Reel Lawn Mowers

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bulldogmed
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Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by bulldogmed »

Anyone use them? My push lawn mower isn't working right now, and I'm not sure how to fix it. I'm not about to go out and buy something new, but a reel lawn mower looks attractive given how low it's maintenance it and that I don't have a big lawn. Any thoughts?
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

Is your push mower not a reel mower? I don't know that I have ever seen a rotary push mower. Are you asking about a powered reel mower? What are you actually pushing?
A Reel Mower is a mower in which the blades spin vertically (north to south) and use a scissoring action to cut the blades of grass. A reel mower should have between three and seven blades, depending on the model type.

A Rotary Mower is a mower in which the blade spins horizontally (east to west) and uses a sucking and tearing action to cut the blades of grass. Rotary mowers usually have one blade which rotates very fast.
While I quoted it, I have no idea why the points of the compass are involved.
kaneohe
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by kaneohe »

this? http://www.mowersdirect.com/stories/55- ... Mower.html

Only thing I've ever owned. Blades get dull after a couple yrs and need to be sharpened which cost perhaps half the cost of the mower. Never heard of
using the abrasive while mowing..............will have to investigate that. Otherwise, simple, good exercise.
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

Push and Powered are one dimension. Reel and Rotary is another. Two times two is four. If we eliminate the Push Rotary combination, there are still three types, two of which are reel. Here are a few (note that powered mowers can be broken down into self-propelled or not):

http://www.toro.com/en-us/sports-fields ... -1000/1600
http://www.amazon.com/20-Inch-Stratton- ... 001SARLJO/
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

I think I have it. The OP is pushing a powered rotary mower. The pushing is strictly for motive power, not for mowing, i.e., the powered rotary mower is not self-propelled.
bloom2708
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by bloom2708 »

I have a Fiskars 18" Momentum. It is a pretty cool machine.

Cuts very good. Pushes easy. Is built very sturdy. Adjustable height.

I wish it was 20-21". If the grass is super long or damp it sometimes leaves strays.

I still have a gas mower, but I use this as often as I can.
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SC Hoosier
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by SC Hoosier »

You are asking for trouble. I grew up working for my father, who was a superintendent at a golf course, so I've mowed a lot.

Real mowers:

1) As the video in a link above described, stop when they get a twig caught in them. You must pull the twig out. Hassle.

2) Don't cut absolutely every blade of grass they mow over, so your lawn doesn't have that uniform look like a normal push mower has. If you are just looking to keep your grass from getting too long and don't care about the look as much, then this isn't an issue for you.

If you are looking for something inexpensive for a small lawn, try this: http://www.lowes.com/pd_538022-270-11A- ... nfo=Bolens

There are lots of used ones for sale cheap on Craigslist from people who thought they'd like them. Buy one and try it for a while. :D

Hoosier
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sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

Is there a website that explains what push means in the context of a lawn mower? I always thought of pushing a mower as standing behind and pushing it (as opposed to pulling it) like you used to push a car to get it started. Any mower you have to push should be a push mower, but apparently not many others think that way about what a push mower is.
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retiredjg
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by retiredjg »

sscritic wrote:Is there a website that explains what push means in the context of a lawn mower? I always thought of pushing a mower as standing behind and pushing it (as opposed to pulling it) like you used to push a car to get it started. Any mower you have to push should be a push mower, but apparently not many others think that way about what a push mower is.
Last time I shopped for a mower, it appeared that a "push" mower is a power mower that you walk behind. It may or may not move itself - meaning you may have to push it or you may just have to keep up with it if it moves itself. A push mower is a gas or electric mower that is not a riding mower.

I'm not saying this is the right answer. I'm saying that is how the different advertisements, internet descriptions, and sales people used the term.

The idea of a reel mower that actually must be pushed and has no cutting or moving power of its own simply is not discussed or considered. I had one once. I think they work well on certain types of grass and not well on other types of grass. I would try it out on your own grass before buying one.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by cheese_breath »

Many years ago I bought a power reel mower when my rotary mower gave up the ghost because I heard reels are less damaging to the grass. My experience was it did an OK job but wasn't as good on thick grass as the rotary models. Granted this was many years ago, but I doubt the basic technologies have changed much since then.

edit: Although my power reel mower was self propelled it didn't have the traction of a self propelled rotary model on damp grass or slopes.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

retiredjg wrote: The idea of a reel mower that actually must be pushed and has no cutting or moving power of its own simply is not discussed or considered. I had one once. I think they work well on certain types of grass and not well on other types of grass. I would try it out on your own grass before buying one.
The physics that I know require a power to move the blades that cut and a power to move the mower from one spot to another. I had a mower with gas power for rotating the (rotary) blades, but I had to push. I had a mover with electric power for rotating the (rotary blades), but I had to push. I now have a mower with no power for rotating the reel, and my pushing both propels the mower forward and rotates the reel blades, the reel being connected directly to the wheels. If the wheels don't turn, the blades don't either.

I know there are reel mowers where engines rotate the reel, but don't move the mower, so it has to be pushed as well, but I have never owned one, nor have I ever owned a mower with power used to move the mower.
mnaspbh
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by mnaspbh »

Reel mowers don't burst into flames when used on very wet grass. :oops:

They take a lot more physical effort to use than powered mowers, which can be a pro (more exercise!) or a con (more exercise!).
123
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by 123 »

A reel (push) mower is good for a yard as long as the yard layout is suitable for a reel mower. Because the wheels are at the ends of the reel (at least on the push mower I had) I could not mow all the way next to a wall or fence, it was necessary to use a string trimmer around the lawn edges that abutted a wall of fence. On a rotary mower the wheels are offset so you can pretty much mow right up next to a wall or fence. If it's a lawn without any raised obstructions around any edge a reel mower should work fine. YMMV.
The closest helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

Agree with the last two posts. I have a very small amount of grass, and the push reel mower gives me a little exercise, which is good. The mower doesn't cut up next to the three walls, the Sago Palm growing in the middle, and the light fixture under the Sago Palm. I used to trim by hand with old fashioned grass shears (clippers), but just recently got a string trimmer.
StaTiK
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by StaTiK »

I have a reel lawn mower and it's pretty nice. Everyone who grew up pushing a reel mower (and had black and white TVs) hates the idea because of how much work they are but I think that's just a function of the memories being from when they were 7 year old weaklings and pushing rusty old mowers.

Yes, there is a bit of effort required to push the mower but it only weights like 10lbs. My reel mower is a lot easier to push than the 60lb non-propelled gas rotary mower I used to use. Also no pull starting, storing gasoline, winterizing, or tuneups. Blade sharpening is expensive but it can be done yourself with a $20 kit and the annual tuneup required for my previous gas mowers was also expensive (no DIY kit).

The only issue I have with a reel mower is that the thing is finicky about the height of the grass. Rotary mowers bog down in tall grass but reel mowers push tall grass over and completely fail to cut it. When I cut the grass every week, no problem. But if I'm out of town and don't cut the grass until week 2 it doesn't work so well. The reason is because of the cutting method: rotary mowers use a fast spinning blade to suck the grass up and then "chop" it while reel mowers slide a helical blade against a cutting bar, snipping the grass like scissors. The reel mower only works if the grass is tall enough to stand up in front of the cutting bar, but not so tall that cylindrical/helical blades bend the grass over.
arkerr123
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by arkerr123 »

I bought a fiskars reel mower for last year - I have 4 postage stamp sized lawns at my house. Seemed like a good idea.

IT worked great, easy to push, easy to clean unless I waited more than 4-5 days to mow. Then, there would be these thicker pieces of grass that could evade the Fiskars reel mower and I would have to mow twice.

When I went on vacation for two weeks - I had to borrow a neighbors gas mower to do it.

I am pretty disappointed.
red5
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by red5 »

If you have a weedy lawn than a reel may not be for you. Grass gets cut, dandelions do not, and it can look rather silly.
sscritic
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by sscritic »

arkerr123 wrote:I bought a fiskars reel mower for last year - I have 4 postage stamp sized lawns at my house. Seemed like a good idea.

IT worked great, easy to push, easy to clean unless I waited more than 4-5 days to mow. Then, there would be these thicker pieces of grass that could evade the Fiskars reel mower and I would have to mow twice.
Do you cross-cut or checkerboard? North-south then east-west? I often do that to get the grass cut. I only have two postage stamps, and mine might be smaller than yours. Even with cross-cutting, it only takes about 10-15 minutes.
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fizxman
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by fizxman »

I had this http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-2000-20-20 ... B00004RA3E at my old house. The lawn wasn't very big but it had one of the largest trees in town in the back yard. This tree would drop various twigs throughout the year. If I hit a twig with this mower, the mower would jam and I would slam my stomach into the handle and feel like I was going to flip over the top of it. After awhile I got tired of it and I didn't want to have to pick up all the twigs in the yard so I bought a cheap gas-powered mower that would blow through the twigs. The actually cutting of the grass was fine most of the time. I had to walk fast enough to get the blades spinning enough to actually cut the grass but if I went too fast, I would miss some blades of grass. Also, the faster I went, the more it would hurt when I hit a twig. If you have a nice flat yard with no debris, this should work fine.
atwood
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Re: Reel Lawn Mowers

Post by atwood »

Don't do it. If your grass gets even a bit long it won't cut it. I bought a used one for what I thought was a great price. I learned the hard way.
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