Hand Push Lawn Mower

[Gem99ultra]

One thing for certain... if rScotty does find just the right reel type push mower for his wife, he'll have some 'Yard Art' within 6 months! And probably be without a wife.

 

[radios1]

Yes, in the original post I guess I should have mentioned that what I'm looking for is info on the non-motorized reel type hand push mowers of yesteryear. But I want to get a good one.... and not too large. I remember some as being difficult to push, and others worked very nicely. Our climate here is dry - sort of arid, in fact - and the grass is sparse.

Anyway, I want to give the old style mower a try.
rScotty

is your wife a weightlifter?. people that buy the non-motorized version sell them quickly, too much effort without the motor..

 

[rScotty]

Aww... you guys are just goofing on us. I LIKE to push a lawnmower around - as long as it's just for us and not as a full time job. And this is a decent excuse to get a good tool to enjoy - that's a win/win in my book. Plus some exercise, too.

For that matter, my wife feels the same way. I'm betting that most of your wives do too. Now I'll admit we don't exactly wrestle to see who gets to mow, but face it, this isn't carrying bricks and bales, mucking stalls, or plowing a field.

Mowing a lawn just isn't all that much effort. A friendly thing, and kinda nice to do it without a motor roaring. Mowing a field is different.....

Sure we use our tractors a lot, but their job is do do things we simply can't do by hand. This is an excuse to get a good little mower.

How else you going to stay in shape while enjoying some work?
rScotty

 

[Big Barn]

rScotty, I have to ask. Have you ever used a ground drive ( non motorized) reel mower?

Quite a bit different from pushing a non self propelled rotary mower.

 

[radios1]

Maybe the answer .....

cut a piece of grass with sharp scissors, and compare the cut with what this does, this can't come close to the sharp clean cuts a reel mower makes!..

 

[Big Barn]

cut a piece of grass with sharp scissors, and compare the cut with what this does, this can't come close to the sharp clean cuts a reel mower makes!..

Yes. But ONLY when reel blade to bedknife is in proper adjustment.

 

[rScotty]

rScotty, I have to ask. Have you ever used a ground drive ( non motorized) reel mower?

Quite a bit different from pushing a non self propelled rotary mower.

Yes, that's the kind I'm talking about...

I guess I'm old enough that when I say, ".....hand pushed" I just naturally think of those as being the non-self-propelled reel type mowers. And I think of "motorized" as having a motor to turn the blade, but it didn't drive the mower's wheels. When I was a kid cutting lawns with my buddys for weekend pocket money, self-propelled lawn mowers where the engine both drives the cuter and the wheels were somewhere off in the future. They probably existed, but not in our section of the rural South..

Frankly, most people where I grew up didn't want to pay to have their lawn cut with any kind of powered mower. There was an old lady who had one with a motor that spun the blade in a horizontal plane like a lot of modern ones - and she would sometimes loan it to us kids. We loved it of course, but most people didn't want their lawn cut that way. It left the grass kinda shaggy, and threw rocks and dirt in the process of scalping the high spots. It pushed easier than a reel type, but we still had to push it. The only advantage was it was faster. Most people preferred to have their lawns cut with a hand push type reel mower. There is a trick to getting the reel spinning fast enough to trim nicely up under hedges and right up against walls where you want the reel spinning but not much forward motion. Anyone who has used one will know what I mean.
rScotty

 

[bcp]

If it gets too hard and tiring to push, you can power it.

Bruce

 

[Pote]

Hey all, let me be a typical forum guy - tossing out a slightly on-topic, unsolicited opinion. In the last 3 years I've bought the Toro self propelled, personal pace electric start w/ rear wheel drive and a troy-bilt self propelled front drive electric start. Hands down the troy-bilt blows away the Toro to me. Here's why. The Toro doesnt start worth crap and the rear wheel drive will kick your butt pulling it backwards (which is what you do alot when trimming out with a push mower). The Troy-bilt starts super easy, is front wheel drive and and pulls backwards much easier. I find FWD is more natural when you push the handle down to lift and turn. The bagger is a little clumsy but between the 2, I run the Troy-bilt way more that the Toro. Electric start is the way to go for the little lady, too. Except I cant get mine off the Deere long enough to mow by hand!

 

[mopardude318]

Hard to beat a Honda

Honda Lawn Mowers - HRX HRR HRC HRS Mowers

 

[Industrial Toys]

Just out of curiosity. What do you suppose those old cast iron push mowers weighed? I don't think I ever saw one that had paint on it anymore.

 

[MossRoad]

Hey all, let me be a typical forum guy - tossing out a slightly on-topic, unsolicited opinion. In the last 3 years I've bought the Toro self propelled, personal pace electric start w/ rear wheel drive and a troy-bilt self propelled front drive electric start. Hands down the troy-bilt blows away the Toro to me. Here's why. The Toro doesnt start worth crap and the rear wheel drive will kick your butt pulling it backwards (which is what you do alot when trimming out with a push mower). The Troy-bilt starts super easy, is front wheel drive and and pulls backwards much easier. I find FWD is more natural when you push the handle down to lift and turn. The bagger is a little clumsy but between the 2, I run the Troy-bilt way more that the Toro. Electric start is the way to go for the little lady, too. Except I cant get mine off the Deere long enough to mow by hand!

If your Toro doesn't start worth a crap, there's something wrong with it. My father in law's Toro starts first pull for the past 10 years. I have no problem pulling it backwards, but yes, a front wheel drive mower will pull back easier if you push down on the handle just a bit. However, front drive going up a hill tends to slip more than rear drive. Flat land I find no difference.

 

[MossRoad]

Just out of curiosity. What do you suppose those old cast iron push mowers weighed? I don't think I ever saw one that had paint on it anymore.

20-30ish pounds, I'd guess.

 

[Thomas]

I use heavy duty trimmer cut grass out enough so the rider can mow the rest.

 

[rScotty]

I use heavy duty trimmer cut grass out enough so the rider can mow the rest.

And that might be the answer, Thomas.
I've found that on a little lawn if I use a basic electric string trimmer to cut the places that are tricky,the rest of the lawn easy enough with any kind of mower.
Hand push, electric, gas, self-driven, .... on a little lawn it doesn't much matter what mower to use once the string trimmer has done the difficult parts.

Thanks, that's just what I'm going to do.
rScotty

 

[MossRoad]

For about 10 years now, I've had a $150 push mower with a Honda engine. I think it's a Husky brand from TSC or Rural King. It is NOT self propelled. I use it in our little courtyard area that's about 18' by 30', and in our garden on the paths. It has large rear tires, so it rolls really easily. If you're considering a push-type reel mower, but it sounds too hard, and you don't want a self-propelled mower, this type of mower is a great compromise. I highly recommend it. I've even mowed about 1/2 an acre with it when my tractor was down for repairs. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

For about 10 years now, I've had a $150 push mower with a Honda engine. I think it's a Husky brand from TSC or Rural King. It is NOT self propelled. I use it in our little courtyard area that's about 18' by 30', and in our garden on the paths. It has large rear tires, so it rolls really easily. If you're considering a push-type reel mower, but it sounds too hard, and you don't want a self-propelled mower, this type of mower is a great compromise. I highly recommend it. I've even mowed about 1/2 an acre with it when my tractor was down for repairs. :thumbsup:

Looks just like this one. 21" push mower with a 149cc engine. $199 at TSC today. Could probably find it for less on sale some day. I highly recommend it over a push-type reel mower. You can bag or mulch or side discharge.

 

[Industrial Toys]

AS a kid, I would have guess a couple hundred pounds. But 30 pounds does seem a bit light. Didn't the wheels even have weights to facilitate traction?

 

[BukitCase]

"I use heavy duty trimmer cut grass out enough so the rider can mow the rest. "
"And that might be the answer, Thomas. - Thanks, that's just what I'm going to do."

And ANOTHER MARRIAGE SAVED - TBN wins AGAIN ...Steve

 

[MossRoad]

AS a kid, I would have guess a couple hundred pounds. But 30 pounds does seem a bit light. Didn't the wheels even have weights to facilitate traction?

This modern one weighs about 21#
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