Anyone use a manual lawnmower?

Log Out | Lost Password? | Topics | Search | Who's Online Contact | Register | My Profile | SO home | MOL home

Thread Originator Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post   Closed: New threads not accepted on this page

Author Message   juju's petals Citizen Username: Jujus_petals Post Number: 256 Registered: 5-2003 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:28 am:        By that I mean the kind without an engine -- just with the rolling blades that you push. How well does it work? What are the drawbacks? Is it hard to get it through the grass, over bumps, or up a hill? We have an average-sized Maplewood lot with a slope of grass in the front. I think this could work for us. My husband thinks it would be much harder (for him!) to push along than the power mower we have now.   Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 11569 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:35 am:        See T-john's post. When we first moved here we had a pretty typical 50/125 foot lot. By the time you put a three bedroom house, a two car garage in the back and a long driveway there really wasn't all that much grass area left. I bought a push mower and did this for a couple of years. It worked ok as long as you mowed twice a week. Long grass was a problem, as was the fact you had to rake up the clippings.   juju's petals Citizen Username: Jujus_petals Post Number: 258 Registered: 5-2003 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:40 am:        Clippings. That's another marital debate. (That's a lot of arguing over the lawn, isn't it?) Did rake them up for the benefit of the grass or to keep them from sticking to your bare feet?   Wilkanoid Citizen Username: Cseleosida Post Number: 585 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:14 am:        Assuming your yard is fairly flat, a manual mower is actually easier to push than a full shopping cart. You do have to clear the blades when sticks get in there, but it's so easy that my 10-year old can do it when $$ calls. The only drawback is that it's difficult to cut the grass if it gets too long -- so you have to do it weekly during the growing season. We don't rake up the clippings.   notehead Supporter Username: Notehead Post Number: 3299 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 2:22 pm:        Clippings are the single best source of nitrogen for nourishing your yard. That doesn't change the fact that you might track them everywhere if you're not careful. Also, I recently heard on a show on HGTV that you should mow often enough to only cut off the top 1/3 of the grass. And if you do this, the quantity of clippings isn't bad at all.