Best reel mower review on RU-vid. Long, but worth the watch. Thank you for being so in-depth. You brought up a lot of things I hadn't yet thought of. Good Job.
Thank you for the commendation jtx, I appreciate the support. I made this video as an afterthought because I could find no information on this mower. I am happy to say that currently I am still very pleased with the mowers performance. I may do yet another video at the end of our season to give my thoughts on how this mower held up. Thanks again!
Hey thanks paddletrucker! I honestly did not set out to do this review. But as I was about to open the box, it had occurred to me that there is no info on it anywhere. I had been looking at every reel mower review I could find and many, though are good, but are pretty much generic info. So I used my phone to shoot the video as my video camera was not charged up. My apologies for the shaky vid!
Great catch Nas! Earthwise is a brand that is also sold here in Canada. They are under the MDT umbrella that actually distributes product under the Troy Bilt name. Looks like they re-branded this mower! So it's great to see that Tin Man and others can get it in the states!
Hi Andrew, I usually will pick up the leaves on lawn prior to cutting because I find the discolored leaves makes the lawn look a little sloppy. I mower will cut the leaves, but not to the extent that you may like. If you are doing so for mulching purposes, I would suggest raking the leaves into a corner of the yard and covering them with a tarp. They will eventually break down and you use that for mulching. I try to avoid a large amount of clippings all at once. Cut often and you can too much.
Np. Thanks to your review I bought the Troy Bilt on sale for #139 at Canadian Tire as an upgrade to my Yardworks 14" mower. No problems with the Yardworks except that it's a bit small and takes me longer to mow my lawn. I actually bought the Scotts Classic before the Troy built and having the rear wheels doesn't really make it more difficult to steer. Maybe it's harder on concrete than grass. But I like the rear roller as it helps to stand grass up so I can have a more uniform cut.
Hey "c" I did say there are some beautiful lawns in Canada, but the weather here coupled with the short growing season makes it difficult to maintain it year after year. What you're saying is true, overseeding and weed control are the basis for lawn care here. But how healthy can a lawn be when you have to basically repair it every year? Once repaired, you then have to battle weeds growing. I'm incorporating clover for this reason. Chokes weeds out, self fertilizes, = beautiful lawn. Thanks!
Great. Hope you like it. I really do and even my wife has gone out and mowed the lawn for because she likes it as well. She would never use the gas powered, but she really like the Troy-Bilt
Well my model has got some problems now. I worked it too hard thru some newly planted grass and you can hear the internal cog slip and jerk. Keep an eye out for this and go easy on her. Still mows but not for long I imagine. I will have to figure out how to take it apart.
This looks identical to my Webb WEH18 that I have here in the UK...except for the colour scheme and my Webb has a grass collector, which does indeed connect to those two front bars.
Hey taildragger53, The instructions should outline the procedure on the blade adjustment. Hopefully you can get that corrected. If not..maybe I can look at the method from my end. Let me know.
Hey corismsyn. I made it home from my trip and noticed that the sticker was on backwards. But then I realized something. We are assuming that the sticker is referring to inches or the imperial system. However this unit will be sold in countries where the metric system is used. It has metric bolts. Therefore inches would not be considered. So I believe the sticker is more than likely referring to "Position reference points" instead. Position 1 through 3 which is universal, rather than inches.
I don't think the Troy Bilt exist anymore, but at some point the design resurfaced under the MDT umbrella under Earthwise Brand. Search Earthwise 515-18 18-Inch Quiet Cut Push Reel Lawn Mower
Great review. You covered all of the issues that might come up with a reel push mower. I've used McClain and Trimmer motorized front throws most of my adult life. I didn't know that they made a push front throw.
As I have been told, "c", if you cut your lawn down low just before the snow you can damage the lawn. I could have been told wrong. But I do know that the taller the grass is the deeper the roots grow. This will help your lawn survive winter damage. It will be under 2 to 4 feet of snow from anywhere between 5 to 7 months. So the idea is to get the roots as deep as possible before winter. In California, people would scalp their lawns in the winter when they went dormant, I only did it for seeding
@Wrockw the handle on the back does not adjust the wheel height on the Staysharp. The wheel height is adjusted independently. There is a review video on the Staysharp where actually has the mower on its side to adjust the height to its respective number. booyah...
I just bought this mower yesterday, after buying the Scotts classic and returning it the same day, and noticed that the height adjustment sticker is backwards (i.e. where it says 1 inch height, it's actually 3 inches, and vice versa). Have you noticed this?
Oh, another thing I noticed, you said that you might cut your grass at 3 inches before winter, i.e. higher than usual. Most of the articles I read say to cut it lower before winter. You did say "here in Canada" but I still haven't read any articles that say this, Canadian or otherwise. Can you elaborate or point me to some resources? Thanks.
I know about the root thing and what I've read is that you keep it higher or at least at the recommended higher hight for spring and summer and by then you should have deep enough roots. Then you mow lower just before winter so that you don't get snow mold and etc. So, if you have KBG/PRG you probably would keep it between 2-3 inches most times then cut at 1.5-2 just before winter..
First video I've found that is easily understandable at 2x playback speed. Anybody interested in the information, that would be my recommendation. Save yourself 20 minutes...
Hi corismsyn, I live in Edmonton Alberta. I stumbled upon using clover in lawns by accident. If you search clover lawns on google you will see some very cool looking lawns and lots of videos about them as well. The video titled "Clovers in Your Lawn" on RU-vid explains why white clover became a weed and is very good. Using white clover means never having to put fertilizer on your lawn again and once established it will choke out weed growth. It's part of my going green with my yard thing..lol.
The roller is what adjusts the height of the cutting blade. Additionally, if one were the change the roller out for a heavier roller like you would find on a roller conveyor stand, it would lay the cut path downward and you would get those really nice looking lines in your lawn. Thanks for asking!
Great video...I got one of these a few weeks ago..it cuts well & have used it twice and the 2nd occasion it developed a strange rattling sound as the blades revolved. Can't work out why or where the noise is coming from. ..(2) Just reviewed this problem.. I can only conclude I think I must've ran over a twig and knocked the blades out of alignment. It was making a terrible noise,.
I do notice some design similarities between your mower and a Fiskars. But the Fiskars is made of heavy steel in Finland. Where was your mower manufactured? The handles look cheap and flimsy.
The handles are actually sturdy. They are metal. The orange components are plastic but the rest of the unit is steel. I believe this unit is just about 4 lbs lighter than the Fiskars which would be the metal cowl. Thanks for your input.
@@KeithOtisEdwards made in China and distributed through the US under Great States Lawn Mower Company. They have now rebranded this mower under their Scotts and MDT lines.
What city/province do you live in? When you say clover, are you referring to the weed? Why not just get the lawn thick to choke out weeds and use Killex/Weed b gon to control weeds?
batterista It is hard to keep any mower clean. Because this one is a reel...it makes it a little more challenging. I was using a shop brush but it only does so good. But recently I saw an add that said to spray your mower blades and other component that grass comes in contact with non stick cooking spray....and it helps from build up and keeps the mower cleaner. Its hard not just to whip the hose out and blast it clean...but I can see where it will cause it to rust quicker. I will try the cooking spray first.
I grew up thinking the same way in California where your lawn is a point of competition in many areas. Low cut bermuda you can put on was our weapon of choice. But up here in Canada, you don't have many choices for grass that would survive. So after some research I found that lawnseed had clover in it. It reduced the need to fertilize and water the lawn. So I tried it. I will say that as of today. My lawn is still the greenest lawn on the block and I have not watered it (other than the rain) or fertilized it in years now. The amazing thing I see now is some major lawn seed companies including Scott's are now including clover back into their mixes. Which is a win in my book because it reduces the use of water and keeps fertilizers out of our water table. Ironically, it was Scott's that headed the campaign that told people that clover was a weed after they could not come up with a formula that would kill weeds but leave the clover in the lawn. All the best to you.
Canada grass sucks? Have you heard of KBG lawns? If your lawn is thin and full of weeds, you just need to learn to overseed and do some weed control practices. KBG is a cool season grass which grows here and is hailed to be one of the best turf grasses around.
@Tin Man I searched the same direction you did and discovered this mower was made by Great States American Lawn Mower Company. I am trying to find a phone number for them but I do have an address. 830 Webster StreetShelbyville, IN 46176 UNITED STATES
Got a number you can try to get a hold of the mower through them. At the time I made this video they had manufactured it for sale under the Troy Bilt name here in Canada. 1 317-392-3615
Tell them its a Troy Bilt Revolution Quiet Cut 18" Model Number 51518TB. Good luck! Don't forget to let them know where you found it. I did speak with them on the phone at the time I decided to purchase it. So they should know it.
