Going Green With Push Reel Lawn Mowers

By Susan Bywater


With the national average price of gasoline at over $4 per gallon, it's no wonder people are trying to come up with ways to save money on gas. One of the major trends in the U.S.A. right now is switching from gas lawn mowers to good old fashioned push reel lawn mowers. Manual mowers offer plenty of advantages over gas mowers, especially in regards to their effects on the environment. These mowers have come a long way from your grandpa's push reel mower.

Newer push reel mowers are lighter than they used to be, and easier to push. They also can include features like easy to adjust cutting heights, grass catchers and sharpening kits. Unlike gas mowers, they don't guzzle the money from your wallet with high gas prices, and are generally cheaper than gas mowers in the first place. They also don't make noise like gas mowers, which will have your neighbors thanking you if you like to mow early in the morning or right in the middle of their family barbeques on Sunday afternoons. Unlike most electric mowers, they don't require any kind of cords, which saves you the hassle of remembering to plug them in.

Gas mowers cause air pollution. They spit out a multitude of things like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. These kinds of pollutants affect the ozone, and can be harmful to our health. This alone is a great reason to switch to a push reel mower, as it becomes more and more important for people to use environmentally friendly products and practices.

In addition to the environmental advantages to reel mowers, there are also advantages for your lawn. Gas mowers cut grass with a jagged edge, while reel mowers have a clean cut. Jagged edges mean that your lawn will be more susceptible to disease and moisture loss. You will have a healthier lawn with a push reel motor, and may even become the envy of the neighborhood.

Although today's push reel mowers are much easier to use than in he past, an added benefit is that you may have to work just a little harder than if you use a self propelled mower, which gets your heart rate up (and yes, that does count towards your workout time).

So, whatever your motivation is for looking into push reel lawn mowers, there are definite advantages to them. Who knows? You might just find that while you are helping the environment, you're also helping your lawn (and yourself) be healthier.