# Some things I learned in my first year



## LawnManClack (Jan 27, 2021)

This post is for the guy that either wants to start reel mowing or just bought their first reel mower and they may have questions about certain aspects of mowing with a reel, specifically a powered reel mower. This was my first year mowing my lawn with a reel mower and I wanted to offer a few things that I learned as got started on the journey. 
*DISCLAIMER:* This is based on my experience in my lawn: Bermuda grass maintained at a HOC of 0.5"-0.75." Someone with other turf types or maintained at a different HOC may have a different experience. 
1. Your lawn doesn't have to be parking lot smooth to use a reel mower. My lawn could not be described as smooth, flat or any other similar adjective. It is, in fact, very bumpy but still gets compliments almost weekly from folks that see it.

2. Don't assume that you're safe to run over an embedded object in the lawn. On my third mow of the season I noticed an egg rock that had become embedded in my turf and figured I'd be ok and proceeded to run over it. Nope. It either wasn't as embedded as deep as I thought or my roller popped it out and damaged my reel and bedknife. I was able to get a reel mower service shop to grind them out but I was much more conservative in my decision making the rest of the year after that incident.

3. Running the engine full throttle does not necessarily equal improved quality of cut. For most of the season, I ran my mower full throttle believing that if the engine was wide open, the reel would turn faster and cut better. However, in the last month or so I have found that a reduction in engine speed doesn't lead to a reduction in reel speed significant enough to reduce the quality of cut. I will also say that this leads to a more enjoyable mow.

4. Your reel can cut grass without making contact with your bedknife. My experience from #2 proved to me that your reel doesn't have to make contact with your bedknife to cut. My service guy sharpened my reel and bedknife to the point that it would cut paper with no contact. I have even been able to set up my mower since then after backlapping to do the same. I recommend purchasing a 0.001 in. (0.03 mm) feeler gauge to accomplish this. I was able to find one on Amazon.

5. Reel mowing alone will not give you a perfect lawn. You'll find that you really need to get your dirt right as much as you need to mow, if you want it to be perfect. Mowing low can expose problem areas that tall turf "hides." Just remember, there will always be something that needs improvement. The bottom line is, there is no such thing as a "perfect lawn," but there is "perfect for you."

6.The DIY lawn care community is awesome. Everyone I've come across has been super helpful. Don't hesitate to come here for advice.

Finally, my first season mowing with a reel has been extremely rewarding experience. My lawn has never looked better and I have never learned more about lawn care than I have in the past 6 months. 
I'm sure that there are other things but these are the ones that I have thought of the most recently. I don't know if this will help anyone or it won't.


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## Phids (Sep 24, 2020)

Thanks - these are pretty helpful tips.


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## kc8qpu092200 (Feb 29, 2020)

I would also add that you don't need a brand new mower. Even a used mower that at the least needs to be backlapped is money well spent. I picked up my McLane for under 200. Put a new Harbor Freight engine on it and backlapped it. Worked great and this is the best looking lawn I have ever had.


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## LawnManClack (Jan 27, 2021)

kc8qpu092200 said:


> I would also add that you don't need a brand new mower. Even a used mower that at the least needs to be backlapped is money well spent. I picked up my McLane for under 200. Put a new Harbor Freight engine on it and backlapped it. Worked great and this is the best looking lawn I have ever had.


Completely agree. I ended up mowing with both this year. I bought my McLane brand new in February and I picked up my JD used in August. Both are fine machines that do the job very well.


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