Manual Mowing
May. 15th, 2017 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kybearfuzzI bought my first lawn mower when I moved in my house in 2001. It's just like the one I grew up using, a 20" gas-powered mower. It's done a great job for all these years, but last week while I was mowing it seemed to be giving me a near-death rattle. The motor wasn't running as smoothly and it seemed to struggle quite a bit.
Since then, I've been looking online at different mowers. I have been wanting to try something different, so I've been spying the electric lawn mowers. Buying gas for the old mower is a pain, so I'd like to see about avoid it. Battery-powered ones have their ups and downs, mostly linked to battery life. Corded ones have their drawbacks as well, as many folks have told me about running over the electric cord.
On the way home from work today, I stopped at Home Depot to look at the furry eye candy... er, to comparison shop for mowers. They didn't have much in the way of electric mowers. The only model in stock was battery-powered and expensive. However, just next to it was something that caught my eye, something I'd not seen for a long time.
A manual reel mower.
The design is a bit fancier than the mowers I remember, but it principles are very much the same. I've never used one. My dad had one, but it literally sat outside in a corner of the yard, like a prop or a decorative item. The blades and wheels on it had long rusted in place, so it was completely non-functional.
So, on a lark, I bought one. It's far cheaper than the powered mowers and the online reviews are actually very positive. It's must quieter than powered models and, while it requires a bit more effort by me, it should be good for a cardio workout. For my 1/4 acre yard, which is 1/3 wooded, it may be an effective stop-gap while I continue a search for the electric mower. I put it together tonight after my chest/back workout.
I'm very eager to try it out tomorrow after work.
Since then, I've been looking online at different mowers. I have been wanting to try something different, so I've been spying the electric lawn mowers. Buying gas for the old mower is a pain, so I'd like to see about avoid it. Battery-powered ones have their ups and downs, mostly linked to battery life. Corded ones have their drawbacks as well, as many folks have told me about running over the electric cord.
On the way home from work today, I stopped at Home Depot to look at the furry eye candy... er, to comparison shop for mowers. They didn't have much in the way of electric mowers. The only model in stock was battery-powered and expensive. However, just next to it was something that caught my eye, something I'd not seen for a long time.
A manual reel mower.
The design is a bit fancier than the mowers I remember, but it principles are very much the same. I've never used one. My dad had one, but it literally sat outside in a corner of the yard, like a prop or a decorative item. The blades and wheels on it had long rusted in place, so it was completely non-functional.
So, on a lark, I bought one. It's far cheaper than the powered mowers and the online reviews are actually very positive. It's must quieter than powered models and, while it requires a bit more effort by me, it should be good for a cardio workout. For my 1/4 acre yard, which is 1/3 wooded, it may be an effective stop-gap while I continue a search for the electric mower. I put it together tonight after my chest/back workout.
I'm very eager to try it out tomorrow after work.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-16 01:54 am (UTC)Forgive my bluntness (I'm in a mood), but you would have to be a total idiot to run over a mower's power cord. I had both an electric mower and a large lawn where I previously lived, and the biggest hassle was fighting the extension cord. Like Christmas lights, the damned thing was always tangled, and its heavy gauge made it a chore to undo. You do have to flip the cord over your head once you change direction, but piffle on that!
Good luck with the manual mower, though. No doubt it will pump up those biceps (and what have you) in addition to cutting the grass.
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2017-05-16 06:24 am (UTC)PS my arms and chest are in that hurts so 'good' kinda place having just started lifting again. My triceps are not happy with me right now.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2017-05-22 02:47 pm (UTC)