Are Reel Mowers for Sale?
Green Landscaping Heats Up
© 2008 by Kelly Smith all rights reserved
You bet they’re for sale! It had to happen, didn't it? The combination of the green landscaping movement and
high gasoline costs have conspired to bring back that old standard, the reel lawnmower. If
you've used on years ago, your age is showing. But these modern push mowers aren’t the
ones that grandpa kept in his shed.
How a Reel Lawn Mower Works
A motorized or electric rotary mower works by spinning the single blade in a circle at
a high rate of speed. This action has a ripping effect which severs the top part of the grass
blade from the bottom.
Better models feature a mulching blade which eliminates the need for raking or bagging the
clippings. Reel lawn mowers, on the other hand, feature a blade assembly that rotate around
a central, horizontal reel.
The rotation of the wheels is translated to a rapid spinning of the reel through the use of gearing.
Because of the way this operates, the cutting action has been described as "scissor-like".
Advantages of Reel Mowers
These mowers have some very real advantages -
- No gasoline to buy. This is a real money saver in the long run.
- They’re quiet. Wouldn’t you rather listen to your MP3 player rather than a motorized
mower? I know I would!
- They start every time. As long as you’re motivated, that is. I used to have a gas model that
broke down about once a month, requiring a mechanical fix. Who wants to spend all day on a one
hour chore?
- Lightweight. Without a motor, there’s really very little to weigh these babies down.
This is a decided advantage if you need to load it up in the pick-up or in the trunk.
Top Mower Manufacturers
Those landscape equipment manufacturers that are already in the game are well placed to cash in on
the sudden interest in these environment-friendly machines. For German engineering, go for a Brill
Razorcut 38. It features 5 blades which it claims can go up to eight years between sharpening!
As you might expect, Scotts is heavily in the game. One of their best sellers is the Scotts
Classic Reel Mower. It also has 5 blades but they will need to be sharpened every season or every other
season, depending on usage. The advantage to this model is its high cutting height (3 inches).
Sunlawn chimes in with their LMM series of mowers. They will cut lawns as high as 2.2 inches and
they also feature 5 blades with an estimated eight years between sharpening.
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