Anyone here use one of those old-time lawn mowers with no motor, you just push it around?

[raccoon]

Seems like it would be a lot easier to push around than one with a motor. For a small yard, it
might be sufficient.

[Paper Roses]

1. Still use mine when the kids can't come to do the grass,

The hardest part is getting it out of the cellar. My yard is not large so it does not take long.

[The Second Stone]

2. Yes. I have two. A gas powered and a push

And I really ought to sell the gas powered as I never use it. The yard is too small to justify it. The push one is good exercise and works well and doesn't pollute and doesn't fail to start. The cons are that you have to use it regularly, because if the grass gets too high it becomes difficult to use. I'm also 6'2" and able to shove it if necessary. It is not ideal for granny.

[Trajan]

3. Push mowing = aerobic exercise

You have to be rather fit to use them, but I used to use it for fitness, when I had time ...

[onehandle]

4. My wife bought one just to trim lawn near her garden, leaving the rest of the yard for me...

...and my electric mower.

It was quite a chore to push that thing.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Not only can I remember them, but I can remember people posing the same question

in years past. I must be really old.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Never had anything else.

We have a relatively small front and side yard so yeah, not really a problem.

[FSogol]

7. I had one for years when I owned a townhouse. A couple of points:

They work best if you are moving fast, so you'll end up yanking it back and forth quickly to get the blades spinning. That's more work than a push mower with a motor. If you have crab grass and other weeds, it can pass over them without cutting much. Also, you'll need a file to keep the blades sharp.

I'd recommend a plug-in electric for small yards.

[MissB]

8. We had one for our old lawn

Back when we had a standard 50x100' lot with only a bit of grass in the back yard we used a reel mower. Had the blades sharpened once.

When we moved across town, we ended up in a half acre plot with a sloping yard. We switched out to an electric mower and then eventually to a battery mower.

[malthaussen]

9. Scissors are better. n/t

[cyberswede]

10. Mine works best on the tidiest parts of the lawn...

the areas with uneven ground, little sticks, etc are more difficult. I typically get stares from kids passing by - like they've never seen one.

[magical thyme]

11. Tru Value guys laughed their heads off when I bought mine

They were literally

But it's fine for small yards. My yard is big, but it kept me going through lean times after I sold my rider mower. You won't get the neat, even, mechanical looking, very short trim of a power mower. It cuts more to about 3-4" and you have to mow more frequently.

Good aerobic workout. I'm leaning toward scything now, and leaving my yard at 6-8". Conserved more water during this past summer's mini-drought and less tiring for me during the extended hot and humid weather. And less time consuming with my larger yard area.

[Taitertots]

12. I saw one where the push mower was the front wheel of a bike

Seemed like it would make mowing a little bit fun.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. I Have A Really Cool One

I don't use it much other than to touch up mid-week during the heavy growing season, and when i have the dog out so he can't get hurt from a distance. (He's on a LONG chain so he can follow me around about half the back yard.

It's got a flywheel attached to a spring that coils up and helps push. So, you push hard at the beginning, then it gets easier, then near the end you let the spring unwind and it moves about 3 feet with no effort.

Super bearings on this thing so pushing it is pretty easy as the weight and the grass is about the only resistance. I should use it more than i do, but on days when the RA or MS is acting up, it's a little rough on my legs.

[OxQQme]

14. You got me curious

http://www.american-lawns.com/history/history_mower.html

A quick once over --> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2594951/Mowing-lawn-just-got-fun-Cutting-edge-mega-mower-enters-record-books-hitting-speed-116mph.html

[Arugula Latte]

15. Yep. We mostly have trees, and just a small patch of grass.

Well, sometimes it seems like it's more weeds than grass...