Using a push Reel Mower - What I've learned

Been using the Reel Mower 100 percent the last month. No problem except for the Crabgrass my neighbor cultivates that invades my lawn. Cutting Crabgrass with a Reel Mower is a pain in the butt. You can cut it, but it takes a lot of effort, and it's thick, so the cutting is not easy.

I'll probably continue using the Reel until the first leaves start to fall, then convert back to the Snapper for power mulching the leaves.

My Lawnboy is still in need of new rings and I've been too busy to pursue that fix. I really need to as it's the only mower left that mulches AND has working self-propel. My Snapper's self propel is down and it's going to be a bear to fix. Easier to put in new piston rings on the Lawnboy.

Another month with just the push Reel Mower.

I'm enjoying being able to listen to music while cutting with a simple Bluetooth Stereo Headset from Amazon connected to my Smartphone. With no motor noise, I can just put in the earbuds and start mowing. It's sort of like being at the gym.

I'm missing cutting and mulching the few leaves that have fallen I think because of high wind or drought. Although the grass is still green as I water and cut high.

I'd not recommend a Reel Mower to everyone, but my lawn looks great this year. Soon I'll have to switch to the Snapper Rotary Mower for Fall leaves. The experiment will be over.

I have been trying to use the Reel Mower more and more the last few years. This Spring, I did the first two mowing with the Snapper to get things settled on the lawn and chop up any debris from the Winter. Then I converted to the 21" Scotts Reel Mower.

You have to stay on top of the cutting because if the lawn gets too thick and too high, it's very difficult to get it back under control with a push reel mower. I do enjoy the fact that I can put in earbuds and have my iPhone with me and jam to music while I'm getting some exercise without motor noise. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, my neighbor likes to cultivate Crabgrass, so I have had to stay on top of killing the Crabgrass that invades my lawn as it it very tough to cut with a reel mower.

My father had a REO Gas Powered Reel Mower. I wish I had that. It produced a beautifully cut lawn, was self propelled, and probably would have lasted a lifetime with good service.

KrashnKraka said:

Elsewhere I have seen pix of lawns to a streetscape (USA) which would suit a
reelmower - doing a far improved job/finish. The "lawnboy" is using a 50" ZTR!
It would cost more to get it off the trailer than time spent mowing.
With DC motor technology improving every other week it wont be long
before we see electric reel mowers which work to a price point.

Be a cottage industry opening up supplying rotor sharpening

KK

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Electric reel mowers have been around since the 40's.
Even more dangerious than electric rotary mowers.


AFAIK no one does an battery reel which would be a big improvement.
Down side is the limited range of cutting heights, You have to cut low so you have to cut very frequently and water a lot in summer so there is a limited suitable weather zone where they would do well.
Down here in summer the golf courses mow everything daily and greens some times twice a day.

bertsmobile1 said:

Electric reel mowers have been around since the 40's.
Even more dangerious than electric rotary mowers.


AFAIK no one does an battery reel which would be a big improvement.
Down side is the limited range of cutting heights, You have to cut low so you have to cut very frequently and water a lot in summer so there is a limited suitable weather zone where they would do well.
Down here in summer the golf courses mow everything daily and greens some times twice a day.

Click to expand...

I'd love to have a gas reel mower but the prices are outrageous. I had an opportunity to buy a brand new "JC PENNY" brand (probably made by Toro at the time) many years ago for $399. I should have purchased it. I can't bring myself to pay $1,800 for a gas reel mower, so I just go with the push reel mowers.

As I stated, my father only used a REO Gas Reel Mower stating that nothing produces a more beautiful law cut and only used a rotary once in the Spring and then in the fall to mulch the leaves.

Well, here it is a year later, and I'm still going strong with the Scott's Push Reel Mower. No gas, no oil (other than lubricating the reel and wheels twice a year).

Used the Snapper to do the first two Spring mows to chop up any winter debris or leaves, then converted to the reel mower. After a while, you get a knack for adjusting the cutting bar perfectly to keep the reel blades sharp. It's really an art getting this perfect. 1/4 turn on the adjustment screws makes a BIG difference.

Scott's sells a "sharpening kit" for their reel mowers, but IMO, it's a bit of a rip-off. It's basically sand paper strips in a kit that bolts on to the cutting bar to de-burr the reels for a few minutes, then you take it off. I think if you keep the cutting bar adjusted properly, you won't have an issue.

I mow in the mornings when neighbors are usually out for their morning walks and rarely if ever does someone NOT stop to talk to me. They are absolutely fascinated that I'm using an old push reel mower. They all want to know how old it is, and when I tell them it's a new Scott's model, they are dumbfounded.

The only issue to this day is those darn twigs in the lawn. Any little errant twig and the reels jam instantly causing a rapid halt to the mower. Other than that, I have to say it's a neat way to mow the lawn, and it does a great job if you have it adjusted properly.

Back in the early 1960's, there were still quite a few reel mowers in use. We had a reel mower sharpener and my Granddad showed me how to sharpen them. The reel mowers back then were heavy compared to the ones you buy now because they were mostly made of cast iron. Over the years, I've sold some reel mowers to homeowners made by Tru-Cut in California. I've still got one of my Grandmothers reel mowers, a Great States cast iron unit from the 1950's. With the right conditions, a reel mower can make a yard beautiful in a way that a rotary mower can't do.

cashman said:

Back in the early 1960's, there were still quite a few reel mowers in use. We had a reel mower sharpener and my Granddad showed me how to sharpen them. The reel mowers back then were heavy compared to the ones you buy now because they were mostly made of cast iron. Over the years, I've sold some reel mowers to homeowners made by Tru-Cut in California. I've still got one of my Grandmothers reel mowers, a Great States cast iron unit from the 1950's. With the right conditions, a reel mower can make a yard beautiful in a way that a rotary mower can't do.

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I agree Cashman.

I've said this before in posts, but I dearly wish I had my father's 1953 REO Gas Powered Self-Propelled Reel Mower. That thing was a tank. And what a B-E-A-UTIFUL cut it made on the lawn. He threw it in the garbage when it stopped running. Probably just a spark issue. It kills me every time I think about it.

I found one on Youtube, but as yet, have not found one on eBay.
This one has been re-painted. Original paint was DARK green, like a British Racing Green. But someone did a very nice job of restoring this one, although the color is not right;

That's an interesting Reo! Looks like it still runs pretty well. It reminded me of many years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to London England. While there, I saw a guy using a reel mower with a 2 cycle motor. In England, they cut the grass really short. Like half inch short. I talked to the guy using the mower and he said it was a Ransomes from the 1930's with if I remember right, a Villiers engine and you could tell it had been very well maintained. They take a lot of pride over there maintaining their yards and they take very good care of their equipment and at that time, they used a lot of reel mowers.