Looking for help choosing a reel mower.

reply to post by starcraft

I will definitely check it out.
I live in the tropics. It's a jungle out there.

I would also ad that reel mowers are notoriously difficult to adjust, so that they cut grass cleanly, while contacting the bedknife with the least resistance. A reel mower out of adjustment does tremendous damage to grass blades, at the cellular level. I have seen very few reel mowers that are properly adjusted.

I live in the tropics too! Goats eat browse, they do not graze on lawn debris and such by choice. Have you considered a game chicken of the sort? Twenty of them would rid your ground growth very quickly. Chickens and plants are enemies. They have no sense of conservation and will scratch and dig into the roots of the matter obsessively from morn to roost time. Plus they eat mice and bugs. You can let them free range. A game hen is considerably smarter, or more instinctive then these heritage breeds you see today. Plus you have to do nothing. Not even feed them. Just throwing it out there as an option for ya.

reply to post by Hollie


I have an acre and a half and have been told to get a goat, due to the creek right behind my house and people with riding mowers dont wont to take a chance.

I have learned to LOVE the grass, and at the end of every year I throw the rest of my seeds from gardening randomly in the back, and just wait to see what comes about at the end of the year.

I will build a coop this year, but due to random cats oh and those awesome coyotes, I cannot let them run around like that, so I am still looking into it, but thanks for the reminder of the goat.

Peace, NRE.

Agreed, Mow the 1/2 Acre and rent the other 5 to a local farmer for hay ground. Simple as that.

reply to post by Hollie

I live in tropics...but in a somewhat suburban environment. Didn't used to be that way but, well, they paved paradise and put up some parking lots.

I have a fair sized yard that the weeds want to take back. Birds keep importing nasty seeds; woody shrubs and really nasty vines. I've thought a bit about raising a few critters but it's really not a good situation for them. I like goats, their eyes kind of freak me out though. Chickens too. I would have to keep them penned, neighbors would get riled I think. Do not like roosters one bit so forget raising the things. Not sure where they come from but occasionally a wild jungle fowlish look bird will wander through the neighborhood but they don't stick around much. Lots of dogs around. Maybe that's it.

I live by the water, various ducks hang out and are pretty tame. Sometimes nest under my skiff and I'll grab an egg or two. I figure it's payback for destroying the plants in my koi pond fountain thingy.

Come to think of it...my little piece of paradise didn't get paved. But the damned plants just won't stop growing...ever...year round.

Why use a machine? Just get down there and a flat tool like a philips screwdriver and start hacking at the dirt while pulling weeds and making piles of them to burn.

.. That's how it's done here, every day. The country doesn't sell those fancy machines, not that people have the money to buy them -- they have time though!

It sounds to me like you aren't planting anything to replace the weeds. But then again you're just cutting, not really trying to get rid of them.

I am happy you didn't mention chemicals in the process =)

reply to post by Philippines


Burning is sort of...illegal. In some places. And discouraged where it isn't.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Hollie

 

I live in tropics...but in a somewhat suburban environment. Didn't used to be that way but, well, they paved paradise and put up some parking lots.

I have a fair sized yard that the weeds want to take back. Birds keep importing nasty seeds; woody shrubs and really nasty vines. I've thought a bit about raising a few critters but it's really not a good situation for them. I like goats, their eyes kind of freak me out though. Chickens too. I would have to keep them penned, neighbors would get riled I think. Do not like roosters one bit so forget raising the things. Not sure where they come from but occasionally a wild jungle fowlish look bird will wander through the neighborhood but they don't stick around much. Lots of dogs around. Maybe that's it.

I live by the water, various ducks hang out and are pretty tame. Sometimes nest under my skiff and I'll grab an egg or two. I figure it's payback for destroying the plants in my koi pond fountain thingy.

Come to think of it...my little piece of paradise didn't get paved. But the damned plants just won't stop growing...ever...year round.

edit on 6/2/2013 by Phage because: (no reason given)

Do you have to deal with the Tree Marigold? Some genius thought they were nice and brought them here in the 60's. Now they have spread across the entire northern part of the country.

They are your kind of weed that starts as brush and turns into a tree that is HARD to get rid of. At least it can be used for fertilizer...

reply to post by Philippines

No. None of that. Main problem is leucaena.
Imported as cattle feed. Went crazy.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by Philippines

 

No. None of that. Main problem is leucaena.
Imported as cattle feed. Went crazy.

I see, Ipil-ipil is our leucaena we deal with here. Though my wife says you can eat the seeds when young.

Agreed on a weed to a tree with that one lol. It's fast!

reply to post by NightSkyeB4Dawn


Buy a couple of goats. They'll keep the grass down.

Originally posted by Philippines
making piles of them to burn.

Not suggestible with poison ivy (the problem I have at the moment), that is if you don’t want to go to the hospital. You only make that mistake once.

I don’t even dare use a weed eater on them, or rip them up by hand. I would be blistered for weeks if went after a patch of poison ivy with a weed eater, or tried to pull them up by hand.

Heck, I get bumps on me when I just look at the stuff.

Originally posted by Mr Tranny

Originally posted by Philippines
making piles of them to burn.

Not suggestible with poison ivy (the problem I have at the moment), that is if you don’t want to go to the hospital. You only make that mistake once.

I don’t even dare use a weed eater on them, or rip them up by hand. I would be blistered for weeks if went after a patch of poison ivy with a weed eater, or tried to pull them up by hand.

Heck, I get bumps on me when I just look at the stuff.

Agreed. I have memorable experiences of that stuff as a child. Oozing blistering memories. I'm so glad it's not here.

I don't know what to say, except to try and overcome the ivy with a more invasive plant? lol. There is urushiol oil (poison ivy oil) in mango trees and mango fruit skins, and I have had a bad time from that too.

reply to post by SprocketUK


These goats love grass and will make milk for you.

reply to post by NightSkyeB4Dawn


To your OP, in my experience, the best reel mowers are ones found in antique stores. "They just don't make them like they used to!" The reason for this is the units tend to be very heavy, because heavier gauge metal was used. This weight, although more difficult to push around, is most efficient at slicing through the vegetation. The bedknives and cutting blades are more stout, and actually have some metal to sharpen.

A special grinding machine is needed to sharpen the reel and bedknife on a reel mower. The best way to accomplish this is to make a friendly visit to the maintenance shop of a golf course. Get to know their mechanic. For a few bucks, he/she can sharpen your mower, as well as show you how to adjust it properly. At a minimum, you'll be visiting their shop annually.

The best way to maintain the cutting edge sharpness is twofold. Check and adjust the mower just before mowing, with a small strip of newspaper. The mower should be dry when you do this. The second recommendation is to mow frequently. Because reel mowers cut so short, the mowing frequency needs to be increased. Cutting only small amounts of grass ensures the blades not only stay sharp, but also stays in adjustment longer.

I have a love/hate relationship with reel mowers.

reply to post by NightSkyeB4Dawn


You have code enforcement 6 miles out in the boonies? Seems odd, but I'll bite.

Code enforcement means neighbors, so just pay/borrow one of their mowers, problem solved.

If it was my yard I would burn it to the ground with 2-4D, and spray a preemerge such as Valor. If you want results quick, add some paraquat to the mix.

reply to post by starcraft


I think you had your chemicals mixed up, 2-4D is the growth enhancer not Glyphosphate. One interesting experiment is to dilute, and I mean dilute the HELL out of some 2-4D, and spray a bit of your garden. It will grow like it has never grown before.

We usually notice this when someone sprays a cotton crop, but did not clean their tank well, much of the cotton will die, but some will turn into super-cotton, and some weeds will be super-weeds.

Edit to add: I see you were correct, I misread your post. I find it interesting how roundup basically kills plants, where 2-4D makes them grow to death.

I have 16 acres, about 2 or 3 which gets mowed, 1 is a woodlot, the rest is natural.
I have a neighbour with cattle that I'm hoping will show up soon to graze my field.

Up here in the cold, sheep is the easiest, except we have to get a couple of Great Pyrenese puppies at the same time to guard from predators. That's a huge commitment.
We'll probably do that in a couple of years.

You have enough land to make it into a nice hobby farm, or even put in a couple of acres of fruit, or nut trees.
I'd get a tractor and a riding mower and eventually make some money back from having a food farm, greenhouses, or to just be self sufficient.

Goats could be a valuable part of the family too.

With acreage, you really need a tractor....

reply to post by Phage


I like this thread and I think getting a reel mower is a good idea.I
even thought about getting one myself for my vacation cabin.