# Another push reel mower thread



## H-LConstruction (Jun 12, 2020)

So I'm still new to the lawn game. Battling my 8-month old sodded 1200 sf lawn.
I like the simplicity of a reel mower. All of these things have been discussed in various other threads it seems, but not altogether. 
What hasn't any university design student or course taken it upon themselves to redesign and reimagine the push reel mower? There is so much potential to improve. I every time I use my awful Scott's 20" I'm thinking about all the ways it could be better and how great it would be to have some university MechE's or design students redesign the push mower. 
I bought the Scott's 20"… and it is just horrible.
I recently started bagging clippings, or trying to, thinking that I'm creating too much thatch without the bag. The bag is an afterthought in this mower design it is just awful. The design of the blades throws clippings more toward one side than the other, most of the clippings never make it into the bag. Emptying the bag is a joke. Maybe I'm not doing it right, but there are so many ways to improve.
I also really, rally hate the huge gap between wheel track and edge of the reel. I feel like I'm nearly overlapping each run by half, it's ruining my lines. 
I realize that 5 blades may not be enough, I have been ending up with random tufts and now I realize that may be where the blade just skipped over a section. I usually end up mowing twice per seesion (different patterns each week)
I keep looking at the fancy Fiskars one, which seems like it has solved a lot of these issues. I really like the full width cutter / inset wheels. Is the Fiskar really a great improvement to the push mower game and should I get one?


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## BigBoxLawn (Jul 8, 2020)

My neighbor purchased a fiskars and has a few issues with it.

1, its HEAVY compared to others. This can help with floating, but if your grass is thick, and can really be tough to mow if you get a day or 2 behind.

2. He gets a ton of washboarding in his 419, and its not nearly as thick as mine. I tried it on my yard to see, and I could barely move the darn thing.

3. To avoid these issues, he has to cut higher then he wants at 1.5 inches.


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## lacrossekite (Aug 10, 2020)

Maybe you would want to check out this thread about the electric Sun Joe:

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=25069&start=10


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## Sonoran Desert Lawn (Aug 22, 2020)

I exclusively mow manual reel because I don't really have the cash to upgrade right now. That said, EVERY manual has issues.

Scotts/Earthwise: 
-FOC - you cannot cut under 1 inch without washboarding no matter how fast you push.
-Terrible grass catcher
-Squeaks bad

Fiskars: 
-FOC - 5 blades spinning slower than a Earthwise. It washboards under 1.5"
-1 inch max HOC option

Mclane: 
-10 blade is discontinued
-Hard to adjust HOC
-Hard to adjust bed knife to reel
-$$

Hudson:
-$$$$
-Drum slippage
-Bed knife to reel adjustment

Sunjoe electric:
-cheap metal bends faster than any other reel out there. You could be out $250 in 5 mins.

Any reel worth buying under an inch is more expensive than just getting a gas powered greens mower.

Electric mowers like Allett and Swardman are having reported issues right out of the box.

If I could recommend a manual right now it would be a 7 blade earthwise mowing at 1.25"or so. Under 1 inch can happen if your grass is thin or if you want it to have many uncut blades of grass. 1.25" HOC guarentees overlap in cuts.


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## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

I have a Sun Joe manual reel and it's nothing great. Noisy as hell if not cutting grass. Zero stripes and the bag fills unevenly so I have to adjust the clippings repeatedly to continue mowing.

Overall though it's fast, not to hard to push and cheap.


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## lacrossekite (Aug 10, 2020)

Just my take on the Fiskars since I have one I'm currently using while waiting for a part to get my Swardman going again.

On my centipede out front it is easy to use. I can cut the whole yard on the second lowest setting. Can't go any lower because it's not level out there.

In the back it's a different ball game. Zoysia in the back and it's exhausting to push through. I've sprinted some sections just to limit washboarding and definitely must double cut.

I have the grass catcher and it works well, catches nearly all of the grass.

Keep in mind I'm dealing with 7300 sq ft vs your 1200. Which is why I upgraded this year.

If I only had 1200 sq ft, I think I'd give the Sun Joe Reel a try, but you cannot hit even a twig or you might place a bur on the bed knife you'll have to file out. If you walked the yard out before hand and removed all debri it doesn't seem like it would be a big deal.

The Fiskars can usually be found on Craigslist for cheap and there is a guy who has placed a battery and motor on one on YouTube if you're up for trying to get the reel speed up.


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## BermudaBoy (Jun 27, 2019)

As someone who has owned the Fiskars and now owns the Sun Joe I'll share my thoughts.

Unless your mowing less than a 1/4 inch the Fiskars is going to produce washboarding and if you're grass does get thick pushing it is going to be an unpleasant chore. Many times using it I had to get a "running" start to get sufficient speed to get across my lawn. It is well built and sturdy but with it only cutting to a lowest depth of 1 inch I didn't find it a good machine. If you scalp to 1 inch and are forced to cut at the second height you might as well get a rotary.

The Sunjoe is cheap and as others have mentioned and it's noisy and can't survive the smallest debris in your yard. I bent one of the reel blades hitting a small rock my first time using it and had to file it down to get it working again. The battery is rated at moving 4,900 square feet but that only happens if you are removing the smallest bit of grass. Cutting anything more than half an inch and your mileage will vary. I scalped my front lawn yesterday which is all of 1000 square feet and barely finished before the battery was completely dead. With that said, it can produce a nice cut. With a small lawn it can do a very nice job, especially considering the price point. You'll have to do a double cut and remove every bit of debris but it can produce a nice looking lawn. I do prefer it's cut to my rotary but once my lawn thickened up it didn't do as well. It was relegated to a scalping machine which was the original purpose so I'm not disappointed with the performance. You are definitely getting what you pay for. I was easily recommend this over a manual reel is you're staying in the $250 ballpark but get the extended warranty. I have a feeling you'll need it.


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## H-LConstruction (Jun 12, 2020)

This is all some pretty great info. I guess I'm in a small market segment. I'm just reluctant to go electric with the Sun Joe, the manual is so simple and I can easily and quickly cut.

I also have new found respect for everyone with a yard bigger than 2500sf or so … I can't imagine maintaining such a beast and all of the applications, etc. Then again, maybe it is easier? I have all sorts of localized effects I'm realizing, will post in another thread.

The mower comparison was spot on. 
It's too bad the Fiskars is too heavy and somewhat over engineered it sounds like. It was helpful, I may try it, but will go the Craigslist route instead of brand new.

This mini obsession, optimizing the push mower, may finally get me to purchase a welder to start mods. Though I have a million other projects to do first.


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## Retromower (Jan 28, 2021)

Id say the reason is because the reel mower is already perfected. Sure, you could make it better but the basic function of the reel cutter is already perfected.
The only way you could really do it is to make something like the Fiskars and who wants to pay $300 for a manual push reel mower when you could just buy a rotary gas mower?


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## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

I've said in another thread, I bought a used Mascot with 10" wheels (normally comes with 9") for $100 but after using it, I would totally pay the $350 for a new one. I got it just to go around closer to the house where the riding mower wouldn't fit and it was too much to use a weed eater on. But it sliced through the grass like butter. I thought I was cutting at 1", but because this one had the optional large wheels, I was actually cutting at 1.5" while the riding mower was set to 2".

And I've just keep adding more and more sqft to my "reeled" area. I am doing 15k - 20k sqft once a week now split up across two days. Takes about 2-2.5 hours. I'm doing it simply because it is fun. Not sure what the cheaper reels are like, never used them. But my experience with the mascot is the exact opposite of "horrible". I tried doing a scalp at .75" a few weeks ago but could not push it through the grass. So set it to 1" and managed to get through about 5k sqft after 2 hours and many breaks. Currently maintaining at 1.25" and it is easy and fun. I am mostly cutting Common, which is why it is pretty easy, but I've got some Monaco and thick areas of Common and it is not that much harder. I do not have an issue with washboarding, but in really thick areas, I will do it twice or over lap 50%.


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## Sonoran Desert Lawn (Aug 22, 2020)

⬆This. 1 inch and above is golden with a manual. .75 or .5 is a futile effort. Like @sam36 said above and like I said before, 1.25" is fun and easy. This HOC gives a decent short look, a darker green, and easier maintence. Just my 2 cents


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## Chocolate Lab (Jun 8, 2019)

@H-LConstruction I bought a used Mascot and finally got it backlapped and tuned so I could use it. (I lost a part and the bedknife adjustment was tricky at first so it took me a while.) I found myself wondering the same thing about why someone doesn't make a really great manual reel, even if on a small scale as a specialty item, because even the Mascot could be much better IMO. It's miles better than the Scotts 20" (which I agree is pretty cheap and crappy, at least for the money) but still could be much stronger and more robust IMO. And why in the world do they put those smooth tires on it? If it's damp at all and the grass is thick it wants to slide over the grass instead of gripping it like more knobby tires would. Drives me crazy.


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## sam36 (Apr 14, 2020)

Chocolate Lab said:


> @H-LConstruction I bought a used Mascot and finally got it backlapped and tuned so I could use it. (I lost a part and the bedknife adjustment was tricky at first so it took me a while.) I found myself wondering the same thing about why someone doesn't make a really great manual reel, even if on a small scale as a specialty item, because even the Mascot could be much better IMO. It's miles better than the Scotts 20" (which I agree is pretty cheap and crappy, at least for the money) but still could be much stronger and more robust IMO. And why in the world do they put those smooth tires on it? If it's damp at all and the grass is thick it wants to slide over the grass instead of gripping it like more knobby tires would. Drives me crazy.


I don't really have issues with wheel slippage unless I am going through super thick stuff that should have been cut days prior. I do have the 10" wheels so the reel is slower and I get about 10% more leverage.

How did you set your bedknife clearance? I set mine recently as it was cutting poorly and the reel was mostly silent with no contact. I got it to cut paper but that made it super hard to push and was getting wheel slippage in the thick areas. I went back and loosened it up some and then adjusted it so it would cut business cards instead of thin paper. Way easier to push now and is quieter.

I don't think it has ever been backlapped. That is my next task. Was trying to figure out how to rig it up to a drill but then in a youtube video found out you can swap the left and right drive gears which will make the reel spin the other way so you can just throw some compound on it and then push it around to back lap


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Chocolate Lab said:


> I found myself wondering the same thing about why someone doesn't make a really great manual reel, even if on a small scale as a specialty item...


https://www.hudsonstar.com/

Hudson Star, 16", 11-blade, 80 lbs, manual

Cost: $1K (???)

They're not good at answering the phone or emails. Otherwise, I would have bought one by now.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Found a Hudson Star pricing PDF from 2019...

Pro-Basic package: $2,300

This includes all their bearing and front roller upgrades.

So there's your "really great" specialty manual reel mower... just at used JD 220-E prices.

Maybe I'll try the SunJo battery thing at $200. Worth every penny even if I just use it on the Street Strip.


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## Chocolate Lab (Jun 8, 2019)

sam36 said:


> How did you set your bedknife clearance? I set mine recently as it was cutting poorly and the reel was mostly silent with no contact. I got it to cut paper but that made it super hard to push and was getting wheel slippage in the thick areas. I went back and loosened it up some and then adjusted it so it would cut business cards instead of thin paper. Way easier to push now and is quieter.
> 
> I don't think it has ever been backlapped. That is my next task. Was trying to figure out how to rig it up to a drill but then in a youtube video found out you can swap the left and right drive gears which will make the reel spin the other way so you can just throw some compound on it and then push it around to back lap


I did the same thing. Mine is actually an old Agrifab with the bolts and four nuts per side and it took a lot of tinkering to get it right. But I did back it off until there was no contact. Much quieter and still a great cut.

I used an old McLane manual crank I had from like 15 years ago that just happened to fit, but obviously hand cranking isn't the best way. Promow sells a drill attachment that will work... most of their parts will work on Mascots/Agrifabs and they're great at talking to you about it. But IIRC it's like $50 which I didn't want to pay.

I didn't know (or had forgotten) about the gear-switching trick but I did drag my McLane manual around backwards to backlap it. :lol:


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## Cheap_coast_mower (Oct 19, 2020)

If someone recreated this mower now a days it is the perfect combination of easy of adjustment and quality of cut, not to mention it is very easy to push as it only has 6 blades (there was an 8 blade model). I'd imagine it would cost more around 1500$ to make now a days though as everything is so well build and machined. Look up JP maxees I believe it was a UK special. Height is adjusted via a knob attached to the front roller. And best part is the cutting unit can be removed so you can take just the cylinder and bed knife to a sharpener. Adjust reel to bed knife is as simple as pulling a lever back to bring it closer, or away for more clearance. If one side gets moss aligned there are two long bolts on the back that you turn until parallel. All of which can be done on a work bench as the unit is detached. If I had the resources I would start a company based off this design.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Cheap_coast_mower said:


> If someone recreated this mower now a days it is the perfect combination of easy of adjustment and quality of cut, not to mention it is very easy to push as it only has 6 blades (there was an 8 blade model). I'd imagine it would cost more around 1500$ to make now a days though as everything is so well build and machined. Look up JP maxees I believe it was a UK special. Height is adjusted via a knob attached to the front roller. And best part is the cutting unit can be removed so you can take just the cylinder and bed knife to a sharpener. Adjust reel to bed knife is as simple as pulling a lever back to bring it closer, or away for more clearance. If one side gets moss aligned there are two long bolts on the back that you turn until parallel. All of which can be done on a work bench as the unit is detached. If I had the resources I would start a company based off this design.


Your lawn looks great! What is your HOC? And your lawn mower looks like a tank. Jealous


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## Cheap_coast_mower (Oct 19, 2020)

NJ-lawn said:


> Cheap_coast_mower said:
> 
> 
> > If someone recreated this mower now a days it is the perfect combination of easy of adjustment and quality of cut, not to mention it is very easy to push as it only has 6 blades (there was an 8 blade model). I'd imagine it would cost more around 1500$ to make now a days though as everything is so well build and machined. Look up JP maxees I believe it was a UK special. Height is adjusted via a knob attached to the front roller. And best part is the cutting unit can be removed so you can take just the cylinder and bed knife to a sharpener. Adjust reel to bed knife is as simple as pulling a lever back to bring it closer, or away for more clearance. If one side gets moss aligned there are two long bolts on the back that you turn until parallel. All of which can be done on a work bench as the unit is detached. If I had the resources I would start a company based off this design.
> ...


Last fall, can't quite remember but I raised it for winter so it was probably between 3/4"-1", spring and summer I dabble between 1/8" and 3/8" (usually 1/8" to putt on in the spring then I raise it up for lawn tennis in late spring-begging of fall). With cheap flights these days it probably is cheaper to fly to the up and pick one of these up for 50$ and fly home lol!


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## Sonoran Desert Lawn (Aug 22, 2020)

Cheap_coast_mower said:


> If someone recreated this mower now a days it is the perfect combination of easy of adjustment and quality of cut…


They make one. Its an 11 blade called Hudson Star. 2k ish


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## Cheap_coast_mower (Oct 19, 2020)

Sonoran Desert Lawn said:


> Cheap_coast_mower said:
> 
> 
> > If someone recreated this mower now a days it is the perfect combination of easy of adjustment and quality of cut…
> ...


I've seen those, and honestly other then the 11 blade cylinder are cheaply made in comparison to this mower so maybe it would be more expensive to create then I thought


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