Is a Reel mower really worth it??

joshua5438 – posted 04 October 2007 13:03

I have about a 1/4 acre of Bermuda/Zoysia and everytime I cut it with my riding mower It scalps it in different places. Just last week I was mowing a part of the yard that I have never had a problem with and all of a sudden the mower just cut a nice circle in the lawn. I also have to cut certain parts of the lawn a certain way or I will leave scalped spots everywhere!!!! I was wondering if a Reel Mower would cure this problem?? I dont mind the extra work of pushing, I just want a nice lawn… I have tied cutting it at 1″ and up to 3″ tall and still have the same problems. I even started cutting it every three days and still no luck..

Thanks, Josh

green in atlanta – posted 08 October 2007 10:03

Switching to a reel mower will most likely not solve your problem. In fact, it could even give you worse results. It sounds like you have an uneven lawn, and your riding mower –with a wide mowing deck I assume– can not accommodate the height fluctuations. A walk-behind rotary mower with a 21-22 inch deck might do less scalping. Reel mowers, though they cut a narrow swath like rotaries, have very little tolerance for surface fluctuations because the cutting height is so short. Perhaps you could benefit from some top dressing/lawn leveling. Once that’s accomplished you might still want to consider a reel mower.

Alex_in_FL – posted 27 October 2007 21:55

You need to level the lawn. Use sand, not topsoil or compost. Yellow sand, white sand does not matter.