Reel Mower

[Catcher]

Hi again to all,
I am still checking around for a good mower to take care of my 2.5 acres or so, just when I thought I had it all (well at least almost all) figured out, along comes this ad for 'reel mowers'. There's company on the net, 'Pro Mow' offering different size and quality configurations for reel mowers. I've heard a lot about them but don't really know how well they work. Any one of you have any experience with something like that?
Don't want to take up too much of your time, don't think I'll go that route, mainly for storage and being able to get between trees and such with a 7' rig.

[John DiMartino]

I use both reel and rotary mowers,the reels are great,but need to be kept sharp,and you need to keep up the lawn,no letting it get 8" tall them mow it.If you have weeds and dont treat them,the reel mower wont cut them,it lays them down.Most reel mowers cut from 7/16"-3" max height of cut.Some wont cut above 2",so if you want you r lawn height high-dont buy a reel mower.On my 7 acre lawn,I use 1-1.2 gallon of fuel with a 7 ft cut,12hp Kohler,my 25 hp 5 ft cut Dixie needs 3.5-4 gallons to mow the same area.The Doxie takes 2-1/2-3 hrs-the reel takes 3 1/2 hrs.

[Catcher]

Wow,
your reel has a 7' cut and it still takes as long as with your Dixie?

[khouse]

I had a National power reel mower that cut a 7 foot swath. It was no user friendly. Manual reel lift. Low clearance. Not really for a small 2.5 acre yard. Cut maybe 2 inches high all the way up. I would only recomend this type of mower for a golf fairway not a small yard. A rotary mower like the Dixie or I prefer the Ferris zero turn units. These machines are fast and nimble. Can cut 8 inches of grass if needed. Much better resale. It took me a year to sell the National. Around here we cut grass at 4 inches for a lush lawn. Get a midmount mower. I have had out front units but your always looking behind you when you turn as not to plow over anything with your rear end swinging around.