Green Landscaping and Gardening - Reel Mower Performance
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bcpbcp
08-01-09, 01:43 PM
Hello,
Does anyone get great performance from their manual reel mower? If so, what type do you have and how do you do it?
I have an 18" craftsman reel mower I bought last spring and have been using it all season. I did a bit of research and in general people said they were harder to push (bad) but gave a beautiful result (good). I've found the opposite to be true...
My reel mower is easy to push, but our yard looks bad compared to our gas mowing neighbors. I've never gotten a smooth cut. A lot of the grass simply bends out of the way, without the suction of a rotary blade, there is nothing to straighten it up. The grass it cuts is ragged even when I overlap half the width of the lawn mower.
I've tried adjusting the cutting bar to cut strips of paper. I can get both sides to cut well, but the middle doesn't cut. If I tighten it more, the edges catch on the cutting bar. Is this typical? Do you think there is a problem with my mower?
Thank You
Does anyone get great performance from their manual reel mower? If so, what type do you have and how do you do it?
I have an 18" craftsman reel mower I bought last spring and have been using it all season. I did a bit of research and in general people said they were harder to push (bad) but gave a beautiful result (good). I've found the opposite to be true...
My reel mower is easy to push, but our yard looks bad compared to our gas mowing neighbors. I've never gotten a smooth cut. A lot of the grass simply bends out of the way, without the suction of a rotary blade, there is nothing to straighten it up. The grass it cuts is ragged even when I overlap half the width of the lawn mower.
I've tried adjusting the cutting bar to cut strips of paper. I can get both sides to cut well, but the middle doesn't cut. If I tighten it more, the edges catch on the cutting bar. Is this typical? Do you think there is a problem with my mower?
Thank You
furd
08-01-09, 08:36 PM
Yes, there is a problem with the mower. Reel mowers are the best but they need a craftsman to sharpen and properly align the blades. Your blade is either poorly sharpened or bent if the "cutting bar" cannot be adjusted to cut cleanly across the entire width.
If you bought this mower new then I suggest that you take it back; if you bought it used then you need to find an old-timer that knows how to sharpen a reel mower and have him fix it.
If you bought this mower new then I suggest that you take it back; if you bought it used then you need to find an old-timer that knows how to sharpen a reel mower and have him fix it.