Push Mowers

[okeydokey]

Who has an old fashioned push mower? The ones without and engine but the blades that turn as you push it? Do they work? Are they heavy to push. We are thinking of getting one so the kids can start mowing the lawn.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I used one as a kid. They work fine as long as you keep up with the lawn. If you let the grass get too long or you have a very thick lawn, it can really be a bear. For small lawns that you can cut at least weekly, they make perfect sense.

FYI - you will need to get the blades sharpened once or twice per season.

 

[momrek06]

We had one 30 years ago when DH and I were first married. We bought a small house with a small yard. We went to Sears and bought a push and it was my workout the whole 2 years we lived in that house.

 

[Colleen27]

I have one. You have to put a little more care into keeping the blades sharp than you do on a gas mower, but the newer ones aren't heavy or hard to push at all (ours is prob. 15 years old but that's newer to me - growing up I used my grandmother's, which was made in the 50s).

 

[minkydog]

I think it depends. You really have to push the mower and it's not like a regular mower--you have to go back and forth like you're vacuuming. Keep the blades very sharp and cut the grass once a week. Hope your yard isn't very big. We had a push mower several years ago and like a previous poster said, it was a workout. Now I have an electric mower that I just love! LIghtweight, easy to manuever, quiet as a fan, and piece-of-cake start.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

We have one. It isn't super heavy, but still somewhat difficult for my big 9 yr old DS to push. Also, the cut isn't quite as even as a traditional gas mower. But I feel better about him using it, so he mows the front yard while DH mows the back. Reel mowers can have a tough time in fescue or fescue blends if the grass gets taller than about 6-7in, though.

 

[WDWBarb]

I was so excited when I bought mine (I'm a tree hugger and proud of it!). I was also disappointed. You have to cut VERY often and I could barely use it in the Spring. If you have any weeds at all, it doesn't cut them. Dandelions? Won't do a thing to them.

I sooooo wanted it to work.

I use it occassionally in the late summer, when the grass isn't growing much and the weeds have weeded themselves out.