Our old lawnmower needed so tune up work done on it. New oil, carburetor flush out, etc. It had gotten to the point where it would start and then stop a couple seconds later.
A few weeks back, I had been researching how to do some of the repairs myself and stumbled upon an article about those old fashioned reel mowers and how people are starting to use them again for a variety of reasons including being better to the environment, being cheaper, and nostalgia.
I started calling to get the lawnmower repaired and found out it was going to cost about $75-100 and they were going to be able to come to our house which was nice since we were not going to have much free time to drive it somewhere.
I casually mentioned to BAGM that I was considering looking into buying one of those old fashioned push mowers in the fall/winter when I assumed that the prices would drop a little. I wasn’t going to buy one now because nobody had them in stock and we desperately needed the lawn mowed.
Then, over the weekend, we happened to pop into a Home Depot to kill a few minutes while waiting for a phone call and noticed they had the Scotts 20 inch push reel mower
I tried it out last night and think it is going to do a fine job for us once I get the weeds under control. We have a lot of crab grass that ranges from 4 to 10 inches and this mower does not handle them well. I’m going to take a weed whacker to them. But it does a great job of cutting the actual grass.
I noticed a couple other perks, too:
- It is very quiet – so I will be able to easily listen to music while I mow
- It takes up less space in our ever crowded garage
- No gas or oil to keep track of/keep the kids out of/buy
- No fumes. It has to be better for the environment which makes me feel good
- It is very quiet – so it doesn’t bug the kids
That last one is pretty huge. Pookie hates loud, scary noises. He would always need to go inside when I mowed in the past. Last night, he happily played in the yard while I mowed. Geetle also enjoyed the new quietness and followed me around the lawn with their little toy push mower. So now I’ll be able to mow even when BAGM isn’t around.
And since it is so quiet, I can mow early in the morning or late at night without worrying about waking up my kids or the neighbor’s kids.
Pretty cool little gizmo for a gizmo nerd like me.
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My Dad had one of those several years ago when they lived in Arizona and didn’t have much grass. He actually managed to bend the blades once when he hadn’t mowed for a few weeks! But otherwise, he loved it. I’ve considered getting us one of those, but with a self-propelled mower it takes us at least two hours to do our lawn. That’s already two hours too long and I’m not willing to give up any more time on it (or time with my family/husband when he mows). Although, when it’s time for a new mower maybe we can get two of those for the less than a regular one and both work on it (or get the boys to help).
I started the season with a reel mower, but I had too many weeds, so we bought an electric mower until I can do a better job of maintaining our grass… and not the weeds. LOL!
Good idea Mike. I’m all for that. The only thing that’s getting me is the cost. $130+. Really?
I’m sure it’s pretty lightweight as well, which is a plus.
One of my few memories of my Grandpa Hart was him pushing a reel mower around their little yard in Elkhorn. Now I can very easily imagine you pushing yours around your yard. You are a foot taller,40 years younger and no gray hair….but the mower works the same. flashback to 1960. Love MOM
I remember my grandparents had one of these. I always thought it looked like too much work. heh!!
I guess it wouldn’t work for hubby. We have 6 acres to mow. I doubt he would want to push mow all of it! But think of the exercise!
Thanks for the flashback to my younger days!
Mike, you gotta “mod” your mower, like this one:
http://www.baddadradio.com/images/motorcycle-lawn-mower.jpg
Roland, that’s a great Easy Rider mower. Unfortunately, we have a steep hill from the front yard to the back and I can’t mow on something that legitimately would need a helmet.
That does remind me of my uncle that decorated his riding mower to look like his favorite NASCAR car.