105 Years Old Push Reel Mower Restoration - Why Did People Stop Using These?
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Published 2024-06-04
More about the push reel lawn mowers:
The first United States patent for a reel lawn mower was granted to Amariah Hills on January 12, 1868. In 1870, Elwood McGuire of Richmond, Indiana, designed a human-pushed lawn mower, which was very lightweight and a commercial success.The one in the video was made by Brill, a German company, in 1920, but they also exported them, especially to the United Kingdom.
Why did people stop using reel mowers?
Reel mowers fell out of favor in the 1960s and '70s, probably as yard sizes increased. Self-propelled mowers made it easy to cut the lawn with little effort on anyone's part. I hope I have caught everything, but if you have any questions, you can comment, and I'll get back to you!
Cheers! Johnny.
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All Comments (21)
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Hi folks! I worked on this relic almost 15 days every day, and I hope you will like the video and the result! Thank you so much for your support! Johnny 😃🥰
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I am 61 and can remember using one of these to mow my grandma's yard in the early 70's.
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I was blown away by the variety of skills you showcased in one video - welding, wood turning, and mold casting! You're a true jack of all trades, and it's amazing to see how you brought all those skills together to bring this mower back to life. Great job! 👍🏻
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that brings back horrible memories . my dad made me mow the lawn on saturday with one of these beasts .
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They kept everyone in shape, it was an awesome invention !
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I use a push reel mower. It's a modern one - cheap, lightweight, quiet and cuts beautifully!
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Had one of these as a teenage, and I remember the biggest reason we stopped using it was that once the blades went dull, trying to sharpen them was a huge problem. And if the blades weren't sharp, they wouldn't cut as much as fold grass over and jam if it was too thick.
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I remember pushing one of those things around as a kid to do my dad's lawn. They don't really cut the grass, they just kind of beat it into submission. 😁
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I’m 74. I grew up cutting lawns around my neighborhood for cash with one of these. They beat the hell out of gas powered lawnmowers in cutting quality and give you an awesome workout at the same time.
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I would much rather listen to that at 8:00am on a Sunday morning than Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasaaaaa!
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I think the test answers the question in the title quite nicely 😀
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I'm the very proud owner of a Qualcast E1, the first model made by Qualcast (Quality Castings, England) I believe it's around 80 years old and still cuts like a barber. Loved watching your video.
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I have Mowed with one of those before I found that push it forward about a foot and pulling it back quickly and repeating in short repetitive movements spun the blades to a faster speed that cut the grass better then inching forward to cut further made a smooth yard. It was a lot of work. I only did it one time with my wife’s old lawnmower that had belong to her relatives just to see how hard it would be. I’m glad we have gas mowers 23:10
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Very good work. Most restorers would have passed this mower up for scrap when they saw the damaged wheel and realized it had missing parts. Thank you for bringing it back to life.
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I remember using one of these when I was a boy. That was more than 70 years ago. A lot of us old-timers mowed lawns with these.
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I am 66, used one of these when I was a kid, and I still use a reel mower even now, much newer, of course, I get a workout out and my lawn cut and ask for much more than that.
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That was my Saturday chore 55 years ago when l was 10. Slightly newer model with grass catcher. Your restoration is extremely admirable. Well done.
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I just bought a new one of these (well modern version). Works like a charm! Lighter to push than the gasoline guzzling noisemakers and obviously quiet.
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Oh wow, I used to mow neighbors yards with one of these when I was a kid. Awesome memories.
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Nifty AF ! My gramps had one of those when I was a kid & it worked like a champ. Glad it was a tiny backyard though. I remember finally being big enough to push it.
