Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Reel Mowers
Monday, January 2nd, 2012The standard type of lawn mower on the market today, and most likely the type you will have grown up watching your parents use, is the ever-popular rotary mower. But this hasn’t always been the case.
The first manufactured mowers weren’t rotary mowers, they were in fact reel mowers, the reel mower having being conceived by Edwin Budding in 1830. Consisting of striking differences to the rotary mowers you use on a regular basis, reel mowers do not come with an engine, instead using the power of sharp blades and the strength of the operator to cut the grass. The main difference between reel and rotary mowers is the way in which the blades spin. A rotary mower’s blades spin parallel to the ground, whereas a reel mowers blades spin at adjacent angles to the ground, which creates a much different cutting style (and different end results) to that of a rotary mower.
Environmentally sided people stand reel mowers as an environmentally friendly solution to fuel-powered rotary mowers. Reel mowers have many benefits over rotary mowers, as well as being kind on the environment, they can also increase safety, reduce noise, and substantially lower maintenance fees. Long-time users of reel mowers often say the artisanal nature of using the reel mower as opposed to an enormous vehicle to cut the lawn is one of the main benefits to using a reel mower.
The reel lawn mowers sold today are easier to operate than older models, because lightweight plastics and alloys incorporated into their construction have made them easier to manoeuvre.
Despite this, there are still some downsides to using reel mowers. For one, they don’t slice up twigs, unlike rotary mowers. In fact, twigs will often get lodged into the blades and you will have to remove them by hand, a dangerous and time consuming task. You can also not use reels in the fall to shred leaves for compost, which is often a favourite by-produce of the rotary according to any seasoned gardener.
Rotary mowers are also much better at cutting tall grass than reel mowers, which should be of especially important consideration for those who don’t mow the lawn regularly, due to living in an area which often experiences an unpredictable climate. These limitations argue that, for all but the most industrious and idealistic, reel mowers may be most suitable for those who tend small urban lots, due to the short-term time saving benefits of using a reel for a small plot of land, as opposed to the long-term benefits of using a rotary mower for a larger plot.
To find out more about these types of lawn mowers click here and see more snow thrower reviews at lawn mower base.