Picked up a few old reel mower and got them running.
What i want to find is a Atco or simuliar with a gas engine.
Yep .... I well remember the "Joy" (to be read as Misery) of pushing one of those around my parents yard for many a year! They were great at teaching a young feller such as myself not to procrastinate too long before cutting the grass, as the longer it got the tougher that job became. Not so much nowadays, what with the gas engine doing the actual work.
I only ever used one of these just the once, glad I did and glad I never did again
Most people have a negative view about using a reel mower but if it`s sharp and ya don`t let your grass get long they push easier than a gas mower and use no gas and are quiet.
We recently ditched our gas mower and now mow our small lawn with one of these. One of the benefits is that we can mow early when it is cooler and not piss off the neighbors.
Thanks for posting the pictures Lenn.
Those are nice, Lenn. I only have one older one that washed up in my Moms backyard with the last flood. Not really functional, but a wall-hanger.
I do have a modern one(can't remember the manufacturer but it was u.s. based) given to me years ago that I use in the winter. These are great cutting machines, set up properly and sharp. And quiet, dust free and zero emissions- depending on the operator's diet. My only complaint is with only an 18" reel it takes a while to cut the lawn. And honestly the aren't too much more work than a regular gas push mower to me.
Those are quite common where i live since many of my neighbors are Amish! Even more interesting is the specialized machine they use to sharpen the blades.
crazydoug
Takes me back to the days when my grandfather had a concrete driveway that had a strip of grass running down the middle. It was my job when visiting to push the reel mower and cut that strip of grass...of course it got too long and was a bugger to mow, but fond memories none the less.
Rog
Thanks guys, why i`m messing with them i have no idea i can`t even walk behind one with this hip problem.
So tomorrow i`m on a quest to build a self powered mower with a tow behind trailer i can ride on.
I used to regularly pick up freight from "Great states" lawnmowers (formally American mowers) they made reel type mowers & were one of the last ones that did, had a friend who worked there & he told me that the 7 blade mower was much better than the 5 blade model , his job was to sharpen the rotating cutting blades & set the cutter blade (critical) to proper clearance. if done well these mowers will cut with ease. there is a sharpening tool the can run back & forth across the cutter blade to sharpen both the cutter & real cutter blades (much like a meat slicers sharpening tool works) ,unfortunately
.most owners NEVER sharpened their mower blades.
Thanks Bruce, i`ve been ordering sprockets, a new 7 hp motor and other stuff for the build.
My plan is to mount one of these mowers between a couple 2x6`s in the front so it works just like pushing it.
Then i`m going to make a 8 inch wood drum for the back and chain drive that through a jack shaft to a centrifugal clutch on the motor.
Hopefully it will work.
It will have handle bars on the back and pull a single axle dolly with a seat i can ride on.
Our first mower after getting married was a reel type which worked great on our tiny yard - pushed easy and did a wonderful job cutting the grass instead of whacking it off like a rotary. Only bad thing was that it wouldn't cut the buckhorn but I could live with that as the price for the mower was right.......free from the neighbor's trash pickup pile. Looking forward to your motorized version Lenn - ought to be interesting!
Thanks Jan and Larry, i`ve been thinking about checking with a few golf coarses for a factory mower but i hardly go any where anymore trying to get the kid to look around but that`s iffy ifnhe wanted one for himself he`d found one by now.
Yea i`m looking forward to building this thing, the mower will mow just like pushing it, the only thing powered will be the chassy .
