Anyone use an old fashioned mower (lawns, grass, tree, crape)

[1coolcustomer]

I don't know you call them but they just have a wheel with 6 or 7 twisted blades , no electric or gas power. Are they effective and what's the best brand?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Yes they work, work best on very small yards, are a lot of work, probably why you don't see them very much anymore. They are slow and labor intensive and if your grass is more than 4 inches tall, it would be a WHOLE LOT of work, all that I have ever used or seen, cut the grass quite short and were not adjustable, or, no one I knew, knew how to adjust them. Back when they were in common usage, heart attack was a more common cause of death. They are the old fashioned non-motorized push mower, or "Heart attack with a handle".

[jackmccullough]

They're commonly referred to as push, or reel mowers. I used one when I had a small yard, and here in Montpelier the local hardware store sold more than any other store in the chain last year because of a combination of small lots and environmental consciousness.

I liked using it, but it can be bad on a big yard or if you get behind. They're also much, much quieter than power mowers.

Here's a link with some information:

Manual Reel Lawn Mowers at People Powered Machines

The design is said by many to be better for your grass because it cuts the grass like a scissors rather than wacking it off the way a rotary mower does. For this reason, I understand that they use power-driven reel mowers at baseball stadiums and golf courses.

[uggabugga]

i was surprised to see 3 different reel mower models in sears recently. they are great for the excercise but as has been noted, best for a small yard.

[wabanaki]

i pick one up from Habitat for humanity store for $15, it made by American Lawn Mower Co. it work wonderful for small yard, it is quite no gas fume. It may not work well with tall St Augustine grass.

[Drover]

Reel mowers are still around; some are even gas-powered and self-propelled; others are designed to be pulled behind a tractor, though those are typically pretty big and used for large-scale applications like golf courses or large parks.

Do they work? Yes they do. In fact they have a major benefit over a conventional mower in that they actually cut the grass instead of just tearing it. The cleaner cut is better for the grass. The main drawback is that the blades dull quickly since they constantly scrape another metal surface, and keeping them sharp is very labor-intensive.

[TabulaRasa]

They work really well until grass gets tall, and then they'll bend it over but not cut it. Handling anything with even a slight incline is tough,too, so they're best suited to small lawns with no real grade and people who stay really on top of their mowing.

[jacq63]

Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes

Yes they work, work best on very small yards, are a lot of work, probably why you don't see them very much anymore. They are slow and labor intensive and if your grass is more than 4 inches tall, it would be a WHOLE LOT of work, all that I have ever used or seen, cut the grass quite short and were not adjustable, or, no one I knew, knew how to adjust them. Back when they were in common usage, heart attack was a more common cause of death. They are the old fashioned non-motorized push mower, or "Heart attack with a handle".

We're thinking of getting one; I'd have thought the excercise would prevent heart attacks, not cause 'em.

We have 90 acres of land which gets slashed twice a year, and an enclosed yard of about 490 sq.ft. The slasher can't get close to any plants in the yard, and we're going to be planting more stuff eventually. I'm curious as to what's considered a 'small' yard.

[robi10s]

I have a really nice push mower. Brill is the brand, it's a really good one!

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by 1coolcustomer

I don't know you call them but they just have a wheel with 6 or 7 twisted blades , no electric or gas power. Are they effective and what's the best brand?

Well, I tried to use one. I love to exercise and wanted to do something more green. It didn't work out for me. My yard is too sloped and bumpy with sweetgum tree roots, making it near impossible to push the thing. I'm really bummed.