How Does Your Garden Grow?

[droopsnoot]

Is it the type with a wheel each side and a small wooden roller on the back and a tee handle, or a wooden roller on the front and a bigger (8 inch or so) roller on the back and crossover (X type) handles ?

I suspect it's the latter, but the handles don't cross over, they come together and then back out again. It's a big metal roller at the back, when the roller turns the blade turns with it, after a bit of "lag" for something internal to engage. I'll try to get a photo later on, but as I've worn my new shoes to the pub there's no skin on the back of my heel and I don't want to go to the shed yet.

In other news, I've spent some time watering the contents of my cold frame (onions, chives and lettuce) every day and now I suspect that the "lettuce" I'm growing are actually dandelions. The onions and chives are nowhere to be seen, but there are plenty of the latter growing wild between my paving stones.

 

[droopsnoot]

Back on to the lawn mower, this is the overall view:

And this is a rather dark view of the underside. Front roller is indeed wood.

All seems fairly free to turn, it just seems to suffer with getting traction. I did play with the blade height a little but without much noticeable change in operation. I wonder whether the way forward is to do a high cut with the electric one, then go over it with this one afterwards, for a lower cut and stripes.

My obsession with stripes is weird, really, because all of the lawns here are odd shapes which will make it difficult to get things even. They're basically rectangles, but with weird shapes around the edge presumably to make them look a bit less regimented.

 

[DanZac]

The old push mowers are useless if the grass is wet (no traction for the roller) or if its too long (too much to cut).

Make sure the blades are sharp and well adjusted so it's actually cutting and not tearing the grass. If you've got an electric mower cut your grass short with that first then keep on top of it with the push job.

Keep it really short and only cut when it's dry and you won't go wrong. I used one for many years and like you loved the pristine striped lawn.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

What's the condition of the cylinder cutting edge, and the bottom blade (bed knife)?

Unless they're good, the mower will 'chew' the grass rather than cut it cleanly. When was it sharpened/ overhauled last? We used to check them for cut with a double width of paper while spinning the cylinder by hand - watch your fingers if doing this!

Using the electric one first is a sound tactic.

 

[droopsnoot]

What's the condition of the cylinder cutting edge, and the bottom blade (bed knife)?

Unless they're good, the mower will 'chew' the grass rather than cut it cleanly. When was it sharpened/ overhauled last? We used to check them for cut with a double width of paper while spinning the cylinder by hand - watch your fingers if doing this!

Using the electric one first is a sound tactic.

No idea - I got it out of the shed yesterday to try it out and was pleasantly surprised that it turned freely. I'll have a dig further into it.

It could possibly have been the grass being a bit damp - I thought it had dried out after a rain shower earlier in the day because it had been very warm, but I didn't check much as I just wanted to see if it turned at all.

 

[droopsnoot]

Update on the mower, I've just gone over the lawns with the electric mower and then tried a quick pass with the push-along, and it's bogging down. I think the problem is perhaps that the front roller isn't low enough, so the cutting parts are digging into the lawn and stopping progress. If I push it along while holding the handles down a little, it works better. I'll have a play with that section sometime, I just got the lawns mowed before the thunderstorm and torrential rain that has now gone and probably didn't stay long enough to help with the lawns.

 

[Onoff]

Yay! I've not got to water anything tonight.

 

[Slowcoach]

Update on the mower, I've just gone over the lawns with the electric mower and then tried a quick pass with the push-along, and it's bogging down. I think the problem is perhaps that the front roller isn't low enough, so the cutting parts are digging into the lawn and stopping progress. If I push it along while holding the handles down a little, it works better. I'll have a play with that section sometime, I just got the lawns mowed before the thunderstorm and torrential rain that has now gone and probably didn't stay long enough to help with the lawns.

if you have the inclination you could make a small mod to the front roller.
Take the rollers off and add two small ones either end.
If you don’t want to drill and pin outer rollers a pice of blue water pipe or similar will keep the rollers apart just to try it out.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

perhaps that the front roller isn't low high enough

FTFY

 

[Onoff]

More coffee Sir? Ring fencing the plants with grounds, so far so good:

https://flic.kr/p/2oGLAEj

https://flic.kr/p/2oGNsK6

 

[droopsnoot]

FTFY

If I lift the front roller up, doesn't that mean that the cutting part will dig in more than it's doing now? On first glance it does look as if it's on the bottom of the adjustment range. On the diagram that @Slowcoach posted above, my adjusters at position "C" are as high as they'll go - that is, the retaining bolt is sitting at, or very close to, the bottom of the slot.

 

[DanZac]

Moving the rollers down (towards the ground) will increase the cutting height and give you more ground clearance.

 

[Smallfry]

Back on to the lawn mower, this is the overall view:

View attachment 403474

And this is a rather dark view of the underside. Front roller is indeed wood.

View attachment 403475

All seems fairly free to turn, it just seems to suffer with getting traction. I did play with the blade height a little but without much noticeable change in operation. I wonder whether the way forward is to do a high cut with the electric one, then go over it with this one afterwards, for a lower cut and stripes.

My obsession with stripes is weird, really, because all of the lawns here are odd shapes which will make it difficult to get things even. They're basically rectangles, but with weird shapes around the edge presumably to make them look a bit less regimented.

Qualcast Panther ! Older one with iron side plates. The later ones were made of aluminium and were even worse for skidding, as they were lighter !

It may be because the bottom blade is set too tight against the cylinder. Rusty maybe ? Take the side cover off and oil the chain and overrun, and all the spindles.

Webb made a similar one that had a ribbed roller to address this problem.

As an aside, I still have the bill somewhere for a Suffolk Punch motor mower my dad bought new in 1965. It cost two full weeks of his wages !

 

[droopsnoot]

Moving the rollers down (towards the ground) will increase the cutting height and give you more ground clearance.

That's what I was thinking, though I suspect it's just a difference in what defines "down" and "up" here. I'll play some more, it's been warm enough that the grass might be dry enough to try again later. The lawns aren't all that flat, and I expect that doesn't help.

 

[droopsnoot]

Qualcast Panther ! Older one with iron side plates. The later ones were made of aluminium and were even worse for skidding, as they were lighter !

It may be because the bottom blade is set too tight against the cylinder. Rusty maybe ? Take the side cover off and oil the chain and overrun, and all the spindles.

Webb made a similar one that had a ribbed roller to address this problem.

As an aside, I still have the bill somewhere for a Suffolk Punch motor mower my dad bought new in 1965. It cost two full weeks of his wages !

I expect we have the bill, and maybe the instruction manual, if it was bought new. I've found the assembly instructions to the greenhouse which has been here since the eighties.

I'll get the side cover off and have a look. Most things seem to be pretty free considering that I don't think it's been used for decades, maybe my Dad had been thinking of giving it another go. The only bit that seemed to be tight / seized was the adjuster screws to adjust the front roller height, and I didn't try for long as I could hear rumbles of thunder approaching.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Is there any slack/wear in the wooden rollers, where the shaft passes through them? Quite common for them to waving about on the spindle.

 

[droopsnoot]

Is there any slack/wear in the wooden rollers, where the shaft passes through them? Quite common for them to waving about on the spindle.

I don't know, but I'll have a look at that too. It wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Onoff]

I'm rather upset today. Not intentionally but yesterday evening I killed a baby slow worm with the mower. I'd dragged the back of a rake then scythed the area first, the theory being to give any a chance to move or drop down lower.

I set the petrol mower on the highest cut. The mistake I think I made was when the mower started clogging & going over it again. Suddenly saw this poor little headless corpse. Heartbroken tbh.

I'm picking up a pair of long handled lawn shears later so will do the rest with those.

 

[Onoff]

Tonight, as well as the coffee grounds and sprayed garlic water around the beans I've sprinkled human hair from family haircuts. Not sure about my daughter's dyed blonde off cuts!

Mate's missus works in a salon so I might tap her up for a bag of the stuff!

 

[Onoff]

Bloody blackfly already! Just gave all the plants a going over with a peppermint oil spray.