<sigh> I finally gave up my reel mower last summer after 40+ years. Just got to where I couldn't (or didn't want to) push it anymore and there's nobody around to sharpen them that knows what they're doing. I still have my grandfather's cast iron Diamond Ball Bearing mower, though I had to retire it a long time ago as I couldn't buy tires for it anymore and the ones I did buy must have been pre-war issue because they didn't last very long. It still cuts better than any of the newer models I bought did.
I'd never really thought about it, but had to mow the yard the other day, so checked my phone before and after to see how many steps it counted. Figuring I've mowed this lawn about 1.5 times a week for six months a year for 42 years, that comes to about 2,000,000 steps. And my new mower is 3" wider than the old reel mower, so probably mower [sic] than that. Thankfully, we have a pretty small lot, some of which is taken up by more enjoyable things than grass, like flowers and vegetables.
<sigh> I finally gave up my reel mower last summer after 40+ years. Just got to where I couldn't (or didn't want to) push it anymore and there's nobody around to sharpen them that knows what they're doing. I still have my grandfather's cast iron Diamond Ball Bearing mower, though I had to retire it a long time ago as I couldn't buy tires for it anymore and the ones I did buy must have been pre-war issue because they didn't last very long. It still cuts better than any of the newer models I bought did.
There are moments when I wish I’d had a fitness tracker in my youth to see how many steps I put on behind a reel mower.
I'd never really thought about it, but had to mow the yard the other day, so checked my phone before and after to see how many steps it counted. Figuring I've mowed this lawn about 1.5 times a week for six months a year for 42 years, that comes to about 2,000,000 steps. And my new mower is 3" wider than the old reel mower, so probably mower [sic] than that. Thankfully, we have a pretty small lot, some of which is taken up by more enjoyable things than grass, like flowers and vegetables.
Thanks, Merle. You need a nap.