Video YouTube Review by Vil Ramos
In this video, I will show you how to use and maintain a push reel mower. I use the Scott’s Classic Push Reel mower. It is very easy to use. You simply push it over our lawn and the wheels make your cutting reel spin and as grass gets caught between the spinning reel and the horizontal cutting bar, it gets cut like a pair of scissors.
I usually make two passes. For the first pass, I am going horizontally on my lawn, back and forth, making sure my wheels overlap the prior wheel marks to make sure I get a clean cut. Then on the second pass, I will go back and forth vertically. The second pass will be easier. When the lawn is really long, I may go a quick third pass again over the lawn.
The lawnmower has an adjustable cutting height with the two levers next to the rear wheels. I recommend keeping your cutting height as high as possible, 2 to 3 inches. This allows for more photosynthesis, shades the soil, leading to deeper root structures and healthier plants, so you need less water and less fertilizer.
They recommend you adjust the height to cut approximately one third of your leaf for each mowing to avoid large clippings and avoid scalping the lawn. This will help you time your mowings. I try to mow my lawn once a week in the summer and every ten to 14 days if not the summer.
This mower allows you to leave all the clippings on the lawn. These grass and clover clippings return important nutrients such as nitrogen to feed your lawn. Grass clippings may bunch up on your cutting bar, just grab them and spread them around your lawn. Mow when the grass is relatively dry so the grass is easier to cut and the clippings do not clump.
Pros: Easy to use and maintain, no gasoline and no oil and no exhaust, you simply push it and burn calories in the process, so quiet you can use it any time such as early mornings or late evenings.
Cons: this may take too long for larger lawns, the mower will not work well with grass that is too wet as the clippings will clump and the wheels will slip. The mower will not work well with tall grass either because the mower will just roll over those leaves instead of cutting them, so you need to mow weekly.
To maintain the mower, it is very easy. You need a rag and some old cooking oil. First, you use the rag to wipe off the grass, dirt and moisture. You can also wash it down with a hose and then dry it. Then, you use the rag to spread oil on the cutting surfaces of the cutting bar and the cutting reel. Be careful not to get cut, I try to spin the reel away from the cutting bar. You may need to periodically sharpen the mower, and I will share another video on that in the comments. My mower is over 10 years old and still works very well.
This is the lawn before I started to mow. And this is the lawn after I mowed. I hope you liked this video. This is part of my organic lawncare playlist which you may enjoy. If any of you use the mower, please share your experiences and your tips in the comments section below. Also, please share this video with anyone who loves their lawns as much as I do.
