First thoughts on reel mowing Bermuda grass low

My personal thoughts on reel mowing my bermuda lawn at a low level and the new challenges one will encounter. When you mow using a reel mower, it is not the same as mowing with a rotary mower. In this video, I will share my thoughts.

[@cajunbard]

You're gonna have to rename your channel to The Above Average Lawn Guy... looking great!

[@tomaxxamot2016]

I never thought you would ,I have a California trimmer with the Honda engine and it’s not loud like that , I have a MacLane with a Briggs and Stratton engine and it’s very loud like yours sounded, this winter I will swap the maclane to a Honda engine I use to always remember you saying you had common Bermuda and you cut it real high

[@lawndingo7656]

You brought up your game!!! Tuff....love what your doing...

[@lefttool7928]

Welcome to the club my brotha! Good choice McLane is good

[@TheALG]

Thanks friend, looking forward to mowing

[@chipgunter]

Long way from 3" huh ? .. nice .. Pgr is the gamechanger ..Congrats

[@SunnyBermuda]

🌞Yes, nice reel mower! ⛳👍

[@TheALG]

Thanks Sunny Bermuda

[@rotarycomptech]

I had a McLean reel mower, poor thing only lasted about three or four years living in Florida, using it almost every day, constantly replacing the chains, especially the one on the back that drives the unit, tired of pushing it around because if you use the self-propelled mode, the real turns and that’s not good, picked up a used Toro green Master 1600 and what a huge difference in performance cut reliability not to mention it’s not noisy like the McLeane

[@TheALG]

I will give another brand a try when my current one dies.

[@axgoat]

Beautiful lawn! I'm almost punishing myself by watching all you lawn guys because you all have achieved such a great look!

[@TheALG]

Don't give up, mowing often is probably one of the best solutions. When the grass begins to grow actively, you only want to cut off very little off the top.

[@michaelcarroll8693]

Congrats on the McLane. Good move going for the 25 in. And if you think that Honda is loud….be thankful you didn’t get the B&S. Enjoy!

[@TheALG]

I heard alot of bad things about the B&S engine.

[@dkbomb]

Time for PGR next season especially with that size lawn!

[@comeoncents3288]

Had a McLane for 14 years. Brigs engine and not as wide without a roller up front. Sold it running and looked great for its age. Now have a Cali Trimmer with RL roller up front. 20” wide. Looking good! About the noise, we’ll drop some BOSE in your ears and listen to the 70s music. This gives me a better cut every time. 😉

[@overdriver99]

thanks for straight points you made. I watched other video and.. they just mumble LOL!

[@garyolsen6299]

Real nice😉

[@herrwabbaloo937]

Sub’d. This was a really useful video, and timely for me. Thanks for the explanation.

[@sm1tty031]

very interesting...So Im from NY and moved to San Antonio. I have never seen bermuda grass except at a golf course. The bermuda in front of my house was ugly...like 4 inches ugly. Last year we had a mole cricket infestation and my lawn is still recovering from that. However, I got the Ego select cut last year and started mowing at the lowest setting which is 1 inch. the lawn started to look better and spread out...then this year I got a used Mclane ( replaced the engine) and have been mowing at a little over half inch... The difference is incredible. I do still use my Ego, but more of a vacuum cleaner before I reel mow...Thought Id mention it as you have the same two mowers that I do. Cheers sir and thanks for the vids

[@TheALG]

Thanks for sharing. Good luck with going reel.

[@sebastiangarcia41910]

I have an EGO select cut dual blade. I’ve been thinking for about a year on getting a reel mower. I appreciate that he put out a video on his initial thoughts about reel mowing

[@traviscade3186]

Another great video. I'd have to do a lot of work to get my lawn into reel mowing shape but I like the content. Closing in on 2500 subs! Very nice seem like 1000 took you a good minute but the last 1500 has been quick. Great job!

[@TheALG]

Thanks Travis

[@JamieHarveyJr]

I went with the 45cm Swardman Electra because of how close together the rollers are to the blades. Helped so much with my “common” uneven lawn without scalping. T-Nex is a game changer too. I’ll never go back.

[@TheALG]

I did look at the swordsman, its a nice looking mower but expensive. I can understand about not going back.

[@InDatParish]

Man you’re right. Can’t believe they can’t make it a little more quiet. Great video! I’m looking into getting my first reel mower too!

[@TheALG]

If you can stay on top of mowing then go for it.

[@CTMturf]

Great video just picked up a used 27 in Tru Cut definitely a learning curve on the HOC for me

[@TheALG]

I am looking forward to learning how to cut low and maintain low

[@kelvinbrookins160]

Gonna get a reel mower thanks bro

[@fairwaybermudalawn]

Great move.. bro on getting a reelmower i have a tru cut 20in reelmower my first year using mines and the cut is amazing..CONGRATS 👏 sir

[@TheALG]

I am loving the cut quality and new challenges with mowing low

[@fairwaybermudalawn]

@@TheALG yep..ENJOY MY BROTHER 👍

[@timborski1210]

That is pretty loud, my swardman isnt that loud and has a Briggs motor. Congrats on the reel mower too, it makes your yard look better imo.

[@TheALG]

We will see, I have a bit of a learning curve when it comes to reel mowing

[@smk791]

You got the reel mowing bug! I did too last year and got a 2015 John Deere 180SL it cuts great but now I gotta spend time and energy leveling the yard not to mention cutting 4 times a week. BTW you are gonna end up upgrading to a greensmower. Reel mowing is too addictive.

[@TheALG]

I can see why its addictive

[@enzomoya1689]

My 14 and 15 yr old boys cut the yard with my McClane! Getting them to like putting stripes is the key!!! Lol we cut once a week.

[@SkinnyGeek_1010]

Congrats! I can't wait until Ego comes out with an electric reel mower. The electric Sun Joe doesn't have the build quality you want and the electric Allett Liberty costs an arm and a leg.

[@TheALG]

I agree, I just hope if ego does make a battery reel mower, it needs to be at least 22 inches wide or more.

[@user-er7gx5sm6g]

Sold my MC and now on my second Tru Cut…

[@rreed336]

You definitely going to need some hearing protection for those reel mowers.

[@nmsauditor1a950]

Great video, yard looks super. I started using a half a months rate of 33-0-0 every two weeks and had to reel mow every day. Then I discovered plant growth regulators. I use a liquid type but it also comes in a granular form. I applied it monthly and my mowing went to once every 5 days. Additionally, my grass became greener, and much thicker. It is not inexpensive, $200/gallon, but I only use .38 ounce per 1000 sq. ft so the gallon last a long time. The one I crrently use is called Podium. Give it a try. Edit- guess I should have finished the video before replying. How is the PGR working for you?

[@TheALG]

Thanks for the info. PGR works great but I plan to apply in maybe mid June. I want to make sure I have no weak spots and also making sure my shaded areas completely fill in.

[@nmsauditor1a950]

I pulled a stem of my bermuda and a stem of the neighbor beside me. The neighbors had 4 to 5 leafs on the stem, mine had 40 to 50 leaves on the stem. That was after 2 months of using the PGR. Would like to send you a pic of the difference. Do you have an email I can send it to?

[@Brad901]

It's not like that with every reel mower..My GM 1600 is extremely quite..Reel mower is addictive and requires MORE mowing and like you said scalping is much leass.... congratulations on that new mower you will notice that grass is going to thicken up more like a mat looking forward to what is to come from your yard..

[@TheALG]

Good to know, the only reason why I got the Mclane is the price. It seemed to be the cheapest listed price out of all the mowers I researched

[@Brad901]

@@TheALG great mower its even better because its brand new and its yours... ownership always makes things better enjoy it and keep the videos coming

[@denniscash1]

Dennis Cash Lawn Guy send it back while you can. I have a Tru Cut 27 I hate it, Loud Loud. Shop for a used Green mower its Quiet....

[@jakestatefarm915]

My JD 260SL is very quite you can run it before 8am without even pissing off the block

[@TheALG]

How much did you pay for it?

[@GRogers41728]

Great Vid!!! Still happy you went with GR series? I am debating between 25" GR and GK.Thanks for the great vids

[@TheALG]

I am happy with my purchase but once you start reel mowing, you will want to keep it low. I feel I should have gone with the GK series but the once I have now does good. Especially when you hang out the roller for a reel roller model and I can go down to 0.25 inches

[@bryancooksey2263]

Awesome job brother!! Looks outstanding! Just getting in to the reel mowing game. Thinking about getting a MCLANE. Where did you order yours from. Far from Average lol

[@TheALG]

Thanks man. I got it from MclaneReelMowers.com

[@Alex-ss4bk]

Would you say the regular push reel mower with a catcher is better than the rotary mower?

[@TheALG]

Yes, if you done mine the physical labor.

[@InDatParish]

Do you have Bermuda sod, seeded, or did you just have wild common Bermuda growing? Great video!

[@TheALG]

Sod when the builder finished building the home. They place sod over clay soil and rocks.

[@InDatParish]

@@TheALG great choice!

[@jaredreyes2811]

Do you still like your McLane? I have one and I wished I would of shopped around for a different brand. I feel the cuts are inconsistent. One side is heavier then another so if I hit an angle the wrong way then it scalps. You are right, it’s loud as sh**

[@TheALG]

It's a decent mower for the price and a good entry mower. Eventually I will upgrade when I have enough saved up. One way I have found to overcome inconsistent cuts is to place two 5 pound dumbbells at the front edge on each side. Doing this reduces the chances of the front bouncing up when I hit a low or high spot.

[@jaredreyes2811]

Man I appreciate the tip.

[@TheALG]

Tie the weights with bungee cords.

[@AlexKunstar]

If I ever get a reel mower... It'll be electric. My electric mower and trimmer and blowers have gotten me accustomed to very very very quiet operation. I'm not going back to loud gas engines for anything other than pressure washing.

[@TheALG]

Understandable

[@KevinDJones-rv8ye]

Does your grass catcher rub on the roller? Mine does and can’t find a fix. I have a 20 inch

[@TheALG]

No. Try to adjust the spring on the left side if you are looking at the mower from the front. The spring is on the outside, and there is 4 holes that it can be adjusted too.

[@TheALG]

Maybe I misread your question. The catcher does sit on the roller support but not on the roller itself

[@Nikolasto77]

Any thoughts on California Trimmer? Debating between McClaine and Cali Trim

[@TheALG]

I dont know about the Cali trimmer. I got the McClane mainly because I wanted a 25 inch wide mower at a reasonable price.

[@Nikolasto77]

@@TheALG thank you. Another thing I was wondering about was buying a used professional reel mower, such as Greensmaster. A used one is the same price as a new McClane. What do you think of that?

[@TheALG]

I love my mclane but if I had to do it again, I would have gotten a greensmaster. Make sure its not too old and in great shape.

[@tomaxxamot2016]

What type of grass do you have in your front yard?

[@TheALG]

Common bermuda

[@1320str8liner]

Can you maintain Bermuda @ 2.0” and cut once a week? I have 1-acre, 2-3 times a week is just not possible

[@TheALG]

Growth regulator should help you out big time. Maybe once every 6 days or so. I just started using t-nex and to keep my bermuda at 0.75 inches, t-nex spaces out the mowing to every 3 to 4 days i stead of every 2 days. The longer you keep your height of cut, the less you will have to mow when your using t-nex growth regulator.

[@1320str8liner]

Thanks

[@TheALG]

I know its not easy to spray 1 acre unless you have a motorized sprayer. Its something you would have to do only once a month during the peak growing season. Usually for about 2 to 3 months tops or 4 months if your in a warmer climate.

[@Nikolasto77]

Has your lawn thickened up since mowing low with a reel mower?

[@TheALG]

It has but not as much as I thought it would. Not complaining or anything 🙄

[@HiddenAgendas]

im waiting for ego to release a reel mower

[@TheALG]

That would be interesting