Push mower?

[ranchwest]

Anyone used a (non-motorized) push mower? How well do they cut grass? Is there one you recommend?

[Sailwolf]

Anyone used a (non-motorized) push mower? How well do they cut grass? Is there one you recommend?

How much grass are you cutting? anything more than a small lot of grass, too much physical activity

[OTM Al]

They work great as long as your lot is flat and you keep them sharpened

[Murph]

They work great as long as your lot is flat and you keep them sharpenedAND well lubricated. They give your lawn a very nice "manicured" look, too. Mine had spool bearings that I could grease as needed, some of them use sealed bearings and I think they are harder to push because of friction.

[ljb]

This thread is just more evidence of the neocon's goals of lowering the standard of living for the middle class is working. Fortunately they seem to have peaked and the country is turning around and heading in the correct direction. We can take this country back from the military-industrial complex and make it a country of, for and by the people once again. Cheers !
ps unless you have a very small yard expect to spend the better part of a day cutting grass with a push mower.

[wonatthewire1]

This thread is just more evidence of the neocon's goals of lowering the standard of living for the middle class is working. Fortunately they seem to have peaked and the country is turning around and heading in the correct direction. We can take this country back from the military-industrial complex and make it a country of, for and by the people once again. Cheers !
ps unless you have a very small yard expect to spend the better part of a day cutting grass with a push mower.


I got a push mower yesterday right after finishing my 2nd job (the one I work on weekends not the 3rd job that I do 4 nights a week) but had a tough time getting it home on my bike. The sales guy said it was an easy assembly, but I've been trying since 4am to get it put together and now I've got to take the bike back to my 2nd job as my shift starts at noon.

Maybe I can get back to it tonight for awhile - from 9pm to midnight I can work on it but no later as I've got to get a couple of hours sleep before I go to my full time job tomorrow. This middle class lifestyle is hard!

Fortunately, I do have a couple of rabbits that eat some of the grass - they help some and if I'm lucky, I catch one of them and we can eat for free that day.

I hope that the liberals take back the WH so I can stop sending all my money to the fat cats on Wall Street or the military industrial complex to continue the never-ending-war against everybody on earth. And, I don't want to be afraid of my own shadow anymore

[ElKabong]

I bought a Scotts in February. It cuts a 30" path, very easy to use. Google cleanairgardening.com (in Dallas) for details. Don't buy the Brills models, it won't cut the kind of grass we have in the Metreoplex well.

I've seen your yard, it would suffice. It doesn't give the manicured look that my Honda HR does, I have to go over a few spots twice. Also, since you have a lot of tall trees (like I do) you'll have a lot of "prep" work beforehand. Twigs, leaves, etc have to raked or picked up. Just have your wife do that chore.

Positives...
No gas to pour, no oil to change.
Don't have to start it. You push it. It goes.
Allergy problems are lessened. The push reel clips the blades. Power mowers have a vacuum action to them, which kicks up the grass and dirt/ dust.
You move quicker than you do w/ a power mower.
Your dog Sam won't get his eyes popped out by flying projectiles from the mower.

Negatives
The "vacuum" action of a power mower is partly responsible for that manicured look. My honda HR cuts more precise (but i use the Scotts push reel)
Some areas, like around trees, you'll need a weed wacker. Most push reels won't cut too close to objects.

All in all I would recommend it, knowing your yard is relatively flat. It's a good choice for the environment, less expensive, doesn't smell up the garage w/ teh gas smell after usage.

[GameTheory]

This thread is just more evidence of the neocon's goals of lowering the standard of living for the middle class is working. Fortunately they seem to have peaked and the country is turning around and heading in the correct direction. We can take this country back from the military-industrial complex and make it a country of, for and by the people once again. Cheers !
WHY IN THE WORLD would you post something like this in a thread about lawn mowers? Do you really find it productive to ruin every conversation on this forum? Why doesn't this sort of thing get you kicked off this board? It makes me not want to read it, I'll tell you that...

[dutchboy]

Home about a mile from where I live has the lawn planted in native prairie grass and wild flowers. Very little maintenance and it really is quite pretty. The natural state retains the rainfall. I would assume they save quite a bit of money just from not paying for the cost of water. Rumor is that the cost of water will soon be more critical that the price of gas.

Interesting to know how many people on this website grew up before power mowers were invented. We did not have one for 20 years and used a hand pushed mower along the sidewalk and left everything else alone. That was before the eco wacko's started annoying everyone.

[Pace Cap'n]

Remember the reel-type power mowers?

[chickenhead]

I just use scissors, but I've got a lot of time on my hands.

[Marshall Bennett]

Mowing takes my mind away from all the bullshit in the world . Even an old clunker with dull blades , I don't care , as long as it runs and cuts grass . :p

[ljb]

WHY IN THE WORLD would you post something like this in a thread about lawn mowers? Do you really find it productive to ruin every conversation on this forum? Why doesn't this sort of thing get you kicked off this board? It makes me not want to read it, I'll tell you that...
Sorry, forgot you rightys hate hearing the truth no matter where it is posted or where it comes from. :D
Fact is this (push lawnmower) thing is a fine example of what is going on in this country today. The neocons don't jump up and grab your money they nickel and dime you. That way most folks don't know why they have to cut back on some of the things they used to do. Tom just talked about getting a different car on another thread. Not even realizing he is doing this out of necessity. His selections are based on gas mileage. Remember the good ol days when we could get the ride we wanted cause it was the coolest machine around ?

[Marshall Bennett]

Especially bullshit such as that ^

[boxcar]

Sorry, forgot you rightys hate hearing the truth no matter where it is posted or where it comes from. :D
Fact is this (push lawnmower) thing is a fine example of what is going on in this country today.

Not in my part of the country it isn't. I l just love my noisy, fumy, gas-eating Toro mulcher. It does such a great job, I wouldn't trade it in for a pot of gold.

Boxcar

[HUSKER55]

Yo know what boys and girls. A push mower may not be the worse thing to do. Years back they used to sell kits with 12" wheels (with gears) that would really spin the blade as you walked. (faster than normal).

It would be a good exercise regime for all of us. Ya know, live longer and be a real pain in the grandkids ass.

My granddad used to chop wood during the summer and sell it during the winter just to have something to do. Kept him healthy as an ox.

Think of it as being "health conscious" and "working out your frustrations".

husker55

:)

[Pell Mell]

I've been thinking about a push mower also. I've looked at a couple of models but can't make up my mind. One is called the "Liberal-Matic" and it looks like a no frills item. The initial price seems low but there are some drawbacks in that there is a meter on the wheels and I think that after a period of time a wheel tax kicks in. Also it is a two way push mower in that if you push it too hard it pushes back.

The other is a fancy job and looks well built with sharp blades. It called a "Conserve-a-Cut". It's not cheap and it only works good when there are no obstacles in the lawn. It also has a tendency to wander onto other people's lawns which may create friction with your neighbor if he doesn't like his lawn that short.

I found another that I think I will buy. It's made by the "See-more-Do-less" company and it's cheap but won't last long and that's why I like it because I didn't want to cut the lawn anyway.:rolleyes:

[Shenanigans]

I use goats for my lawn and when they get old and fat enough, I let my Mexican help butcher one up for their freezer every now and then. It's a small deal I cut with them as long as they don't seek out government assistance and free-load off my future social security dime. So far, they seem to be fine with one goat a month in the freezer verses free funding from the government. I just hope they don't talk with any of their friends and get any "better" ideas. The lawn looks great and the help is happy.

[Tom]

I'm looking for someone to push mine for me.
There is more to life than mowing the grass. :eek:

[JustRalph]

This place gets more goofy by the minute

[OTM Al]

No kidding. I thought I was just trying to help someone decide if they wanted to buy a push mower......Its too bad we don't have a "Bar" section for off topic in which, as in all proper bars, it is allowed to talk about anything but politics and religion

[Marshall Bennett]

I'm was hoping someone might post a short cut to raking leaves , now thats a real pain in the butt !! :p

[Tom]

Mulch them with your power mower. Or bag them with it.
You have to start early enough to avoid the big piles.
I have a blower, but it is still a lot of work.

Now, if I could just mow up those apples!

[lsbets]

I'm was hoping someone might post a short cut to raking leaves , now thats a real pain in the butt !! :p

That's one advantage to having no trees in most of DFW. You have trees in Houston? :lol:

[OTM Al]

Mulch them with your power mower. Or bag them with it.
You have to start early enough to avoid the big piles.
I have a blower, but it is still a lot of work.

Now, if I could just mow up those apples!

Now there is where you need the goat!

[Grits]

This is the funniest thread.

I have a John Deere riding mower, and a Toro push mower, but its self propelled, so I don't know if that counts. I do know that it stays in the utility house a whole lot more than my John Deere.

I have to admit too, I have "mow and blow" guys. I'm not good with the weed eater and the edging, and I don't like all the fall leaf raking, so I need 'em. If I had a small yard the Toro would be perfect. And one day, I will. I'm getting to old for the yard.

Of note: If your "mow and blow" guys are Mexican, don't put any "Round-Up" in a hand held pump sprayer. They'll kill in one hour, what it'll take you to purchase in one year. :faint:

[ranchwest]

Thanks to all. Some of it was quite useful, some was funny, some was just interesting in an odd sort of way. lol

Elkabong, thanks, looks like you gave the best answer. As you said, my yard isn't all that big. Maybe 1/4 acre for the whole lot and a lot of that is not a mowing area.

[ranchwest]

I guess I wasn't the only one with an interest. Clean Air Gardening is out of stock on the Scotts mower.

[Marshall Bennett]

That's one advantage to having no trees in most of DFW. You have trees in Houston? :lol:
Well , we moved to a lake north of the city years ago because of the quiet nights , fresh air , and beleive it or not , TREES . Tom's mulching of the leaves works well , its the damn tight spots around the house and the gutters that gripe my ass . The neighbor to the north has huge pines so when a northern blows in , I have to start over again . :p

[Steve 'StatMan']

My then-wife bought one back in the early 90's. I was working far too much overtime and wasn't around to mow the lawn often. She was intimidated using the power mower plus couldn't stand the noice, and found one in a catalog, ordered it by mail for about $75 (again, 90's prices). She was comfortable with it, and I used it when had the power mower wasn't working but no time to get it fixed.

Problem for us - you must mow the lawn often, usually every 3 days. Do not wait a week or longer. The grass will grow higher than the front of the push mower, and when you go over it, it will push some of the grass flat. Then the blades pass over the squished long grass that is laying even, and miss most of it, and then it pops back up. You can go over and over it, but it won't get it, and you'll have a funny looking yard of mixed cut and long grass that will start to go to seed. Weeds and dandelions are a similar factor. Since I didn't put stuff on the lawn, the yard looked pretty poor. It was fine we we kept it up constantly, but when her and I we not available on a constant basis, that was the real problem.

Made the neighbors much happier when I hired a lawn service and they took care of all that stuff. Then my retired neighbor would quickly go out and mow his grass so it wasn't longer than mine again. LOL (Will was a great guy!)

[bill]

easiest way to rake and pile

lay out a tarp rake leaves onto it move to where you want them piled

[cmoore]

I'm was hoping someone might post a short cut to raking leaves , now thats a real pain in the butt !! :p

Who rakes leaves..I just use my self propelled mulching mower..I go over them again and again until they disappear. It works great..

[Shenanigans]

Who rakes leaves..I just use my self propelled mulching mower..I go over them again and again until they disappear. It works great..

Goats....

[ranchwest]

Another reason to have a non-powered mower is that in this area when there's an ozone alert you can't use a power mower.

[juanepstein]

get a couple sheep then you can spin thread and make sweaters every fall.

[ranchwest]

get a couple sheep then you can spin thread and make sweaters every fall.

Uh, I don't think I want to spin yarns... if you know what I mean.

[Shenanigans]

I just saw on the evening news that the sales of non-engine push mowers are going up along with wood burning stoves and clothes drying racks. We're all going to be Amish in about 2 years by the sounds of it.

[Marshall Bennett]

I just saw on the evening news that the sales of non-engine push mowers are going up along with wood burning stoves and clothes drying racks. We're all going to be Amish in about 2 years by the sounds of it.
...and by the looks of the housing market , living out of a cave . :p