April 21, 2003

Reel Lawnmowers

…will in fact eat quiche and other soft objects placed in their way.

I asked my dad for the reel (i.e. human-powered) lawnmower he kept in the nether region under the house last year. I remembered him having it when I was little, but there was no memory of anyone using it. We pulled it out and he oiled it and scrubbed it up. He was more than a little amused, but I was returning the Penna-Lawn mower to Pennsylvania, so why not?

I have since found that there are several key points to remember if one is to fully appreciate a reel lawnmower.

  1. Don't expect to tackle a two-foot tall meadow. It's possible, but not recommended.
  2. Be ready to use a wrench and screwdriver to make simple adjustments.
  3. You still have to watch for suicidal resurrectin' rabbits.

The benefits are enormous. My upper arms are working very hard — great for pushing and punching (This has to do with it being an older model more than a flaw in the design. Contemporary mowers are very light)! It is much quieter and smells better than a gas-powered mower. It's cheaper as I cannot afford the luxury of gasoline. And the lawn feels and looks happier, which makes me happy.

Now for the backyard.

Here's a FAQ if you're curious.

Posted by Mike at April 21, 2003 05:56 PM | TrackBack
Comments

I have a Sears Reel Lawnmower. I am 66 years old and I love mowing our lawn with it. It sounds so much better than the gas powered mowers. I have also had those. We have a pretty good sized lawn and it takes me about 45 minutes to mow it. Great exercise. I get comments like, “I remember those”, “did't know they still made those hand mowers”, “s'matter, to cheap to buy gas”(said in jest). I remember the old wooden handle mowers. I would put the grass catcher on, turn it “upside down” and push it down the street to my “job”, mowing a neighbors yard. I am sure that the day will come when I can no longer push the mower but until then, I will push and enjoy and remember.

Posted by: Don Raupp on April 25, 2004 12:41 PM

It's great to hear from someone else is using a reel lawnmower. I need to get mine sharpened properly so I can use it this season.

Posted by: Mike on April 25, 2004 05:10 PM

I have a penna lawn PQ reel lawn mower
I am considering selling it what am I looking at as far a price

Posted by: Mark Cole on May 1, 2004 06:43 AM

Hmm, no idea really! I'm not sure what they go for, but it's a Penna-Lawn mower that I have as well.

Posted by: Mike on May 14, 2004 05:38 PM

Cleaning out a friends basement and found an old Hoover reel lawnmower. All metal with the exception of the pushhandle and roller. Still cuts pretty good and very easy to push. Looked around for a model no. but only thing found was what appeared to be a part no. for the metal wheel 3255LD and RD.
Any idea of how old it is and value if any?
Can remember as a kid doing the whole lawn,about a 1/4 acre, with one of these. Had a couple of teenage nieces push it a few feet and they quit.

Posted by: Charlie on August 2, 2004 08:26 PM
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