Hand Push Lawn Mower

[rScotty]

Does anyone use a hand push lawn mower for small areas & trim?

I'm curious to know what make or model is the very best one. Something small enough for a smallish woman to feel confident operating it.

Price not so much a consideration as it is mostly for trim on slopes and no matter what they cost, I'd think that it would be less than motorized.
thanks,
rScotty

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would hate to be tasked with the job of cutting on a grade with a manual mower.

 

[Streetcar]

Hand push is for short grass with no hard stems. Parents had one
Toro with personal pace. It痴 speed is based on how hard you push bar. Mine is used in tight areas and hill too steep for zero turn

 

[Big Barn]

Hand push is for short grass with no hard stems. Parents had one
Toro with personal pace. It痴 speed is based on how hard you push bar. Mine is used in tight areas and hill too steep for zero turn

I think the OP is looking for NON motorized.

The Toro Personal Pace is great though. I have one.

Hand push will work fine BUT the bedknife to reel adjustment is critical for cut as well as the sharpness of the reels.

 

[Diggin It]

I'd look into a battery model before anything mechanically driven.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...Reel type manual push mowers are one of the most common yard tools I see on Craig's List...most are in new condition...i.e., "only used a few times"...!

 

[Paystar]

I have a John Deere JS48 self propelled. My dealer gave it to me at their cost because I don't want to drive my tractor on my septic bed. Has what they call "Mowmentum" where the harder you push the handle the faster it goes.

It's a Snapper painted green with a 6.5 B&S engine with electric start.

Has been a good mower. Only issue I have is the gas cap doesn't seal very good. Got a new cap under warranty and it still gets dirt in the tank. So I just installed an inline fuel filter in the gas line.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I will never forget as kids. You saw one of those push type mowers and just had to "play" with it. The fun ended in about a foot!

I am just itching to mention the flying mower I got at Auction yesterday. A flymo with (apparently) the desireabla Isuzu 2 stroke Motor. Many scrapers love them for doing hillsides and you can even mow your pond!

But this is about non motorized!

 

[TerryR]

I used a reel type push mower for years on small lawns in California then in New Jersey. It was branded as Scotts - the fertilizer people. It was a joy to use but pretty heavy - might be too much for a smallish woman on sloped ground.

We finally gave up on it in NJ because we were working long hours and the frequent summer rains made it difficult to mow before the grass got too tall for to mow with a push mower, especially when it was wet.

 

[rScotty]

Yes, in the original post I guess I should have mentioned that what I'm looking for is info on the non-motorized reel type hand push mowers of yesteryear. But I want to get a good one.... and not too large. I remember some as being difficult to push, and others worked very nicely. Our climate here is dry - sort of arid, in fact - and the grass is sparse.

Anyway, I want to give the old style mower a try.
rScotty

 

[Hiptfarms]

I think Fiskars makes one. I haven't ever used a reel mower but everything I have bought made by Fiskars has been a good product. They have replaced a few items under their lifetime warranty and the process has worked flawlessly.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Yes, in the original post I guess I should have mentioned that what I'm looking for is info on the non-motorized reel type hand push mowers of yesteryear. But I want to get a good one.... and not too large. I remember some as being difficult to push, and others worked very nicely. Our climate here is dry - sort of arid, in fact - and the grass is sparse.

Anyway, I want to give the old style mower a try.
rScotty

I really don't think you need to worry about quality nor longevity.

First time you or she uses it and it hangs up on a twig and jams to an immediate stop, you'll understand exactly why you shouldn't worry about quality nor longevity. You'll understand much quicker than she will. My experience from using them 'back in the day' confirms that.

Up until I was about 12 years old I made my pocket money mowing yards with one of those reel type push mowers. Didn't matter if it were sparse grass or Johnson Grass, that was hard work, even for a scrappy broke-but-determined kid. It didn't take but a couple of years pushing that dang thing I saved up enough money to buy one of those new fangled mowers with a motor. Yeah, that was back in the '50's.

My suggestion is to skip the push mower thing. Buy her an electric mower if she's an environmental activist, or worse case, one of those $25 used mowers off of Craigslist. Let the push type reel mower fade into memory...

 

[MossRoad]

Conjures up images...

 

[Reb954]

I always thought rotary push mowers were only purchased to punish kids.

 

[MossRoad]

I've got two of them. They belonged to my grandpa. He kept them in the sheds at his rental houses. They are fine for very small city lots, and if you are in normal to better physical condition, go for it. However, if the grass gets neglected for a week, or if it rains a little more than normal, and you usually cut it taking 1" off and now you have to take 2-3" off, the time doesn't double, it almost quadruples. Big pain in the rear if you miss a mowing.

Just last fall, I watched our local hoodlum try and use one on a small patch of grass that was every bit of 10" high. He quit after about 3 passes on a 10' long area.

 

[bigtiller]

Lowe's has a 40 volt cordless on sale now with a 5Ah battery and charger for $239.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-40-...ectric-Lawn-Mower-Battery-Included/1000192703

 

[4get gto]

I always thought rotary push mowers were only purchased to punish kids.

They were.. That's why you don't see many today...! :banghead:

 

[GrumpyJoe]

If I can't cut it with my zero turn or finish mower I kill it.

 

[ededic]

If I can't cut it with my zero turn or finish mower I kill it.

Ditto. Mowed for 25 years and if i couldn’t reach it with the big deck, it was edged with a shovel and mulched or roundup. You must have a big tractor to not drive on your septic field.

 

[Diggin It]

Maybe the answer .....