It's hard to beat Old School Engineering..

lozdesign7

lozdesign7

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Mar 19, 2011
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I''ll qualify this thread by saying that I am not an expert... Far from it, just a weekend worrier noting the following:-

I've owned this reel mower for about 3 years now and I don't think I'll ever go back to a standard medium lift motorised mower. Even if I owned a larger block I'd likely buy a motorised zero turn reel mower. I really love them and the proof is in the pudding.... The grass is much happier... If you look at the individual blades of grass close up the end is actually cut rather than ripped. As a result the grass is green right to the tip... the whole lawn looks better and is healthier for it. Add to that the extremely low noise, almost zero running cost and the added bonus of getting a bit of a workout at the same time..... There really is a lot to be said for these things. The same principle applies to Planners and Thicknesses in wood working. The spiral cutter planing heads have more of a slicing effect as apposed to the CHIP, CHIP CHIP of the standard planers. The end result on the timber from a spiral cutter head is far more desireable.

Its a pretty old piece of engineering that still works great today and I love it!

Anyone else own a reel mower??

Lawrie

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I think my parents have an old one that's been sitting outside for many years now. Far as I know, the blades still turn, but I have doubts about its efficacy.
 
Had one of those for years, probably 10+. One day my dad bought a brand new Honda mower with a big ol motor. The thing drinks like it's nobodies business is barely holding up in its 3rd or 4th year. Time to go back to basics i reckon! Also i think the grass grows better with the clippings left on the ground..i have no clue why but my guess is something to do with the ground taking advantage of the shade/moisture from the old clippings
 
I remember using a reel mower at my Grandfather's lake house in the summers we'd visit. A relatively flat piece of property that sloped down as you got near the water. About every third or fourth pass I'd take a plunge to cool off. I think he paid me a quarter :D Great Memory
 
I have a 20" Scotts reel mower and used it exclusively for a few years. The Fiskers ones look nicer, but they were about twice as expensive and I went cheap because I didn't know if I would stick with it. It works like a champ though in our smaller yard in the city. I still have it as we rent the property, but the tenants whined about mowing until I bought a basic gas powered model for them. Even though it works sell, it is more work than a gasser, even a basic one that isn't self-propelled, and especially if you let the grass get too long between cuttings.

Our new yard in the 'burbs is much larger and the grass is a lot thicker. I tried to use the reel mower here a couple of times but it was dreadful. Maybe if I cut it really low with my gas mower and really stayed on top of it, I could revert back to reel, but it would be a lot more work. Wish I knew someone with the Fiskars so I could see how well it works compared to the Scotts.
 
I just purchased a home and the yard is fairly small so am considering a reel mower. I am curious what is the best one to buy and how often it requires sharpening with light use. Thanks.
 
I do remember the thrill of pushing one of those things around when I was a kid. Come to think of it, I never actually new it was called a reel motor and just called it a push mower. Have surprisingly vivid memories of pushing it around throughout childhood, both as a tool for chores and a toy for fun (Good bye, Cobra! You're lucky it wasn't the Aquanet flame thrower of death, this time!) It was the only set of heavy-duty whirling blades my folks would let me play with when I was a six year old.

Kind of remember our mower as being solid if I stayed on top of my chores. However, if I... forgot... and let that grass get too long, it sucked. I'm sure the hulking 80lb frame I was rocking in those days didn't help the cause, but it could get bogged down easily enough in tall grass. Enter the power mower with attached grass collecting bag for the lazy kid win.

INFI reel mower? Okay, I'll go sit in the dunce corner....
 
inspector-callahan said:
I just purchased a home and the yard is fairly small so am considering a reel mower. I am curious what is the best one to buy and how often it requires sharpening with light use. Thanks.
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Congrats on your house.

My guess is that the Fiskars is top of the line, followed by the Scotts, but I've only used the latter. In the 3 or so years I used mine as my primary mower, I never had to sharpen the blades. Maintenance was limited to cleaning it occassionally, especially if the grass was wet at all and sticking, followed by a light coat of mineral oil to protect against rust. I did have to adjust the cutting bar one time, when it somehow got knocked out of place.

The rotating blades shear the grass against the cutting bar like scissors, so they can go for a long time without sharpening as long as you're not running over rocks, sticks, etc. too much.
 
That's awesome man. My grandfather had a mower repair business and had several of these. They were always my favourite to use as a kid. I think I might get one for my yard, thanks for the idea!! A motorised mower would be overkill for our house yard so one of these would be perfect. I currently use the brush cutter, and although it's really good, it makes a hell of a mess. Plus, the exercise would not be a bad thing :D
 
We had a Scotts push reel mower some 35 years ago, before I upgraded to a typical rotary gas mower Way back then, one would see gas-powered versions of a reel mower. Do those not exist anymore?
 
I own a Mclane 7 blade reeel mower and would not go back to a rotary type for any amount of money. I'm anal about my lawn habits and my seashore paspalum is as nice as any golf course fairway. I keep it a bit longer than a golf green to save on water and to keep the lawn soft. You just can't beat a reel mower!
 
If you sharpen the blade of your motorized mower it will cut better. The stock blade is not even dull, there is no edge whatsoever.
 
I concur!

Lawrie


safetyman said:
I own a Mclane 7 blade reeel mower and would not go back to a rotary type for any amount of money. I'm anal about my lawn habits and my seashore paspalum is as nice as any golf course fairway. I keep it a bit longer than a golf green to save on water and to keep the lawn soft. You just can't beat a reel mower!
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Yes they do and they are waaaaayyy cool IMHO. Do a search for a Zero Turn Reel mower. I think John deer and the like make them.


resinguy said:
We had a Scotts push reel mower some 35 years ago, before I upgraded to a typical rotary gas mower Way back then, one would see gas-powered versions of a reel mower. Do those not exist anymore?
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I bought a reel mower for my kids to use. Trying to teach them that hard work pays more than taking the easy way of doing things.
 
Lozd, thanks for the memory lane trip. I remember as a boy all us cousins meeting up out at the Grand-folks and doing the spring clean up and again in the fall. Sling Blades, machetes, reel mowers, mule drawn hay mower(I'm not kidding here). My Grand-folks didn't even have plumbing until 1967. We still drew water out of a well.

Hot, nasty and man I hated poison ivy but the home made ice cream and a semi cold shower was just the ticket.
 
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