days, we never bothered to drain the gas and never had a problem with the gas congealing.  We even had a mower sitting out by the side of the house for several years of disuse that we just topped off since the stuff in the tank looked kind of off-color and it fired up on the 3rd pull.  My friend that is a petroleum engineer has told me that gas in the lines should be stable for 10-15 years.  The only problem you should see is the evaporation from the tank.  That matches up exactly with what we saw.

The biggest problem today is that most lawn equipment is still not engineered for ethanol.  It can be a little hard on cars, but it is seriously hard on lawn equipment.  I've had fuel lines turn to snot in 3-5 years.

As crazy as it sounds, I use premium gas in my small engines now.  A fuel distributor told my father in law that (as of about 4 years ago) the premium was still ethanol free. 

Evaporation is another issue... when it evaporates it leaves solids behind in the carb that build up over time.   I generally just put a $2 fuel cut off in the line, turn it off and let it run out of gas.

[GoStumpy]

I love my electric mower.. I find as long as I start at one side of the lawn, the cord never gets in the way, I push the mower with one hand, hold the cord a foot or two to the left, when I make my turn, cord goes in the right hand, and I hold it over the already-cut grass...

Nice and quiet, does a great job...


Then again, I loved my Reel-mower until the wheel broke off :(  Got this one for free, so I can't complain!

[BlueMR2]

The biggest problem today is that most lawn equipment is still not engineered for ethanol.  It can be a little hard on cars, but it is seriously hard on lawn equipment.  I've had fuel lines turn to snot in 3-5 years.

As crazy as it sounds, I use premium gas in my small engines now.  A fuel distributor told my father in law that (as of about 4 years ago) the premium was still ethanol free. 

Unfortunately, here in NW Ohio, our premium is also contaminated with ethanol now...

[Spork]

The biggest problem today is that most lawn equipment is still not engineered for ethanol.  It can be a little hard on cars, but it is seriously hard on lawn equipment.  I've had fuel lines turn to snot in 3-5 years.

As crazy as it sounds, I use premium gas in my small engines now.  A fuel distributor told my father in law that (as of about 4 years ago) the premium was still ethanol free. 

Unfortunately, here in NW Ohio, our premium is also contaminated with ethanol now...

It may very well be true here too, now.  That was several years back.  But the cocktail for gas varies hugely by state regs and expected temperature ranges. 

[Katnina]

I vote reel mower!  I bought a super old one off craigslist for one of my rental houses in Detroit & it is great!  Electric and gas powered mowers scare me-I'm a huge fan of the reel mower!

[BlueMR2]

It may very well be true here too, now.  That was several years back.  But the cocktail for gas varies hugely by state regs and expected temperature ranges.

I can tell when they make the switch to Summer gas as my older car will start pinging even on premium (as mentioned elsewhere on here, with Ethanol it requires premium or it pings like crazy, whereas with real gas I can run regular)...  Whatever the Summer blend is, my car does NOT like it.

[Spork]

It may very well be true here too, now.  That was several years back.  But the cocktail for gas varies hugely by state regs and expected temperature ranges.

I can tell when they make the switch to Summer gas as my older car will start pinging even on premium (as mentioned elsewhere on here, with Ethanol it requires premium or it pings like crazy, whereas with real gas I can run regular)...  Whatever the Summer blend is, my car does NOT like it.

My old Triumph gets vapor lock in the summer (and I just experienced that yesterday).  If I go from point to point, it's fine.  If I make a stop to run an errand the heat builds up and the next leg of the trip is likely to leave me by the side of the road for a couple of hours.  That NEVER happened before last summer and is a regular occurrence now.

[Monkey stache]

I'll with most people - reel mower is the way to go. I got mine for $50 off craigslist ($120 new) and it works great! This is my second summer as a homeowner though and I feel that mowing is such a waste of time. We've been collecting free scrap wood and making raised beds in the front and backyard. I feel like the time spent gardening is much more useful than mowing because I get food out of the deal. If you want something lower maintenance there are several yards in my neighborhood that replaced their lawn with wild flowers and it looks so pretty. It will initially be a lot of work but in the long run it'll be easier than grass.

[rusty]

Unfortunately in my situation, a reel mower would take forever.  I like the idea, maybe even buy several a put together some way and use as a pull behind (?).  I have a very large yard.  It is 3 or 4 acres on an old family farm.  So to be somewhat mustachian, I share the mower with my brother who also has a very large yard.  We have a commercial mower we bought used with fairly low hours on it.  Hope it will last many many more years.  I liked the idea of sharing tools.  My brother is a carpentry guy, so he has lots of tools available.  Works for us.