Does anyone use a push mower?

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
Yeah, my offer on the house was accepted. :) :) :) :) :) Congratulate me. Now I'm in the gut-wrenching process of home inspections & mortgages. But when all is said & done (about 5 weeks from now) I'm gonna be a happy camper in my new home.

So, right now I have a pretty big backyard (about 40 X 120) & use a lawn service. My new backyard is much smaller (probably about 20 X 30). I'm thinking about bagging the service & getting one of those non-motorized push mowers. Especially now that I have a garage in which to store it. :7

I know they're better for the environment (obviously), but are they really hard to use? Do they take a really long time? If I did Drill Max would I be able to cut my grass after without passing out? :p

And what about maintenance? I assume they need to be oiled periodically? Do they rust quickly? Lordy, I have so many decisions & so little time........next post will be on washers & dryers......;-)
 
Laura! Congrats! We need to see pics asap.

I love push mowers. I don't have one now (though I'm considering getting one soon), but I used to have one. It worked great. And no, it wasn't that hard to use (just don't let your grass get so long you need a scythe to get through it!). Make sure you invest in a really good one - Gardena is a great brand. Yes, they need to be oiled and occasionally you'll need to get the blades sharpened.

They don't rust quickly, you just need to be diligent about keeping it fairly clean.
 
I use to have a push mower. I have a huge yard and when I moved in I couldn't afford a lawn service or a riding mower so I used my dad's push mower. What a workout!! It worked well but you do have watch that the grass doesn't get too long. A couple times my sister had to weed whack and I followed with the mower. We ended up getting a gas powered mower after a year and now have a lawn service.

Congratulations on your new home!
 
I have a non-motorized ('people powered'!) push mower. It works very well if all you have is grass, clover and violets, and you don't let the grass get too tall between mowings. If the lawn is fairly flat, it's a breeze. If you have lots of hills and valleys, then it is more of a workout. I have have hills and valleys, and non-grass plants in my yard, so I really get a workout when I use mine! Especially if I let things get too tall.

I'm not aware of any oiling being necessary (maybe I should be?), but you will need to sharpen the blades periodically. I think www.gaiam.com used to sell a push-mower sharpener kit. Other places do as well.

The only PITA aspect of it is that if there are twigs or sticks on the lawn, they jam up the blades, and you have to stop, bend down, and pull the sticks out from between the blade and the body of the mower. This can be avoided by raking before mowing.

I SO much prefer the gentle 'snick-snick' sound of the mower to the loud RRRRRRRR of a motorized mower. And there is no gas to deal with, no gas fumes, no dripping oil.

Push mowers aren't expensive at all, so I think it's worth it, even if you decide to hire someone to mow every once in a while, while you do the fill-in mowing in between.

Another suggestion, which is what I've done with my front yard, because I think grass is mainly a waste of space: you could plant some flower and or herb beds or "islands" so there is less grass to deal with.
 
Gayle! LMAO! I'm lazy but I'm not quite THAT lazy!

Kathryn, your post made me laugh too--written like a true cat lover! Max would make mincemeat out of almost anything that didn't resemble grass. I did consider maybe trying some gardening in the new yard, but I'm afraid any plant I buy will be viciously murdered by my black thumb.
:+ :+ :+

OK I'm gonna try the non-motorized mower. It's a tiny yard & totally flat, so it should be easy, right? :p
 
Hi laura
My husband actually has a sharpening business and a big part of it in the spring are the reel mowers. They're getting to be more popular each year. We also use a reel mower for our own lawn and as long as the blades are kept sharp, they work great. Customers usually bring them in once a year for sharpening. The newer ones are lightweight compared to much older ones.
Good luck with your purchase
Sherry:)
 
Laura,
DH and I bought a Scott's one (off of Amazon weirdly enough!---Hey, it shipped for free and wend together in about 20 min.) We've been using it for out lawn even since and as Kathryn said, if your lawn is flat, it's a lot like walking back and forth over your lawn. Definitely doable after DrillMax. The only thing we've noticed is it has a tough time with dandelions when they get too tall, and the instructions do say to oil it with W-D40 after every use. I imagine that it would need yearly sharpening.

Honestly? The best part is that it doesn't turn your shoes green :)

Mattea
 
Laura,
I just want to start by saying that I have never mowed a lawn in my life! Ummm and I don'r intend on doing it! Anyway no advice, just wanted to say congrats on the house!!!! We are closing on ours on the 15th. I am so excited but the stress of lenders and inspections and appraissals, and etc is messing with me. I'll just be glad when the whole thing is done!
LD
 
OMG you don't have to tell me--the expenses just keep piling up (washer/dryer, fencing in the yard, movers, home inspections, the list just goes on & on!) & I have to keep reminding myself that there's light at the end of the tunnel & it'll all be over by July 16.

You're almost there--only 9 days to go! Hang in there & soon you'll be living in your beautiful new home. :)
 
>...and the instructions
>do say to oil it with W-D40 after every use.

Where are you supposed to oil it? (I lost the instructions for my mower).
 
I also use a push mower. I love it. A friend of mine gave me her old one, and it needs some repairs, but I prefer using it to a gas powered mower. And I always get the satisfaction that I got a little more exercise in for the day!
 
Kathryn,
On the blades, keeps them from getting rusty or something. I couldn't lay my hands on the instructions right now if my life depended on it and I don't remember exactly *why* you were supposed to oil it, just that you were. At this point DH and I do it more out of some kind of "lawn mower ideology" (i.e. "it's always been done that way"), than out of any deep understanding, lol :7

Mattea
 
Probably it has to be where the rod that holds the blades meets the rotors/wheels. But never having seen one up close I can't give a very specific description.
 
Laura,
You oil those too, just not after every use. I do know it's the blades you have to keep oiled everytime. I imagine it has to do with oil preventing the blades from rusting, but again. So. Not. Sure. :)

Mattea
 
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