Reel or Rotary Lawn Mowers (push-type, human-powered)

[BikeBookBread]

Am I crazy to consider switching to a reel lawn mower? Our home is on about 1/4 acre. The lawn is older, and the turf is pretty bumpy. Anyone have good experiences?

 

We have a really, really nice high-end gas-powered lawn mower, and we're not opposed to using it, but I think it might be a great way to get some exercise.

[Melinda in VT]

We had a rotary mower about seven years ago, but our lawn was teeny tiny. The lot was measured in sq ft, and the house and parking pad took up most of it.

 

The two things I liked most: 1) there was no struggle to start the mower and 2) I never had to worry I was mowing the lawn too early for the neighbors.

[BikeBookBread]

Another consideration: this lawn is AWFUL! It is mostly weeds (clover and something else) with lots of dead patches and divets. I don't know that it was cared for much before we moved in. I've read online that these types of mowers are best for healthy lawns. Experience with lousy lawns?

[GoVanGogh]

We bought a reel mower when we bought our house 15 years ago. We have over 1/2 acre, sloping from front of the lot to back. The first few years, it was a workout to mow the entire yard! But now it is mainly gardens w/little grass. :D

We have always loved the reel mower and never regretted not having anything other. It is quiet, so you can mow any time of the day. It is non-polluting - and actually relaxing to hear the rhythmic sound of the blades. Very little maintenance. We take the mower in and get the blades sharpened generally every three years. We could do this ourselves, but prefer to have it done for us. Oh, and a few years ago, the handlebar padding came off. I bought bicycle tape and recovered the handlebars.

Downside: If you have a wind storm and end up with lots of twigs down. Twigs can stop the mower dead in its tracks. If the lawn gets out of hand with taller weeds, you may need to take a couple passes from different directions to get them cut down.

Do you know anyone with a reel mower that would let you borrow it for a few days? We have had people ask to borrow ours and we gladly let them. We love our mower and love to spread the word about reel mowers!

[*Jen*]

We had a rotary mower when we lived in Florida and had a crappy lawn. It was great on the few patches of real grass, but it could not handle the longer weeds without having to repeatedly go over the same patches. Also they have to be sharpened regularly and require a lot of sharpening if you have a lot of weeds because those wear down the blades faster. Most of the time we had to go over the front yard with the weed eater to knock down the random weeds that it couldn't cut.

 

They are wonderful if you have nice grass but if it is mainly weeds you are only going to be frustrated at how poorly it works.

[Renthead Mommy]

We had a big lawn in Texas. I love my mower, but it didn't work great there. The grass there was the kind that grew runners and laid low to the ground, growing out at more of a 45 degree angle. That was harder to cut. The other problem, and it's a problem with weeds, is once it gets too high, it doesn't catch in the reel, it just sort of bends over and you run it over, but don't cut it off. I'd hit taller bits with the weed wacker if the mower wasn't cutting it.

 

In this house, (NY) I have to cut the better lawn more often when it's growing just to keep it at an easy hight to cut. But it does work great here. Better than Texas. And we are not into a lawn. I don't fertilize. I don't run the sprinkler constantly. I sort of feel if grass is meant to grow, it will rain. I hate the idea of wasting water on a lawn. So ours is not super healthy.

 

I don't want to talk you out of it. I love my reel mower. I love not using a gas burning, exhaust creating, noisy mower. I love that my son mowed the grass at 7. But it is different from a power mower. But our choice was an enviornmental one.

[Hathersage]

Another consideration: this lawn is AWFUL! It is mostly weeds (clover and something else) with lots of dead patches and divets. I don't know that it was cared for much before we moved in. I've read online that these types of mowers are best for healthy lawns. Experience with lousy lawns?

 

I don't have any problem mowing over clover. My lawn is very lousy. The main pain is I can't let the lawn get too tall, I have mow more frequently. The lawn looks less uniform than the neighbors, and I can't get it as short as they can. If the divets are really deep, you'll have problems. Oh, twigs will stop you dead in your tracks. This I don't mind, but it stops the flow of work. My backyard has like three sections, so I don't generally do them all at once, just a little at time. With the push reel it isn't so much of pain to start, stop, and come back later.

[NorthwestMom]

We have a reel mower and I do not love it. It stops if a stick or a pine cone gets in the blades. It does not cut weeds with thicker stems, so we have to trim afterwards. If the grass gets too tall, the mower just flattens it with its wheels instead of cutting it, and then we have to use the trimmer on the whole yard.

 

On the plus side, it is a positive choice for the environment and a good workout.

[Tess in the Burbs]

my dh loves his. I could even do it when I was in the mood to exercise.

 

The bumpy ground is my only concern for you. You may have uneven patches from that. Dh did fill in holes on occassion b/c it was hard to mow those areas and have it look good.

 

We only had .15 acre though. But he felt good about doing his part and he liked not having gas/oil in the garage.

 

And he could mow at really weird times and not bother the neighbors ;-)

[Hathersage]

Another thing to consider: I use my push reel because I have no other options. I'd be tempted to use other methods if I had them.

 

Other thing that I like about them is they don't aggravate my allergies as much as the finely cut grass/gas combo.

[BikeBookBread]

We found a bunch of them on Craigs List...we're going to buy a cheapie and try it out before we get a more robust model. We can always re-sell :)

 

Thanks everyone! Your insight has been stellar.

[mom2jjka]

Dh bought a used one off of Craigslist this year because our 10 yr old wanted to cut the grass, but we didn't want him using the gas powered mower just yet.

 

Unfortunately he can't use it. It is very difficult to push (and DS is tiny - not even 60 lbs) so he can't even get it going.

[MBM]

I tried to love my Scott's reel mower, but once our lawn grew, it was impossible to push through the grass. We ultimately bought a battery-powered mower which I almost love with all my heart. It's about as loud as a quiet hairdryer.

 

If you have clover, rejoice! Clover is the ying to grass's yang. It's meant to be there and is nature's way of bringing nitrogen down to the soil. Lovely stuff it is. Eventually, as the levels of nitrogen increase and the grass starts to thrive, the grass will take over the clover. Trust me. My lawn was almost ALL clover. Now it's just the opposite.

 

Here are some tips to help grow a lovely lawn if you have cool season grass:

 

Mow as high as possible after the really wet spring and fall weather. This shades weeds out and helps the grass with photosynthesis.

 

Mow off only one-third or less of the blade; otherwise, the grass stresses and puts less energy into growing roots which help the grass survive hot summers. A sharp blade makes a sharp cut helping to prevent plant disease.

 

Water deeply once the soil is dry 6" down. No need to water often because the roots will continue to shoot down seeking deeper water. You want that.

 

Dead spots could be areas where grubs have fed on the roots of the grass. In fall, sprinkle on some soil and/or manure, then add grass seed. Fall is the best time to do this. Next year at the right time, you could apply either a bag of grub control of beneficial nematodes.

 

HTH.

 

[TravelingChris]

We have a very small lawn since most of our yard is covered with other plants (ivies, shrubs, etc). The reel mower works fine but just like the power mower, you need to cut regularly or the tall, flexible grass stems simply bend and then pop up again.

[Spy Car]

I have a human powered (by me) reel "push mower."

 

We should note that reel mowers (whether push mowers or gas-powered) are not the same thing as "rotary" mowers (which are only gas or electric, not "push").

 

Reel mowers are much better for grass as they cut cleanly--shearing the grass blades like spinning scissors--where rotary lawn mowers have a propeller-like blade that tears the grass as it spins around.

 

Buying a used push mower to see if you like it is a potentially bad idea. Unless the mover has been well maintained (unlikely id someone is selling it) the blades won't be sharp and the work required to push it will likely dissuade you from purchasing a new mower.

 

Where a new (sharp) reel with cut grass like butter. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

 

I like the Scott Classic 20 inch. It can be raised higher than any other push mower, they are pretty inexpensive, and they have a home sharpening kit that involves spinning the reel backwards with a crank to keep he blades sharp. Sharp blades equal happy mowing.

 

It is a good, practical and ecological choice, but the blades MUST BE sharp.

 

Not sharp equals not-fun.

 

It is true that even heathy grass is more well suited to a push mower than a bumpy weed-patch.

 

Don't use a "grass-catcher" as the clippings should be left on the lawn to "self-fertilize."

 

I enjoy having a push mower. YMMV.

 

Bill

[HeidiKC]

Last summer I decided (against my husband's wishes!) to "surprise" him with a push reel mower. I was so excited and had read up on which kind was good. I don't remember the exact model, but seems like it is a Coleman? Anyway, the thing came, I put it all together and was like a kid at Christmas. I thought we (my 9-year-old son and I) would get the lawn all mowed ourselves before my husband came home.

 

He hadn't wanted to use it, saying it wouldn't work at all. So I said, "fine - I'll be the new lawn person here". I wanted it mainly for environmental reasons. OH MY GOSH it was horrible! I don't even think we got through 5 passes before we gave up. It was so hard and just would not go! I don't know what the problem was. The grass was a bit long, but not terrible and we don't have weeds or anything. The ground is kind of bumpy, which I'd never noticed until I tried mowing! Plus, what we did mow looked horrible. My husband came home and was very nice about it, pulled out our gas-guzzling mower and whipped through the rest of it in no time flat! We haven't used it since.

 

SO! What I would recommend (cause I think the push mower is a great "idea"), is to borrow someone's first and see what you think. I could have saved myself about $125 if I'd tried that.

 

All the best of luck to you!

[BikeBookBread]

I tried to love my Scott's reel mower, but once our lawn grew, it was impossible to push through the grass. We ultimately bought a battery-powered mower which I almost love with all my heart. It's about as loud as a quiet hairdryer.

 

If you have clover, rejoice! Clover is the ying to grass's yang. It's meant to be there and is nature's way of bringing nitrogen down to the soil. Lovely stuff it is. Eventually, as the levels of nitrogen increase and the grass starts to thrive, the grass will take over the clover. Trust me. My lawn was almost ALL clover. Now it's just the opposite.

 

Here are some tips to help grow a lovely lawn if you have cool season grass:

 

Mow as high as possible after the really wet spring and fall weather. This shades weeds out and helps the grass with photosynthesis.

 

Mow off only one-third or less of the blade; otherwise, the grass stresses and puts less energy into growing roots which help the grass survive hot summers. A sharp blade makes a sharp cut helping to prevent plant disease.

 

Water deeply once the soil is dry 6" down. No need to water often because the roots will continue to shoot down seeking deeper water. You want that.

 

Dead spots could be areas where grubs have fed on the roots of the grass. In fall, sprinkle on some soil and/or manure, then add grass seed. Fall is the best time to do this. Next year at the right time, you could apply either a bag of grub control of beneficial nematodes.

 

HTH.

 

 

Very helpful post. Thank you so much! In fact, thank you to EVERYONE! I just went into the other room and raved to DH about the thoughtful responses each of you have offered.

[HeidiKC]

I like the Scott Classic 20 inch.

 

Oh, that's the one I've got. Not a Coleman! Not sure where I got that idea. I wish I'd had the luck Bill seems to have had!

[Tess in the Burbs]

Dh wanted me to add that it cuts certain kinds of grass. When the yard was full of those tall weeds he would yell at them b/c they would lay down when he pushed it over them and they would pop back up and laugh at him :D

 

so research the grass you have and be prepared to weed whack a bit until you get the kind your reel can actually mow!

[Spy Car]

Oh, that's the one I've got. Not a Coleman! Not sure where I got that idea. I wish I'd had the luck Bill seems to have had!

 

There was a bad batch that had a problem with a plastic gear inside the wheels ( I know because mine was among them). I don't know that this is the problem you had, but it might be worth persuing with Scott. They sent some new parts that were easy to replace and the problem was solved,

 

I'm also a big strong guy and I'm sure that makes a difference. My wife does not do the lawn mowing, and I'm sure we would have a difference of perspective on what's "easy" if she did.

 

Bill