Mowing Quality | Eco Friendly Lawn Mower Blog: Reel Mowers, Electric Mowers, Environmentally Friendly Lawn Mowers

Posts Tagged ‘mowing quality’

What is a Reel Mower? How does a Reel mower work?

March 22nd, 2010

Get a reel mower! I have a Reel Mower! These mowers Reely work! Reel men push mow!

The list is long for these clever and popular puns. Huh? What is a “reel” mower anyway? For many green industry “professionals”, namely landscape contractors, golf course superintendents, turfgrass managers, etc., the term “reel mower” is common. But your average everyday American has absolutely no idea.

Let me explain (in brief):

Reel Mower Concept

Reel mowers have curved blades that produce a cutting action alongside a stationary steel plate (like a can of Pringles chips rolling across a table). The blades form a spiral around the reel axis, and as they spin, the spiral of blades forces grass past the stationary plate. Reel mowers leave behind clean-cut grass, as if the grass had been cut with sharp scissors.

New reel mower technology has advanced since the days of Grandpa’s old clunker. Unlike the cutting action of scissors, it is not necessary for the blades of the spinning reel to contact the stationary plate. A clean cut is possible if the gap between the blades and the plate is less than the thickness of the grass. This modern reel mower technology is referred to as “contact-free”, “non-contact”, “silent-cut”, and many other terms. The benefit is a mower that is easier to push, and a mower that does not require sharpening. What, no sharpening? Nope. Think about it, there is no metal-on-metal contact to cause the reel blades to become dull. The blades only come in contact with grass, wood, and the occasional pebble or two – non of which will cause the blades to lose its edge.

There is a ton to talk about so feel free search around our learning center and read more more about reel mower technology, and how your lawn may benefit by using a reel mower.

Rating: 9.2/10 (14 votes cast)

Tags: cutting, lawn mowing, lawnmower, modern mowers, mower information, mowing quality, reel mower

Posted in FAQ's, General, General Lawn Topics, Lawn Mower Facts, Quality Of Cut, Reel Mower History

Popular Reel Mower Questions

July 7th, 2009

3 Comments

We will continually add to this list of Popular Reel Mower Questions:

What is the difference between old and new cutting technologies?
All reel mowers have curved type cylinder blades that create a cutting action against a fixed plate. The blades make a spiral around the reel axis, and as they spin, the spiral of blades forces grass past the stationary plate.

Contact (friction) Mowers
This is the “older” more conventional form of cutting method. The cylinder blades are in direct contact with the bed knife and scrape across each other very similar to scissors shearing together. There is generally more friction (hence the name) which causes these mowers to be slightly more difficult to push. The friction also causes noise which can vary depending on each model – some are more quiet than others. Friction mowers generally need to be sharpened every 2 to 3 seasons. If you have a yard full of weeds then a friction mower is the best choice.

Contact-Free (frictionless) Mowers
The newer more modern reel mowers use a contact-free or frictionless cutting system. The term contact-free is used to describe a small gap (usually around 0.05mm) between the reel mower blades and the bed knife. The gap is roughly the width of a human hair and small enough to cut grass, yet big enough to eliminate all friction and noise caused by friction. Contact-free reel mowers are easier to push then the older style making them more fun to use and less tiring. Contact-free mowers cut best when used on healthy turf with minimal weeds. These mowers also cut best when used at lower cutting heights. There are some models available today that claim to be used on 2-3″ cutting range, however, much of the grass is left behind. The best cutting height range is 1-1.75″. Contact-free reel mowers usually do not need to be sharpened for at least 5-10 years depending on use.

When Do The Reel Blades Need Sharpening?
Most mowers stay sharp between 2-4 years depending on use. This can vary from lawn to lawn and manufacturer to manufacturer. You can tell when your reel mower needs to be sharpened when much of the grass passes by the reel and is left uncut.

Contact-free mowers do not require sharpening. Instead, it is a best management practice to adjust the gap distance between the reel and the bed knife. This is very easy can be accomplished in less then 3mins and performed as frequently as needed.

Contact mowers require sharpening on the average of every 2 years. You can purchase do-it-yourself sharpening kit and sharpen your own reel mower.

What Is The Best Cutting Height?
This is a very popular question and a topic with a lot of misinformation – especially if you surf around the internet… Reel mowers cut best when the cutting height is set lower then 2″. When set higher then 2inches, some of the grass tends to get “missed” and multiple passes can be required. For more information please visit our section dedicated to Height Of Cut (HOC).

Should I Buy/Use A Grass Collector Bag?
Our general recommendation is no, however, below are list of the pros and cons. For more information please read about Grasscycling here.

PROs To A Grass Bag
-Grass clippings are good for the compost pile
-Can prevent weeds from spreading if cutting the seed stalks
-Slightly “cleaner” look is achieved when removing more then 1/3 the grass height.
-Wet grass clippings can smother together and will not filter down as easily.

CONs To A Grass Bag
-Grass clippings hold valuable nutrients which can be returned to the soil.
-Grass clippings less then 1inch will filter down to the soil.
-Grass clippings DO NOT cause thatch!
-Unlike rotary mowers, grass clippings are not blown into a pile, they are gently scattered (mulched) behind the mower

You can see grass bag options here:

I have Emerald Zoysia at my new house and I own have a 4 year John Deere 21″ push mower that does okay but I want to buy a new mower. What type of mower should I buy?
If quality of cut is your top priority, then a good reel mower is the only way to go – a rotary, homeowner grade push mower should be your last choice. Zoysiagrass mowed by a rotary lawn mower looks terrible and you tend to get round scalp marks every time you turn the mower…

We recommend a power reel mower or the Scotts Classic Mower.

Rating: 8.8/10 (4 votes cast)

Tags: cutting, grass height, lawn mowing, mower information, mowing practices, mowing quality, reel mower, rotary mower

Posted in FAQ's, General Lawn Topics

Reel Mowing Quality of Cut – Part 2

July 6th, 2009

No Comments

Have you ever looked closely at a lawn mowed using a rotary mower, especially a day or two after mowing? You will see a brown haze to the surface of the lawn and a closer look will easily show the splintered and shattered tips of each blade of grass that has died back an 1/8 of an inch or so, victim to the brutal bashing from the rotary mower blade.

This is bad for several different reasons. The first and simplest is the appearance, it just doesn’t look as green as it should or could. You will not see this brown haze color on professional high quality grass stands like golf courses or athletic fields. This is because there is no trauma or damage caused by a rotary mower, and we are talking about grass mowed at very short heights. You can achieve the same professional results at home and eliminate the brown shade on the surface by mowing your own lawn with a reel mower.

Secondly, all this damage on the tips of each blade opens up millions of damaged sites for disease to enter the grass plant and affect your entire lawn. It is the equivalent of humans having a compromised immune system and being more susceptible to colds and flu germs…

Conversely, a grass blade scissored off with a reel mower has none of this damage on the tips, just a perfectly clean cut that does not open the door for excessive disease pressure. Grass cut using a reel mower requires less energy from the plant itself to heal the damage, cutting down on fertilizer, water requirements, weed control, and disease control.

You may remember that I stated in HOC discussions that the best defense against weeds is a strong stand of grass. All are good side benefits for the environment, and for your wallet and your time. Take the time you spend dragging the sprinkler around the yard and pushing the spreader back and forth and use it to put an extra reel mower cut on your lawn each week. It will be time well spent and it won’t cost you any money.

Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)

Tags: cutting, mowing quality, Quality of Cut

Posted in Lawn and Turf Care, Quality Of Cut

Reel Mowing Quality of Cut – Part 1

July 2nd, 2009

1 Comment

Further to the basics of cutting height (you can read more here) and how it influences the quality of your lawn, let’s examine the equally important quality of cut (QOC).

In a separate blog entry I used the roses in the blender analogy to illustrate what happens to tender grass blades when cut using a rotary lawn mower. The key element at work in mowing grass with a rotary mower is SPEED – speed of the blade turning fast enough to tear or flail the tips off of the grass being mowed.

You may be surprised to learn that only the last ¼ to ½ inch of a rotary lawn mower blade ever does any actual cutting, but if you think about it the blade is moving so fast, that as you push the mower forward only that portion of the blade makes contact with the longer grass blade – everything farther down the blade just passes over the already mowed grass.

The sharpness of the blade is another misunderstood concept. Many people believe that a rotary blade should be extremely sharp, this is a misnomer:

Firstly, if you use a rotary you know that a razor sharp blade is impossible to maintain, just a few minutes of cutting will dull rotary blades significantly. The lifting force that many rotary mowers are designed with today also brings all kinds of debris into contact with the blade, dulling it significantly. That is why a rotary mower dealer or mechanic will not even recommend a blade that sharp, because it can’t be kept that way and is more susceptible to damage as you try to make it sharper and the leading edge becomes thinner.

Finally you would need to sharpen the rotary blade after every mowing, which is not only inconvenient; it can be dangerous if you are not careful and know what you are doing. If the blade is not perfectly balanced each time it can put tremendous strain on the mower as an unbalance blade spins irregularly on the drive shaft of the engine.

The bottom line is that the only way a rotary can mow grass is by shear speed and to smash the tips off the blades of grass. No matter what you do, you cannot overcome this mode of mowing action with a rotary lawn mower.