Questions and Answers for Scotts 20 in. Manual Walk Behind Reel Lawn Mower, Includes Grass Catcher

A:  Yes, you can purchase Great States Corporation Push Reel Mower Grass Catcher model # 1ST-SP that is compatible with Scott's brand reel mowers.

A:  I don't know you would have to ask The Company that makes it or go to home depot and take one out. LOL

A:  No, the grass clippings are good mulch and fertilizer for the lawn. I never bag grass clippings. Its good to keep the clippings less than one inch, so they don't clump up, which means regular mowing. If the clippings are longer and get clumpy you can rake them around; or you could bag them and compost them in a compost pile, or use them as mulch elsewhere in the garden (assuming you are not using herbicides on the lawn).

A:  FYI- SE Wi.> after testing 8 Lawn Services in our 1st 5 yrs in our Rehabbed Small Retirement Cottage home in a Lake Resort Neighbor Hood of 40 other small cottage homes as Summer Homes.. only maybe 50% now have Lawns bigger thean 1,000 sq ft and rest Landscaped with Lawn ornaments, 1-2 small trees and rest bushes and flowing Plants. We Encourage many so far, to try our Scotts Manual LM and everyone Bought one ( No More Noisey Gas LM's -On Saturdays and Don't need CELMS( CordlessElectric LM's) and very few use Lawn Services anymore as a result( That ave $900-$1k Yr ( 30 wk ave. contracts. Only the Higer End- Wealthy & Bigger Homes( Still are Summer Only use Hmes) use a Landscaping service..and here is what the better one's do and I follow their lead and made a BIG Difference in my small ( 35 x 50= 1700 sq ft front yard ( short( 15 ft- Back Yrd x 60 ft -Bushes and Mulched Path, also on Septic and ( 40 ft deep -Well Water( Artesain Well- Water- Spring- we share with Neighbors Early Spring ( 1st week- May for Us up her in SE.Wi.) 1. De-thatch your Lawn -Using either a Rental Machine or Manual Special Rake, ( Fron the HOME DEPOT of course)bag and remove 2. Airate the Lawn -Rent a Machine to do this( also in Spring) Remove the Plugs( Rake up-Bag) 3. WEED & FEED & Crabgrass Pre-Em., June- Milnorginatie & Epsome Salt, , Same again in Sept. 4. Dig out your Edging- Min 3" wide and fill with 3-4 strips of Newspaper and Red accent Mulch - Won't need Trimmer- 4.Trim your Grass, Don't Cut it! In 1-2" Increments.. Min 2.5 " Height..( ave 2 wk trimming 1st 4-6 wks, then levels off to once a week) Helps to also Keep Ground Damper and Reduces Weeds 5. Carry a Hand Spade & Plastic Bag-while mowing- to Dig Up Weeds and throw away 6. Trim EOWk come Dry Period ( ave 4 -6wks by us- Aug - Early Sept) -Keep Lawn watered 1/2" Wk Min..Early AM's and you will make your neighbors jealous..Offer them your help to improve their lawn.. Improves the whole Neighborhood and Property values.

A:  You don't need a mower catcher. I don't use mine. Plus, you have to dispose of your clippings if you're using it and it's better for your grass to have the clippings fall back on to it.

A:  Yes, it helps for cleanup. Unfortunately, although the mower works fine, the catcher’s stitching broke off within a year for the piece within the catcher. Ended up using duct tape to hold it down and has worked fine since.

A:  No, it is not necessary to have the catcher however the catcher makes it more convenient & reduces the amount of work that one has to do.

A:  If you don’t mind the grass clippings on the lawn I don’t think it matters. I had one years ago without the catcher and it never bothered me.

A:  there two schools of though on the catcher, the people who say you should use a catcher say that leaving cuttings on the grass can look "messy" and to have a really neat lawn you should be sure to remove all clippings. They also say that the decomposing clippings can keep your yard too wet and provide a home to bugs and molds that may damage your grass. The other school points out that by letting the clippings fall, they provide a natural mulch for your yard, this has the general results of mulching-it helps to keep moisture in the soil so you can water less and as the grass decomposes it puts nutrients back in the soil so you need less fertilizer. I'm of the let the clippings lie school, and although this came with a catcher I do not use it. I live in a dry climate with plenty of direct sunlight on my lawn, and have never had a problem with either bugs or mold, but I can attest that we had a guy cutting it for us for a while who did catch clippings, and we had to increase the watering to keep the grass from burning. I would guess if you lived in a very wet place with a lot of shade, or if you have a very fast growing productive grass that results in a massive amount of clippings then you might have issues, but that has not been my experience. Hope this helps

A:  Texas A&M Agrilife has published several whitepapers on the issue, all of which recommend leaving clippings on the lawn. BUT, they also recommend a cutting schedule that never results in more than 1/3 of the grass blade being removed in any single cutting. So, if your grass was out of hand, you'd cut it down a bit (no more than 1/3 of the total length), and then cut it down a bit more a few days later, etc. You can Google "TAMU Agrilife <your grass variety> maintenance" to see the whitepapers I refer to.

A:  Setting aside the benefits or drawbacks of using a grass catcher, I have to say that my experience with this product has shown the grass catcher to be pretty much useless. Instead of projecting the cuttings back into the basket, the mower throws them mostly up and to the left so that they pile up at the front of the basket and spill back into the reel to be thrown back onto the lawn. The only times grass clippings reach the back of the basket is when I stop mowing, reach in and push the clippings back manually.

A:  Not at all. I actually think it helps the grass grow better to leave clippings. Especially after the winter.

A:  I have cannibalized an old one for the bolts. If this is your first, I realize that doesn't help you. The bolts on the handle coming loose is a constant problem on these. Try to remember to always tighten them before mowing.

A:  Take a sample to the hardware store and see if they have it, if not, consult the manual and order from the manufacturer.

A:  Hi Yo70.Your mower is likely the 20" cut which is model 2010.My best response is go to www.scotts.com then click the" help center" tab.There you have the option to e-mail or call customer service.I am sure they can send replacement handle bolts asap.I contacted them B4 my purchase and they are very responsive...

A:  No. Home depot does not have spare parts for this mower. I would recommend calling Scott's directly using the phone number in the user manual. Or getting their email and sending them an email.

A:  Scotts consumer hotline 1-800-618-7474

A:  on the bottom of the catcher, there's rubber made thing that you can attach to the mower. I had the same question, too.

A:  After assembly, the grass catcher simply snaps onto the rear wheel axel and the chain attaches to the handle.

A:  There is a clip on the bottom of the catcher you press onto the back bar. Then the chain hooks to the bar on the handle

A:  There is most likely a very small twig stuck between the blade and the back cutting edge. It will be very small and hard to see, but that would explain the jamming.

A:  Look in the blade to see if a stick or something got stuck in it. Dislodge whatever is blocking the blade from spinning.

A:  Is there something caught in it? If you see a stick caught in it, flip the mower over and then remove it.

A:  Jan, I apologize that you are having difficulty with your Scott's 20 in Reel Mower. Please contact our customer service department at 800-633-1501 for assistance with this issue.

A:  Lightly Spray the blades after every use with a WD-40 type of product.

A:  I used about 10 times and I felt it a bit tight rolling. I did put bicycle lubricant on the gear after taking out a wheel. After that, it works like new!

A:  I'm not sure but I think It needs to be done after It's cleaned after every use.

A:  I would have to say not to get this mower with sweet gum ball trees. I know those trees and they drop a ton! They would probably get stuck.

A:  best practice is to remove any obstacles that would hang up the blades before you mow. This, ideally, would include removal of sticks and sweetgum balls.....I know...quite the pain. You might consider changing the lawn layout so more of the sweetgum balls fall into groundcover or a mulch or shrub area.

A:  Any reel mower would not be able to operate with the sweetgum balls in the yard.

A:  Yes it is.

A:  This is model number 2010-20SG.

A:  It will depend on your use and care of the mower. Please contact our customer service department for assistance. 800-313-5111.

A:  Depends on how much you use the mower. I've had the mower for two seasons and still the blades don't need to be sharpened.