The push is on to save gas

More homeowners trim budgets — and grass — with fuel-free mowers

When Eric King moved from his apartment in Pittsburgh to a single-family home with a lawn, he bought a manual lawn mower instead of the usual gas-powered kind. He figures he's putting money in his pocket and saving trips to the filling station.

He has plenty of company. Sales of manual, or push reel, mowers with the cartwheeling blades are on the rise this year. Officials attribute the surge to increased environmental concerns because of emissions from gas-powered mowers, the faltering economy that makes the generally less-expensive push reels more attractive, and $4-a-gallon gasoline.

"With the way gas prices are going through the roof and are going to stay there or increase even further, that was the main reason I considered one," said King, 29. "I don't consider myself an environmentalist, I consider myself an economist."

American Lawn Mower Co., a Shelbyville, Ind., manufacturer of manual and electric lawn mowers, says sales are up 60 percent to 70 percent over last year. "It's unbelievable," said Teri McClain, inside sales administrator. "I think gas prices are playing a part in this."

McClain estimates that about 300,000 push reel mowers are sold annually in the United States. That's about the same as the number of electric mowers that are sold. Sales of both still are dwarfed by the roughly 6 million gas-powered, walk-behind mowers bought every year.

Push reel mowers have evolved from those heavy iron beasts of the past into lighter (19 to 34 pounds), easier-to-push models with widths up to 20 inches and cutting heights that can be adjusted quickly. Accessories include grass catchers and sharpening kits. Prices for push reel mowers usually range from nearly $100 to $250. A sampling of Web sites show electric mowers selling for about $145 to $430. Walk-behind gasoline-powered mowers usually cost $150 to $400. The non-riding self-propelled variety can go from $200 to $900.

Clean Air Gardening, a Dallas retailer that sells push reel and electric lawn mowers as well as composters, rain barrels and organic fertilizers, said sales are up 27 percent this year, while sales of electric mowers made by Towson, Md.-based Black & Decker Corp. have increased more than 20 percent this year. "We're not keeping up with the demand," said Joseph Newland, group product manager for the company's outdoor division.

People Powered Machines, an Ipswich, Mass.-based Internet store, has seen a 25 percent rise in the sale of push-reel and electric mowers so far this year.

At Remington Power Tools, based in Bowling Green, Ky., which began selling electric lawn mowers this year, customers giving their reasons for buying an electric mower often end with the words "And with gas prices, it only makes sense," said spokesman Alex Wrinkles.

Lars Hundley, Clean Air's owner and president, said sales of electric mowers are much stronger, in part because he has begun carrying several new cordless models. He said lawn-mower cords can be a "deal killer" for some customers.

In King's neighborhood, his push reel mower has become an instant hit. One neighbor told him she is buying one for herself and her father. Other neighbors and passers-by can't resist trying the mower out. "The way people are reacting you'd think it was the newest technology," he said. "They end up mowing half of my yard for me."

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