How to Adjust Your Fiskars Reel Mower
Are you tired of uneven, patchy grass on your lawn? It’s time to take charge of your lawn care game. One essential step to achieving a beautifully manicured lawn is properly adjusting your mower. Don’t worry; it’s easier than you think and we’ll walk you through the process below.
Why Adjust Your Fiskars Reel Mower?
Before we jump into the “how”, let’s understand the “why”. Adjusting your mower is essential for a couple of reasons:
Even Cutting - Nobody likes a lawn that looks like a checkerboard. Proper adjustments ensure that your mower cuts the grass evenly.
Healthy Grass - Your grass deserves some TLC too. A well-adjusted reel mower cuts cleanly, reducing stress on the grass. This promotes healthier growth, so your lawn looks lush and green. Below is an image of what your grass may look like when your reel mower is poorly adjusted. The mower doesn’t make a clean cut on each of the grass blades and instead causes damage or tearing, which is unnecessary stress on your lawn.
Step 1: Find the Adjustment Levers
First things first, let’s locate the adjustment lever on your Fiskars reel mower. Usually, it will be towards one of the front wheels of your mower.
Step 2: Determine Your Desired Grass Height
Now, decide how tall or short you want your grass to be. Fiskars reel mowers typically allow you to adjust the cutting height between 1-4 inches. This gives you plenty of flexibility to suit your lawn’s needs.
I’ve had the most success cutting around 3 inches with my mower. Anything longer and I noticed difficulty cutting the grass. Anything shorter, and you run the risk of causing too much stress on the lawn.
Step 3: Adjust the Cutting Height
Push or pull the adjustment levers (depending on your specific Fiskars model) to set the cutting height. Make sure to adjust both sides if your mower has two adjustment locations so that your mower has a nice level cut.
Step 4: The Test Run
Before you dive into mowing your entire lawn, it’s a good idea to do a test run. Start with a small area and see if the cutting height suits your preference. Adjust if needed, and once you’re happy with the setting, it’s time to get mowing!
Bonus Tip - Checking Blade Contact with Cutting Bar
If you find that your mower still isn’t cutting cleanly, it’s possible that the blades are not making good contact with the cutting bar. You can test to see if this is an issue by placing a piece of paper that’s around an inch or so thick between the blades and the cutting bar. Carefully rotate the blades to see if they cut the piece of paper.
It will cut the paper with ease if it’s properly adjusted. The paper will bend or have a hard time being cut if it’s not properly adjusted. Check the contact between the cutting bar and the blades on the left and right side of the mower since there are two locations to make adjustments. The blades will need to be brought closer to the cutting bar if the paper is not being cut. They’ll need to be moved away if it’s difficult for the blades to rotate properly.
You’ll now need to adjust the blades closer or further away from the cutting bar based on your results. Locate the adjusting screws / bolts on your reel mower. Turn the bolt clockwise to bring the blades closer to the cutting bar. Turn the bolt counter clockwise to bring the blades away from the cutting bar.
My mower’s adjustment bolts were located directly in front of the rear wheels. The location for other reel mowers will vary. Make small adjustments to the bolt and repeat step 2 to check how close the blades are to the cutting bar.
Conclusion
There you have it - the simple yet essential process of adjusting your Fiskars reel mower. It’s all about finding that sweet spot for your desired grass height and maintaining it for a beautifully manicured lawn. With a bit of practice and some regular TLC for your mower, you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood with your perfectly trimmed lawn. Happy mowing!