Well after watching your video more than once Lol my new 23" Mclane Low Cut Reel Mower arrived today and I did receive the free grass catcher by putting "DOC" in the comment area. Great value with free grass catcher. free shipping and no sales tax. Next step oil in the engine; fill the gas tank and adjust the cutting height. I truly appreciate your insight and explaining the use from manual to auto use when cutting the grass. Goodbye rotor lawn mower and my new Mclane will make my bermuda lawn look even better. Cheers from South Carolina.
Oorah, killer! I'm in the process of dominating my lawn and have been learning new techniques to get the best of out of my lawn. I've been reading a lot and seeing many either move from traditional mowers or strictly use reel mowers and the results are amazing. So I'm searching on Google for decent reel mowers and came across this video. Semper Fi!
That is a smooth running machine and seems so much quieter than a standard mower. 100% USA made ! I will have to do some major leveling on my lawn to use one. I was expecting the price to be much higher, to be honest.
Just ordered this from your recommendation, and got the free grass catcher too.Talked to a guy named Mark very helpful.I opted for the 2023 closeout 25 inch with the Briggs XR950 engine.Getting it delivered for 2220.00.Can not wait to try it out on my Bermuda lawn.Had a tru cut cr 25 that I kept in excellent condition ,and sold for 1700.00 so did not have to pay much more for a brand new thxs for the videos DOC keep them coming!
Great video thanks for showing how the reel mower is used. Your thoughts on the newly released reel mower from Reel Rollers out near Buford GA? I believe it’s called the Revolution 26.
Mclane is a perfect balance of cut and ease of use. My lawn is insane, and it's been part that the Mclane is easy to cut, and I don't hate my constant mowing.
I have a 17’’ manual greenskeeper it took me 2 years of looking ! It doesn’t have the drop drive like the one you have it has like 6 wheels that run across the with of the mower IT MAKES AWESOME STRIPES! ! I wouldn’t trade it for ANY of these new models coming out 👍🏻
Once again Doc. I sold my Tru cut. My limp leg won't let me walk that fast anymore. So im back to my stand by single blade with wings 33inch hivac Snapper with twin bagger, which i think is a 90 percent match to my tru cut.
We are going to try and find a made in USA rotary which is hard. So far cub cadet and one other are in the running. The EGO is nice but you really need two batteries which pushes the price way up.
Thanks for the detailed review. I received my new 25” reel low cut mower in three days with a free grass catcher. Does anyone know of a quick drain adapter for the B&S XR engine?
I have a McLane that I bought three summers ago and my yard is 4000 sqft. I mow two to three times a week. I had to replace the belt this year. The wheels need to be replaced and the chains constantly maintained. Even with all of this I like my McLane. I wish they would have done some better updates with this new model. Made height adjustment with a screw like they had on there old green mowers. Also, allow it to go lower for scalping. Install a heavier belt or change it to a chain. Have a collapsable handle for storage in small garages.
When I raise my drive wheel it lowers my cut lower than I was cutting with the drive wheel down. So annoying and hoping there is a way to fix this issue.
I’m very interested to see if you get your hands on the new revolution 26 and how that compares to this mower. Idk where the revolution is made or assembled
Great video. I love my Mclane for all these reasons. Would love to make a suggestion for a video if possible on how to know when it’s time to buy either a new reel or bed knife for a Mclane.
I purchased the old style McLane 25 using your link 3 months ago but I opted for the Briggs XR and I love it. Very easy to start on the 1st pull and I leave the throttle closed at its slowest setting. I chose the Briggs for parts availability and ease of starting now that they have the deep bowl carburetor. I am that person who asked about your maintenance on the Billy Goat with the Briggs Vanguard engine. Even though the Vanguard is the Briggs premium engine, I like the control setup on the XR more with separate fuel shut-off and kill switches. Other than the red handles, what else was changed on this new model?
Nothing is new. Cuts a tiny bit lower but that’s it. The xr uses a Honda style carburetor which fixed a lot of the issues they had. I have an XR on mine as well and have only had to clean the carb once to get rid of some surging.
I've been researching reel mowers for a few years now. I haven't bit the bullet and purchased one. I want to make sure I'm getting a reliable machine. You might have convinced me.
Doc what is the difference between this low cut model and a standard model? Would I be able to cut my zoysia lawn if I can cut for a week or two while on vacation?
I would have bought one years ago but no rear drum for stripes. Only gripe i had with it. I do want that Reelrollers mower they are releasing this winter though. I have a Swardman that i love BUT i hate sending the reel out to get sharpened
Sounds good... FYI to all the REEL mower fans out there, IF you need a REEL mower in CA? get 1 NOW as ALL GAS mowers will be discontinued starting in the year 2024. The remaining stock supply will not be replenished. HONDA will no longer be selling their smaller motors here in the USA starting next year as well. I live in Ca. and I purchased hopefully will be my last mower. McLane & Cal Trimmer owner here.
How does this mower work on a slope? I have a fairly steep slope in part of my front yard and was wondering how difficult it is trying to push it up hill?
Hey Doc, I just purchased the Mclane 25 reel mower with the Honda engine. How can you adjust the handle bar height? I’m 6’ 3” and literally have to crouch to use the mower. I love the mower but kills my back.
Fine, our previous home had many inclines, but it's always best to cut inclines ACROSS the slope. All reel mowers have an issue with cutting height going uphill vs downhill.
I have an old sears craftsman. It looks just like the mclane only green. When I mow without the drive wheel, mine cuts an 1/8 inch or so lower. Is this normal?
I have this mower cuts clean only thing that has been a problem is right drive chain,even with correct tension it likes to jam up.?? Any thoughts would help.thanks.
Reel mowers are designed for lawns that are cut low. (1.5" down to 1/2" usually) Mostly warm season grasses but also some shorter cool season varieties as well.
Hey Doc, have you seen or tried the new Reel Rollers 26" mower? It is also US made, somewhere around your neck of the woods in GA. Not trying to start anything, just wondering, so I can spend my money most wisely.
Mclane is the only USA made reel mower. TruCut is also made in the USA but not with all USA parts. My understanding is that it is a MASPORT which produces all mowers in China now.
i have a 25" McLane. it's been great, im considering the mew mower from reel rollers. Drum, independent roller engagment for the price of a McLane...plus a Honda engine. Another good option is a used Toro or JD. the reels are much cheaper to replace.
Hi there - stumbled across your channel and I am new subscriber here. I appreciate your content. As for Mclane reel mowers. I was wondering your thoughts and what to look for when buying a 25 inch used Mclane reel mower that was supposedly used for 1 season. Thoughts? thanks
Just upgraded to a gas powered 25in 7 blade 2024 model from my battery powered reel mower. I have to say this thing has a ton of power, drags my ass all over the yard, lol.
I have tried all of them for home use….I still prefer Tru cut. There can be problems with parts. I will only buy a mower with a Honda engine. Also the problem with a drive wheel is that it scuffs the grass upon engagement.
When you mentioned that you were going show us a new mower a couple weeks back, I thought for sure you were were going to show us the new Revolution 26. Oh well, same old Mclame.
Love all your content and have used your calendar and extensively but I have to disagree about the mclane. After three years of ownership this thing is junk. The reel to bed knife constantly needs adjustment. The engine constantly has issues, the deadman clutch hardly works and when it does the belts snap and the throttle cable has gotten looser and looser each year no matter what I do. I’ve had to replace ball bearings on the handles, and several other parts. The mower is three years old and I wish I had just bought a better one
I would love for McLane to offer a battery version of their reel mower. The ones that are out there are so overkill with the changeable cartridges and cost way too much. Just give me a basic, quality reel mower that does not have a gas engine to maintain.
The 2024 low cut series is a reel (sic) nice mower for shorter people. I'm 6'4" and the handle reaches only mid thigh forcing a hunched over position to mow. The cut is great and the drive is smooth but the resulting back pain is pure misery. The Briggs engine is strong and mowing only requires partial power. The documentation is really awful. For example, the Briggs manual begins with 25 images of various engine versions. "Features and Controls" of the first 5 images are labeled and explained. The Briggs engine on the McLane is not among the first 5 images. The important controls are in image 9. Information on which control is fuel, choke, etc. along with distinctions between forward and aft positions, is buried in notes three paragraphs after instructing the user to pull the starter cord.
Not a fan of the single rear drive roller. I tears the grass up on engagement. 3/8 of an inch is not a low cut mower. Not sure what you are talking about with the pirouetting turn? All cylinder mowers I have used can turn 180 easily or be moved manually by disengaging the drive. As for lightweight, that is a big drawback for a true height of cut. I have not used a McLean to be fair but am not really seeing any benefits at all.
