Are manual lawnmowers any good

[PalmTreeCocktail]

I usually get aa a gardener but the grass is growing so quickly. The grass was only cut 2 weeks ago.

I was thinking of getting a manual lawn mower and giving the grass a cut in between his visits and he can work on the longer grass with his trimmer.

Are manual mowers any good.

I am shopping on a budget and I do t know what to get. The lawn is big but I don't have dimensions.

Mine is good but quite heavy. Probably best for trimming already short grass on a flat lawn.

I like ours - no faffing with electric cables, quick to get out and put away, no horrible noise and somehow more satisfying than an electric one. It's a bit of an arm workout too, which is a bonus.

I'd never use the electric one (delegated to my husband) but happily pootle with the push one for half an hour. We've got a medium sized garden - just a couple of small, flat lawns.

I'm not sure about the exact make and model (it was a hand me down from a family member) but it's this sort of thing www.argos.co.uk/product/5818675

I have a manual lawnmower and it's been really good for my small lawns. I don't have much storage space which is why I went for non-motorised. However, three years on, it's not sharp and I've tried to find someone who can sharpen the blades, but the nearest I can find is about over an hour's drive away, at a cost of £30 + vat. As it only cost me about £50, I'm tempted just to purchase a new one and start afresh.

It was very quick and easy to use, with a bit of cleaning the blades with a brush (I find a paintbrush works best) before putting it away. It takes me about an hour to do the lot (or less if it's shortish).

I have a Bosch one that was about £60 and it's fine, takes a bit longer than an electric one but I feel more virtuous because it ps exercise. However I only have a small patch of grass to do, technically not even mine, it's at the front of the house and the council are supposed to do it but they only come round about twice a year so I admitted defeat when it hit a foot and a half long and bought the mower. That was a workout! Very hard to get through that length of grass but it did it and it's much easier to maintain when shorter.

I've used a qualcast for the last 15 years. It's quick and easy to use and small to store. It can get stuck with twigs and cuts best on shorter, regularly cut lawns.

Thank you for the replies.

A manual mower appeals to me the most because its more environmental friendly. I don't want a petrol mower. An electric mower would be useless for me. I don't want a battery powered one.

I bought a manual mower online last night. I am hoping for delivery by Friday so I can cut the grass at the weekend.

The grass was only cut two weeks ago. I went out with a measuring tape and the blades of grass is 10 inches already.

I read online that a push mower won't cut grass this long.

It will get through the longer grass but it's harder going and likely to be a bit of a tufty finish, just give it a day for all the bits that flatten to stand back up and then go over it again

10 inches in two weeks?! Where on earth are you?

A push mower in 10 inches will be a nightmare.

They’re not great from experience we have ours away after one summer - if you are looking for one try Facebook marketplace you will usually find a lot for sale second hand

It will cut longer grass but it will be hard work. I hope you enjoy your purchase.

Grass is trying to flower at the moment so if there is warmth and moisture it shoots up in a fortnight. Our robot mower had to go back for a new motor and was out of action for about 3 weeks and the grass grew like crazy and then flowered in that time.

Yes, manual lawnmowers are great and everyone should have one!

We’ve had ours for about 20 years. We used to have an electric mower and without doubt the manual one is better. It’s so much less faff. It’s a real effort to get out an electric one. We had one with a cable and I was always worrying I’d mow over it, then we had one with a battery you had to charge but I’d always forget to charge it. There always seemed to be parts that weren’t working. Manual mowers are so simple in contrast.

Our lawn is quite big but it’s really no effort at all to mow manually. When my youngest was a baby I mastered the art of holding her in one arm and mowing with the other (sometimes I was able to breastfeed at the same time. I’m not superwoman, it’s that easy) It’s less faff, less noisy and more environmentally friendly, what’s not to like!

I used to get it sharpened quite regularly but the man who did it has moved so it hasn’t been done for five years or so and is still fine.

If there was a manual mowing campaign I’d join it! I watch the neighbours hauling their huge mowers and cables out of their sheds and it looks like such a noisy effort.

I bought a manual mower. I followed the instructions to assemble it. It was easy to put together. I was all set up. There is a height adjustment on the mower. I came to loosen the screws and bolts to adjust the height adjustment. One side was easy. However the other side was stuck. I moved it and pulled and twisted and used wd40 oil, I am really working hard at the screw so that I can adjust the height adjustment. But it's stuck. It is so stuck. I spent about 10 minutes putting the mower together. I spent over half an hour trying to move the screw but it won't move. It's just on one side. It will not move.

What do I do now? Do I return it?
Or leave it til morning?

Can you take a photo of both sides?

@pandora206

it probably doesn’t need sharpening, but the bottom blade needs adjusting (apologies if I’m wrong and you have already done this).

you should be able to find your specific mower on YouTube. Speaking as an ex—greenkeeper, In theory you should do this every time you use it (cough).

Ps. I’ve not watched the full video, but once you have tightened it all up, if there are still any dead spots, that fold a grass blade rather than cutting cleanly — the bottom blade is probably slightly bent, and can be gently adjusted with a large hammer.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjZ7L3MwJL_AhVYOMAKHU3nCIkQwqsBegQICBAF&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3FhJm951Qhg&usg=AOvVaw0q6abjklwhjGIZIGS1F9GP

It’s a real effort to get out an electric one. We had one with a cable and I was always worrying I’d mow over it

One of the reasons I won’t use anything but petrol mowers.

I remember my father cursing when I was a child, at his manual lawnmower. He had one of these and a massive garden. Poor old dad.

modern electric mowers are great - they run on battery so no cable and are small and light and efficient.

I don't know why anyone bothers with petrol (unless you own a stately park) or manual any more.

I don't know why anyone bothers with petrol

They're just so much more enjoyable to use. Same with strimmers, chainsaws and hedge cutters buy you get the added bonus with these being two stroke and the delicious smell they produce.

I like the petrol ones because when we cut the laurel hedges we can get the mower to throw all th trimmings under the hedge with the mulch attachment. Also when we prune the trees, and take the big wood for seasoning we now the smaller bits up to shred them for mulching paths.

We have a huge petrol one as well as the robot mower purely for that.