Anyone use a manual reel lawn mower? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Perry]

After firing my landscaper over myriad issues, I decided to start cutting my lawn myself again. I have a gas-powered mower which works fine, but I was thinking about buying a reel mower. Supposedly the technology is much improved over the older models (which seemed to just mash the lawn down). Benefits would include getting a much better workout, no fumes, and the ability to cut the lawn during parts of the day that I can't with a powered motor (due to the noise). They also say the lawn is healthier being "scissor-cut" with a reel mower than with a rotary blade that tears the grass.

My concern is that the cutting swath is only 15" on the particular model I'm looking at (Brill Lux 38). Will it take me forever to cut my 1/3-acre lawn? My lawn is very flat, so at least I won't have to go over a bunch of inclines.

Any experience with this type of mower would be appreciated!

 

[Eric Kahn]

I have an 18 inch cut reel mower, it would take me about 40 minutes to cut my .05 acre lawn (1/20th acre)
the major hassle is that you can get no closer than 4 inches to any object because of the wheels being outside the reel and they will not cut more than about 1 inch at a time, lots of cutting if the grass grows fast

I also have a cordless electric mower made by black & decker, might be a better option for you

 

[Lance Nichols]

I love mine. It does a wonderfull job, and I have no real (or reel) complaints about it.

Lee Valley Traditional Mower

 

[BrianW]

I use mine on the front and side yards, weeds permiting. If the weeds get too bad, I have to break out the Honda. It's not too useful in the back yard since I have an acre back there and about 50 trees to mow around. (And I've got two more trees to plant!)

 

[James T]

When my grandfather was recovering from a stroke, I volunteered to cut his lawn. All he had was a manual lawn mower that wasn't as pretty looking as Lance's and it looked(and probably is) about 50 years old. I don't know if the blades were dull or if I was doing something wrong, but I could barely cut the grass. I spent maybe five minutes and was only able to cover a small patch about 5x5 feet.

 

[Jay H]

Great, maybe you can weld it to trailer and you can mount it behind a bike and you can bike up and down your lawn and do that 1/3 acre in no time!... Hey, folks have made snow plows on bikes, why not a lawn mower...

Jay

 

[Greg_R]

I have 2 friends who use manual lawnmowers (on about 1/4 acre of property). As long as you maintain the mower (keep it sharp and oiled) it will work very well.

 

[Greg Rakaska]

Eric Kahn
Tell me more about the B&D cordless. I was eyeballin' one of these this week. I have a fairly small lot, and one of these might do the trick.

How long does it run on a charge?

Any idea on battery life, ow any years do they last, etc?

Can you get replacement batteries?

Thanks for any info!

 

[Philip Hamm]

I have an American Lawnmower "Deluxe Light" 18" reel mower that I used at my townhouse. Now that I've moved into a house with a slightly larger lawn I'm planning on buying an electric bagging lawnmower from Costco. I may keep the reel mower for some days. I've read that the scisor cut is much better for the grass than a rip cut of a circular blade. It may be better for my fresh sod, and apparently the clippings are good for the lawn as well. I keep mine pretty sharp with a sharpening kit, but I still have to go over the yard twice to get an even cut.

I don't like the idea of cordless electric lawn mowers. They are heavy because of the (expensive marine) battery and there's no way they have the torque of a plug-in mower. Kind of like electric drills compared to cordless drills. If you don't mind an extension cord a plug-in electric can be had for less than $200.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

We bought one for our first house which had a small yard, maybe we bought a cheap one... but it would leave random long blades of grass sticking up.

I think the key was to mow often.

 

[Mark Fontana]

I have been using a Scotts Classic 20" reel mower to mow my suburban yard for the past four years, much to the amusement of my neighbors; I have not seen anyone else nearby using this type of mower. My lot size is about 180x80', with about a 4 foot raised hill in the back. If the yard were any larger, I would probably not bother with the reel mower.

As others have said, you can't let the grass get too long. I usually have to mow twice a week from late April through June... then every 5-7 days through summer.

You can't get as close to trees, edges etc. as you can with a power mower. I use a corded string trimmer to clean up the edges about every other mow.

Having the reel mower sharpened by a shop with the appropriate equipment every 3 years or so is crucial. (There's a special machine for this and the DIY sharpening kits don't compare.)

A light coating of silicone spray lubricant before each mow will help a lot (works better than WD-40).

Reel mowers only cut when moving in a forward direction. So for an obstacle like a tree, it's best to keep the mower moving by going around and around in a spiral. Otherwise you spend too much time just going forwards and backwards in a small area.

Based on observing my neighbors, it takes me about 20-30% longer to mow my yard than it takes them to mow theirs (similar yard sizes).

For a nice result with a reel mower, it helps to overlap adjacent cuts by 1/2 the cutting width so that you hit each blade of grass from two directions. I don't mind doing this if the weather is pleasant.

It definitely feels healthier to not be breathing gasoline exhaust. It is a good workout too, really not much harder than pushing a non-self-propelled power mower.

 

[John Giddens]

Greg Rakaska,

There is a current discussion about the B&D cordless here http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=190472

As to your questions,

How long does it run on a charge?

After 4+ years of ownership I'm not sure because I've never ran out of juice lol. I probably have close to an acre of lawn to mow.

Any idea on battery life, how many years do they last, etc?

At least 4+ years so far on mine, otherwise I have no idea. I'm actually surprised it's lasted this long, who knows how much longer it will last.

Can you get replacement batteries?

Sure. At the Dewalt service site you will find an exploded view of the mower with the part numbers and their descriptions along with prices. The 24volt battery is $121.14 however I believe you can find the exact same battery elsewhere like an Interstate Battery Store for less.

 

[Lance Nichols]

My parents own a near ache lot in town, and as kid I used to mow it all the time using a reel mower.

Keep the blades sharp, adn the gears oiled and you will have no problems. BTW, Lee Vally sells sharpening kits for ALL reel mowers as well.

 

[Philip_G]

Funny. I'm getting ready to sod my "yard" it's about 15' by 25' with about a 5'x5' block taken up by the front porch, so I've been considering a reel mower. I wondered about the wheels being set so far out from the blades, that might be the dealbreaker :frowning: