How To Maintain A Reel Mower And Adjust Cut Height

[@fescueme1081]

I just got a 16” Earthwise for my KBG reno. Your video was the first to pop up. Thanks to your easy to follow video, you just warned yourself a subscriber pal.

[@DIYDad1]

Awesome! I did a kbg reno a couple years ago, it was a lot of fun and a great test of patience lol. Thanks for watching and subscribing! ❤️❤️ Glad you found this video useful!

[@sunnyday1639]

Excellent presentation! Very useful information! Thank you!

[@DIYDad1]

@@sunnyday1639 glad you found this useful thanks for watching!

[@sabeaniebaby]

Thank you for this video. I have a Yardworks reel mower. The clip which goes around the wheel nut is almost a complete circle on my mower, and I feel a bit inept, being unable to remove it. Any tricks for that? TIA

[@DIYDad1]

Try a pliers and see if you can pull it off with that. Some of those are snap rings and if they have little holes on the ends of the ring, you can use a snap ring pliers to remove that. Not sure without seeing it but those are a really handy tool to remove stuff like that. Hope that helps, good luck, thanks for watching!

[@sabeaniebaby]

In the end, a hex bit was needed (go figure).

[@jackgelber2506]

Very helpful. critical piece was taking off the wheel itself.

[@DIYDad1]

Glad you found this video useful! Thanks for watching!

[@SkolDriver]

Thanks for this. I bought mine on Clearance ( probably a returned item) at Lowe’s. So I didn’t get a manual. This has been great. Thanks again.

[@DIYDad1]

Glad you found this useful! Lots of new reel mowing videos coming this spring once the grass starts growing again 😁 thanks for watching!

[@Norcalbuckshot]

Thanks man, ive been disappointed in my reel mower inability to cut the grass short. Im hoping this is the fix

[@DIYDad1]

Yeah, if your blade isn’t adjusted just right it won’t leave a clean cut. Make sure to check the reel to bedknife clearance there’s adjustment screws on the left and right side to move the bedknife up and down slightly. Then do the paper cut test and see if it cuts paper clean and you’ll get a much cleaner cut. This model goes down to 1” if I take the rear wheels off I can get down to a half inch it’s just really hard to push 😆. Thanks for watching! Good luck in the lawn!

[@joeeader2697]

Very Informative. Thank you. I wish there was a video for the 7-blade Earthwise that has the back roller.

[@DIYDad1]

Thanks for watching, glad you found it useful! As far as I know, the 7 blade one can be adjusted with the bedknife in a similar way, and it can be backlapped for sharpening same way, it just lacks the rear wheels and has a roller in place of it. I haven’t seen too many of those videos on that model either.

[@greghebert6389]

I bought mine to groom my putting green, I will set mine at the lowest setting, thanks for the video, very helpful

[@DIYDad1]

Nice! What height are you cutting your putting green at? This model in particular only goes down to 1 inch, but if you remove the rear wheels you can get down to 1/2”. There are some models with 7 blade reel that can go even lower.

[@StrawberryKilla]

Hello. I have an American mower. My wheels axle is fixed and I can’t seem to take off the axle. It isn’t bolted down but seems to be riveted so idk how to remove the center axle to get the adjustment done if you have any idea that would be helpful

[@DIYDad1]

It’s possible that it’s held in place by a clip of some sort like a snap ring maybe. The American mower company makes reel mowers for the brand I have, great states and American and scotts brand so they are really all pretty similar. You might be able to remove a plastic cover on the wheel to find the bold hidden? If not, if you know the model number that you have you can try searching their website. They have a support section. Might be able to find the manual in the support or parts search or email their support department hopefully they can help you out. I’m not familiar with what you have so I’m just taking my best guess as to how to take the wheel off. It’s usually retained somehow with a snap ring or similar. Here’s their website hope this helps! Good luck! americanlawnmower.com/pages/parts-finder

[@StrawberryKilla]

@@DIYDad1 I actually figured out the model number and found the manual! Apparently the rear roller is what adjusts the height of the cutting blade. It’s so much easier but the adjustments are much smaller. It only ranges from 1/2” to 1-3/4”. Thank you for replying so quickly

[@DIYDad1]

@@StrawberryKilla glad you were able to find it! Awesome! Those are nice mowers too, more difficult to adjust from what I’ve seen but they are really great if you want to mow at a much lower height, just need to mow more often the lower you go lol. I had to take the rear wheels off of mine in order to go below 1” which I’ve been trying this year. It’s a ton of work trying to keep up with mowing every two days 😆. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@benharrison5816]

Super helpful! I just assembled my 7-blade Earthwise today, which actually has rollers in back instead of wheels, and can cut from .5 to 3" supposedly. Looks pretty nice for the price. The instructions were ok, but not that clear on the wheel height adjustment, so this helps a ton. Thanks!

[@DIYDad1]

Ben Harrison glad it could help, that’s what this channel is here for! I really like the 7 blade version, it would give a cleaner cut when going below 1” if that’s what you’re trying for. Thanks for watching!

[@GBR1111-x2t]

Did you go to lowest setting. I just bought the same one yesterday. ?

[@troyhenry3267]

Will this work for an earthwise mower with the plastic rollers??

[@DIYDad1]

Yep! Those have the rollers on the bottom you can usually set the height a little lower than the one I have here in the video here. The height adjustment method works a little bit differently because you don't have rear wheels you have rollers, but besides the height ajustment procedure, sharpening the reels, and taking the front wheels apart is all the same as far as I know. Most of the manual push mowers are pretty similar. Thanks for watching!

[@samuraioodon]

What's the brand, do you have a link? Thanks! I want to cut my clover as high as possible.

[@DIYDad1]

This is the 5 blade reel mower that I have. They work good for mowing high. The 7 blade version works better if you want to mow lower than 1.5 inches. You might be able to find it cheaper locally not sure. This is the new price from Amazon. Thanks for watching! Earthwise 1816-18EW 18-Inch 5-Blade Push Reel Lawn Mower, Grey www.amazon.com/dp/B01DCPV2GK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_0FWTWVK8Z271DMJFD5ZB

[@samuraioodon]

@@DIYDad1 thanks! i saw this, just didn't know this was it. thats good to know. do you think the sharpening kit is necessary? i'm looking for a high cut reeler.. i saw one up to 4" but its overpriced. since the earthwise seems ok 3" i'm doing a clover lawn and not sure how the blades will fair cutting versus grass in the long run.

[@DIYDad1]

@@samuraioodon I think clover should cut okay. You doing micro clover? 3 inches should be just fine I would think. It’s pretty easy to push when it’s higher up like that. Gets more difficult the lower you go but I like to push my grass low lol. The only difficulty I have when mowing is the really thin and wispy grass. This mower is made by Great States mowers so you’ll see the same one by great states, and Scott’s brand. They are all made in the same factory under multiple brands. The sharpening kit isn’t totally necessary but useful I backlap mine maybe twice a season. Doesn’t need to be done all that often compared to a rotary mower. You can use valve lapping compound like I used in the video.

[@DIYDad1]

@@samuraioodon oh sorry different video I did specific to sharpening. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXJm5uHdt2ko7c

[@samuraioodon]

@@DIYDad1 great 👍 that's good. Yes mini clovers but I'm probably going to mix them with white dutch since mini are so much more experience and I want lots of blooms. Unconventional lawn but I like to bring the bees and butterflies. I might need the mulch catcher but we only have 3k sqft lawn. Only thing I worry is the oak tree dropping branches and halting the reel.

[@Sig_P229]

Reely good video! Most in depth I have seen on KZbin

[@DIYDad1]

Thanks for the feedback! And thank you for watching and commenting!

[@stevenmyers3647]

This is the video I was looking for. Thanks!

[@DIYDad1]

Glad this video was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@DaddingAllDay]

Really great video. I'm not ready for reel mowing, but that's a great find!

[@DIYDad1]

Dadding All Day I didn’t think I’d be reel mowing either but after seeding recently I wanted to use this temporarily while the grass was young so I didn’t crush it. Turns out I’m hooked on reel mowing now lol. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@pgbrandon]

Thank you for a great video. When I push my reel mower forward, the wheels turn freely, but they don't engage the blades, so the blades don't spin although the wheels are going forward. Any hints on how to fix this?

[@DIYDad1]

Take a look at the gear that engages the wheel. There’s a little cog inside there that engages the reel to turn it. Sometimes those could be installed in reverse and then it doesn’t spin. There’s one on each wheel so check both sides.

[@DIYDad1]

Also check out this video at 3:00 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXJm5uHdt2ko7c

[@charliesmith9528]

Just bought a new earthwise 7 blade reel mower specifically becuas eit said it could be adjusted as low as half inch which i need for a putting green,,,in your video you say 1 inch is lowest?? Havent tried to adjust mine yet just curious if i spent 125 for nothing,,my toro zero turn can cut 1 1/2 inches

[@DIYDad1]

The 7 blade reel can go down to half an inch I believe. I have the 5 blade version. Does yours have the two big wheels on the rear like mine does on the bed knife or does yours have the little tiny rollers? There’s a couple different versions of this mower. The 7 blade adjusts a little bit differently.

[@charliesmith9528]

It has 2 black rollers

[@DIYDad1]

@@charliesmith9528 oh yeah you’re good then I think you have the model that goes down to 1/2 inch.

[@troyhenry3267]

Can you do a blade sharpening backlapping video?

[@DIYDad1]

Here ya go man! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXJm5uHdt2ko7c

[@zachbenkovitz7511]

What kind of grease do you use? Can I just buy any kind of grease from an auto shop?

[@DIYDad1]

Sorry I didn't see this comment until now, youtube isn't always showing me alerts for some reason! Just any ol grease will work. I got a small tub of high temp wheel bearing grease from Walmart for a few bucks. I use it for a ton of stuff around the garage. Just any decent all purpose grease should do the trick though!

[@zacharybenkovitz8338]

@@DIYDad1 Thanks for responding!

[@YardGuy]

This is some great information 👍. Thanks for sharing!

[@DIYDad1]

Jason G reel mowing is seriously addictive. I see the appeal now haha!

[@YardGuy]

@@DIYDad1 I can't explore down that rabbit hole just yet....

[@DIYDad1]

Jason G 😂 yeah you need to mow like 3 times a week just to keep up with a low mowing height. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

[@Maria-m9f3h]

Mine wasnt cutting i found out the black bar under the blade wasnt sharp

[@DIYDad1]

That's definitely a consideration for keeping a good quality cut! If you've hit rocks or mulch before there's a good chance the bed knife as they call it could be chewed up a bit.

[@GeoffRogers42]

I feel like I've watched hundreds of reel mower videos at this point and they all show how to remove the front wheels and none of them (!!!!!) show how to remove or tighten the back wheels. Does anybody know??

[@DIYDad1]

Well the business end of the cutting happens on the front wheels and those come off for adjustment and sharpening so thats a common practice. If I remember correctly I took the rear wheels off as well to get down a half inch lower for mowing and it was a pretty simple process, it's just a single nut that you have to loosen up on the outside, I can't remember off hand but you might have to clamp the opposite end nut in place if they are tied together through the axle. Find a wrench or socket that fits that nut and you can simply tighten it up, it just slips onto a sleeve. Hope that helps!

[@azlizzie]

Ahh. I'm not strong enough with my current tools. This task will have to wait until I can afford a new set of sockets.

[@DIYDad1]

Adjustable wrench maybe?

[@azlizzie]

@@DIYDad1 the one I have doesn't have a long enough handle for the proper leverage I think?

[@DIYDad1]

@@azlizzie ah I see, like a short/stubby wrench it sounds like.

[@johnfreddie53]

good video. Thanks

[@oldmanwaugh]

That's a 20"? I'm guessing based on 5 spiders.

[@DIYDad1]

I think this one is narrower, I believe it's actually a 16 inch cut.

[@nancylott3555]

He sounds like the Giraffe from Madagascar

[@DIYDad1]

@@nancylott3555 lol. Thanks for watching.

[@ChrisEbbrsen]

You left out how to sharpen it!

[@DIYDad1]

ah that's an entirely dedicated video here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXJm5uHdt2ko7csi=McfJaPgfpKEZQ3RR

[@YardGuy]

First.