Questions and Answers for Scotts 20 in. Classic Manual Walk Behind Reel Mower

A:  The mower head is assembled. the handle requires assembly. Easy to follow instructions are included. This model has a 3 year warranty. Thanks for asking. I hope this information is helpful.

A:  The back wheels move up and down to adjust the cutting height. They are adjusted by a spring-loaded lever, one on each rear wheel.

A:  The Classic Reel Mower can be lowered to a 1 inch cutting height with a quick snap adjustment. It would be capable of mowing weeds at that height but not below.

A:  The mower is great for thicker blades of grass and weeds. There are a few weeds that have thin shoots like a swizzle stick and thinner that the mower won't cut. It seems to bend them over with the 5 rotating mower blades rather than cut through.

A:  As I have said before in other responses, this mower is really best for mowing well kept lawns with a good quality stand of grass. This mower is really not good on weeds unless they are kept low level, (not over 3 1/2 to 4 inches high.) As this type of mower will only push the tall weeds down and not cut them. This is not a fault of the mower, it is just the way the mower was intended to be used. If weeds or grass for that matter is allowed to get above 4 inches max., this type of mower will not do a satisfactory job. My suggestion would be to use your gas mower just one more time to get the weeds down low, then follow up with the Classic Reel Mower from then on and you should have good results. Just don't let the weeds get any higher than about 3-4 inches from then on.

A:  Nope. This thing doesn't handle variable heights or thick stemmed weeds of any height all that well.

A:  The Classic Reel Mower can be used on all turf grass types, including Bermudagrass, and lowered to a height of 1 inch.

A:  Yes. That's chiefly what I used it for. Keep in mind that you can't just power through the grass at just any height. This thing makes the tips of the grass uniform, but you can't cut two inches off the top without a lot of frustration. This is not a mower for once-every-two-weeks mows.

A:  This product is manufactured for Scotts by the American Mower Company. Please contact them with your part request. They can be reached at 1-800-633-1501.

A:  Not to my knowledge. I think you'll have good luck contacting Scotts directly though. I've read good stories of customer service online about them, just be patient with the person on the phone.

A:  There are too many reasons why it could be jamming for me to cover all of them here, but I will touch on the ones I've experienced. This mower is sensitive to how firmly the blades rub against the bottom bar, so you could decrease the tension on the bottom bar and see if that reduces the jamming. Also, if you have super thick grass you will not be able to go out and cut at whatever height you please. This mower excels at getting the grass all to the same height, but you can't go out into a healthy thick lawn and take two inches off the top with brute force like you can with a 5hp gas mower. Simply, if you want to take more than an inch or two off every time you cut, you simply will need a different mower.

A:  If you mower is jamming you are picking up sticks and other foreign debris that is laying hidden in the grass. Before mowing your lawn scout around throughly and rake up any foreign debris and sticks and the like that the mower is not designed to cut. This is not a fault with the mower. This type of mower is designed to cut only grass, and not tall spindly weeds either or sticks pieces of wire ect, and such. Also with this type of mower you cant let the grass get over 5 inches tall or it will push over part of the grass and not cut it. For it's intended purpose though, it will do an excellent job.

A:  Turn the mower over and see what is sticking between the blades. Mulch pieces or sticks will stop the blades from turning.

A:  We're sorry to hear about the problems with your mower. Please contact the American Mower Company at 800-633-1501 for additional assistance.

A:  my neighbor corrected the problem. Since it was jamming on the left side he made an adjustment to the right side by turning one of the screws to the right of the reel slightly . The reel is now even and the mower is working nicely. Thanks.

A:  It's recommended to cut no more then 1/3 of the grass blade at a time when mowing. In your situation we recommend using the highest setting.

A:  My experience is this mower doesn't do well with differences in height more than 2". You most likely will have to make two passes to get the grass down from 4" to the lowest cut height. Also, some species of grasses are easier to cut than others so your results may vary.

A:  I was able to cut a lot of 4" pieces of grass in my backyard on the lowest setting.

A:  No, this mower will not do a satisfactory job cutting that much grass at one pass. As I have said in my other replies this is an excellent mower for it's intended purpose. This mower requires that you mow your lawn at least 2 times per week during the fast growing season. It is made for well manicured lawns with a good quality stand of grass, that contains very few weeds. Trying to cut that much grass at one time will require a great deal of effort and the result will not be satisfactory. To get your grass that low will require at least 2 passes, one at the highest setting ( which by the way will promote the most healthy stand of grass), then one at the lower setting. This is NOT a fault of the mower, it is just the way the mower is intended to be used. If you want to cut the grass less often, a electric or gas powered mower will give much better results and with considerably less effort.

A:  No. The mower only works well when the grass is not long. I have to cut my lawn every 3-4 days, otherwise it is too long and VERY difficult to push mower and I must empty catch bag every 10ft.

A:  I cut some St. Augustine grass that was about 5" in spots and the mower was set at 3". It cut it very well. I assume it would cut yours too.

A:  One of them has a removable grass catcher. Other than that there is no difference. I had the same question (I've yet to use the catcher too, so you dont really need it).

A:  The 20" mower listed does include a grass catcher. The 20" classic reel does not. There may be other minor differences as well. I would suggest discussing the model numbers with the mower manufacturer The American Mower Company for further details. They can be reached at 1-800-633-1501.