Thinking of buying a reel mower...should I?

[mjr]

I'm not asking advice on which one to buy...that would be verboten here. Besides, I'm already doing that research. I have a couple in mind already.

I'm asking if I should buy one.

Unfortunately, right now my (bermudagrass) lawn is infested with weeds. Mostly crabgrass mixed with Johnsongrass and a couple of other weeds I of which don't know the names.

If there's one thing I've learned about weeds, it's that they can grow fairly quickly.

So I'm wondering if a reel mower would work, or if it would just be a waste of money until I get my problem with the weeds under control.

Right now I have an electric (24 volt battery powered) rotary one. It seems to bog down in thicker patches of my lawn (even where there aren't any weeds), so I'm hoping a reel mower will alleviate some of that.

I also hear that reel mowers are better for lawns than rotary ones.

So, anyone have any thoughts on this?

[dendawg]

Honestly, you should get a powerful gas-powered rotary. Reed mowers are okay, but you'll have just as hard a time with them as you are with your electric mower. Gas powered rotaries will bog down too, but in that case just start out with the wheels at the highest setting, working you way down gradually to your desired height will make them bog down less, along with keeping the blades sharp.

[Ironclad Alibi]

In case you are considering a push type reel mower, ask yourself if you will get tired of pushing it? Years ago I had one and got tired of pushing it. However, I have a neighbor lady who has been using a push type reel mower for decades.

If your concern is how it will handle your grass, you might also consider a powered reel mower.

[protege]

So I'm wondering if a reel mower would work, or if it would just be a waste of money until I get my problem with the weeds under control.

I'd get the weeds under control first. Either get the sprays from the hardware store, or hire someone to treat the lawn. Why? You can cut the weeds down with the mower, but unless you get the roots too, they'll come back. Plus, there's always the possibility that you'll throw unwanted seeds everywhere.

I have a reel mower in addition to the "big" gasoline-powered one. Both will do the job, but they have their limitations. While the big mower can handle longer grass and thick weeds, the reel mower will jam. Its blades simply cannot handle long grass. It's best to use that only when the grass is very short.

[wolfie]

On the reel vs. rotary question, a sharp, properly adjusted reel mower will cut better than a sharp rotary (think scissors vs. scythe). A dull rotary will work to a certain extent (although it will bruise the grass), but a dull, out-of-adjustment reel won't cut at all. If you're going to go with a reel, you need to either find a place that can sharpen and adjust it properly, or learn how to do it yourself.

Reels fall into 3 basic categories: push (you supply the energy, wheels drive the reel), battery electric (due to the efficient cutting, you can cut more lawn with the same battery capacity than with a battery rotary), and gas (now pretty much only found on professional models for golf courses).

The push mower tends to jam and have the wheels slip on long/wet grass (with the weed patch you described, that's likely on your lawn). It's quite a workout, and really only suitable for small lawns.

Many years ago, I got a gas reel (sitting in my storage locker for when I eventually get someplace with a lawn). Got it off eBay (when it was still a respectable marketplace) for $25 - terms of sale were "local pickup only", and it was in the Chicago area. Can you say "Road Trip"?

[IT Grunt]

I tried a push reel mower on my lawn a while back. Unfortunately my lawn had a lot of weeds as well, including one that had a long thin stem with tiny white flowers on a bulb at the top. (No idea of the name.) It cut the grass just fine.. in fact it looked beautiful after it. Except that instead of cutting those weeds, they just laid down and were missed by the blades, and sprung right up, so my well cut grass was amongst a forest of weeds.

I ended up going back to a gas mower just so I could keep the weeds cut down. Just my experience with them.

[mjr]

Honestly, you should get a powerful gas-powered rotary.

I'd originally thought of a gas powered mower when we moved into our house. However, my wife wasn't comfortable with the idea of a gas powered mower, so we went electric.

I found a more powerful electric mower (56 volt compared to my 24), but that one was in the neighborhood of $500 - $600. The reel mowers I'm looking at are $200 and less.

[mjr]

On the reel vs. rotary question, a sharp, properly adjusted reel mower will cut better than a sharp rotary (think scissors vs. scythe). A dull rotary will work to a certain extent (although it will bruise the grass), but a dull, out-of-adjustment reel won't cut at all.

One of the reel mowers I'm looking at claims that if you don't do anything you shouldn't (e.g. run over rocks and sticks) that the blade will stay sharp for 5-10 years.

[mjr]

I'd get the weeds under control first. Either get the sprays from the hardware store, or hire someone to treat the lawn. Why? You can cut the weeds down with the mower, but unless you get the roots too, they'll come back. Plus, there's always the possibility that you'll throw unwanted seeds everywhere.

I have a reel mower in addition to the "big" gasoline-powered one. Both will do the job, but they have their limitations. While the big mower can handle longer grass and thick weeds, the reel mower will jam. Its blades simply cannot handle long grass. It's best to use that only when the grass is very short.

I considered "starting over" with the lawn...the Mrs. said no. So I guess what I have to do is just mow short until winter, cut it VERY short once during winter, and then lay out my pre-emergent when I'm supposed to. I don't know how much that's gonna help, but a spray might work. Though I haven't had a lot of success with the sprays.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Having owned a reel mower, until you get the lawn under control and fairly weed free, you don't want the reel. A reel mower is best for someone who is going to cut the lawn VERY often. They also have issues cutting anything over a particular height(depends on the mower) because the frame pushes the matter down rather than letting it feed into the blades. Secondly, dang near anyone can sharpen a rotary mower. A reel is an entirely different story. The blades and cutter bar need to be maintained and sharpened to work properly. It's not just sharpness either, you'll need to be able to adjust the gap between the blades and the bar. A reel mower cuts like a scissors, two opposing blades crossing each other.

The scissors effect does happen to be why a reel mower is so popular for high end lawns as well as golf courses. Scissored grass tends to heal faster and has less likelihood of browning. As per golf courses, a big part of the reason they use reel mowers is that they're taking off so little grass that a rotary isn't capable of that small of a cut. At the golf course I worked at back in high school, we mowed the fairways and greens at least twice a week.

[mjr]

Good information, everyone. Let me address a few things:

A reel mower is best for someone who is going to cut the lawn VERY often.

Is once a week not often enough? That's usually my plan. Once a week, or thereabouts.

They also have issues cutting anything over a particular height(depends on the mower) because the frame pushes the matter down rather than letting it feed into the blades.

The model that I'm looking at can be adjusted from 1" to 4". I wonder if that would remedy some of the issues there. It's also supposed to be designed to prevent the pushing down of the matter, I think. If you're curious, PM me and I'll tell you which one I'm considering.

This particular model also has a "grass catcher" attachment (separate purchase) that can catch the grass, sort of like a bagger on a rotary mower.

[EricKei]

On weed-killer: Keep in mind that chems off the shelf will kill the bermuda grass, too, as it's in the weed family. Check with a knowledgeable employee at a shop, or call chem manufacturers or your state's "Extension Service" for info, to see if there are chemical varieties that are safe to use with Bermuda. If you end up seriously considering a nuke & pave (restarting from scratch) in the future, the Ext Svc can help with recommendations on types of grass/plants that work well in your area, and which play nice together. All for free. ^_^

[mjr]

If you end up seriously considering a nuke & pave (restarting from scratch) in the future, the Ext Svc can help with recommendations on types of grass/plants that work well in your area, and which play nice together. All for free. ^_^

The Mrs. already said no to a "restart" from scratch...

I'd really like to go field turf, but she said no to that, too...

[protege]

I found a more powerful electric mower (56 volt compared to my 24), but that one was in the neighborhood of $500 - $600. The reel mowers I'm looking at are $200 and less.

Interesting. I picked up a Honda gas mower for just over $300. Four blades and the usual fuel-sipping qualities was what sold me on it. Why gas? Simple--I don't have any outside electric outlets, and running a long cord into the house was out of the question.

[Seshat]

If you don't kill the unwanted grasses, they're going to stick around. So one way or another, you're going to either kill them - or have a weedy lawn. Some grasses can be killed by removing their leaves - but the ones which can be killed that way, will already have been killed by your old mower.

So you have choices. Dig them up by the roots (slow, manual labour, basically). Poison them (preferably with something which won't be a lingering poison). Smother them (that's what weed matting is). Or some option I don't know about.

My option would be poisoning them.
Broadleaf weeds among narrowleaf-desired-plants can be poisoned by spraying nitrogen-based 'poison' on them. Essentially, you're spraying stuff which fertilises the soil, but the broadleaf plants get an overdose of it; while the narrowleafed ones escape the overdose because of the smaller leaves.
If you're not lucky enough to have that option, you'll have to use a more selective form of poison: one way or another, you carry a container of plant poison and brush/spray it onto the leaves of the plant you don't want. Some plant poisons break down quickly (within hours or days) into soil fertiliser: you want one of those, by preference.