3/13/00If you use a "Reel" type mower, here's some advise to help keep it cutting right.
A reel mower, be it engine powered or old fashioned human power, is a delicate, precision instrument. The blades should be sharpened and adjusted every year but it's not a job for home diy'er. In fact, you should avoid making any adjustments to the blade settings at all. It's just not something most folks will be able to get right. I often have reels in the shop that have been fouled by someone trying to make it cut better, only to make it worse. All to often, all the user was trying to do was change the height setting, but confusion set in and they tinked with the blade meshing adjustments rather than the wheel height adjustments.
A reel mowers cutting action is like that of a pair of scissors and you all know how tough it is to use scissors that are dull, bent or loose. Reel mower sharpening and adjustments are considerably more expensive than a rotory mower so you don't want to be the cause of having of to have it done more often then needed. Find and know how to set the blade height but leave the blade meshing adjustments for the shop.
One final note. For safety reasons, you should "Walk your Yard" prior to mowing with either a rotory or reel mower. With a reel mower you have the added need to avoid coat hangers or other debris in the yard as they will jam the blades of a reel mower and along with nicking them it can tweak the fine setting needed to provide that scissor meshing action. A cheap throw away hanger can cost you a $50 sharpening and adjustment bill for your reel mower.
LMRM :<=