So do you want to buy a push/reel mower?
In this day and age a push/reel mower can be a great option for lawn care. There are several things to take into consideration before buying a reel mower. First your lawn, a reel mower works best on a flat surface with no big bumps, rocks, or sticks. Second is you, are you willing to get out in the sun and push your reel mower around your lawn (2 passes should do it). Last but not least do you have a decent place to store it? A reel mower should at the very least be kept in a covered location.
Buying a push mower?
New or used, the age old question. Personally I think hitting up http://portland.craigslist.org/ is the best option, but if you want to buy new there are a few things to think about.
New
Be ready for a big price tag, never buy the cheapest model (call me if you want brands), you get what you pay for. Manufacturers don't put much grease in reel mowers when they ship them, so you will need to get in there and grease the insides of the mower. If it's loud its not adjusted correctly (yes even from the box) and you will need to fix that (see instructions in box).
New
Be ready for a big price tag, never buy the cheapest model (call me if you want brands), you get what you pay for. Manufacturers don't put much grease in reel mowers when they ship them, so you will need to get in there and grease the insides of the mower. If it's loud its not adjusted correctly (yes even from the box) and you will need to fix that (see instructions in box).
Used
There is a bit more to think about when buying a used reel mower, hence me writing this^^. Below is a picture of a reel mower with numbers on it. The numbers will correspond with parts you should make sure are on a mower before buying. I will list and explain those below the picture. Make sure all the parts are there and in working order. Shop around and look at several ads (heck I often have 1 or 2 for sale myself). Remember when shopping that the seller likely has not done any maintenance on said mower and you will need to get that done. There are alot of styles of mower out there ranging from fancy to basic. Do NOT buy the cheapest one EVER!! I find that the heavy, old, all metal mowers are best. The old mowers are all metal (inside parts), tend to last longer and are easier to push once they are going, also in the wetness of Oregon they have the wieght to at least try to get traction on wet grass. The newer models are more often found on CL (such as Americans and Great States) these are not bad mowers, but one of the inside parts is plastic and if the mower is misadjusted it can wear badly.
There is a bit more to think about when buying a used reel mower, hence me writing this^^. Below is a picture of a reel mower with numbers on it. The numbers will correspond with parts you should make sure are on a mower before buying. I will list and explain those below the picture. Make sure all the parts are there and in working order. Shop around and look at several ads (heck I often have 1 or 2 for sale myself). Remember when shopping that the seller likely has not done any maintenance on said mower and you will need to get that done. There are alot of styles of mower out there ranging from fancy to basic. Do NOT buy the cheapest one EVER!! I find that the heavy, old, all metal mowers are best. The old mowers are all metal (inside parts), tend to last longer and are easier to push once they are going, also in the wetness of Oregon they have the wieght to at least try to get traction on wet grass. The newer models are more often found on CL (such as Americans and Great States) these are not bad mowers, but one of the inside parts is plastic and if the mower is misadjusted it can wear badly.
1. Roller Bar
Make sure there is a roller bar. It could look like this or a big tube or even a bar with 2 little wheels on it, but you MUST have one. If there is no roller bar say no thanks!! Check for wear on the end brackets, many times these are made from plastic and break easily. Without a roller bar you cannot control the height you mow at.
2. Wheels
Make sure there are 2 wheels and that they don't just fall off. Second tilt the mower up on 1 wheel by itself and push the mower, make sure the blades spin, then do the same on the other wheel. If they don't spin or don't spin on 1 wheel don't buy it.
3. Handle
Make sure there is a handle. Doesn't much matter what it looks like as long as it is attached and doesn't feel too sloppy (i.e. wiggles around too much).
4. Blades
Take a close look at the blades. Are they dinged up alot? Does the edge look all ragged or bumpy? If so don't buy. Rust can be worked around as long as it's not too bad (alot of the older mowers get rusty). Last but far from least make sure they spin!!
5. Bedding Blade
This looks like a shelf under the spinning wheels, but it is actually one of the most important blades on a mower. The bedding blade does most of the cutting so make sure it is there. Look at it for really bad rust or other things like bad dings or lots of wear on one side (shows as a shinier side) this indicates the mower was misadjusted at some point and may not be fixable. Mostly make sure the mower has one ^^.
6. Tension Adjustment
This can look a little different depending on the mower (I have a couple of pictures down below for some of the options). There are 2 main types of adjustment options, the adjustment screws shown on the left and the adjustment bolts shown on the right. For the screws you want to make sure that all 4 screws are on the mower and that none of the heads look stripped. For the bolts you want to look and make sure they don't look so rusted that they would never move again. The bolts are located on the outside next to the wheels. A couple of brands have other options such as the Brill or the Husqvarna, but most will have one of these 2 options. The tension adjustment changes how the bedding blade touches the spinning blades thus making the mower CUT, hence why you really should make sure that the adjustment can be done.
Make sure there is a roller bar. It could look like this or a big tube or even a bar with 2 little wheels on it, but you MUST have one. If there is no roller bar say no thanks!! Check for wear on the end brackets, many times these are made from plastic and break easily. Without a roller bar you cannot control the height you mow at.
2. Wheels
Make sure there are 2 wheels and that they don't just fall off. Second tilt the mower up on 1 wheel by itself and push the mower, make sure the blades spin, then do the same on the other wheel. If they don't spin or don't spin on 1 wheel don't buy it.
3. Handle
Make sure there is a handle. Doesn't much matter what it looks like as long as it is attached and doesn't feel too sloppy (i.e. wiggles around too much).
4. Blades
Take a close look at the blades. Are they dinged up alot? Does the edge look all ragged or bumpy? If so don't buy. Rust can be worked around as long as it's not too bad (alot of the older mowers get rusty). Last but far from least make sure they spin!!
5. Bedding Blade
This looks like a shelf under the spinning wheels, but it is actually one of the most important blades on a mower. The bedding blade does most of the cutting so make sure it is there. Look at it for really bad rust or other things like bad dings or lots of wear on one side (shows as a shinier side) this indicates the mower was misadjusted at some point and may not be fixable. Mostly make sure the mower has one ^^.
6. Tension Adjustment
This can look a little different depending on the mower (I have a couple of pictures down below for some of the options). There are 2 main types of adjustment options, the adjustment screws shown on the left and the adjustment bolts shown on the right. For the screws you want to make sure that all 4 screws are on the mower and that none of the heads look stripped. For the bolts you want to look and make sure they don't look so rusted that they would never move again. The bolts are located on the outside next to the wheels. A couple of brands have other options such as the Brill or the Husqvarna, but most will have one of these 2 options. The tension adjustment changes how the bedding blade touches the spinning blades thus making the mower CUT, hence why you really should make sure that the adjustment can be done.
My last piece of advice is to remember that the mower will most likely needs servicing, so add that price in.
Bought mower $25
Sharpening $40-$55
total $65 mower
Bought mower $25
Sharpening $40-$55
total $65 mower
