Reel Mowers Anyone? Anyone?

[bt3]

Hey guys.

As a kid growing up in the 60's, we had 2 acres. One acre of lawn, one acre of wooded lot. My father loved to mow, and his favorite mower was a gas powered REO REEL Self Propelled Lawn Mower he bought in the late 50's. What a beautiful job this reel mower did. Neighbors and relatives visiting would always complement the beautiful cut on the lawn.

I've toyed with the idea of buying a powered Reel Mower, but never did. I did buy a new Scott's 20" Push Reel Mower that I use once in a while in the summer at one home. Neighbors sometimes stop and say, "Wow, a push Reel mower? I didn't know they made those any more!". This is a decent mower. I bought it about 10 years ago at Home Depot on sale for $69. Now I have seen them as much as $149. It is kind of nice with no motor noise and just the reels fluttering as you push it and get grass cuttings on your shoes. There is a bagging attachment but I always leave clippings on the lawn. You have to have a clean grass lawn. Small twigs will stop the mower in its tracks.

Because you are "SHEARING" the grass with a scissors cut rather than "TEARING" the grass with a rotary blade, Reel mowing is supposed to be "healthier" for the lawn. So I have read anyway. Mulching is of course not possible. You just get clippings spread behind you. Tall grass and some weeds are hard or missed in the cut. There are disadvantages to Reel mowers but for well groomed lawns, they do a spectacular job.

Anyone use a Reel mower, either powered or manual push? Powered Reel mowers are pretty rare in residential situations.

 

[Carscw]

Toro greens master only the front lawn 60x40.

The sides and the back get what ever mower I am working on.

 

[bt3]

My father left me a Toro SnowHound that actually is a snow thrower attachment on the classic "Toro Power Handle" from the early sixties.

I almost bought a Reel Mower Attachment for that Power Handle 15 or so years ago. Your post about your Toro Greensmaster reminded me I've got that Power Handle in great shape just sitting in the garage. I will have to check eBay and see if I can snag a Reel Mower attachment for it at a "Reasonable" price.

 

[Parkmower]

Used to tow a gang of 5 Jacobsen reels in a 2-3 behind a ford tractor to mow roadsides and some big areas. Yes they left an awesome cut but like you said hit A stick or something and it'd jam and start dragging and tearing the turf. My neck would be so sore after a day of turning Around every ten seconds. Almost everyone I've talked to in other mowing facilities have done away with them when almost everyone used them 20 years ago. Golf courses are the only industrial outfits i see using them anymore.

 

[bt3]

Found this video of the old REO powered Reel Mower My father used to have. This really brings back memories.

I'd love to get a powered Reel mower some day, but damn, the price on some of the new ones is outrageous.

 

[6string]

This is the fourth summer that I've been using the Fiskars reel mower. But as I posted in the "buying" forum, I'm ready to upgrade to a gas mower.

There are some nice advantages to the quiet reel mower. My 4 year old son has been able to play out in the yard while I mow and chase me back and forth without worry of a rock being spewed out by the mower or some other projectile. I can actually hear him as he talks to me since there is no roar of an engine.

However, after spending an hour busting my tail to get the whole lawn mowed, it looks ok, but there are still plenty of blades that either pass through or get matted down by the mower instead of being cut. While shearing is healthier than cutting, I can't say I notice a difference in the health of my lawn versus all my neighbors whole use gas mowers.

 

[bt3]

This is the fourth summer that I've been using the Fiskars reel mower. But as I posted in the "buying" forum, I'm ready to upgrade to a gas mower.

There are some nice advantages to the quiet reel mower. My 4 year old son has been able to play out in the yard while I mow and chase me back and forth without worry of a rock being spewed out by the mower or some other projectile. I can actually hear him as he talks to me since there is no roar of an engine.

However, after spending an hour busting my tail to get the whole lawn mowed, it looks ok, but there are still plenty of blades that either pass through or get matted down by the mower instead of being cut. While shearing is healthier than cutting, I can't say I notice a difference in the health of my lawn versus all my neighbors whole use gas mowers.

Yea, I've got a 20" Scott's push Reel and it does leave behind some tall grass at times, but normally, it really does do a very nice clean cut job. I seem to recall my Father's powered Reo Reel mower never left anything. Those reels were probably spinning 10 times faster than a push reel mower under gas power, so there is probably a much more thorough cut. As I posted earlier, my biggest issue is with twigs in the yard. I've got a wooded lot in the back and any little twig jams the reels up and you end up stopping in your tracks suddenly. It can be a bit of a pain. But it is nice to put in some earbuds, listen to music and enjoy mowing the lawn with no noise other than the reel flutter. I probably save five gallons of gas a year pushing that Scotts. Not much of a savings but every little bit helps.

 

[6string]

Yeah, in the 4 summers I've used my reel mower, I've probably spent $20 total on mowing the grass. That includes the sharpening kit I bought and a few replacement nuts or bolts. $20 for 4 years of mowing is pretty nice.

I can certainly relate to the twig issue. What a pain.

 

[bt3]

Just thought of another great thing... noise wise.

Saturday or Sunday mornings, if you are in for a very hot day and you want to mow the lawn early, no issues with the push Reel mower. Never had a neighbor complain that I was out mowing my lawn at 9 AM on a Sunday. Although one of my neighbors has pulled out his Toro Lawn Tractor with power vacuum attachment at 8:00 AM on certain Sundays, so I wouldn't think my little reel flutter sound would bother anyone after that noise. They'd think it was Squirrel chatter! :smile:

 

[6string]

That is another great positive. However, where I live the humidity kicks in and the grass is too damp to mow until about 10-11am when the sun has had a chance to dry it out.

Is your grass real wet at 8am?