The Cutting Edge: Bicycle Lawnmowing

Alright. Color me amused. If I had a yard, I think I'd have fun trying something like that out.

That said, though, when one pushes a reel lawnmower, isn't most of the power already coming from the legs and lower back? I'm just curious because I've never tried one myself.

That's true. A reel mower does rely on the lower body. The photos and different approaches were very creative, althoug adding a bicycle to a mower would make the chore a bit more difficult.

If you've never tried a reel mower, I highly suggest it. My mower is nearly ten years old and, besides occasionally sharpening the blades, it's been maintenance-free (and pollution-free!). There's are few things that are more satisfying than mowing my lawn in the relative peace and quiet. It's also a nice statement to make to the neighbors!

That's true. A reel mower does rely on the lower body. The photos and different approaches were very creative, althoug adding a bicycle to a mower would make the chore a bit more difficult.

If you've never tried a reel mower, I highly suggest it. My mower is nearly ten years old and, besides occasionally sharpening the blades, it's been maintenance-free (and pollution-free!). There's are few things that are more satisfying than mowing my lawn in the relative peace and quiet. It's also a nice statement to make to the neighbors!

Having never used one of these in my life, doesn't the push reel lawnmower require multiple passes before it adequately chops down the grass? I would imagine the bicycle would not be practical for this...

No....the power and stress is on the upper part of your body. Try to push something heavy, and tell me what part of your body you're using.

Before I decided it was better to plant wildflowers (and/or let them grow where they will), I used a reel mower. It cuts better than gas mowers--cleaner cut, more uniform height. I've heard that golf courses use them for the best quality mowing (though typically gas powered ones).

The limitation is just that if you let the grass go too high, it is hard to push through it. The mower gets the power for the blade from the wheels; if the blade gets bogged down, the wheels slip. Most of these have that problem, except exhibit J. That powers the blade and wheels from the pedal. If I still had a lawn to mow and someone sold that version, I'd buy it immediatetly.

The other option, of course, is a scythe. I haven't tried that yet but I hear it's easier and more pleasant once you learn to do it. And there's no limit to how high the grass can be.

A scythe bike would be awesome!

Good morning,
One significant example was missing from this list. See the link below for Michael Shakespear's lawnmower built as a Bachelor's thesis project.

http://www.art.net/Studios/Hackers/Tower/hpvs.html

I have about an acre of lawn in an ecologically sensitive floodplain. I have begun converting it to a riparian buffer, but this is necessarily a slow process and will take at least 15 years to reach a stage where it will not require maintenance mowing.

If I don't mow, the endemic japanese stiltgrass will choke out all native species and shortly after the first snowfall melts the entire area will turn into a mudflat, which in turn attracts non-native canadian geese, which consume any perennial seedlings attempting to estabish themselves before the stiltgrass comes back from seed, and destroy the integrity of the streambank with their comings and goings. In the test area where we allowed this to happen the erosion and stream widening was (and is!) phenomenal... and literally NO native species survived.

I mowed by grandparents' yard with a lightweight reel mower as a child. I remember it was harder than mowing my parent's yard with a heavy gas mower. Mowing my acre of bottomland with any kind of walk-behind mower, at my age, is inconceivable! One of these bike-mowers might work better.

I currently use an ancient lawn tractor that I rebuilt myself to get fairly decent mileage. It is of course a polluting gas-powered pig, but at 12 HP and a well tuned engine much less so than modern 48HP mowers.

What I really need is an electric riding mower that charges from solar panels all week... but it will need to be affordable, since I'm spending most of my income paying off this beautiful property. I don't see anything like that out there, so I hope to eventually build my own.

Charlie - the problem with tall grass isn't just the amount of effort it takes to push through it. A reel mower can't really cut the grass when it gets too tall. It just gets pushed over instead of cut. So you have to be very conscientious about cutting the grass every week.

i think this site should apply for tax exempt status, cause this is truly a religion now

this is good ...
hehe ...
what'll they think of next ...
hehe ...

I liked the last one - one of the problems I've had with my reel mower is that the blades only turn fast enough when you've got some momentum, which is tough to get in taller grass. The last picture had the chain attached to the mower blades so the blades would presumably turn more quickly than they do from push power alone.

I'd like to see one set on a lower frame like a Big Wheel. It could be a little steadier. I think you'd lose your balance on uneven ground going slowly on a bike.

The problem we have in Florida with reel mowers, is that our common grass is Bahia, which grows seed stalks that stand more than a foot tall. Cutting every week beats that, but if you miss and they shoot up, the reel won't touch them - they just lay over and pop back up behind you. I walk around the yard with a swing blade, and wack them off even with the grass, then mow.

I hate to be so negative, but it definately should have a small screen in front of the blades. I have a miniature pinscher and the first thought I had when I saw this was, "What if a small animal ran in front of you while you were moving at a decent pace?". Squirrel meat!

I am very suprised that no one has pointed out the need to put something between the riders feet and the spinning blades. Riding along cutting the grass, minding my own business, hit something, quick stop, foot goes into blades....Ouch!

As seems to me the best use for a bike mower is letting the kids ride it. I am thinking a kids tricycle would be an easy conversion, and then they could cut the yard multiple times a day while playing. They wouldn't even realize they were 'working'.

Make a version for the house with a room sweeper and keep the floors clean.

This is a bad idea. Riding a bike across your lawn three or four times every week would totally ruin it. A gas mower doesn't have 180 lbs sitting on top of it, and the weight of it is more evenly distributed because there are four wheels. And a reel mower doesn't weigh much at all compared to either.

i can't see how the balde would move fast enough to cut the grass while riding at walking pace

I've built and ridden Exhibits F and G.
They ride well because the head tube (steering axis) was cut and re-welded into the vertical position in order to steer the two front wheels without each turn of the bars pitching the rider to the outside of the turn and off the bike. G is bike F with a longer frame. (G is F2.0)
See more at www.woodenbikes.com

We saw one of these here in New Zealand. Check it out http://www.snice.co.nz/2008/03/08/hillbilly-ride-on-lawnmower/

I'm with Derek. I think that this is something that is a great idea, but could really easily turn into a major hazard. Think of most of the people who cut the grass - kids at my house anyway - and I think it's just too dangerous for them.

I disagree with many of the safety concerns. I feel that a reel mower is by far the safest way to cut your grass. In fact I'm at a loss to come up with a way to hurt yourself with one. There are huge safety benefits to reel mowers: No high-speed blades. Blades stop "automatically" if the mower stops (ie if you hit something and the mower stops, by the time you manage to get your feet near the blades they aren't moving). Can't roll down hills. No hot surfaces. The blades aren't even very sharp, they rely on a "scissor" like action to cut grass. You also have to pick up all the twigs from your lawn before using the mower, if they don't lay flat they will stop the mower very quickly.

I'm trying to picture how you'd get your foot into the reel to hurt it. If you just stepped in front of the reel it would roll over your foot, the blades are too close together to admit something that large. If you came at it from the top the reel blades would be moving away from the cutting surface so all you'd get is a scratch.

Most of the bike-models above there is no way to get any part of your body close to the reel while still providing motive force from the pedals. The tricycle design being an exception.

a funny idea but look how ridiculous they look with their helmets... on grass...

I really like the Schwinn Stingray conversions. To paraphrase Doc Brown from Back to the Future: "If you're gonna to build a lawnmower into a bicycle, why not do it with a little style?" I'd want a banana seat and a sissy bar on mine, though.

It would be easy enough to make a safety guard out of a half section of something like ducting material. And if the grass is too long, use wheels with a bigger diameter first and then smaller wheels to get a closer cut the second time around.

Then I was thinking a push mower could be attached to a yoke and pulled by my brother's Swiss Mountain dog. Then I realized the potential hazard of sharp whirling steel blades attached to a hundred plus pounds of something that compulsively chases squirrels... I think Leonardo DaVinci had a sketch of something like that, actually.

I have just two words for all the above mowers with the reel in front: Face Plant!

My yard is St Augustine, and I get the rainfall to support it. I have not watered my lawn for years, it comes and goes, but the average rainfall here usually keeps it plenty green and growing. I had a reel mower someone left in the garage before my current house was built, and it was absolutely useless. I like the trailered bob at the top of the article, but it would most likely clog and just drag behind. If you added enough weight to it to force a chew, it wouldn't be long before you developed Terminator Legs. I like the idea, but will have to see some of my neighbors using one before I would consider the switch! Thanks to all the tinkerers who created these prototypes, they're great!

I actualy have a book called "Make it Yourself" from 1927 with instructions on how to build one of these.