*EDIT* Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies! Since the mower I had as a child didn't move when I wasn't pushing it I thought that type of mower would be safe, but thanks for reminding me that my child should remain in the house while I am mowing. I like Amanda's suggestion about the electric mower and will look into that. peace*! :)
Hi everyone! I was wondering if any of you out there have a push mower that works without a motor, I remember having one at my house as a child and that it was hard to push. Now fast forward 30+years and I have bad wrist and shoulder pain whenever I try to pull-start our motorized lawn mower. It's an old mower and I'm looking to replace it anyway. Are non-motorized mowers still manufactured, and if you have one are you happy with it? I'd imagine it's a greener solution than burning gas to mow the lawn. Also I wouldn't be afraid to have my toddler in the yard with me if I was using the non-motorized type. I look forward to any advice, many thanks! *Peace*!
HI everyone! Thanks for all your answers and advice :) I ended up getting a gas-powered mower with an electric starter. I've enjoyed using it all summer. I think it's more energy efficient than our old mower because I only have to gas it up every two mows. Might not be the greenest solution of all but it's better than what we had before. Thanks everyone... *Peace*!
Never mow with a toddler in the yard - ever - regardless of the type of mower.
The non motorized push mowers are still available, but the blades are exposed and don't stop turning immediately when you stop pushing... There is nothing safe about any mower!
Get one with an electric start and self propel. We have 10 acres - 4 of it we mow - we have a tractor.
YMMV
LBC
In general, I'd say a very small area of grass can be cut with a non motor push mower. We had a 1/4 acre lot for our first house and an electric mower (used it with an extension cord - not a rechargeable battery). It worked very well and was so quiet and we could mow the whole lawn front and back in an hour. Now we've got 3 acres. A riding mower is the only way to go about it and it takes about 4 hours. If you want to minimize the mowing, landscape to minimize the lawn area much as possible.
They do still make them...but a good one will set you back as much as a lower-end power mower. The blades require sharpening on a regular basis and this type of mower (reel) isn't ideal for every type of lawn. In Wisconsin, you likely have some sort of bluegrass...thick and fine bladed. Not sure that I would want to do that again!
I recently bought an electric mower that I love! It is light-weight, QUIET (I often mow early on Sunday morning--it sounds like a large fan), and doesn't have much vibration. I chose it primarily because I didn't want to mess with all the oil, gas, filter, etc. maintenance that is necessary--blades still need attention, but easier to sharpen than a reel mower. I have one with a cord as I was going more price conscious and my front yard is easily done. However, you can get models with rechargeable batteries and are self-propelled.
The blades of a push mower appear to me more exposed than an electric or gas mower. I would be concerned about that with a toddler around. Our county was offering a rebate to trade in their gas mowers for a green mower. I don't mow my own lawn so I never looked into it. Here is a paragraph from their site: "Exchanging dirty combustion engine mowers with clean cordless mowers reduces particulate matter." They were electric mowers, but cordless.
.
We have the old-fashioned Scott's reel mower, no motor. It is very easy and I absolutely love it. It is not like the old push mowers. Wouldn't trade it for any other .
