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jerryrodan's avatar

This post describes the struggles of trying to maintain a yard with lots of trees. The writer faces challenges with debris and uneven terrain, leading them to try a reel mower, which ultimately proves difficult to use. They share their experiences honestly, highlighting the frustrations of dealing with nature. Visit Here For Tractor Problem 👉 https://tractorproblems.com

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3musesmerge's avatar

“I am no tree expert, but I do know all of the trees come from the Stupid Messy Tree family.”

Your humor is always a delight Mark. For whatever reasons, today’s story was a particularly delicious delight for my funny bone.

Maybe because I mowed with our riding lawnmower yesterday? Feeling much gray for the ‘ole John Deere this morning!

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Thanks, 3. I am... green... with envy. 😉

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Jim Melvin's avatar

I've got thousands of them on my 15 acres, and each one stores carbon dioxide throughout their lives and helps slow the gas's buildup in our atmosphere that has been rapidly warming our planet. I'm not ragging on you, though. I know you're only being half-serious. And in our previous home, we had a magnolia tree that drove me nuts.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Yes. Trees are great. I am all for forests. But having about 30 messy trees in a typical suburban yard is not so great. I would gladly trade the pines and oaks for some maple and red maple trees. They are far less messy. Just raking in the fall.

Honestly, I wish I could just let the yard go back to nature and not have to do any yard work. 🤣 But I am contractually (lease) obligated to maintain the yard. So they cause me a lot of extra work.

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Jim Melvin's avatar

Don't be bad-mouthing trees! 😎

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Mark Starlin's avatar

You are welcome to as many of mine as you want. Come and get them. Bring a crane and a dozen semi trucks. 🤣

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Lana Yakimchuk's avatar

I too have a reel mower I bought to trim hard to access places. I had the same experience.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

They don't work for everything. Only level lawns with good grass.

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Kent Peterson's avatar

I have a little Scott's reel mower that works great on my small, flat, yard. Then I got a job as a church custodian for a church with a big, but blessedly flat yard. I too saw the lying YouTube videos and bought the fancy supposedly easier reel mower. Like you, I found it isn't easier. But then I found an old reel mower for ten bucks at a yard sale. It really is easier than the new one. It is what I use now.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

We had one when I was a kid. But it was Michigan and our yard was flat. My yard is anything but flat. 🤣 I think they are fine if you have a flat yard with no roots and nice grass. But they are no good for my "lawn." Live and learn.

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David Perlmutter's avatar

"Reel" makes me think of old movies, since they consisted of strips of film with that name collected together.

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Mark Starlin's avatar

Yeah, me too. Or reel to reel tape machines for music recording back in the 60s and 70s. But that is what they call those kind of mowers.

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Jack Herlocker's avatar

While I wish I had my (slightly older) mower experience to share with you, Mark, I have not pushed a lawn mower since... 1980? Maybe? I would have been helping my father while I was visiting my parents while on leave. I have never, ever mown my own lawn, because in junior high and high school that was how I made my pocket money, mowing neighbors’ lawns. My work boots were permanently grass-stained, as were any clothing I worked in. I was in my 40s before the smell of cut grass stopped giving me PTSD flashbacks. The house Deb & I bought in 2000 is the first (and almost certainly only) place I have lived in as an adult that had a lawn — which a very nice family lawn service cuts for us. They use a monster zero-turn riding mower. Want me to ask about it?

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I would love a lawn service. I am considering it. My yard is too small for a riding mower.

A friend came over and said, "Your yard looks like a labor of love."

I said, "Nope. It's just labor." 🤣

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