Yup, this is the reel deal! Forget gasoline! No more stinky hands from pouring gas into the gas tank of the lawn mower. Forget cranking up the engine. Forget the nasty smell as you burn gas. Forget disturbing the peace with excessive noises coming from the lawn mower.
See how the dude in the video push the reel lawn mower in bare feet? Reel lawn mowers are relatively safer than gas-powered lawn mower. When you stop pushing the reel lawn mower, the blades stop spinning abruptly. It does not continue spinning for another three minutes or so like with the gas-powered lawn mower.
I love using reel lawn mower! I save gas money every time I use it! I do not have to take a trip to the gas station to fill up the gas tank, so I curb emissions from not driving my car! I like pushing the reel lawn mower in bare feet so that I can feel Earth as I do the job. I reckon it sure is the reel deal!!
Go Green! Get a Reel Lawn Mower!
DISCLAIMER:
To be safe, wear sneakers while cutting the grass with a lawn mower at all times.
To be safe, wear sneakers while cutting the grass with a lawn mower at all times.
i was very lucky to buy my current house with a vintage reel mower left in the garage! i've used it quite a bit, now it's dull and harder to use (doesn't cut grass as quickly as it used to a year ago). i'm wondering where i can get the blades sharpened. any suggestions? :)
ReplyDeleteVintage?? the wood kind? We had the wood one but the handle broke before we bought a brand new one. I would say that that the wood one was around since 1920s or 1930s.
ReplyDeleteTry DIY with the sharpening kit.
Reelmowers.info
Or take it to the nearest lawn mower shop where someone will sharpen the reel lawn mower blades for you. It shouldn't be that expensive. :)
Hope this helps!
very helpful!
ReplyDeleteno, it's metal -with one cyclinder being wood. i found a photo of the exact same thing online - sorry yours broke :(
photo
and its awesome because i found out it's made in the 1950's!
1950's photo
Wow! A retro looking lawn mower. Is yours yellow too? Thanks for sharing the pictures!
ReplyDeleteYup, sad to see it go, but we tried to make the wood one last long before the handle bar wobbled apart and the post itself cracked in half. It was a very Amish-looking reel lawn mower. Regardless, we are very happy with the brand new metal kind and I bet it'll outlast any gas-powered lawn mower.
I wish I have a goat or two in the backyard so it can eat grass and fertilize, (yes, fertilize!!!) the lawn for us if the city of Buffalo would allow that. We have a small rabbit house with fences around it and the rabbit eats the grass. Nice to have the rabbit help us out in a way! :)
More about the goat:
Forget Lawn Mowers, Hire Goats
As soon as the mulch around my yard and pond is done and sod laid out, I'm shopping for a reel lawn mower and possibly a grass catcher attached to it. Hope it won't be difficult with the stepping stones in place.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know there's a place to sharpen the blades when they become dull.
Goats'll be ideal for a bigger land. I hope to move in a home on a 10-15 acres of land one day soon. Goats'll definitely be useful! :)
ReplyDeleteI've found some lands in Indiana where they're affordable for that many acres of land with a house, garage, barn, etc. It's not far from Indianapolis. I can't be too far away from the vibrancy of the Deaf community :) Not sure if I can find one as affordable in other states where the Deaf community is progressive and accessible but will look into them.
What about smaller lands? I could see having two or three goats taking care of my small backyard without a problem because grass grow fast. Otherwise, goats are mischievous. They like to eat anything and knock things over as I heard.
ReplyDeleteI second that...about the vibrancy of the deaf community.
Don't see any harm in having a goat on a smaller land but not on mine which is only 16 by 60 feet and in a city.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to watch my dogs interact with the goat on a limited space. My dogs are territorial! I'll make sure the goat is without horns! :)
I'm only saying it because it won't be only a goat on the land if it was a big one. And a goat will be a rescued one, definitely.
yup, mine's yellow too, exactly like the picture - rustic yellow :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to see turf wars between the goats and dogs. :) I think all cities should allow farm animals. It would be very nice to raise goats and chickens in the backyard. I do not see any harms in allowing it but for sure that would greatly reduce the profits made by supermarkets.
ReplyDeleteRaychelle, nice color! Although rustic yellow but loud as a school bus, LOL. :)
No way can I have goats and chickens in my 15 by 60 feet backyard LOL Bigger land than that, sure :)
ReplyDeleteRaychelle's rustic yellow reel mower vs Grass eatin' sheep... I pick Raychelle's rustic yellow reel mower. --At least for a smaller lot of land....
ReplyDeleteWhy?
1: that theory that gas eatin' sheep burp enough methane to pollute more than a gas mower ( wall street journal article )
2: For only the cost of a little bit of sweat on the brow, you can have a good little work out and get a healthier lawn. Reel mowers cut the grass more cleanly allowing it to heal faster and the nitrogen from the cut blade of grass will feed the soil --that is if you don't use a grass catcher to save for the garden.
interesting article, thanks for sharing, g5!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a serious issue with sheep and cows farting methane gas. This is a brand new topic to me and I've been hearing more about it lately. I think the best way to reduce the impact of farm animal methane gas is to reduce the consumption of meats. This is another convincing point to go vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteWhat about vegetarians that eat a lot of beans? Eating beans can produce gassy results. Not sure if there are studies done on it yet. I'll have to do some research.
I agree, G5, that it is better to cut grass using the reel lawn mower for soil and health benefits. I do not think it'll hurt to have a sheep or two in the backyard as opposed to running Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAF0s).
Great article and thanks for the comment about the grass catcher -- I'll not buy it then!
ReplyDeleteLivestocks are being overbred at an outrageous rate for $$$ in the hands of humans for meat and their skin. This means far more methane emissions to be released into air. If we left them on their own to procreate, it won't be that many. Where do $$ come from that promote agriculture, wool/leather/etc business? Humans. We get what we put in. Then humans have to breathe all of those on top of many other chemicals that we have to breathe.
We have the power over how to spend $$ to change/help, not hurt animals, earth and people. Doing only what benefits us people will not do it period.
Better to get rid of the grass in the first place and convert to native vegetations. Grass sucks up an incredible amount of water each year. :)
ReplyDeleteBobby, ever heard of rain barrel or catcher? :)
ReplyDeleteGo to:
www.composters.com/rain-barrels.php
bobby's right. i went to a native landscaping workshop here by DC Dept of the Environment a week or so ago and they say grass sucks. i got 5 different native plants to plant in my yard that are low/zero maintenance, beautiful and do not need manual watering. plan to remove grass from my entire front yard and replace with native zero-maintenance plants that encourage the very important members of our ecosystem such as butterflies, snakes, bees, bats, etc.
ReplyDeleteI do not know too much about native landscaping. I agree it is important to have low/zero maintenance lawns. Maybe put up new EcoDeaf posts on this subject? :)
ReplyDeleteAbout grass, we do not water our lawns. Our lawns thrive great on its own with water from the rain. We live right by Lake Erie which helps a lot. However we did cover our bald spots with clovers. Growing clovers definitely helps maintain the ecosystem. Read More About the Benefits of Growing Clovers Here
I like rain barrels/catchers. I think it is a great strategy to water grass and plants in order to avoid wasting fresh water from using the hose.
I have pet peeves with homeowners growing and maintaining grass lawns in areas that are not native for grass to thrive on its own. Some homeowners in the southern regions converted their desert-like properties into grassy lawns and that is a waste of fresh water, no doubt.
I can see many new topics to post on EcoDeaf in this thread alone. :)
Good source of information!
ReplyDeleteI only have a backyard so can't take the entire grass off and replace with native vegetations as my dogs need grass to romp :) The best I can do is to use rain barrier/catcher and water it during the night so it doesn't get dried out fast instead unless rain is expected the following day. If clovers grow, I'll see that as positive :)
I could always put native plants in the area where mulches are. It's the least I can do at the moment.
cool about clovers :)
ReplyDeletei'm still learning about xeriscaping/native landscaping myself that's why i'm not posting yet about it (plus having zero time myself too LOL) but fear none, with my new iphone 3g s, i should be posting videos of many things i do around the house that are eco-friendly :)
i also have bowls in my shower that catch water as i shower, and i use those to water my plants (a cheaper version of a rainbarrel :))
Great idea to water grass at night time than in the morning and during the day. I'll keep that in mind!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your posts about native landscaping and your vlogs. I very much like the idea about using the bowls to catch water while showering. :)
Insightful discussion!
ReplyDeleteI have two big rain barrels. They are actually bigger than the normal rain barrel. I love those, but you would need to buy a water pump if you want to water your plants with a hose. That cost me 85 dollars to buy. Just an FYI.
I have clovers in my backyard and the amount of lawn is being dwindled by them. The rest is occupied by my veggie/fruit/and flower garden areas.
Goats - whee, do not introduce them to dogs face to face unless they all grew up with each other. Take it from personal experience. Lovely idea tho, for their milk is not only delicious but so nutritious to the point that it surpasses cow milk in quality because our bodies absorb it better. I only buy goat butter and milk. I can assure you that it tastes like the regular cow milk. It is the yogurt that tastes sour (Kefir - which I love by the way). Leave the goats herded off from the dogs. Katherine - have you checked out llamas and their relatives, the acuplacas (Spelling error here)? You can gather wool from those and sell to textile companies.
Thanks for the enlightening postings.
Dina
Dina, thank you for sharing the information from your experience. I'll keep the water pump inmind for rain barrels. I was told that it is illegal to have rain barrels in Buffalo but that could be incorrect.
ReplyDeleteAbout clovers, are you saying that it is taking over grass? Is that your intention with clovers in the first place?
Llamas are cool! :)
It's cheaper to make your own rain barrel. You can get a big garbage can and get a water pump to attach the hose to.
ReplyDeleteI use butter and milk made of soy. I use smart balance for butter and soy milk, I forgot the name and thus far is my best soy milk I've tasted. They're not from animal product at all. They're good and you ought try it.
Thanks for your advice about goats and I do believe you about goat and dogs. While my dogs are only 16 and 11 lbs, they act like napoleons At the small dog park, they try to dominate the big dogs :)
Interesting about the llamas. I will get one of those to graze on a big property one day. I give them the freedom of living on the property and in exchange, they keep the grass trimmed :) I'll get the rescued ones.
I am not comfortable with profitting from them as animals and mammals suffer enough. It needs to stop. All the wealth collected on their behalf are not going back to them or be used to protect them.
As soon as the idea of profit emerges, it can get out of control. We may end up seeing a llamas farm by a big agriculture industry where they're slaved for wool like we see with cows, pigs, ostriches, chickens, foxes, minks, ducks, geeses, sheeps, goats, horses, dogs, cats and many more. Deplorable conditions they are in. They all exist because of the $ we invest.
Clovers are to take over my grass and in turn convert nitrogen into ammonia digested by plants via nitrogen fixing bacteria. Clovers are amazing also because you do not really have the need to mow them, and you can eat them (yes, you heard me right).
ReplyDeleteAs for llama wool, if it is responsible farming, i.e. as with free range chickens, eggs, fruits and veggies, human labor for farming, etc. I would not mind it. Llamas are wonderful animals, rescued, that is. So I echo your sentiments there, Katherine.
Dina
Interesting about clovers. We do need to mow our clovers here but not as often as with grass.
ReplyDelete