Who uses a REEL MOWER?

[Hisgirl]

We live in a 55+ active adult community that has lawn care included. However, sometimes they stretch out the mowing to two weeks and my grass goes to tall seed.

SO...I got an old fashioned reel mower!

As long as the land is mostly flat, it's no issue to push. I love the feel, sound, everything about it. In fact, it's sort of addicting and I'll go over and over the same spots.

My back yard has more little hills and is uneven so it's more work....

Who else uses a reel mower? Any tips I need to know about?

 

[tvguy]

You mean a push mower. A reel mower to me has an engine. I had a push mower for years, but rarely used it.

 

[Hisgirl]

You do 'push' a reel mower, but a reel mower is made up of 4-7ish sharp scissor cutting blades powered by yourself. Look up 'reel' mower and you'll see what I mean. I purchased the Great states brand, now owned by American lawn

 

[jo-jo]

You mean a push mower. A reel mower to me has an engine. I had a push mower for years, but rarely used it.

To me a push mover has an engine but not power assist drive wheels. A reel mower is all people power.

 

[sam_gordon]

To me a push mover has an engine but not power assist drive wheels. A reel mower is all people power.

That's what I was thinking.

Reel mower:


The "reel" refers to the blades/how it cuts. You CAN get a reel mower with an engine...


A basic "push" mower:

 

[Hisgirl]

It's kinda cool to use!! It makes my heart beat fast, so it's a bit of a work out but not bad

 

[sam_gordon]

I remember using one at my grandfathers WAY back when. Fortunately his front yard was small and flat. Backyard was flat too, but for some reason I don't remember mowing it.

 

[DVCjj]

My husband has always and will always continue to use a push mower. (he is now 80 in great shape). His father used one til he was 93.

Every time I BEG him to get a power mower as it's kind of an embarrassment (ha) to neighbors and he refuses.
Says he wants the work out. Our lawn is kinda goofy (goes down in the back and I tell him he's going to have a heart attack (he has no health problems) and he says Nope.

 

[MillauFr]

The "reel" refers to the blades/how it cuts. You CAN get a reel mower with an engine...
View attachment 884747

Wouldn't using this be very dangerous? I would think they would be sued for selling something so dangerous.

 

[sam_gordon]

Wouldn't using this be very dangerous? I would think they would be sued for selling something so dangerous.

Not much different than a snowblower I would think.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I remember my uncles mowing my grandma's lawn with one of these!! We hire someone with a riding mower now, but if I had a little patch I was doing myself, this is definitely what I'd get - glad to see they still make them!

 

[_19disnA]

To me there have always been two types of mowers..............reel & rotary (see pictures in post #5). It refers to how the blade rotates and not how it is powered. A reel more can also be 'human powered' (without any kind of motor) while I have never seen a rotary mower that operates that way since the blades have to spin at a very high speed to cut the grass. Reel mowers cut the grass by forcing it against a horizontal cutting bar so they don't need to revolve at a high speed like a rotary mower does. All mowers can be either push or self-propelled. Self-propelled indicates that the drive wheels are powered by the same engine that spins the cutting blades. Mower engines are either gas or battery powered. Cheaper rotary mowers may not have the self-propelled feature for those looking for a more economical mower.

Some golf courses use a type of precision reel mower to cut the greens to a very low level, however those are not really practical for home use. If you have very small yard, a manual reel/push mower may make sense, but not for larger areas. I think you would also have to search around to find a reel mower for home use since they aren't typically sold anymore.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Yes, I have a human muscle powered mower for the small grassy area in my rowhouse backyard. I never really measured but I doubt it’s more that 400 square feet. No sense getting a gas/electric mower.

 

[MillauFr]

Yes, I have a human muscle powered mower for the small grassy area in my rowhouse backyard. I never really measured but I doubt it’s more that 400 square feet. No sense getting a gas/electric mower.

Yeah I have less than 1000 sq. of grass. I'm ripping it out next Spring and installing something that takes less maintenance.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

Reel mowers are great if you have a grass that loves to be cut low like St Augustine, Bermuda, or Centipede. Not only do they cut the grass nice and low but they do not suck up the dirt and sand since they do not create any vacuum.

They are not good mowers when you are cutting grass like alfalfa, rye, fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass. These grasses are more hardy and like to be taller. Cutting them too short is a great way to kill them.

I have used tons of reel mowers in my life though. Bought my first one at an estate auction when I was 12. It cost me $12. I mowed many of my neighbors yards with it. When I got old enough to work at the local golf course, I got to use the big boy reel mowers and I am currently looking into adding an Allett to my fleet just because I want one.

 

[NotUrsula]

Wouldn't using this be very dangerous? I would think they would be sued for selling something so dangerous.

Yes, they definitely ARE dangerous, because you have to keep them razor-sharp for best efficiency. One of my cousins years ago tripped on a hill and got his foot caught in the blades, his Achilles tendon was nearly completely severed. Also, my Dad cut the inside of his forearm pretty severely once, when the file broke as he was sharpening a blade that had been nicked. I would personally never let a kid mow with one of these now that low-cost powered small mowers with good safety features are available.

We have small front/ back yards but the front one slopes at 40 degrees. A gas mower was too much, so we got a Worx cordless electric that we really like; it's super-compact to store. It came with 2 batteries and a dual charger, so we can cut front & back on a single charge.

 

[_19disnA]

Safety concerns wouldn't be a reason I would choose one type of mower over another. With any sort of cutting tool, you have to follow the safety precautions and use good judgement to operate. Don't cut the grass with bare feel or flip flops, but wear sturdy shoes and pay attention to what you are doing. Even something like a string trimmer seems safe to operate, but you should ALWAYS wear safety glasses for any debris that might fly into the air. The blades of a rotary mower spin at a very high speed compared to the typical reel mower. They are all safe to use when operated properly using reasonable safety precautions.

 

[MillauFr]

Yes, they definitely ARE dangerous, because you have to keep them razor-sharp for best efficiency. One of my cousins years ago tripped on a hill and got his foot caught in the blades, his Achilles tendon was nearly completely severed. Also, my Dad cut the inside of his forearm pretty severely once, when the file broke as he was sharpening a blade that had been nicked. I would personally never let a kid mow with one of these now that low-cost powered small mowers with good safety features are available.

We have small front/ back yards but the front one slopes at 40 degrees. A gas mower was too much, so we got a Worx cordless electric that we really like; it's super-compact to store. It came with 2 batteries and a dual charger, so we can cut front & back on a single charge.

Why wouldn't you remove the grass on a steep slope? Put in something that is low maintenance.

 

[NotUrsula]

Why wouldn't you remove the grass on a steep slope? Put in something that is low maintenance.

Believe me, I've asked DH the same question over the 30 yrs we've lived here. He doesn't want to remove the grass. (The whole street has this slope in the front yards; we all have staircases leading to our doors. Only 2 of the homes on the street have removed the grass.)

 

[MillauFr]

Believe me, I've asked DH the same question over the 30 yrs we've lived here. He doesn't want to remove the grass. (The whole street has this slope in the front yards; we all have staircases leading to our doors. Only 2 of the homes on the street have removed the grass.)

Odd. Why do people like grass so much? It is high maintenance and not much to look at.