When my lawn mower died last fall I decided I was going to switch to something more “green” and use a push mower. Our front yard is rather small and a little work would do me good so I’m the perfect candidate for a push mower. I did research online and from all the reviews I could find the Scott’s brand push mower was the best. (of the push mowers that were available in my area that is, I could purchase a better mower by mail, but I didn’t way to pay for shipping).So we headed over to Home Depot and picked up a Scott’s brand push mower the first weekend our grass need a hair cut.
The first time I ran it across the yard I thought to myself that something wasn’t right…but then thought maybe it was just something I had to get use to. I did not tell my wife. The next weekend my wife tried out the mower and when she was done she commented about how it was not comfortable and was extremely difficult to push given the design of the handles. It rolled just fine and it cut great, but it couldn’t be pushed properly. Something snapped in my mind and that was it! The handle design is what is screwy. The blades are awesome and sharp and it rolls like it’s cutting through butter. So unfortunate that a simple design flaw makes it useless.
The non-adjustable handle system is what causes this mower to fail. The proper angle for pushing would be in the first picture. Notice how the arms are in line with the push bar. Unfortunately that can not be achieved.
For someone the size of my wife (5 foot 2 inches) the angle is more like what you see to the left. The handle simply folds over the top when you push it.
For the taller members of the population like me (6 foot 2 inches) the front of the mower tips up (causing the blades to cut over the grass). I’ve obviously exaggerated for the picture to show what happens.
In both cases you have to basically put the handle bar under your ribs and push the mower with your gut to get a proper angle on the handles. Notice how the arms are now in line with the push bar and the majority of the body mass is in line.
We returned the mower to Home Depot and decided to hire the local neighborhood boy to cut our grass. So much for trying to do something good.
I used to own a very old push mower with a handle that ended in a t-bar (like a bicycle handle) and was adjustable for height. Even so, mowing with it at first took effort. Eventually, mowing with it was not too bad but not to the friends who often thought they could do it. They did not realize that it took a while to make it look easy!
I am surprised that they designers of the mower did not take height into consideration and supplied an adjustable handle.
how come you post lawn mower pictures on your daughter’s birthday……………….? I want to see pictures of the party or dinner or our present or whatever…..Dang………….
I used to help a lady in her garden by mowing her lawn. She had a push mower that looked like something out of the 1800′s but it darn if it didn’t work like a charm.
MrBrownThumb @ Chicago Garden
I can’t picture our mower’s handles (a push mower too) because that’s my hubbie’s job (he doesn’t like the way I cut the grass). I guess the ergonomics was an after thought on it?
Where are you in Wheaton? North Side or South side? We’re northsiders, near the train tracks.
We live north of the tracks near Cold Springs