So, my 20 year streak of free lawnmowers has come to an end.
My lawnmower died tonight and I really can't be bothered to fix it.
I'm tired of having stuff around the house that needs maintenance or takes up space so I'm thinking of ditching the conventional gas or corded lawnmower.
I have a 7000 square foot lot but most of that is taken up by my house, shop and driveways. My back yard is roughly 50 x 20 and the front yard is probably 70 x 20. Pie shaped lot.
Would I hate having a push-type reel mower? I could use the free workout.
Anyone out there use one of these mowers on a regular basis? I'm considering the Fiskars, Gardena or Scotts models.
Thanks in advance.
Shawn
Not to sidetrack the thread immediately, but cordless mower perhaps? I've used mine for the last 2 years and aside from bringing batteries in from freezing weather it's been almost maintenance free.
In reply to Neckromacr:
I've thought about a cordless mower but I can't get the short lifespan of cordless drill batteries out of my mind.
That and the replacement cost of the battery seems to be pretty close to the cost of the machine itself.
Shawn
Trans_Maro wrote:
Would I hate having a push-type reel mower? I could use the free workout.
Anyone out there use one of these mowers on a regular basis? I'm considering the Fiskars, Gardena or Scotts models.
"Regular basis" is the operative phase. I haven't used mine yet this season because the grass got tall while it was too wet to mow, so it's going to be a while before I get it worked back down to being mowed regularly enough to keep it shorter.
For that, I don't even try with the reel mower. It just seizes, despite being in good tune and freshly sharpened. They work for maintenance, but if you miss your mark and the lawn gets a bit long, it's torture.
That said, when it is short enough, I'd rather do our tiny yards with the reel mower than fight the cord on our electric mower.
If I had my druthers, I'd have a proper gas mower and a reel mower, but some friends gave us the electric when they ditched their grass, and I can't quite bring myself to give it up just to go acquire something else.
Trans_Maro wrote:
In reply to Neckromacr:
I've thought about a cordless mower but I can't get the short lifespan of cordless drill batteries out of my mind.
That and the replacement cost of the battery seems to be pretty close to the cost of the machine itself.
Shawn
I got my mower on Sears preowned clearence. I don't know how the batteries were maintained prior to my ownership, but they got a bit on the weak side after 2 years of very regular use. Sears parts did want $180 for a new battery set, luckily a little homework found the same size batteries for $72 on Amazon.
Push type reel mowers produce a beautiful cut. BUT, they do make demands of you. They require the grass to be pre-cleared of sticks and twigs. They require good speed, no dawdling along. If the grass gets a wee bit tall, they require a lot of pushing force. Finding someone who can actually sharpen the blades and tune it up is generally pretty difficult. Most shops will just make it worse.
I went and got a Sears mower with a butterfly choke and no primer. 2 year warranty that it would start on the first pull. It has. It's probably a good 5 years old now. Sometimes it takes a 2nd pull, even a third once. I really like that. I am not interested in wasting my time on mower tuning and such. I just want it to work and let me get the job done as quickly as possible so I can go on to other things.
I once mowed my parent's entire front lawn, about 1/4 acre, with a 50-year old reel mower.
Once.
When I was 14.
For 2500 sq feet of lawn, though (about 1/20 of an acre) I'd probably give it a whirl. Pick up a used reel mower from some hipster on CL who realized his spindly arms and legs couldn't handle it, then find a lawnmower manual from the 70's that actually describes how to sharpen the blades yourself- I did it on my parents' old unit when I was 14 using the old blue-covered Better Homes and Gardens D-I-Y Manual, and was quite pleased with the results.
I had an old old push reel mower. It will give you a work out. I would look at a battery mowered mower for a lawn of that size. The local govts seem to be pushing these and usually give a credit toward purchase of one if you turn in a gas mower.
The internal combustion engine is a wonderful thing.
Considered getting a pet goat?
The mower brand is unimportant. The engine must be a Honda. Period.
slopecarver wrote:
Considered getting a pet goat?
I once had this idea for one of my shops that had no corporate landscaping set up for it. This also helped that the service manager's mom was a whiz at Caribbean cooking and would often make fresh curry goat.
Goat eats lawn, eventually we eat goat, get new goat, goat eats lawn, etc.
http://www.rentaruminant.com/
Perhaps slightly related: The approximately 20' x 40' fenced area where I keep my little flock of 5 chickens is completely devoid of anything remotely green. It has been scratched and pecked into an eerie sort of undulating lunar landscape.
Josh
SuperDork
4/17/13 12:24 p.m.
I tried to do the reel mower thing for my small lawn, got one cheap on craigslist and when the lawn was short and dry it worked great. Let it go for a week where it rains two or three times, and you'll have to rent a gas mower (or goat) to get the grass back under control. I bought a WORX cordless electric mower, and though I don't think the quality is exceptional, it's so much easier to deal with than a gas mower that I don't care. It's quiet, so I can mow whenever I feel like it without waking anyone up and plugging in the battery is a lot easier than going to get gas. If I were going to do it again (or I had a bigger yard) I might pony up a bit more money and go for this Toro:
LINK
Step 1: Open internet browser.
Step 2: Type in www.craigslist.com
Step 3: Find local used push mower for $50 or less
Step 4: Crack open an ice cold beer after the 10 minutes it takes you to mow said lawn with said mower.
/thread 
I use a push- reel style mower occasionally. Mine is an American Lawn Mower--- but not surprisingly, most of their models are made in China.
Like others have said, it works well as a "trimmer", but not so well when the lawn gets tall, or is wet. It will also take at least twice the time to do the same job as a gas or electric mower.
I like it as a novelty, and because I can mow anytime without bugging my neighbors. It is also a pretty good workout.
Unless you have time to mow on a very regular basis, I'd keep a traditional mower for the heavy stuff, and get the reel mower for "fun".
I have a 5year old bolens (?) mower that I put thru heck and back. We've changed the oil once and that was when it went thru a flood. New oil new spark plug started on secon pull. I'm not sure how much it way parents got it for me for a house warming gift. When this one dies I may try a battery one. And as for the reel ones all I know is my neighbor g
I have a 5year old bolens (?) mower that I put thru heck and back. We've changed the oil once and that was when it went thru a flood. New oil new spark plug started on secon pull. I'm not sure how much it way parents got it for me for a house warming gift. When this one dies I may try a battery one. And as for the reel ones all I know is my neighbor got one , was all excited , she used it once and went and bought a new a one lol. So maybe they are not ideal if your wife helps out with the yard.
Used gas mowers are out, if I wanted that, I would fix mine.
I shopped around and couldn't find anything in gas that I liked.
I ended up with a cordless mower. This one to be exact:
I tried several reel mowers and the Fiskars one pushed much easier than the rest. On pavement, it rolls with no effort at all. On grass, it is about as hard to push as an electric mower. In tall grass and weeds (my backyard) it's about as hard to push as my old gas mower.
No complaints after a quick trip around the backyard tonight.
Compared to the other reel mowers out there, this one seems to be far better.
Shawn
pinchvalve wrote:
The mower brand is unimportant. The engine must be a Honda. Period.
Honda is the only way. When we lost power for 12 days I used my Honda 6500 and my neighbors had similar sized briggs machines. Mine was quite and used less fuel. My Honda powered mower is much quieter than the same model from craftsman with kohler or briggs. Uses less fuel too.
pinchvalve wrote:
The mower brand is unimportant. The engine must be a Honda. Period.
I agree that they make really fine engines, but they aren't without frustration. Their thermowax choke regulators fail pretty regularly and a new thermowax is $57 cost. They list for about $70.
My job is small engine and tool repair. 80% of the push mowers we see have Briggs engines. They have chokes that stick, they drop valve seats, bend valves, and usually start burning copious amounts of oil after 2-3 years of use.
Kohlers on the other hand rarely come into the shop.
Briggs - junk, but cheap to fix
Kohler - bulletproof
Honda - nearly bulletproof, but expensive parts.
You'll find some older models with Tecumseh engines. I can't really say much good or bad about them. They're an old-school design, but fairly robust. The governor springs are a bit complex if you need to disassemble for any carb work.
After a couple years in this business, I bought a Lawn Boy with a Kohler. RWD helps on the PA hills, no bagger, just mulching. It was one that we recon'd at Home Depot. By that, I mean someone took it home, put oil and gas in it, didn't use it, then returned it. We couldn't legally just put it back on the shelf, it had to be "reconditioned." I snagged it for $130.
When I was growing up , the push mower was the only thing we had.
Mowed the large back yard plus side and front more times than I can count.
I now use a gas powered mower on my small lawn.
Trans maro let us know how that works for you pls, I've never seen one like that
