What is a Reel Mower?
A reel mower is a lawn mower in which the blades spin perpendicular to the ground. The rotation of the blades in a wheel-like fashion cuts grass much as a scissors would. Many reel mowers are manually-powered although there are engine-powered reel mowers that are used for larger scale applications such as golf courses. Although the reel mower was invented in the early 1800s before the rotary mower, the rotary lawn mower eventually supplanted the reel mower in popularity. The blade on a rotary mower spins in a fan-like manner parallel to the ground. In contrast to the snipping action of the reel mower, rotary mowers tear the blades of grass as it cuts. Rotary mowers are usually powered by a gasoline or electric engine. Advantages of manually-powered reel lawn mowers include: • They are environmentally friendly. The lack of a gasoline or electric engine means no pollution is created during or for the operation of a reel mower. • They are quieter to use. • They are easier to maintain than
People call these things by about a million different names. They’re known as push reel mowers, manual mowers, people powered mowers, hand mowers, manual reel mower or pretty much any combination of those words. In the United Kingdom, the most widely used name for these is ‘cylinder mowers’. That’s a pretty good description, actually, because the bodies of reel mowers do have a cylinder shape! The cylinder contains the blades, and it is usually mounted between the wheels with a handle sticking up from the center. Some people use the term “rotary” mowers, but that isn’t quite right. A rotary mower is any kind of lawnmower where the blades spin like a helicopter, and that category includes gas and electric mowers. A reel mower has blades that turn like a paddle boat. The blades rotate when the wheels turn, and they don’t keep spinning after the wheels stop. This is a nice safety feature that sets reel mowers apart from rotary mowers. Sometimes people also say push mower when they mean re
Well, they are basically that old non motorized push mower you saw in the backyard of some codgers house when you were a kid. It didn’t get used much, and was real rusty. Looked like the kind of thing that could do a real bangup job of shredding your sisters dolls. But today’s reel mowers are different, they don’t need as much sharpening, they are lighter, and they have some safety gaurds, usually. This doesn’t mean it won’t still shred dolls though. Let’s look into it a bit more. Reel mowers do a superior job of cutting because they shear the grass rather than tear it as a rotary mower does, causing tip browning. Great, though I wasn’t overly concerned with the immediate appearance of my lawn, I guess this is good. My neighbors will be pleased. I won’t be replacing the battery powered mower yet, but since it’s range is limited, I think I can make up for the difference with a reel mower. Time will tell, but I am willing to try. According to peoplepoweredmachines.com, ordinary gas lawn
