# Awkward lawn - should I get a self-propelled reel mower



## todthames (Apr 25, 2019)

I have a sloped yard with a ditch. I also have two natural areas with large trees (continuously dropping acorns and other items). I'm also working on leveling the lawn now as I've had an infestation of moles. I have zoysia grass in a fairly small yard. I'm currently using a manual reel mower that does pretty good. I love the cut, however I have back issues and would like something that is self propelled. I'm just wondering if it would be more work using a self-propelled based on my actual lawn than its worth.

I have several photos of my lawn (including the ditch, slope, and natural areas), but I'm not sure how to upload them on this post.

***Trying to link a few photos***

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fnnMx9Jk3W2Arw6YA

Any and all recommendations are appreciated.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I don't see any reason why a self propelled reel mower wouldn't work if you 
already use a push reel. Work slowly on getting your lawn smooth and level.
You'll be glad you did.


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## Brackin4au (Jun 13, 2018)

todthames said:


> I have a sloped yard with a ditch. I also have two natural areas with large trees (continuously dropping acorns and other items). I'm also working on leveling the lawn now as I've had an infestation of moles. I have zoysia grass in a fairly small yard. I'm currently using a manual reel mower that does pretty good. I love the cut, however I have back issues and would like something that is self propelled. I'm just wondering if it would be more work using a self-propelled based on my actual lawn than its worth.
> 
> I have several photos of my lawn (including the ditch, slope, and natural areas), but I'm not sure how to upload them on this post.
> 
> ...


That ditch may be a tad tricky, but @Cory cuts his ditch with a powered reel. I don't have a ditch to deal with but my slope in the back is about the steepest I've seen on here, and my JD handles it fine. I just go at an angle to try and make sure it doesn't lift up at the top of the hill.


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## Cory (Aug 23, 2017)

My 20" California Trimmer (rl207h) I had had no problems with my ditch going in any direction. The Toro 1600 I have now doesn't handle it as well. It can go up and down the the ditch just fine but it doesn't get very good traction going long ways. Honestly the clutch on the California Trimmer was much better for my ditch than the Toro 1600 I have now. I could feather the clutch to go slowly, Toro is all or nothing. I would suggest something with a clutch that doesn't fully engage so the power is all or nothing, a California Trimmer or a TruCut would be best. I have back issues as well, I like the Toro but it's much harder on me to mow my ditch with it vs the California Trimmer.


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

I can't use powered drive on this slope.

I can use it on one row parallel to the gutter, and one parallel to the driveway (not shown). Generally I don't bother. Along the gutter there's a risk of the mower sliding off and a blade hitting the concrete, so I tend not to use it. Everywhere else though, the self propel feature may as well not even exist. The rows going up the slope or across away from the driveway are too short to engage the drive, (you also have to disengage it before hitting something) the traction going up the slope is too sketchy, and the chance of it tearing up the grass where it's thin at the top of the slope is too great. So I push the beast up the slope, drag it backward to the gutter, shift it over and then push it up the hill again. The mower has to be accelerated from zero as quickly as possible from down at the gutter (I shove a strip of plywood under the rear drive wheels to support them and make the angle of attack more normal) and pushed up the hill at something like its normal speed when going across level ground. I wish for a lighter mower every row. While it's nice that the engine spins the reel, it and the propulsion system can't help with any of that launching out of the gutter. Think hitting a tackling dummy, or sumo wrestling. That's just one unfortunate person's case. But if your terrain looks similar to the image above, it may be a useful to consider.


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## todthames (Apr 25, 2019)

Cory said:


> My 20" California Trimmer (rl207h) I had had no problems with my ditch going in any direction. The Toro 1600 I have now doesn't handle it as well. It can go up and down the the ditch just fine but it doesn't get very good traction going long ways. Honestly the clutch on the California Trimmer was much better for my ditch than the Toro 1600 I have now. I could feather the clutch to go slowly, Toro is all or nothing. I would suggest something with a clutch that doesn't fully engage so the power is all or nothing, a California Trimmer or a TruCut would be best. I have back issues as well, I like the Toro but it's much harder on me to mow my ditch with it vs the California Trimmer.


Lawn looks amazing. I posted something about using a California Trimmer on a steep incline or on a ditch. They referred me to your lawn, however I'm unable to see your pictures. Oddly enough, I live in the Archer Lodge area as well at Plantation Point. Would love to get your opinion on a California Trimmer or McLane and how they handle or NC ditches.


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## todthames (Apr 25, 2019)

Groundskeeper Willie said:


> I can't use powered drive on this slope.
> 
> I can use it on one row parallel to the gutter, and one parallel to the driveway (not shown). Generally I don't bother. Along the gutter there's a risk of the mower sliding off and a blade hitting the concrete, so I tend not to use it. Everywhere else though, the self propel feature may as well not even exist. The rows going up the slope or across away from the driveway are too short to engage the drive, (you also have to disengage it before hitting something) the traction going up the slope is too sketchy, and the chance of it tearing up the grass where it's thin at the top of the slope is too great. So I push the beast up the slope, drag it backward to the gutter, shift it over and then push it up the hill again. The mower has to be accelerated from zero as quickly as possible from down at the gutter (I shove a strip of plywood under the rear drive wheels to support them and make the angle of attack more normal) and pushed up the hill at something like its normal speed when going across level ground. I wish for a lighter mower every row. While it's nice that the engine spins the reel, it and the propulsion system can't help with any of that launching out of the gutter. Think hitting a tackling dummy, or sumo wrestling. That's just one unfortunate person's case. But if your terrain looks similar to the image above, it may be a useful to consider.


How difficult is to push it manually?


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## MMoore (Aug 8, 2018)

are you able to get different gearsets for these to make them slower?


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

This is my slope. The Cal trimmer does pretty good on it now that I've figured out how to slow it down. It's way better than having to push it up a steep hill and this hill in spots is fairly steep. Having obstacles makes it challenging too but if you can slow the speed of your mower, it's definitely doable and you'll get a better cut with a power reel. I have a Swardman Electra on order. We'll see how that one handles the hill. I'm really looking forward to the reverse feature for the small flat area at the top of the hill and the obstacles at the bottom. I ordered the narrower one for the layout of my yard but your yard looks like you could handle a wider mower.


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## Groundskeeper Willie (Feb 22, 2019)

@todthames On level ground it's no problem to push manually. The drive wheels are retracted if the drive isn't engaged, so they aren't a source of rolling resistance. They spin even when drive is disengaged so if they do make contact instead of a sudden brake effect you're more likely to get a sudden surge. On some slopes - bumpy ground, variable slope- this could represent a control issue for the operator. In my case, the first couple of steps going up the slope are the hardest - launching out of the gutter, trying to get it up to speed. Cutting a larger, flatter Bermuda lawn has shown me that the mower cuts better when moving under its own power. On self-propel it goes at pace that is a little quicker than I would push it unassisted. That speed is helpful to the gathering effect of the reel. There's no way I can push it up the Zoysia slope at the same speed or no way to achieve that speed consistently over the length of one of these tiny rows. (the short row length gets even worse off to the left of the picture. Out of frame on the left the terrain is shaped like a barrel section and a "row" is about two paces before you drop off into brick edging. I'd love to meet the landscape architect some day and ask him WTF?.) On level ground it's no problem to push manually, but if you have level ground or a long slope it's better to use the power drive.


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## hefegrass (Mar 20, 2019)

i have a very steep lawn in some places, my trimmer does a good job on it. I have no doubt that a metal drive roller machine would have difficulty


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## Steely (Sep 24, 2017)

What kind of slopes are we talking about here? At the worst part of my lawn (on the sides) I'm looking at about 18 degrees. Not sure how accurate this is as I just used an iPhone app to find the angle.

I'm thinking my only options will be McLanes, Tru Cuts, or Cal Trimmers. I can't see metal rear drive rollers getting up an 18 degree slope.


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