Are Reel Mowers Better for Your Lawn. Using a reel mower

15.06.2023 Fordrejurus better, mowers, reel, your

Keep your lawn a cut above with the best reel mowers

Keeping your lawn mowed eliminates pests and promotes healthy growth. Still, choosing the right lawn mower can be tricky. Gas mowers are loud and produce emissions, and battery-powered mowers can be inconvenient.

Reel mowers, on the other hand, don’t require a power source and are easy to maintain. When choosing a reel mower, you’ll want to consider the blades, cutting width and weight.

What to consider when buying a reel mower

Reel mower cutting width

Mowers with wide cutting widths help you cut your lawn faster. Many reel mowers have a 14- to 20-inch cutting width. Still, wider mowers can be more challenging to maneuver and may weigh more. Because the wheelbase is wider than the width of the reel, you’ll want to overlap slightly with each pass.

Reel mower weight

Using a reel mower can feel like an upper-body workout if you’re used to self-propelled mowers. It’s good to consider the weight when buying one, so it’s less strenuous to use.

Reel mower blades

These mowers generally have four to seven blades and a bed knife. Mowers with more blades are usually best for tall, coarse grass.

How to back lap your reel mower blades

To ensure you’re always getting a clean cut, you can sharpen up the blades with this simple method.

Get your materials: You’ll need a back-lapping compound, a paintbrush, a way to turn your blades and an abrasive.
Remove the drive wheel: Most reel mowers have a nut or pin that covers the drive wheel. The drive wheel is usually on the left side of the mower. Once you remove the wheel, you’ll see the gears that control the blades. Remove the gear, and you’ll be left with the shaft.
Adjust the blades: There are different ways to adjust your blades depending on your mower. It’s best to read your instruction manual to understand how to adjust them. You’ll want to make them come in contact with your bed knife.
Use your lapping compound: Spread the lapping mixture on your blades using a small paintbrush.
Crank your blades: Begin cranking your blades backward. Crank them for around eight to 10 minutes and apply more lapping compound. Continue cranking the blades backward until you see a thin, shiny surface.
Reassemble your mower: Put everything back together in reverse order, cleaning and greasing the parts as you go.

Reel lawnmower FAQ

Are reel mowers good for your lawn?

A. Rotary mowers leave a jagged edge on your grass. Alternatively, reel mowers function like a pair of scissors, leaving a smooth edge on the cut grass. The clean cut leads to healthier, better-looking grass.

Are reel mowers hard to push?

A. Reel mowers require upper-body strength to push. Still, they’re usually lighter than traditional mowers and shouldn’t be particularly difficult to move. If you feel your reel mower is hard to use, it may be due to bent or dull blades. You may need to sharpen the edges or bend them back in shape with a hammer.

Can you use a reel mower on wet grass?

A. They can be used on damp grass, but you shouldn’t run them through standing water. Rust may form if you let your mower sit while wet.

Are reel mowers effective on tall grass?

A. Reel mowers are best for short grass. If you own a reel mower, it’s a good idea to trim the grass at least once a week, or it may become difficult to use.

Best reel mowers

Reel mowers under 200

What you need to know: It’s easy to use and features a built-in grass catcher.

What you’ll love: It’s affordable and simple to assemble. The blades are sharp, and the grass catcher is ideal for those who want mulching capabilities. The reel is also adjustable.

What you should consider: The handle is relatively flimsy, and the blades may squeak.

What you need to know: It’s affordable and assembly is straightforward.

What you’ll love: This model is lightweight and features a simple design. Most people love how easy it is to maneuver, and the alloy steel blades stay sharp for a while.

What you should consider: The handle isn’t as durable as other reel mowers.

What you need to know: This is one of the most-affordable Fiskars reel mowers.

What you’ll love: It’s easy to assemble and use. It’s durable and efficient, and you can adjust the cutting height from 1.5-3.5 inches.

What you should consider: It isn’t as powerful as other Fiskars reel mowers.

What you need to know: It’s easy to use and features a straightforward design.

What you’ll love: Ideal for small yards, you can assemble this with no tools. The blades provide a clean cut.

What you should consider: It isn’t as durable as other reel mowers.

Reel mower above 200

What you need to know: This features a durable design and effectively cuts lawns.

What you’ll love: It’s easy to use and leaves you with a precise cut. It has an 18-inch cutting path and an adjustable handle. It’s also easy to assemble and adjust the blades.

What you should consider: It’s relatively expensive and heavy.

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Are Reel Mowers Better for Your Lawn?

Keeping your lawn healthy and neat calls for regular trimming and watering. There are many mowing tools in the market suitable for different grass heights. One of these is the reel mower. Nowadays we mostly see them in old movies, but they can still get the job done if you know how to use them – they just require more effort. Unfortunately, since they are no longer as widely used most people don’t really know the key differences between a reel mower and a newer, gas-powered mower for example. Reel mowers are different from rotary mowers in their design and functioning. The blades in a reel mower move vertically whereas those of a rotary mower spin horizontally. If you trim your lawn frequently and rarely have overgrown grass, a reel mower can be a great trimming tool for you. However, it is important to note that reel mowers work best on flat lawns and are operated manually. If your lawn lies on sloppy land, go for rotary mowers. Whether a reel mower is better for your lawn than a rotary mower depends on a lot of factors – after all, all lawns are different. This article highlights all that you need to know about reel mowers, their features, and how to use them on your lawn.

Do Reel Mowers Work on Hills?

Reel mowers are designed to trim the grass on flat lawns. Using them on hilly landscapes is time-consuming and requires more energy. Furthermore, the down and up movement can cause scalping where some parts are over-trimmed more than others which may force you to go back and try to level the grass.

This however should not prevent you from cutting your hilly lawn using a reel mower. To make it easier, mow horizontally. This will take a little more time but will give you a more even cut with minimal scalping.

To achieve a neat finish, cut the grass in small strips horizontally until you finish the grass, and check out any unevenly cut sections.

How Often Should You Mow with A Reel Mower?

How often you should cut your lawn using a reel mower depends on the height and growth rate of the grass. In hot and humid conditions, grass grows faster than during the fall.

As a rule of thumb, reel mowers are designed for trimming short grass. The ideal height of grass to mow using this type of mower is four inches but it can cut up to six inches. During favorable conditions, grass can attain the four-inch height within 5-7 days, so if you love using a reel mower you can trim your grass after every five days or weekly.

During spring, the growth rate is lower and grass matures in seven days or so. You can mow your lawn weekly up to the onset of the fall.

The growth rate decreases during winter. There is limited energy from the sun to help the grass leaves create food hence the slowed-down growth. During this season, you can cut the grass on your lawn after every 10-14 days.

Do Reel Mowers Cut Too Short?

Fortunately, newer reel mowers also have a height setting (some of the older models don’t) so you can avoid cutting too short by simply setting it correctly.

I usually recommend setting your cutting height to the highest value available, so that you don’t cut more than 1/3 of the grass blades’ total height. This will ensure that your lawn can recover easily after each cutting session, keeping it healthy in the long run.

If the blades are poorly set, they can result in a cut that is too low and scalped.

Note that cutting your lawn too short affects the health of the grass and may render your lawn untidy as it loses its green color. This topic is a bit too extensive for this article, but you can read more about the effects of mowing your lawn short or long here.

How Long Does It Take to Mow a Lawn with a Reel Mower?

The time it takes for a reel mower to properly cut a lawn depends on the following factors:

The number of blades on the mower. A reel with more blades can generally finish the job faster.
The topography of your lawn. It is easier to clear grass from a lawn on a flat piece of land than on sloped land.
The desired mowing height. If the desired height of the grass is shorter, it will take more time (and effort) to cut the grass on the lawn.
The height of the grass. Long grass is more cumbersome to trim and requires more physical input. It will take you a long time to cut long grass using a reel mower.

In addition to the above factors, reel mowers are known to take more time to cut grass than rotary mowers on lawns of similar sizes.

If you are trimming an average lawn with 4-inch grass using a reel mower, it will take you about 15 more minutes compared to using a rotary mower. However, the bigger the lawn the bigger this difference will get.

Hi! I’m Peter, the owner of BackyardGadget. Working around the house has always been a big part of my life. I’ve created this site to share my experience, and to help people choose the right tools for the job. Thank you for stopping by!

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Hi! I’m Peter, the owner of BackyardGadget. Working around the house has always been a big part of my life. I’ve created this site to share my experience, and to help people choose the right tools for the job. Thank you for stopping by!

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Keep your lawn a cut above with the best reel mowers

Reel mowers, on the other hand, don’t require a power source and are easy to maintain. When choosing a reel mower, you’ll want to consider the blades, cutting width and weight.