It was Toro back then in the 70's that sold them over here. They never took off and to this day I've never seen anyone using one. Reel mowers are pretty much non existent today . The gas self propelled ones were somewhat common up until the 60's and then faded away into obscurity. Most yards are just too big here and people keep their grass much longer which makes a reel mower difficult to push. Then you get into water restrictions and short lawns require more water. I have memories of our neighbor Mr David. He used an old reel mower and kept his lawn like a putting green but it needed constant watering in the summer otherwise it burned in no time. We used to say he was out shaving his lawn.
My Gardening equipment, as of March 2014!! (Mowers, grass trimmers etc!)
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davetranter
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Re: 'Flymo'
As Tolivac and Petek have mentioned, the original 'Flymos' were 2-stroke engined. These are still available on this side of the 'pond' for professional use, and are much loved by the operatives who maintain highway verges and embankments, since they can be used continually on steep slopes without suffering from fuel or lubrication failure.
As for overmowing feet, it is usually used at arm's and handle's length, swung like a scythe as one walks, so not a problem in open spaces. (The more inventive highway maintenance operatives tie a piece of rope to the handle, so that they can just walk along the top of an embankment, swinging their mower in a huge arc to cut the grass over the whole bank side). If one is using this kind of mower in resricted spaces then steel toecaps are a must. Yes it must be carried when not running, but these are the lightest mowers in production. The only steel components are the crankshaft and the blade, all the rest being alloy/plastic nowadays, and by the time it is being carried back to the vehicle, it will have very little or no fuel weight.
'Flymo' is also now a brand name for various electrically powered rotary 'hover mowers', which are the type seen in domestic use. very few people over here have big enough lawns to warrant a 'self propelled' or 'ride on' mower (though I have used both). Generally, I prefer a 'human propelled' gasoline rotary mower for most work. The 'self propelled' models are generally too big and too heavy to use in the average (obstructed) garden, though plenty of people have been persuaded to buy them ;-)
Beko.... If you have a small garden with a small lawn, you would be better off with a small rotary 'hover' mower, with the grass box on top or behind (under the handle). The downside of the 'old-style' push mower, is that the front-mounted grass box prevents access to the edges of your lawn where there are obstructions (and in a small garden there is effectively more 'edge' than lawn). Take it from a 'professional', you will spend a lot of time cursing it if you get one. ;-)
All best
Dave T
As Tolivac and Petek have mentioned, the original 'Flymos' were 2-stroke engined. These are still available on this side of the 'pond' for professional use, and are much loved by the operatives who maintain highway verges and embankments, since they can be used continually on steep slopes without suffering from fuel or lubrication failure.
As for overmowing feet, it is usually used at arm's and handle's length, swung like a scythe as one walks, so not a problem in open spaces. (The more inventive highway maintenance operatives tie a piece of rope to the handle, so that they can just walk along the top of an embankment, swinging their mower in a huge arc to cut the grass over the whole bank side). If one is using this kind of mower in resricted spaces then steel toecaps are a must. Yes it must be carried when not running, but these are the lightest mowers in production. The only steel components are the crankshaft and the blade, all the rest being alloy/plastic nowadays, and by the time it is being carried back to the vehicle, it will have very little or no fuel weight.
'Flymo' is also now a brand name for various electrically powered rotary 'hover mowers', which are the type seen in domestic use. very few people over here have big enough lawns to warrant a 'self propelled' or 'ride on' mower (though I have used both). Generally, I prefer a 'human propelled' gasoline rotary mower for most work. The 'self propelled' models are generally too big and too heavy to use in the average (obstructed) garden, though plenty of people have been persuaded to buy them ;-)
Beko.... If you have a small garden with a small lawn, you would be better off with a small rotary 'hover' mower, with the grass box on top or behind (under the handle). The downside of the 'old-style' push mower, is that the front-mounted grass box prevents access to the edges of your lawn where there are obstructions (and in a small garden there is effectively more 'edge' than lawn). Take it from a 'professional', you will spend a lot of time cursing it if you get one. ;-)
All best
Dave T
Anachronism
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- Feb 15, 2014
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- 110
Couldn't resist posting a pic of one of our work horse mowers: a 1952 vintage Model "L" Gravely. These things are powered by a "clone" of an early Indian motorcycle engine coupled to a planetary transmission and a worm & screw final drive. They are unstoppable, the mower will knock down scrub trees, and they are DURABLE. There were literally a hundred or more attachments made for them. Since we practice gender equality, we have "his" & Her's". I use the 1952 version, she has a 1966.
I have been fascinated by Gravely machines-as pointed out their long stroke motors put out unbeatable torque-they may be low HP-but they do have high torque for their ratings-explains why the 30" single blade deck will mow down just about anything it will walk over.The blade is very thick and has good flywheel action.The ones I see here their owners will not give them up at ANY price.esp the vintage ones.
for hiway mowing out here-its flail and sickle mowers and large batwing mowers drawn by tractors-don't see ANY hand equipment.Look up Alamo Industrial website and they show a remote controlled umanned flail tractor mower.This would replace hand type equipment.That would be a neat peice of equipment for any mower or tractor fan.Would love to have one!!Its flail mower can bust down stuff up to a couple in thick.The roadways here used to be mowed by state owned Alamo "Interstator" flail mowers-the rigs had three mower decksone on each side of the tractor-and another in the rear.The side decks ran from hydraulic motors run from the tractors front engine PTO-the rear deck ran from the rear tractor PTO.Now its a contractor--"Bushwhackers" they use a tractor with a sidemount sickle mower and a another tractor with a Woods 3 blade batwing mower-mows a path 15ft wide.The Alamos mow the same width.Those are more expensive-the whole Alamo rig with tractor--runs over 100 grand!!
Not a mower-but an unusual use for a Harely Davidson V twin motor---look up on YouTube HD Mud Motor-Its a shallow water outboard boat motor that uses the HD V twin motor to run it.Mud motors are air cooled so the dirty water and mud won't get into the motors cooling system.Other mud motors use large twin cylinder B&S "Vanguard" motors to power them.In one demo-"Mud Buddy" motors can push a boat thru mud with water only a couple in deep-that would kill a standard deep water water cooled outboard!On that HD mud motor a fan was rigged to cool it!Could move a boat thru the swamp at hurry speeds!Watch out for logs and cypress stumps!
for hiway mowing out here-its flail and sickle mowers and large batwing mowers drawn by tractors-don't see ANY hand equipment.Look up Alamo Industrial website and they show a remote controlled umanned flail tractor mower.This would replace hand type equipment.That would be a neat peice of equipment for any mower or tractor fan.Would love to have one!!Its flail mower can bust down stuff up to a couple in thick.The roadways here used to be mowed by state owned Alamo "Interstator" flail mowers-the rigs had three mower decksone on each side of the tractor-and another in the rear.The side decks ran from hydraulic motors run from the tractors front engine PTO-the rear deck ran from the rear tractor PTO.Now its a contractor--"Bushwhackers" they use a tractor with a sidemount sickle mower and a another tractor with a Woods 3 blade batwing mower-mows a path 15ft wide.The Alamos mow the same width.Those are more expensive-the whole Alamo rig with tractor--runs over 100 grand!!
Not a mower-but an unusual use for a Harely Davidson V twin motor---look up on YouTube HD Mud Motor-Its a shallow water outboard boat motor that uses the HD V twin motor to run it.Mud motors are air cooled so the dirty water and mud won't get into the motors cooling system.Other mud motors use large twin cylinder B&S "Vanguard" motors to power them.In one demo-"Mud Buddy" motors can push a boat thru mud with water only a couple in deep-that would kill a standard deep water water cooled outboard!On that HD mud motor a fan was rigged to cool it!Could move a boat thru the swamp at hurry speeds!Watch out for logs and cypress stumps!
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