Anybody use a reel mower?

[CN Spots]

I'm considering getting one and was wondering if anyone had any opinions on them, good or bad.

My allergies are the main reason I'm considering one. Tired of having pollen and dust blown up in my face.:devil: Having to buy a new gas mower every two years is the other. Pretty sure my last Craftsman had a plastic piston, everything else was. Near zero maintenance sounds good too. More time for fishing. Thoughts?


spots

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I too got tired of cheap mowers, so the last time I bought a Honda Professional model. About $900.00. The wheels do not fall off of this one.

As for the reel mower, I have not seen a powered one in use, for ever. A neighbor, being a politically correct metro type, got a push mower but he never cut his grass often enough to be able to use it. So he's back to the powered rotory, which he tortures mercilessly.

As for the allergy, I just take a 1/2 a generic Actifed before I start and in the peak of the season I'll wear one of those little dust masks.

Although a reel blade cuts the grass better, it cleanly shears it, I cannot bear the thought of having to sharpen all those blades.:$

 

[tommays]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I have pushed one on my grandmothers lawn REALLy no fun at all

And used a friends you gotta have a REALLY perfect lawn for a powered one


Tommays

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I've my Craftsman, 6.75hp for 4 years now and it always starts on the first pull. Has the front wheel drive which is nice as well. Paid $300 back then.

Before that I had a Lawnman. What a piece of crap that was!

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I have one. It works great if you have a nice flat lawn, without roots and holes and what not. You can't let it get too tall before mowing or you'll be doing a lot of back and forth. I moved since buying it, and haven't used it in awhile (mostly use a bush hog now) but it worked great. Sharpening things doesn't bother me as I regularly sharpen all kinds of tools anyway. I like cutting tools sharp and rotary blades have to be sharpened (and balanced, too). With a residential reel mower you're only talking about a light sharpening every spring anyway. Outside of the dust, the quiet is nice, too. I'd say go for it, they push easy - you don't need a power one.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

If your gas mower is only lasting 2 years you are really doing something wrong. Even a $125 3.75hp B&S mower should have no problem lasting 5-10 years with nothing but yearly oil changes and a few spark plugs.

Think about it this way, a normal lawnmower ranges from 3 to 7 HP. They get bogged down occasionally when the grass isn't perfect. You are less than half a HP. You will be working HARD. I have bad allergies too, and I much prefer them to the profuse sweating and heavy breathing caused by HARD LABOR.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

Not talking about a powered reel mower, (those things are like a thousand bucks) just the push kind. I have a pretty small yard. As far as my rotarys breaking, it's the quality failing, not the maintenance. The one I have now has about three cracks in the pastic fuel tank, my step-father has a powerwasher with the same model Briggs and it's cracked in the same places. The primer bulb on my first one melted, the one before this one had a carb issue that I could never resolve. I'll agree that the old ones are hard to kill but the new ones are carp! A Honda has crossed my mind Boomyal but the price gives me willies. I can get a lot of "20 dollars to mow yer lawn, mister?s" out of $900.8) Guess you get what you pay for.


spots

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

.... I can get a lot of "20 dollars to mow yer lawn, mister?s" out of $900.8)

...not if you have a 1/4 acre of grass and it has to be mowed twice a week in the spring and fall wet seasons, in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[cajun555]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

when I was a kid many years ago dad had a power reel mower. It was a pain. If you ran over a twig just right the twig would get caught up between blade and cutter bar. Now this was a power mower, don't know what a push type would do. I couldn't even imagine mowing my lawn with a push reel mower. Probally get more letters from the city.

 

[Coors]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I used a push type back in the early 1960's; if you let the grass get over 1 inch taller than the cut- you have problems. You will have a stroke trying to pull it back, in order to clear the blades, then shove it forwards again. And no bahia grass. My $900 briggs cuts my tough acre of bahia fine. Do it right after it rains- no pollen, but you have to go slow.

 

[ndemge]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

When I was about 20 and renting a house, with about 1/2 acre yard, we quickly learned that $5 a piece and none of us had to sweat.
Just listen to the neighbor kid mow it...... with his dad's mower and gas.....

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I used to have a push reel mower but couldn't handle it anymore. You have to mow your lawn at least twice a week because if it gets too high it just doesn't work. However, my neighbor has a powered one and he has the best looking lawn on the street. Looks like a well taken care of fairway. I agree with Zm though, the extra effort of pushing a reel mower would outweigh the benefit of no dust.

 

[mscher]

Re: Anybody use a reel mower?

I'm considering getting one and was wondering if anyone had any opinions on them, good or bad.

My allergies are the main reason I'm considering one. Tired of having pollen and dust blown up in my face.:devil: Having to buy a new gas mower every two years is the other. Pretty sure my last Craftsman had a plastic piston, everything else was. Near zero maintenance sounds good too. More time for fishing. Thoughts?


spots

Pushed one as a kid and hated every minute, for reasons as others have stated.

I see the Amish sometimes using them. They don't seem to be enjoying the experience. A good reason why they are not fat. 8)

Reel mowers are a bear if you need to sharpen the blades. If the blades are not all sharpend evenly/perfectly, you end will a real (reel?) messs on your hands.

Not sure why your power mowers only last a couple of years. I buy the cheapie mowers from Walmart, provided they have a 5HP or more B&S Quantum engine. I beat them to death, mowing tall grass and weeds, hitting dirt and gravel. Current one is one it's 4th season and is nicknamed "bushhog":|

I vote for a good dust mask and forget reel mowers.