Who knows about new/antique reel mowers??

awesomeame

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Was thinking about getting a reel mower. Buying new, or nearly new, the Scott's seem to have good reviews. I looked at them though, and they appear to be cheaply made, the ring gear being made of plastic. However, parts are easily available.

Then I got to looking at antique models from the 30s-50s, and they all seem to be well built. Heavier, and built with pretty much all steel. Parts of course are nearly impossible to find.

So I'm unsure what to do here. Do I buy a newer model or get something that's 50+yo? Are the Scott's going to still be going in 50yrs? Ideally what I buy now will last me the rest of my life, I hate buying things twice.

Any thoughts on which antique brands might be better than others? I see Suffolk is pretty popular..

Opinions? thanks

Matt
 

jmurray01

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Wow, you sound just like me! :thumbsup:

As long as the mower is running good, the body of the mower is in good condition, and it has been well maintained, there is no reason a 50+ year old mower couldn't last you a life time with regular oil changes.

I personally would always go for something older over something newer, and I'm sure a few other members would agree with me there.

As for Suffolk Punch, they are an English brand, made in partnership with Qualcast, and are of very good quality, so if you can find one of them that has been well treated through its life, go for it.
 

KennyV

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Hello & WELCOME to LMF...

Everyone likes a well maintained Old machine...
BUT I think you have discovered the reality... Hard to find replacement parts, can be a big problem... the new light weight reels are Much easier to operate... And one additional advantage is they are very simple to resharpen ...
I have a large Toro gang set from somewhere in the 1960's, I have had to build some replacement parts, everything is still going well & I'm sure if it were a lighter set, it would have been Long gone by now...
This big Toro set is "semi-Retired" ... I will use it occasionally, just because it is a fun mower...

Antiques are fun to collect & use now and then.... but if your going to have to work it regularly ....
I would go with the Newer, easier to keep operational... AND also try to keep a quality, Old original around... just for fun... :smile:KennyV
 

crazyoldtractor

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Personally If I were you I would not buy a reel mower. But If you want an older gas powered one, There is a company named Locke. They went out of business a while ago but they made very nice self propelled gas reel mowers. They made a 20'', 25'', 70'' triplex and a 75'' triplex. They are very nice and were even used to mow the white house lawn. If you can find one I'm sure you'd like it. I know that they come up on craigslist around here from time to time. The only thing with a reel mower is that they are very hard to sharpen.
If it is a non-gas one you are looking for then don't even bother. I see well kept, working gas push mowers come up on Craigslist for $30 almost every week. Go for one of those.
 

jmurray01

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The majority of reel (or Cylinder as we Scots call it) mowers here are electric, but I take it from your post that they aren't very good ?
 

KennyV

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...
... but I take it from your post that they aren't very good ?

It's not that they are not good... they just have a limitation in cutting height... They are the BEST design for cutting short to medium length ... but when grass gets above 2 1/2 to 3 inches, a rotary mower will handle the job faster and as grass gets toward 4 inches, better...

In the USA there is a lot of taller grasses on lawns.. not the best for reel mowers.

But a powered reel, either gasoline or electric, is a fantastic mowing machine... just have to match that type to the grass type... :smile:KennyV
 

LandN

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Was thinking about getting a reel mower. Buying new, or nearly new, the Scott's seem to have good reviews. I looked at them though, and they appear to be cheaply made, the ring gear being made of plastic. However, parts are easily available.

Then I got to looking at antique models from the 30s-50s, and they all seem to be well built. Heavier, and built with pretty much all steel. Parts of course are nearly impossible to find.

So I'm unsure what to do here. Do I buy a newer model or get something that's 50+yo? Are the Scott's going to still be going in 50yrs? Ideally what I buy now will last me the rest of my life, I hate buying things twice.

Any thoughts on which antique brands might be better than others? I see Suffolk is pretty popular..

Opinions? thanks

Matt

HELLO,i'll assume you are talking about non powered reel mowers,and the fact that your yard is not huge.i still cut a portion of my yard with a reel. still have my 14" cut and got rid of my 20"cut scotts reel(my bad).i like them,i have had good service from them. there is a new style of non powered reel called -fiskars- they are A re-desined looking reel. the actual cylinder blades sit in front of the rear wheels for better edging,and there is an extra set of smaller wheels out in front. cutting height can be as high as 4"(i believe).they call it the momentum drive and has a lot less effort to push it because the blades don't scrape against the bed also allowing it to be silent . i will be checking them out in person as soon as i can.
 

benski

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Was thinking about getting a reel mower. Buying new, or nearly new, the Scott's seem to have good reviews. I looked at them though, and they appear to be cheaply made, the ring gear being made of plastic. However, parts are easily available.

Then I got to looking at antique models from the 30s-50s, and they all seem to be well built. Heavier, and built with pretty much all steel. Parts of course are nearly impossible to find.

So I'm unsure what to do here. Do I buy a newer model or get something that's 50+yo? Are the Scott's going to still be going in 50yrs? Ideally what I buy now will last me the rest of my life, I hate buying things twice.

Any thoughts on which antique brands might be better than others? I see Suffolk is pretty popular..

Please clarify...are you talking human or gasoline powered?

Opinions? thanks

Matt

Gas or human?
 

bwdbrn1

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I have a Scotts, and it works very well, and though there is a lot of plastic on it, I don't see why it would give you years of excellent cutting. I also have a 50's vintage Eclipse Model L. Actually, I have 3 Eclipse, and 3 Jacobsen reel mowers that are gasoline powered as well. Like you said, the older ones are all pretty heavy duty compared to new ones, but they have their short comings too. Height of cut would be the first to come to mind. Seems they cut their grass down to the nub back in the day, so for that reason, my vintage reel mowers are there just to preserve the old machinery.
 
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