proper shoes for mowing

[fireman scott]

Hello everyone. I have been mowing lawns ever since i was able to push a mower.. now i have been in my own business for over two years now and i love it.. for years now i have been mowing with mid height, football cleats.. these are very very comfortable and they provide an excellent means of traction, ankle support, and piece of mind on hill side weed trimming . try them out and see for your self.. i promise you will be satisfied

[lawnboy82]

i know people who mow in sneakers. i personally wear red wing logger boots now. i am very comforable in them. i also know people who buy special sneakers for cutting lawns. yes they do make them. they are made of a special material i think. i am not gonna try to talk you out of mowing in cleats, however do think about what kind of protection they offer you? i know that what i wear when i mow is supposed to be resistant to chemicals, has a steel toe, goes well up past my ankle, has a good vibram sole, i can go on from there. but it is late. maybe you should try getting some good work boots? i have tried cutting in sneakers before and trash them within the first week

[dhicks]

I like wearing golf shoes.

[Premo Services]

I have the red wing boots and they are comfortable to work in, but when it gets hot, I have a pair of new balance cross trainers and they are great, and last the season before trashing them,except if I will be on a ladder or when I have to use a shovel to dig up stuff.

[joshua]

lawnboy well said, i use a double steel toe boat and its also protects my feet against chemicals. it has a double sole for more comfort and comes up well past my ankles. what you need is a great work boot with a steel toe, protection against chemicals, and comfort for 9 hours a day.

[Lawnshark]

I just bought a pair of wolverine boots and I love them. I will try out the football cleats today though. I will let you know how they work.

[Starling Lawn]

I like wearing sandals,they go with my flowered shirt.
Dave:cool:

[Fantasy Lawns]

Dave .....you've may have seen this down here ==> bare feet ! .....seen it plenty of times ........ myself boots in winter .......sneakers in summer for mowing ......boots on any landscape work

[Starling Lawn]

Steve you ain`t lyin`....I`ve seem them mowing customers in bare feet,with cutoffs ,and no shirt.Thats a great image for the customers.These rednecks will wear anything.
Dave
I was serious about the flowered shirt though!:D

[75]

First off, I'm not an LCO :eek: (I'm in the welding trade) and I realize that personal preference plays a large part in choosing footwear. I have never been a big fan of the traditional steel-toed work boot, but I'm required to wear protective footwear at my job. A type of boot I find comfortable is a "rigger" or "ironworker" boot: they have a flat sole which is quite flexible and they give good support at the ankle. I've never actually weighed them, but they feel a lot lighter than regular work boots.

Only real drawback I've found is the sole, being flexible, is soft & wears fairly quickly. That may not be as big a problem on dirt/grass as it is on concrete/steel!

[Lawn Wizard]

Ive read that by wearing golf shoes or cleats will help aereate the lawn. Maybe its just a story as I have never tried it myself.

[summitgroundskeeping]

I wrote a tread on this topic. I personally wear steel toed boots. I don't wear really heavy boots, but they aren't light. They are also very comfortable, protective, and supportive. I wouldn't wear anything else.

[CSRA Landscaping]

Here we go again, :rolleyes: time to hear about the guy that got his toes amputated by a rock in steeltoes and the other guy that lost toes because he wasn't in steeltoes and then Dorothy, who ha dnever even heard of steeltoes but she had some really neat red shoes that would fly her to safety. :D

The shoes that where out real quick in the shop will prob where out twice as quickly in the field. I've gone through some boots, man, lemme tell ya. I've been using Brahmas, b/c I'm too cheap to buy Huskies.

The main thing that I like is to know that there is some form of protection from projectiles, water, chemicals, and poison Ivy. I would never go out in tennis shoes of any sort. Sandals would indicate that I had a death-wish on that day.

Dave, my favorite get-up is a Hawaiian shirt, gray 'khaki' pants, and sandals.:cool:

[lee b]

Brogans, but not with steel toes, I can't stand steel toes and ain't gonna wear 'em. I don't know how anyone could weed-eat wearing low topped shoes like sneakers, all that junk ends up in your shoes.

[65hoss]

I use the wolverines and they are very comfortable and light. They have probably kept me from breaking my ankle many times.

[Mark]

My most comfortable work boots are the Rockport hikeing boots, After buying a pair of Timberline steeltoes which i gave away they tore my feet up. Rockports are all i buy. Marks Mowing Service

[cos]

I don't think that i would ever wear cletes. How would I drive in them? My brother wore golfing shoes. I wear timberland hiking boots for grass and tree work.

[Mike (MLC)]

I have been wearing steel toe wolverines for years. They give good support to my weak ankles and they are not that heavy. The steel toe gives really good protection.

[johnnyjay]

I am type II diabetic and therefore concerned with taking care of my feet. I purchased my workboots from Wall*Mart and paid between $40 and $50. I have Brahma brand, STEEL TOE, WATERPROOF, AND HIGH TOP ABOVE THE ANKLE.
Last summer when I started my business I bought a simular pair which were not water proof. The morning dew soaked thru and my feet would stay wet all day. The high top protects your ankles. I don't know how many times I have stepped in a hole or rut and start to twist my ankle and the boot would take the shock and I would not twist or sprain my ankle. I am a solo operator and cannot afford to get injured. I worked part time at a trucking company years ago. After dropping pallets and gangboards on my feet, I learned that Steel Toe shoes is like money in the bank. I have worn steel toe boots ever since. This is my 2 cents.

[MikeLT1Z28]

i wear a brand call Hi-Tec that is a tactical boot like SWAT teams wear. they are very comfortable and provide excellent stability. you can get various cuff heights and materials also. i have only been in the industry this year but have had my current pair for 3 years. i used to be a network technician in a correctional facility and walked many steps a day. i guess it all actually depends on personal preference in the end though.

[Roger]

I've settled on Carolina work boots. I tried Wolverines for a couple of years, but they didn't last very long. The Carolina work boots give me best longevity - last about one year (mowing season is about 8 months long here). Wolverines were lasting less than a season. I use 6" models. The Carolina's are about $120.

Our terrain can be difficult on nearly all lawns. Therefore, a key consideration for me is traction. I've seen some good choices in Red Wings, but the soles don't have an agressive lug pattern. Likewise with others, shoes fits well, waterproof, all the other good features, but the soles are no good for wet slippery grassy slopes.

I've only seen one worker mowing for another contractor working barefoot, and on a steep slope too! One slip of that LB hand mower, and his toes would have been gone... stupid!

[LJ lawn]

been using Dunham boots for the past 3 years.very comfortable.

[lawnboy82]

i was walkin in some swamps yesterday to look at a fallen tree that a woman wanted cut up so i was in about up to my ankles. one foot wound up going in about a foot up my leg. i had my redwings on though with my pants over them and my feet didnt really get wet. my pants got wet but not the boots or feet. put em on this morning, nice and dry. they are expensive as heck. but they are the best. um... get ones with the vibram soles. you can have them resoled later on.

[Paradise Yard Service]

Try these. I love um. http://www.safetyshoes.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=766&prrfnbr=1345

Aloha,
P.Y.S.