Reel mowers

Flower & Garden Magazine, June-July, 1995 by Marty Ross

Reel Mowers are Ideal For gardeners with small lawns and regular habits. They are efficient, inexpensive and, above all, quiet. They don't smell bad, smoke, run out of gas, or need a 100-foot extension cord. But if you use a reel mower, frequent mowing will be necessary. Do not buy a reel mower as your only lawn mower if you tend to put off mowing until grass and weeds have grown 6 inches tall.

There are a surprising number of reel mowers on the market today, and shopping for one can be a little confusing. They weigh between 19 and 40 pounds. Most have four or five blades; one model has seven. They can be adjusted to cut as close as 1/2 inch or as high as 3 inches and mow a swath of grass from 14 to 20 inches wide. Wheel sizes range from 8-1/2 to 10 inches. Most have T-bar handles, but a couple of them have a U-shaped grip, like power mowers. The prices begin at $99 and go up to $250.

Old-fashioned reel mowers with beautiful wooden handles and cast-iron blades turn up occasionally at garage sales, but pass these bargains up. Today's reel mowers are much lighter and better engineered.

"It gets a little tough" to decide which one to buy, says Jim Hewitt, vice president of The American Lawn Mower Co./Great States Corp., in Shelbyville, Indiana. The company has been in the reel mower business for 100 years and makes 10 of the 11 mowers on the market. "The more blades, the more cuts per foot of travel," Hewitt says, "but here's the other real factor: the type of grass being mowed."

The company's seven-blade model is designed for low-growing, creeping grasses such as bentgrass. This type of mower is used to manicure the greens at golf courses; it is simply too precise for taller grass.

Four or five blades is all you need for cool-season fescues, bluegrass and ryegrass or warm-season Bermuda, zoysia, centipede, or St. Augustine lawns. The lowest-priced mowers usually have four blades and a 14-inch cutting width. As soon as you move up to five blades, there are more options (cutting width, wheel size and mowing-height settings). Heavier models are efficient once they are in motion but are obviously easiest on level ground.

A five-blade model with 10-inch wheels weighing in the neighborhood of 30 pounds is a good, medium-sized reel mower. It is versatile enough for most lawns and most gardeners. The cutting width is a generous 18 inches and the maximum height setting is 2-1/4 inches. This range is 1/4 inch over the minimum mowing height recommended for most cool-season grasses in summer, and works just fine for warm-season lawns, with the possible exception of St. Augustine, which is sensitive to short cutting. Mowers of this size are carried by Smith Hawken, Gardener's Supply Co. and other mail-order sources. They are widely available at garden centers and hardware stores, and Sears sells one under the Craftsman label. The price range is from $99 to about $125.

The heaviest and most expensive reel mower on the market is made by Agri-Fab, an Illinois company that also makes lawn rollers, wheelbarrows and other equipment. Their 40-pound, six-blade, "silent reel" mower has 9-inch wheels and cuts 18 inches wide. The cutting height is adjustable from 1/2 to 2-1/4 inches. It is available at Home Depot stores and through Smith & Hawken, among other outlets, and costs between $200 and $250.

The Scott's Classic reel mower, new this year from American/Great States, is unique for its four-wheel design. It has 10-inch wheels on the front and 6-inch wheels in back. The back wheels eliminate drag and make the mower very easy to push. It will even mow through tall grass, according to tool testers who have tried it. This mower cuts a 20-inch swath and the cutting height can be adjusted up to 3 inches. It is also quite light: only 34 pounds. The price range is from around $110 to $150.

If you store your reel mower out of the weather and keep the blades clean (wipe them off after you cut the grass), they will only need to be sharpened every two or three years. You can take the mower to an experienced professional who will hone the blades for around $25, or do it yourself with a sharpening kit available where mowers are sold. Most places that sell reel mowers also sell a grass-catcher attachment.

Choosing a reel mower is about like picking a horse race; there are a lot of ways to look at it. Ten-inch wheels are considered a little easier to push than 8-inch wheels. For light use, a four-blade model with a narrow mowing width should be just fine. Reel mowers are quiet and pleasant to work with, and they give a very clean, healthy cut, but they should be used frequently. You may need a power mower, too, in case the grass gets too high while you're on vacation, or you want to mow over leaves in the fall. The turf specialist at your local nursery should be able to answer questions about specific mowing heights for various types of grasses in your climate.

Remember, you supply the power a reel mower needs to cut, so it is important to feel comfortable with the machine. Visit a garden center on a weekday, when the staff is not too busy, and ask to test a display model. Pricing is flexible, so shop around.