Manual Push Lawn Mowers

Well before any mechanical lawn mowers were available, you had manual push lawn mowers. Also called reel mowers because of the design of the blades, manual push mowers have managed to stay in use despite gas powered and electric lawn mowers. In some cases, preference of the reel type mower blades has prompted some surprising innovations.

Now, before going any further it might be helpful to explain the difference between the reel mower blade system and the current blade system employed on most lawn mowers, the rotary blade system. Reel mower blades are arranged in a cylindrical shape and cut grass from a perpendicular direction from the ground. The blade makes contact with the grass and cycle back around. Rotary blades hove above the grass at a specific distance parallel to the ground and spin in a circular motion.

There is some debate as to which type of blade system provides the best lawn care. Some focus on the fact that reel mowers have a harder time cutting tall grass and weeds than rotary mowers do. At the same time, it has been documented that the slice and dice action leaves grass vulnerable to disease and other problem whereas the reel lawn mower provides a much more precision, scissor-like cut, which is healthier.

Manual push lawn mowers do have some obvious advantages. They do not cost money in fuel or electric power to operate; all you need is your own two feet and a bit of will power and you can mow your lawn in silence--no loud growling engines!

But this has not stopped some manufacturers from developing power reel mowers. The McLane reel mower is a prime example of this integration of the traditional reel mower with standard power sources in its gas powered reel mower models. Yet, it is not always the reel mower itself. Often, the work of manual push lawn mowers is expanded to cover more ground and shorten the time it takes to get the lawn mowed. Using tractors and other vehicle, larger pull behind reel mowers are used to make quick work of trimming the grass in unused pastures and fields. Reel gang mowers operate on the same principle but differ in that usually multiple smaller reel mowers are linked together hence the term "gang."

As with any mower, both maintenance and reel mower repair will be needed eventually. With larger reel units, contacting a commercial reel mower repair expert will be the best bet, but a smaller push reel mower should not be too difficult to fix on your own. Although some may choose to buy a new one, a slightly used one could be just as good. (You would hardly go wrong buying a used Toro reel mower.)