Got reel mower questions?
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{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
We have a reel mower and I like it because it’s never broken, the kids can always start it and it can be stored up on the wall of the shed. My husband says that the proper method to cut the lawn with it is to use a back and forth method much like vacuuming the carpet. I say that you should just walk steadly just like with a power mower. Which is the correct way?
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Thanks for your question.
If they both end up with a satisfactorily cut lawn, then who is to say, really?
I personally use your method of just walking steadily and pushing it back and forth across the lawn.
In my experience, most people only resort to the back-and-forth-hacking style of mowing with a reel mower if the grass is overgrown, or they have a mower that has something wrong with it.
But if you can mow with it steadily and he mows with it like that and prefers it, then I say more power to him! Let him mow more often to “prove that he is right.”
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My fiance and I are about to move into our first house, and we are trying to be as “green” as possible with our home purchases. We want to get a reel mower but aren’t sure where to look and what kind to get. Is there any benefit to the different sizes – is a wider mower better than a more narrow one for any reason other than a speedier mowing since more grass is cut at once? Can we purchase one at our local Lowe’s or Home Depot, or should we look somewhere else?
Thanks!
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Thanks for your question.
The big box stores do sometimes carry reel mowers, although they may or may not be in stock. Last time I checked, Home Depot carried the Scotts Classic and maybe another model. Lowes carried some no-name Chinese brand I had never heard of, and wouldn’t personally ever buy. (Which is ironic, because I usually like Lowes better than Home Depot for everything else!)
The Brill reel mower is not sold in big box stores.
I work at Clean Air Gardening, so of course I’m going to recommend that you buy it from there.
Narrower mowers are usually lighter and easier to maneuver, but they don’t mow as quickly as the wide ones, because you have to make more passes across the lawn. If you have Bermuda, St Augustine or Zoysia, I typically recommend the Scotts Classic. For most other grasses, I typically recommend one of the Brill models. If you are in the northern half of the country, you probably won’t have those three types of grasses I mentioned.
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I just bought a used reel lawn mower – it looked like is was in great shape, however, after rolling it just a little, the blades “squeaked” during rotation.
Could it be that all it needs is a generous spray of WD40 or is it sign of something else? I’d really like to start using it but the squeak is unbearable!
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Thanks for your question.
If it’s incredibly hard to push, then the blades might be too tight against the cutter bar, and that’s making your noise.
It could be that the mower has just gotten a little rusty, so pushing it around for 10 minutes will solve the problem on its own.
Hitting it with some WD-40 probably wouldn’t hurt anything.
If something is really wrong with it, then it probably won’t cut well, or will be very hard to push.
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We had a Scotts reel mower that left a few tall leaves of grass every time I mowed. The next week, those leaves were too tall to mow, and a few others were missed. By the third week, we called our lawn service back. I am willing to have an imperfect lawn, but the lawn just looked unmowed.
Is this problem unique to the Scotts mower? Would a Brill solve this problem? I liked using the reel mower.
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Thanks for your question.
Sounds to me like you had a mower where the blades were just out of adjustment. I think adjusting them correctly would have solved your issue.
So switching to a different mower probably wouldn’t be necessary.
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I want to buy the largest manual reel mower available. I see the scott’s classic 20″, is there anything larger?
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That is the biggest reel mower that I am aware of.
I think once you get past 20 inches wide, you get to the point where it would be too hard to push the mower through the grass without a motor. So that’s probably the maximum size that you’ll find.
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I just bought a Scotts reel mower at a flea market & the blades need sharpening (badly). How do i do this?
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This site shows you how to sharpen the Scotts Classic, or any other American Lawnmower / Great States reel mowers:
http://www.reelmowers.info
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hello, I recently purchased a Craftsman Reel Mower,…didn’t see any info on this brand of reel mower on here, but it looks identical to these,…was wondering how they compared in quality,…(I only paid $71.99 for mine @ sears,…is that cheap? and if so is it bad that it was SO cheap?)
It’s working fine now,…but should I be worried about the longevity of it since it was so cheap?
(plus it came with no sharpening kit or anything,..they don’t even offer a sharpening kit on sears.com) Should i purchase a sharpening kit soon? and how often would be best to sharpen it?
THANKS
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As long as the Sears model number starts with a 291, then it was actually manufactured by the American Lawnmower Company / Great States, and either this sharpening kit or this sharpening kit will work on it.
You can typically go the first couple of years or so before you need to sharpen the mower the first time. And after that, you’ll probably sharpen yearly, or so.
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my wife was given a great states model 415-16.no guide for it. it is set too high for cutting. a few of us can not figure out how to change the cutting height?
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I believe that if you look near the rollers in back, you’ll find three different holes where the rollers can go. You’ll need a wrench to adjust this mower, but you simply take off the nuts on either side, adjust it into a different hole, and then put the nuts back on. And then you’ll have adjusted the cutting height.
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Hi. I have a Scott’s Classic and it worked great the first two seasons but this year it is not. It works fine periodically but then the blades will stop spinning for a bit, maybe a yard or two and then start again. I have tried adjusting the blades, and made it worse–no they spin about half the time and the rest of the time they don’t.
Any ideas?
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Sounds like it might be that the plastic gear inside the wheels that turns the blades might be worn out. If you contact the manufacturer at http://www.reelin.com, they will be able to get you any spare parts you might need to repair it. It is a simple repair that you should be able to easily do yourself, and they can also talk you through it.
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Hi. I’m thinking of replacing my petrol mower with a push mower. Can you tell me if there is such a thing as a mulching push mower? I would be extremely interested in one of those …if they exist.
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours Trina
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A reel mower has five to seven blades, depending on the model. So it does an okay job of mulching. But no, there isn’t such thing as a mulching reel mower, and a reel mower will never mulch as finely as a power mulching mower. Even so, the clippings will typically disappear after a day or two. They do at my house, at least!
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I have a 16″ Scotts Reel mower I bought 2 years ago. The blades no longer turn when you push it. When I took it apart to see why, I discovered that the mechanism for turning the blades is a plastic interior pinion connects the blade drive shaft with the exterior wheels. The interior of the plastic pinion is now worn and it no longer catches the metal bump on the drive shaft. How can I get a replacement part?
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Contact the manufacturer of the mower, American Lawnmower Company. http://www.reelin.com They have replacement parts.
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I HAVE A GREAT STATES REEL MOWER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHEN IT WAS MANUFACTURED AND ALSO THE MODEL#.
ROYAL PARK IS ON THE FACE OR THE MOWER.
IT APPEARS TO BE AT LEAST 20 YEARS OLD.
i WOULD LIKE TO GET A USER MANUAL TO SEE HOW TO SHARPEN THE BLADES AND ALSO TO SEE IF THE CUTTING HEIGHT CAN BE ADJUSTED.
THANKS,
BRYANT
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I am not an expert in antique mowers, but you can get more information about old mowers at the Antique and Vintage Lawnmower History site.
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Hi,
I just picked up a used Scotts 2000-20.
I am curious about another blade adjustment method described by a grounds keeper. He said to adjust the cutter bed with two sheets of paper stacked on top of each other. When the bed is adjusted correctly it cuts one sheet and rubs (bt doesn’t cut) the other sheet. This sounds great, though I don’t know if I have the patience to do this. What are your thoughts?
I need to paint the mower. Is there a Rustoleum type paint that you know of with the same color? Can you provide the product code?
I noticed your point that not all the blades will get cut and not to get too excited about it. This is definately the case in my lawn. I was thinking that my mower might need back lapping. How do I determine when my blades need “sharpening”?
Thanks
Mike
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The adjustment method that the groundskeeper described should also work, but typically just get out a screwdriver, put the mower on the driveway, and start adjusting it until I get contact along the entire cutter bar, but where the blades are not so tight that it is really hard to push.
If the blades are too tight, it’s hard to push. If they are too loose, it won’t cut as well.
In most cases, you’ll find that the mower just needs adjusting, and not sharpening. Here is a good guide to sharpening a Scotts Classic.
I’m not sure about the paint color, unfortunately!
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I have an American Mower Co. 7 blade reel mower. My wife bought it used. I’ve tried to adjust the cutting bar and think I have it right, but in grass that isn’t too tall but is fairly thick, the blades bind against the bar and the mower skids over top of the grass. I’m wondering if a 5 blade model would cut easier than a 7 blade model or if it just needs some sharpening.
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Have you tried raising the cutting height? That often helps with issues where the mower is binding up and skidding in thicker grass.
I noticed you have a Canadian email address, and typically, the seven bladed mowers are more appropriate for southern grasses like Bermuda and Zoysia. So it’s also possible that you might have better luck with a five bladed mower.
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I just bought a used Scott’s 20″ on Craigslist. After tinkering with the adjustments I realized that the cutting bar is slightly bent upward in the middle. I confirmed it with a straight edge along the bottom of the cutting bar. Because of the bend I can’t adjust it to get a nice even cut along the full 20″. It will not cut on the outer 3″ of both sides. Is there a recommended way to straighten it out or slightly tweak it?
Thanks,
Phil
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That’s a tough one.
I haven’t ever tried to disassemble a cutter bar, so I’m not sure how hard it would be to replace it, or take it off and try to bend it straight again. Any replacement parts would need to come from the manufacturer, over at http://www.reelin.com.
You might just be out of luck on this one, where you have to accept that it just isn’t going to mow the full width and will take a lot more passes to get the job done.
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Great information here! I have an issue with an older (say 20 year old) Craftsman reel mower I am trying to sharpen the blades on. I have the ‘kit’ (ie valve grinding compound + crank) to do so but have a problem: I can’t figure out how to pull the wheel from this beast. In contrast to every other picture I can find on the web, this one has a wide (3″ or so) flat metal hubcap, held down by a flat rivet, and no visible way to pull this cover off. I can’t get a blade under it either, though it will shift slightly from side to side.
The model # is 291376400, so it was apparently made by American Lawn Mower. I can call their help line on Monday I guess…but how many people have questions for them on the weekend I wonder? The Craftsman manual for this model is not available online, and the closest ones seem to be similar in all but this one feature!
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Okay, never mind that last question! I figured that there had to be a way to get the hubcap off, and there was. It was just very tight and a little rusted on. A screwdriver, and a 13 year old boy wielding a rubber mallet did the trick. The sharpening compound treatment seems to have made a difference, and I did some fiddling with the adjustments. I’m not sure it’s perfect across the full width of each blade as some may have dings or even little bends, but it seems to cut very well now.
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I just purchased a used Great States 18 inch reel mower off craigslist. There is a small amount of rust on the blades. Is this anything to worry about of should the back lapping take care of that? I was also just wondering what sections should be greased? I want to get this in back into top shape.
Thanks
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A little bit of rust on the blades is normal, and nothing to worry about. Just mowing with it should knock most of it clean, if it is where the blades hit the cutter bar.
There isn’t really anything that needs to be greased. You can keep the blades lubricated. I usually recommend a silicone spray lubricant.
If you just check and make sure that the blades are adjusted properly, you should be good to go.
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Hi, I just bought a Sears Craftsman reel mower at a rummage sale (The price was right) and I have a question about the machine. I believe the blades need to be sharpened and I’m not sure how to go about it. I read the post indicating that a kit can be purchased from American Lawnmower Comp if the serial # on the mower starts with 291. It looks like the number on mine starts with a 5 (The plate is pretty banged up) can this kit be adjusted to work on mine, or will I need to take it in somewhere?
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I have two options for you. 1. Check out http://www.reelin.com and see if your mower looks like any of the mower models that they have on their site. If it looks just like one of those, then American Lawnmower made it, and their sharpening kit will work. Otherwise, you could probably try this sharpening kit, which supposedly works with almost any type of reel mower.
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Gas mowers tend to toss up a lot of grass in a cloud – a nightmare for the allergic. Do reel mowers toss up less?
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Yes, absolutely.
In fact, someone wrote a testimonial about that very subject on this page:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/testimonials.html
Brill Luxus 38
NO GRASS ALLERGIES! I can’t believe it. All my life I’ve dreaded mowing the lawn. I have a severe grass allergy. One of the first things I noticed about my new Brill mower is that I don’t get the allergy after effect. It makes sense. A traditional gas mower blows grass dust up in the air like a cloud. The entire time you mow your head is in the cloud. The Brill cuts differently and doesn’t create a cloud. Therefore, no allergies. I believe this is by far the best feature of the mower.
Jason V
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I have a Scotts 2000-20 for the last two years – it works pretty well, except the handle is flimsy and now it is physically broken. Where can I purchase another handle?
Your help is appreciated as I don’t really want to throw it out if the handle can be replaced.
Thank you
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You can buy another handle from http://www.reelin.com. They don’t sell online, but they have an 800 number and a parts list on their site.
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Thank you very much for your help — the price with shipping was nominal, $15 total and I will receive it next week. Best regards.
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Hi, I just did a service on my Great States Lawn Mower and I was wondering if too much grease in the vicinity of the pawls would allow the pinion gears to skip and prevent the rotating blade from turning? I have tried installing the pawls in both directions and there is no change in this behavior, the rotating blades will not rotate whether I push forward or backwards. Or are the pinion gears showing that they are worn out? I was careful to not exchange the left side with the right side parts as I only had one side apart at a time. Looking forward to any clues you might have. Thanks!
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Yes, I think you’re on to something. Theoretically, a plastic pawl shouldn’t need any grease anyway. In my opinion, the grease just ends up attracting grass clippings up inside the wheel mechanism. So it could be too much grease.
However, those pawls can indeed wear out over time, because they are plastic. You can get replacement ones directly from the manufacturer at http://www.reelin.com. They have an 800 number listed on their site, as well as a parts list with pricing.
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Yes, once I removed the grease from the shaft, pawl and inside of the pinions the rotating blade once again roatates!
Thank you!
But, I have another question.
I have adjusted the cutting bar position so that inserting a piece of newspaper on it and slowly rotating the blades causes the paper to be cut. I would assume this is the correct tension as if I back off the paper no longer cuts, it merely bends the newspaper. Now when I push the mower(Great States 5-blade) the cutting bar and rollers at the rear of the mower don’t stay flat on the ground. Is it correct for the cutting bar and roller assy to always be contacting the grass, ie. not hopping upwards as you push the mower? Do I need to readjust the cutting bar so that there is less tension to keep the assy grounded or is it something else that needs adjustment?
Thanks for any advise you might have on this.
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I’ve never had any luck using that newspaper test.
It sounds like you might have the blades too tight, which would make the mower harder to push, and could make the back end hop up like that.
I’d loosen up the blades so that you’re still getting contact along the cutter bar, but it’s much easier to push.
I usually just take my mower out in the yard with a screwdriver and keep adjusting it, cutting with it, adjusting and cutting until I get the best cut. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes.
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Ok, I’ll give that a try…if it ever stops raining here!
Thank you for all your help.
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I have a set of huffman reel mowers and i want to know where i can find some pinion gears for these.
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I don’t have any expertise in older reel mowers, unfortunately. So I would recommend trying here: http://users.crocker.com/~jricci/
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hi and thank you for this forum!
i was looking at the new mascot 6-bladed reel lawn mower.
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/mascot-reel-mower.html
do you know how one would sharpen the blades of this one? i’ve seen that with some mowers you can just apply lapping compound to the blades and run the blades backwards. is it possible to use this sharpening technique for this mower?
thank you for considering my question! jeff
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You can get the Mascot professionally sharpened at a mower repair place that knows how to sharpen reel mowers.
I’ve heard that they’re working on a sharpening kit that specifically works with that mower, but I don’t think it will be available until 2010. But you wouldn’t need to sharpen for several years anyway, because most reel mowers can easily go a couple of years when you first get them — and longer when they are set with no blade to cutter bar contact.
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that’s great to know. i’ll keep my eye out for the sharpening kit for that one. i wouldn’t be getting the mower until next year anyway. thank you!
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Hi,
I have a Scott’s classic reel that has worker well for a couple of years on a small area of grass. This morning though, I went out to cut and the blade won’t turn at all. Is there a gear or something broken inside. Does the blade need to be adjusted? Help ASAP, I can’t afford a new mower!
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It could be that the cogs inside the wheels are worn out and need replacement. You can get replacement parts from http://www.reelin.com. They also have an 800 number listed on their site, and can probably help you troubleshoot over the phone to see which part that you might need.
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Many thanks for this site and all of the great info! I just bookmarked the website you recommended for replacement parts, http://www.reelin.com, and thought your readers might like to know they also have a section with downloadable product/owner’s manuals (in PDF format) at https://www.reelin.com/Manuals.aspx. I just downloaded the manual for my Great States 16″ reel mower as a backup for the printed one that came with the mower, and now I don’t have to dig out the paper one to find the instructions on adjusting the blades. The section also has a downloadable copy of the same manual that comes in the sharpening kit you mentioned above (http://www.cleanairgardening.com/reelmowshark.html).
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I purchased a task force 20″ reel mower. It seems that it does not push smoothly – it stops – I don’t know if it is me, the lawn or the mower. I might need to adjust the height but not sure how to or I might need to have the blades sharpened – I’ve only used it once…help. Is there a manual somewhere on-line? Also, do reel mowers not work as well when the lawn is damp from morning dew? Thanks for the website…Toni
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steve Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 12:56 pm
No luck finding a manual, however the height adjust levers should be near the back small wheels. Cutting the lawn when it is wet can be a problem if grass is collecting near the cutting bar, so maybe wait a few hours while the grass dries out. As for adjusting, there should be a small nut on either side of the reel, near the cutting bar. Make small incremental adjustments, spin the blade and see if it makes contact. If it hits, back it off just a hair and you should be good. Make sure to make the same adjust on either side so to not off set the reel.
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toni Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:50 am
@steve, thank you so much. Just so I’m clear – there is a difference between height adjust levers and adjusting the blades – right?
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Does anyone know the weight of the new Fiskar’s Momentum Reel Mower?
We am looking for a reel mower that doesn’t need a lot of maintenance (such as sharpening), and can cut grass that is a mix including rye, and zoisa. We have an electric mower is 41 lbs and would like something lighter, as well as to ditch the electricity.
Is Brill just as good?
Thankyou
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steve Reply:
February 15th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
The Fiskar’s Momentum Reel Mower in the box weights 53 pounds. So out of the box it will be around 50 or so. The Brill Razorcut 38 will be the lightest model avaiable at 18 lbs. see more about the Brill here: http://www.reelmowerguide.com/brill-razorcut-premium-38-reel-lawnmower/
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where’s the video of you mowing the 43 x 60 ft area mentioned at the end of this page:
http://www.reelmowerguide.com/scotts-classic-push-reel-mower-information/
and just above the mention of the video, it says “But someone sent me this terrific solution that really helps the catcher work better with the mower.” what solution??
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admin Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 4:28 pm
@bailey, Thanks for pointing that out. Looks like we screwed up the page with the last update. I fixed it, and the description that goes with those two photos of the catcher is now back on the page.
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Hello! this is a great website by the way. I’ve been reading these posts and from what I gather this new fangled plastic pinion idea is not very well thought out. If a gear or a handle needs replaced after a few years what’s the point in buying a new one? I recently aquired an antique reel mower from a friend and am restoring it and painting it the colors I found on it-canary yellow and sea foam green. Can you say ’60’s style?
But I must say I’m quite dissapointed in these new mowers. Mine is all cast and has cast pinions. I think its amazing that manufacturers still manufacture reel mowers but they should go back to producing quality items made by americans and not these plastic japanese made hunks of junk that do nothing but make foreigners richer.
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I’m thinking of buying the Scott 20″ from Home Depot, but the employee there said that it would be too difficult to cut the thick St. Augustine grass here in south Florida. What are your thoughts?
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steve Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 5:33 am
I strongly suggest you look into the Mascot 6 bladed reel lawn mower. Its weight will allow the mower to sink down into the dense St. Augustine grass. This mower is perfect for all grasses especially Bermuda and St. Augustine grass.
Use the following link to learn more about this mower. There is a video at the bottom of the page as well.
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/mascot-reel-mower.html
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