NaturCut Push Reel Mowers
As a green landscaper, I have tried all types of manual push reel mowers and believe that NaturCut has performed the best under the widest variety of lawn conditions. Compared to the competition, a NaturCut reel mower is agile, effective and easy to push.
I took my first Naturcut Classic HD mower up to a large and difficult lawn in Muskoka and put it through a "torture test" in the 10 inch long grass. The ground is rather bumpy and irregular in this one acre yard and there are
numerous stone and stump hazards. The grass grows like crazy and would reach a height of 5-6 feet in places if it was not mowed. Amazingly, my new reel mower was able to cut through grass that stopped the other brands, making them bind up or skip over the uncut blades. And this is how I became a NaturCut dealer!
At one time I used gas mowers to do all this mowing, but even that proved difficult. The power mowers would often "bottom out" on me, struggling in the pot-holes and thicker spots while emitting unpleasantly dense exhaust fumes. Inevitably they would stall and need to be restarted. In addition, these gas lawn mowers can be heavy and tough to manoeuvre in really challenging terrain -- not ideal for use in steep, slippery or rocky areas. In fact, I ruined two blades and broke a shaft over the course of two years using three different gas-powered machines. Understand that these are difficult conditions for the typical residential-grade lawn mower!
I was delighted that
my NaturCut was able to cut these dense grasses in a safer, cleaner and
quieter manner. The unit is light-weight compared to an engine-powered
mower, a design feature which offers great agility on bumps and slopes.
The "touchless" blade system reduces cutting resistance -- making
NaturCut easy to push. The bearing mounted reel allows for very fast blade action when the mower is "pumped" (useful for edging or when cutting tall weeds and
stems).
Mowing clumps of thick Muskoka grasses in a
bumpy yard is more challenging than a city lawn, but
the work-out was enjoyable without the odour of gas fumes. And I am not recommending that you put your NaturCut through a grueling torture test (at the extreme, you could find yourself outside of the warranty conditions :) but for me it was a carbon-neutral way of mowing this yard and reducing my carbon footprint to an environmentally friendly tip-toe. I have now mowed 100's of acres in all kinds of lawn conditions using NaturCut manual reel mowers -- agile, effective and easy to push!
Gas lawn mower emissions are among the most harmful to you and our environment. Why mess with oil and gas, or electricity, when people-power will cut your grass? Let us care for your lawn the environmentally friendly way or better still, purchase your own top quality NaturCut Reel Mower. Together we can move towards a healthy and sustainable lawn care future!
I will personally deliver, set up and demonstrate your mower in East Toronto (and surrounding areas) or you can arrange for prompt pick-up or delivery anywhere in Canada: frogbogalley@live.com
IMPORTANT NOTE: The NaturCut Classic HD used in the above video is equipped with an upgraded gear system. For warranty reasons, your NaturCut should only be used on well maintained, groomed lawns unless the upgrade has been installed. Improper use may result in damage to the mower.
Mind Blowing!!!
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, operating a typical gas lawn mower can be as polluting as running 11 automobiles for the same length of time! They have actually set up an on-line calculator to estimate these emissions:
http://www.epa.gov/air/community
/mowerexchange_calculator.html
--- "Reelistic” Expectations for Push Reel Mowers ---
As a NaturCut dealer, I answer a lot of questions about the performance of these people-powered lawn cutting machines. It is not unusual for someone to ask “Will they cut just like a power mower?” The answer is that they cut differently. The push reel mower is a gentler option that cuts grass at a rate dictated by the gait of the operator, a human being in tune with a machine. On the other hand, the power mower utilizes a high RPM engine and a predetermined force to literally tear the blades of grass... and anything else in its path. While power mowers obviously deliver a lot of rotary energy to the cutting action, this excessive force is usually unnecessary and is always noisy and environmentally undesirable. This difference between "excessive force" and "necessary force" is what makes reel mowing environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
Reel mowers are better for lawns than rotary-blade power mowers --- that is why large-scale lawn care operations such as golf courses use large reel-type machines pulled by tractors. Rotary power mowers tear the grass and moisten a lawn with the juices, leaving a green residue that can be noticed on your shoes or bare feet. In long or heavy grass the power mower will also leave behind uneven deposits of grass clumps and trailings. This will not happen with a push reel mower. Instead, the grass clippings are evenly distributed by a reel mower and therefore easier for your lawn to absorb (a catcher can be used to remove excess clippings if desired).
For the homeowner, it is important to realize that the combination of a cheap or worn out push reel mower and an over-grown lawn will always result in disappointment. It is unlikely that the used push mower you paid $50 for at a garage sale will cut an over-grown lawn very well at all. If you expect that type of performance, you need a NaturCut Classic HD and must still be prepared for some resistance if the grass is long and heavy. As a NaturCut owner, you will get the most out of your mower by being open to a variety of simple mowing techniques to suit your particular turf conditions.
As someone who has practiced green lawn care for decades, I have developed realistic expectations of the process, the equipment and techniques involved, and the results obtained. The healthiest lawns are regularly reel-mowed, but if a lawn has been ignored for months and is full of weeds and horribly over-grown, then there is work to be done. The best green lawn care practice is to first prepare the yard for easier mowing. In thick and high “field-like” conditions, this might first involve using a small scythe as a “weed wacker” (this works much like a golf swing!) and then raking off these seed stems and heavy top clippings to make the mower’s job much easier. In neglected situations, this is helpful regardless of the mower you are using.
Once a lawn is being regularly maintained and cut to a proper and consistent length, using a good push reel mower becomes easy. One thing I love about the NaturCut Classic HD is that, compared to other reel mowers, it allows the operator to handle unfriendly lawn conditions and still produce good results. It can be set to cut higher than most push reel mowers (up to 3.5 inches), which is a nice feature when cutting thick and long grasses. The bearing mounted reel literally attacks sparse, tall or thick growth and the independent rear wheels allow the Classic to handle uneven terrain much better than the competitors. The “touchless” blades can also be adjusted for different grasses and weeds, and it is possible to reduce the cutting gap to zero -- the reel blades gently kiss the stationary blade -- which is a useful tweak for cutting dandelions, stems and flattened grasses.
The NaturCut Ideal 40 features the same fully tempered blades as the Classic HD and differs mainly in it’s rear wheel assembly -- it has a "segmented roller" there (similar to most brands of reel mowers on the market) -- as compared to the heavy duty wheels of the Classic. The Ideal also has a less robust (but faster) height adjustment system that can be set very low (0.6 inches) or up to a height of 2.75 inches. If you like a lower cut, then the Ideal 40 is a good model choice. It is also excellent for sparser lawns and lawns that have long stringy grasses that tend to lie down flat and close to the ground. All in all the Ideal 40 is a fine mower that retails at a lower cost than the Classic, also slightly lighter in weigh and very manoeuverable -- a great cutter that is best suited to smooth, flat urban lawns.
Cleaner, safer, quieter.... in this changing age of energy uncertainty, it is my sincere belief that we should not squander our fossil fuel resources on lawn care in the face of greener and more enjoyable options.
Reduce your carbon footprint to an Earth-friendly tip-toe !
The Classic HD (above) and the Ideal 40 (below) showing the differences in rear wheel and height adjustment assemblies..The Classic has heavy duty adjustable rear wheels (instead of a roller) for more effective use on bumpy or difficult terrain.
.... and finally, if we have somehow failed to convince you that NaturCuts are a superior reel mower, we do have a small selection of used models and brands from lawn care days gone by!
Left: "American" brand contact blade mower from the 1990's.
Right: Antique push reel mower of yesterday, brand name unknown.
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