Reel Mower Test Drive
 

well, went out and bought a reel mower because the gas mower crapped out recently. after looking on a green site that rates them, decided on the Scott's Classic 20 inch 'cause it was the highest rated under 200 USD.

not much to report so far as wet weather has not made it's way yet. the blade does take a while to dial in just as described in a review.

this 4 wheel variety is very easy to push and steer as it weighs ~30lb. mowing can be done in an upright walking position unlike some gas mowers.

i would def not recommend a model w/ under 20 inches of blade unless of course a very small yard is to be mowed. sticks and long weeds do make things frustrating, but it is recommended to pick up sticks and weed eat or power mow before starting w/ reel mowing.

no prob here as our trees are now all gone. with trees, the buyer would need to decide for him/herself.

more to come as the rains make their way(hopefully)...

I've never known what those types of mowers were called before. I learned something new today!

My Grandfather used to have one, a two wheel one that was never properly taken care of. It would go for about two feet and seize, back it up and then go for two more feet and seize. Pretty frustrating for a 10 yr old kid to push.

That was precisely my experience with reel mowers. Fortunately my grandfather lived in a suburb so the lawn was pretty small. I'm kind of curious to try one that was in good shape.

I've used gas powered reel mowers before. Pretty sweet! My dad has a push one that he makes his kids now use. I'm happy I had my lawn boy.

I've used reel mowers before, but in my experience it just beats the grass down. I had to run with it to get the blades to spin fast enough to actually cut. I didn't think it was safe running with exposed blades in front of me like that, in case I tripped (And with my screwed up feet I would). Also, I just didn't have the stamina to run with it the whole time. Maybe the new ones are better. I used a 50 year old one to try it out.

-Jay

They are supposed to cut the grass like scissors. A blade adjustment would have probably fixed that one Jay!

exactly, and they aren't even as sharp. my guess is momentum(the faster the better) is more important than sharpness. that said, a dull blade can make it very tough. blade sharpening is said to be relatively infrequent, but necessary none the less.

I sold it to some poor tree hugger at a yard sale for $40... ;)

This brings to mind the following...


https://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sea/70873822.html

My house has a huge field and my ex and I briefly considered getting a goat (or two) to keep it down. Since I couldn't figure out a good way to winterize the goat we didn't go that way.

Goats do a pretty good job of winterizing themselves... They generally grow a nice thick winter coat.