# DIY McLane Grass Catcher



## seebryango (Feb 21, 2019)

Seeing as how every replacement part of McLane reel mowers cost 10x more than what most of us pay for them, I am not willing to spend $150 on a grass catcher for a mower that I got for free.... so I am thinking about making my own.

I was thinking about cutting up a rubbermaid tote of some sort that is the same width as my reel, or bending some thin sheet metal (I have seen pics of very old McLanes with metal catchers).

Has anyone done something like this before or is it best to look for a scrap mower with a catcher and buy the whole thing?


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

The OEM catcher kind of sucks if you're mowing 3/4" or lower and you're using a roller on the front; it either rubs constantly on the roller or you tilt it back and any bump you hit knocks it off. I think the problem you'd have making it out of a rubbermaid tote is that as soon as you cut part of that lip at the top away the thing turns into a wet lasagna noodle.

You could look on craigslist for a used top toolbox, gut it and use that and probably have far better results.


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

Funny you should mention. I'd noticed the batshizzy price for a replacement McLane grass catcher too. Thought I must be dreaming!
So i did this for my 17" McLane push mower:


It's a catcher for a Fiskars 18" Stay Sharp Max. The lower hooks looked like they might fit on the front of the McLane, and -lo!- they did. I secured the upper hooks of the catcher with hardware from a car battery hold down kit that I happened to have lying around. $26 incl. Amazon Prime free shipping vs. $135 for the OEM replacement catcher from McLane. yeah I think I stick with this even though it says "Fiskars" on the front. I can always spray paint that white lettering out if it bothers me. The battery hooks work better turned around from the way I have them here in the picture and I put a couple of 7/8" collar clamps on the cross bar for the lower hooks, but they're probably not really doing anything much. It works as good as I need it to.

In thinking about this particular mower and about grass catchers in general, I stumbled across the metalworking technique of rod bending. The supports of the stock McLane grass catcher are connected to the catcher by bent rods. As it happened, I ended up using a pair of bent rod battery hold down pieces with the Fiskars catcher as I had the hooks in a tool chest and they basically fit the mower. The least expensive rod bending gizmos I can find are around $65 on ebay, and about $25 more at Harbor Freight, and maybe I'll go that route eventually. Rather than submit to McLane's outrageous pricing, I'll learn how to fabricate metal hooks. I'll buy the tool to do the job myself; because you still have the tool and have acquired the basic skill long after the immediate need/task is fulfilled. So it's like an investment in oneself, right? Some opinionated people -wives for example, or therapists, or Marie Kondo- might say that's just a _rationale_, just a flimsy excuse to fill the garage with more junk like a common hoarder. But what do they know? it might actually prove to be a valuable tool and skill that pays off over the years. You just don't know when it will pay off.


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## rjw0283 (May 11, 2020)

Groundskeeper Willie said:


> Funny you should mention. I'd noticed the batshizzy price for a replacement McLane grass catcher too. Thought I must be dreaming!
> So i did this for my 17" McLane push mower:
> 
> 
> ...


I like your attitude! I justify all the special tools I own based on how much it would cost for someone to do the work for me. 
That is how I ended up with all my air conditioner tools, I installed a mini split in my garage and ended up buying all the special tools for FAR FAR way less than they quoted for an install. I've acquired a lot of specialized crap over the years using this logic, but HEYYY, I am a more capable dude because of it!! Chains saws, to ethernet crimpers, to coax cable crimpers and everything else they rip you off for!!!


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## seebryango (Feb 21, 2019)

Groundskeeper Willie said:


> So it's like an investment in oneself, right? Some opinionated people -wives for example, or therapists, or Marie Kondo- might say that's just a _rationale_, just a flimsy excuse to fill the garage with more junk like a common hoarder. But what do they know?


You had me cracking up @Groundskeeper Willie... I'll look in to that Fiskars option, only issue being that mine is a 20"


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## seebryango (Feb 21, 2019)

quadmasta said:


> The OEM catcher kind of sucks if you're mowing 3/4" or lower and you're using a roller on the front; it either rubs constantly on the roller or you tilt it back and any bump you hit knocks it off. I think the problem you'd have making it out of a rubbermaid tote is that as soon as you cut part of that lip at the top away the thing turns into a wet lasagna noodle.
> 
> You could look on craigslist for a used top toolbox, gut it and use that and probably have far better results.


@quadmasta I agree about the totes getting all floppy as soon as you cut them apart. That old tool box might not be a bad idea, my dad has one under his bench that hasn't been used in years. I'll check to see if it's 20" wide


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## kmbell3837 (Mar 17, 2021)

Did anyone ever find an alternative to the 20" grass catcher? Just picked up a mower with no catcher.


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