New Exercise machine!

[Pitdog]

This things gets the sweat pouring and really gets me going, does a GREAT job, some of you might have seen one before it's called a 'push' lawnmower. Odd looking thing-

Riding mower went to pot over winter, not worth the money to fix it, so guess what? I began the summer exercise program began by expanding pasture into the yard by fencing. Post hole diggers and a tamping rod make strong shoulders and biceps, and really make you curse and work. However NOW I have a smaller yard, more food for animals, - = less mowing = less fuel to purchase + exercise.
I got a less than year old MTD 21' cut mower with bagger, and a full 5 gallon can of gas for 100$. Now I push up hill on purpose to get more exercise and ALSO get the bagger full of mulch for what is left of my garden.

[keydl]

And hear I thought the non motorized reel push mower was the exorcise implement about the same as a scythe. :)

[Prairie]

I use a the non-motorized reel mower, and ya know what? It takes less effort to push than the heavy gas mowers! The only drawback is that the cut is a lot narrower, so I have to do a lot more rounds. But I don't get to spend 1/2 an hour trying to get the *%#$& thing going!

(I ain't about to get rid of my 8hp Craftsman rider at the farm though!)

[Aamylf]

Saw one at the local Goodwill the other day for $10 and came close to buying. How do I keep the blades sharp? I remember my dad doing something, but can't remember what.

[backlash]

Sounds like a great exercise machine.
If you need something different I can highly recommend 2 more.
One is called a road. It works the legs and heart.
The other one is the floor.
It works the stomach,back and arms.
Other than the floor you also won't find your cloths hanging on them unlike some expensive machines you buy in the store.

[Pitdog]

I used a reel mower as a kid, my grandmother declared she was buying it to use herself, because she couldn't pull the cord to start a gas motor. I think a fifteen yard strip about three passes wide was all she wrote. Too much for her, hard head makes for a sore azz.
That one was self sharpening and only needed oil in the gears. Missed a lot of blades and I had to back up and go forward a lot. I still have a big yard, so the gas powered push mower will do thanks. Add heat and uphill terrain divided by limited time, no questions.

Too add to the floor and road in addition to the yard- Is a really nasty exercise called 'the woodpile' and if you use a stick with a steel wedge shaped head to split, after picking it up, then repeat the process- THEN stack- It hits shoulders, arms, back, quads and glutes, and if you speed it up, can be aerobic.

My LEAST favorite exercise machine is called 'Posthole Diggers' These things are brutal and require a second set with a different machine called 'Tamping Rod.' Again, shoulders and arms get worn out, chest gets positive and negative 'Butterfly' lifts from the handles. And of course, doing it @ speed can make it Aerobic.

I read an article way back when by a doctor who burned wood for heat, and not because he was poor. The harvesting of the firewood was the best full body and calorie burning exercise he could get. Naturally he owned acreage and a big house, so he was cutting and doing it all himself, and staying in shape. It's amazing how the work a homesteader encounters can really truly be good for them. Infact, all this work is purely the reason I have the level of health that I do, otherwise I'd be a huge slob, because I grew to hate gyms full of blabber mouthing pretty boys that go for the image, and social aspect of it. As a result you can imaging I was not popular @ the gym because I would shoo them away from machines I intended to use for something that did not include leaning.

[backlash]

I saw an interview years ago with Harry Gant. He was a NASCAR driver that won 4 in a row at age 54.
The reporter ask him if he worked out to stay in shape for racing.
He said you would never see him working out but he could be found out working any day of the week.

[Country_Mike]

I mow my 1/4 acre yard twice a week with my reel mower. Thought I read somewhere that it burns 400 calories per hour. Obviously the heavier the push mower the more exercise you get. Nice to mow at 7am and not get shot at by the neighbors, haha.

[Junie]

My twins mow about 3 acres and have never had a riding mower. Our push gas mower recently died and the kids talked me into buying a reel mower, instead of the new gas mower I was going to get. Of course, they hate doing the hill with it. In fact, they hate it so much, they got their mechanically-inclined friends to fix the old gas mower. So, now, one does the flat yard with the reel mower, the other does the hilly orchard with the gas mower. They're proud that they can get done in half the time.