Living Car Free - My wife thinks I've lost it.

My lawn mower broke 2 weeks ago because I ran over something in the yard. Rather then going out and buying another $200+ Gas powered mower at Sears, I went to ebay. For $58 (which includes shipping) I got a new push mower. It's the kind that doesn't have an engine. It arrived yesterday.

So, in my wifes words, "you're going to stop traffic on the street with people wondering why your using that thing". I said, "Good, I hope I do". She didnt' get my point.

I told her that I'll get my money back in one summer because I won't have to buy gas or oil for it.

My lawn mower broke 2 weeks ago because I ran over something in the yard. Rather then going out and buying another $200+ Gas powered mower at Sears, I went to ebay. For $58 (which includes shipping) I got a new push mower. It's the kind that doesn't have an engine. It arrived yesterday.

So, in my wifes words, "you're going to stop traffic on the street with people wondering why your using that thing". I said, "Good, I hope I do". She didnt' get my point.

I told her that I'll get my money back in one summer because I won't have to buy gas or oil for it.
Now you have money to spend on bike parts:rolleyes: :p :D BTW I have one of those old push mowers that is over 40 years old and still going strong.

Aaron:)

Excellent. Human power should be employed as much as possible over fossil fuels. :)

My next-door neighbor growing up, a retired French professor, did all of his own gardening and cut his substantial yard with a pushmower. I don't know if it was that or the wine but he's in his late nineties and still mentally healthy, although he went blind a few years back and doesn't do yardwork anymore.

Maybe you can tell your wife it's part of your longevity plan...his wife is still alive too, in her nineties as well if five years younger.

Cool. Just make sure you keep the blades sharp, or lawn mowing will become a real pain.

you can set it up like this guy did:

http://www.geocities.com/harleyheartbeat/images/BicycleLawnMower.jpg

LINK (http://www.geocities.com/harleyheartbeat/)

you can set it up like this guy did:

http://www.geocities.com/harleyheartbeat/images/BicycleLawnMower.jpg

LINK (http://www.geocities.com/harleyheartbeat/)


Very cool! I can grow my lumberjack hair also! :p

Nice, But if the fork snaps off his toes are history.

You have gone quite the opposite way from losing your mind. A push mower is a great thing.

There is one disadvantage. If the grass gets too tall, it won't work because the mower will push the grass over and then not cut it. Then, without a power mower, you will not be able to cut it at all. You have to keep to a schedule of cutting before it gets too long.

On the other hand, you have none of the fussing with a gas mower, which is wonderful.

I am 56, and I now have the push mower we had when I was a kid. I can grab it out of the garage and buzz off our little front yard in ten minutes. If I didn't hate yard work so much, I would do the back too, but I usually get lazy and let it go too long, and then have to use the electric power mower.

You made an inspired, brilliant, environmentally sound decision. And don't forget, not only are you saving on gas and fussing, you probably are saving on future repair bills.

My lawn mower broke 2 weeks ago because I ran over something in the yard. Rather then going out and buying another $200+ Gas powered mower at Sears, I went to ebay. For $58 (which includes shipping) I got a new push mower. It's the kind that doesn't have an engine. It arrived yesterday.

So, in my wifes words, "you're going to stop traffic on the street with people wondering why your using that thing". I said, "Good, I hope I do". She didnt' get my point.

I told her that I'll get my money back in one summer because I won't have to buy gas or oil for it.

Sometimes women aren't impressed by beancounter reasoning. If that's the case, maybe tell her a push mower is a step toward lumberjack arms and legs of steel...then quickly add that you'll take care of all the mowing.

Sometimes women aren't impressed by beancounter reasoning. If that's the case, maybe tell her a push mower is a step toward lumberjack arms and legs of steel....

plus it will give her something to do while the dryer is going.

Well, I am not impressed with that reasoning either, and I am a pro beancounter.


Seriously though, I don't know how big your lawns are and where you live, but I live here in the northeast, mow from end of april through october, have about a half an acre, a five year old honda gas mower and maybe use 8 gallons of gas a year. a new air filter. spark plug occasionally. Maybe. I mow once a week and if I had a push mower it would be twice a week.

So, as far as getting your money back by not buying gas or oil. It takes me 1.5 hours or so to mow. thats 26 weeks x1.5 hours a week of not mowing twice. At 40 per hour (thats what lawnmowers get around here, (when I do calculation like this I usually value my free time at $150 per hour)) that is 1,560 dollars of wasted time. you could mow your neighbors yard with your spare time and more than make up for the cost of a new mower and gas and oil. Use the extra money to take your wife out to a fancy dinner.

I mean, really, you are only talking about $40 per year in gas. I guess if you need the additional exercise but really, it doesn't impress from a bean counting point of view.

I'm currently custodian for 2 lawns (my parents and my future mother-in-law's) one has a push mower and the other an electric power mower.

The guy next door to my parents has his own lawn service and mows his lawn with a BIG riding mower (one of those turn-on-a-dime things with two hand controls instead of a steering wheel) while my parents have the push mower. I've never yet gotten a wierd look from even him, so I wouldn't worry about other people's thoughts.

The electric mower on the other hand, actually seems harder to use than the push mower. (could be the differences between the two yards too)

but the previous comments about keeping a regular schedule are true. if I don't mow my 'rents yard enough, I have to borrow the electric to tame the yard to the point that I can use the push mower.

money isn't so much the issue with these things as human vs fossil fuel as the energy source for your mowing.

and for those who don't feel up to the push mowers, the electric power mowers are pretty nice too.

plus it will give her something to do while the dryer is going.

Well, I am not impressed with that reasoning either, and I am a pro beancounter.


Seriously though, I don't know how big your lawns are and where you live, but I live here in the northeast, mow from end of april through october, have about a half an acre, a five year old honda gas mower and maybe use 8 gallons of gas a year. a new air filter. spark plug occasionally. Maybe. I mow once a week and if I had a push mower it would be twice a week.

So, as far as getting your money back by not buying gas or oil. It takes me 1.5 hours or so to mow. thats 26 weeks x1.5 hours a week of not mowing twice. At 40 per hour (thats what lawnmowers get around here, (when I do calculation like this I usually value my free time at $150 per hour)) that is 1,560 dollars of wasted time. you could mow your neighbors yard with your spare time and more than make up for the cost of a new mower and gas and oil. Use the extra money to take your wife out to a fancy dinner.

I mean, really, you are only talking about $40 per year in gas. I guess if you need the additional exercise but really, it doesn't impress from a bean counting point of view.
Man, I'll bet you're fun at parties.

- i admire the push mower use... had one as a kid in a row house in the north Philly...

- now i use a gas mower, but wondered about a push mower (have not seen them in *any* store down here)... i have seen electric mowers but don't know about performance issues... (the grass grows two to three inches *overnight* here!)

- i have a friend who buys a gas mower, never changes the oil, runs it till it dies, then buys another mower! (kinda crazy, IMO)...

I used a push mower for a summer. By the end of the summer, I bought a gas mower. If the lawn is less than perfect, it doesn't work very well.

When the current gas mower dies, I may try a battery powered electric mower.

My lawn mower broke 2 weeks ago because I ran over something in the yard. Rather then going out and buying another $200+ Gas powered mower at Sears, I went to ebay. For $58 (which includes shipping) I got a new push mower. It's the kind that doesn't have an engine. It arrived yesterday.

So, in my wifes words, "you're going to stop traffic on the street with people wondering why your using that thing". I said, "Good, I hope I do". She didnt' get my point.

I told her that I'll get my money back in one summer because I won't have to buy gas or oil for it.Remind her of how fit, and therefore, sexy, you'll be after pushing that thing.

I remember the first time I mowed the family lawn with a push mower, my triceps just popped up out of nowhere. Before mowing, no triceps, after mowing, triceps. :)

Maybe you're already fit, but this can only make it better.

wondered about a push mower (have not seen them in *any* store down here).

Sears makes a couple of models. I used to have one when I was burdened with a lawn. If they don't have them in the store near you, you could order one online and have it shipped to the store, I think.

Sears makes a couple of models. I used to have one when I was burdened with a lawn. If they don't have them in the store near you, you could order one online and have it shipped to the store, I think.They do. Also, they're Craftsman, so they're covered by the guarantee. I love mine.

The best thing for me with a push mower is it convinced my wife and I to convert the majority of my lawn to veggie garden. Wasn't sure it was worth it, then on sunday I started harvesting the sweat corn.

45 minutes of mowing followed by an all you can eat sweat corn and summer squash dinner. One big +!

I've used a push mower for years. I love the fact that it is quiet.

I've used a push mower for years. I love the fact that it is quiet.

Yeah, when my husband mows the yard, it is so loud! Ick! And being completely inexperienced with gas powered mowers, they kinda scare me a little. I know, it sounds silly but it's true.

By the way, is it just me or is the word 'mow' just odd as all get out?

Ok, I'm gonna go drink some more coffee now :D

Depends on the size of the yard - with the modern trend of having tiny strips of yard around the edge of the huge house, it doesn't make sense to have a gas mower. KurtCurt with a halfacre, I can understand. Also most push mowers are small and take up less space in the garage so you can fit more bikes in there.

My parents in law went from an electric mower to push mower. They have a store/house in town and had to walk the mower around on the sidewalk to the front lawn. The push mower can get through the back alley.

They also started increasing the flower beds, put in a pond. Anything to get the grass down - less grass quicker cutting.

When I used to have a yard, I loved my push mower! It seemed a lot faster to whip around the yard with it than with some big heavy thing, and I could pick it up and carry it over tree roots and difficult spots. Once I set the blade the right way, it needed no fuss and I never had to worry about it. It also didn't throw tiny tiny bits of grass high into the air and irritate my allergies like all of the neighbors' mowers did.

Only down side is you MUST get out there and cut it frequently.

I blow off the mowing too much to do a reel mower.

I've always liked these ( never had a yard, never needed a lawnmower)... but i have one question. How do you keep the blades sharp???

Gas powered mowers put out about as much air pollution as full sized cars and SUVs and they're way noisy.

I have a reel mower, but found I was too inconsistent to make it practical. So I usually use an electric purchased for $25 at a garage sale (former owner discovered he didn't like to do his own mowing). Reel mower doesn't do edges around trees and walls very well since the reels have to be moving to cut. Small sticks and other objects bring it to a stop immediately, whereas you can use the electric to make mulch of anything in its way. Tall grass gets wrapped in the spindle and have to be cut out by hand. The trimming collector bag I got for the reel mower simply didn't work -- the trimmings are not ejected with a high enough velocity. Also, not sure where to get it sharpened now that all the mom & pop repair places have been Walmarted away.

Gas powered mowers put out about as much air pollution as full sized cars and SUVs and they're way noisy.

I have a reel mower, but found I was too inconsistent to make it practical. So I usually use an electric purchased for $25 at a garage sale (former owner discovered he didn't like to do his own mowing). Reel mower doesn't do edges around trees and walls very well since the reels have to be moving to cut. Small sticks and other objects bring it to a stop immediately, whereas you can use the electric to make mulch of anything in its way. Tall grass gets wrapped in the spindle and have to be cut out by hand. The trimming collector bag I got for the reel mower simply didn't work -- the trimmings are not ejected with a high enough velocity. Also, not sure where to get it sharpened now that all the mom & pop repair places have been Walmarted away.

Definitely right about the sticks, but after doing a spring raking, they aren't a problem. Also right about the edges, but I guess I'm just not that picky about the edges.

My grandfather used to have an electric mower, and I thought the cord was a major pain. He had a set path that avoided the cord, but I never could buzz along without trouble.

To everyone asking about how to keep the blades sharp here is some info:

I work in a mom and pop hardware store that has been in my town since 1922. Every so often we get the push mowers in for repair and people always ask about sharpening. My boss said he hasn't seen the old machines that used to sharpen the blades in 40+ years so I really doubt you will find someone who still has a machine. (Depends on where you live. I am in NY [long island suburbs] and people dont keep that stuff around. If your somewhere more rural you may find a place but I highly doubt it.)

Anyway there is still hope. The blades do not have to be sharp. They work by having the spinning blade make contact with a metal bar on the bottom. The two pieces of metal making slight contact will cut the grass without being sharp. Over time the push mower may seem to become less "sharp" but in reality it has just come out of adjustment. When you push the mower there should be slight resistance of the two pieces of metal touching. If it spins very freely or keeps spinning after you stop walking you are probably not even cutting the grass as the two blades are not making contact.

Anyway to properly adjust it look on each side of the blade and you should see some sort of adjusting mechanism. What you do is loosen the nut/screw/bolt (depending on model) to make it possible to adjust a bolt which will lower or raise the blade. Adjust both sides and lock down the locking piece on the adjustment. A good way to test if you adjusted it correctly is to take a piece of toilet paper and lay it inbetween the two blades and then spin the blade. It should cut the tissue paper in half with a nice clean cut. If you adjust it to tight you will notice that it is really hard to push, if so just loosen up the blade a little.

It is hard to explain but if you have some mechanical knowledge (which i am sure you all have since you are capable of any sort of repair on a bike) it can be done easily in 5 minutes. And when your all done you can spray everything with some wd-40 or equivalent to keep it working smooth.

Hopefully this helps some of you out as these push mowers really never go bad and are great for small lawns. As for the people worried about not getting close to certain places you can pick up grass shears (really big scissors for cutting grass) for very cheap.

Hope this helps.

I found a pic of one style adjuster so you can see.

Gas powered mowers put out about as much air pollution as full sized cars and SUVs and they're way noisy.

I have a reel mower, but found I was too inconsistent to make it practical. So I usually use an electric purchased for $25 at a garage sale (former owner discovered he didn't like to do his own mowing). Reel mower doesn't do edges around trees and walls very well since the reels have to be moving to cut. Small sticks and other objects bring it to a stop immediately, whereas you can use the electric to make mulch of anything in its way. Tall grass gets wrapped in the spindle and have to be cut out by hand. The trimming collector bag I got for the reel mower simply didn't work -- the trimmings are not ejected with a high enough velocity. Also, not sure where to get it sharpened now that all the mom & pop repair places have been Walmarted away.

For the edges an electric trimmer works well or "gasp" hand pulling will do a fine job. Whatever way you cut your lawn you should let the trimmings lay as a mulch. Rake the lawn in the spring to remove the previous seasons thatch.

A general purpose flat file will do all the sharpening you ever need. Also the manual for mine says that lathing compound can be used to sharpen it by running the blade backwards. Now finding lathing compound is another issue, but I've found that every spring a quick file to restore a clean edge to the cutting bar followed by an adjustment and the machine is good to go for the season.

You should be doing the same thing with the blade on your cutting mower also. So I fail to see how sharrpening is a problem...

Grass, of the lawn variety is over rated. A spilled teaspoon of raw gas, dumps 50 times the florocarbons into the enviroment as a gallon burned in an engine. You could impress her with your knowledge and concerns for future generations.

They say that a gallon of gas = 500 man hours. From Curt Kurt's example it takes 78 man hours to mow an acre every season. So 6 gallons does a half an acre per season. A full acre would take 6000 hours to mow w/out gas per season. Perahps we should dump grass covered lawns alttogether. I have two lawns about 35 X 30 each. Thankfully one lawn is under a Black Walnut tree and so never really grows very well. The other one is half garden. If we sold just the basil from one 4 by 8 foot raised bed it would make 800 bucks a year. We take the basil make it into pesto, freeze it and have pesto for the family of five for the whole year. Of course you have to have free water to do that. A small honda tiller is handy as well.