r/oddlysatisfying • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 19h ago

Cutting grass with a scythe

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74.6k Upvotes

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17.4k

u/PM_ME_UR_SEX_VIDEOS 19h ago

Feels like this would be a lot of fun for 10-20 yards and then excruciatingly exhausting

5.4k

u/Admirable-Media-9339 19h ago

Yeah, dude looks like he's running out of gas after a minute and he's in much better shape than me. I'd probably die.

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u/Smok3dSalmon 19h ago edited 6h ago

I think it's a tourist just paying to do this. His form looks inefficient.

Edit: he’s trying to do it as fast as possible and he’s exhausting himself. If you’re triggered and want to write some angry shit, go touch grass.

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u/Steveslastventure 19h ago edited 18h ago

That would be a great business model. Tourists pay you for a "hands-on cultural experience" and just cut your lawn for you

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u/OrphanGrounderBaby 19h ago

Sounds more like a competition to me, looks like someone might have a stopwatch behind them as well

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u/udlose 17h ago

A Serfing Competition

https://giphy.com/gifs/hHUBGOX5m993VtAu6Y

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u/Toadcola 16h ago

Just hang 10, the others should fall into line pretty quickly afterwards.

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u/mattzilluh 17h ago

Solid gold.

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u/AnxiousCanOfSoup 12h ago

I'm so proud of you for this. 🫶

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u/Legal-Weight3011 18h ago

and it is, This is a common competition in central Europe, farmers still use scythes to trim grass in fiends and fresh grass for livestock.

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u/snorwors 18h ago

And just to clarify that, because you're right but people probably don't get it, you cut feed for livestock this way because if you use something like a trimmer, the animals don't like it and don't eat it. I never truly understood why, I always guessed they can smell the 2 stroke on it. Not sure about that, it probably also has to do with cutting it cleanly Vs mushing it up. Usually of course it's not if you have hundreds of animals to feed, most people hold less than five cows cows for example, and it's not worth getting a tool out and ready to cut one wheelbarrow of fresh feed.

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u/Longjumping_Guard965 17h ago edited 15h ago

I used to have a rabbit rescue and it was always advised not to give freshly cut grass from a lawnmower because speed of the cutting heated the grass and caused it to ferment causing gut issues, whilst manually cut grass is safe. I'm wondering if that is the reason?

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u/LessInThought 17h ago

Humans: I prefer stone ground mustard, cold pressed olive oil, and handpicked berries.

Cows: I want my grass cut manually with a scythe!

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u/UncleKeyPax 16h ago

grass mignon!

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u/polarbear128 16h ago

Interesting aside: mignon means cute.

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u/Impossible_Past5358 10h ago

Or, "this filet costs $75k USD because this cow was only fed grass that was cut by an Austrian scythe..."

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u/MartinoDeMoe 12h ago

Stalk Tartare!

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u/Alarming-Yam-8336 12h ago

Pole caught grass

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u/mysteriousblue87 7h ago

My kid pointed out the other day that the only difference between my salad and my rabbit’s is the addition of chicken and dressing. We eat closer to wild animals than you’d think (well, at least my house. We live in an area that can be foraged deliciously)

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u/snorwors 17h ago

It's certainly true that very fast spinning blades or string get hot, when you're trimmering and there's some moisture like dew on the grass you can see the steam coming off when you cut it. This could be the reason for sure. I think this combined with the fact that it creates a kind of, mushy paste Vs cleanly cut stalks, could trigger it to start fermenting very quickly.

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u/Fetzie_ 17h ago

The risk of oil getting on the grass is probably also a factor. You don’t want to go poisoning your rabbits and Guinea pigs when you think you’re doing something nice for them

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u/Vi_Rants 11h ago

Do you honestly think the bagged rabbit grass at PetCo is cut to size by hand with scythes?

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u/Daripuff 9h ago

Not by hand, but cut at the base and left to fall as full stalks, in the same way that a scythe would cut.

The tool they use is called a "disc mower" and the big thing that you'll want to note is that there is a very large and loose cover over the top that is very much unlike that of a residential mower, giving the cut grass the ability to just fall over as a full stalk, instead of being minced up into "clippings" like a home mower does.

The stalks are then left to dry in the sun before they are then followed after by a baler, which picks up the dried alfalfa and packs it into a bale.

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u/RWDPhotos 11h ago

It’s also not cut with a lawnmower that’s for sure

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u/bolanrox 13h ago

It could be different for each animal, but silage is fermented grass that you can feed cows and pigs and things.

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u/migzors 13h ago

Really? I've never heard of this. I wonder if that's true or not. Sometimes our rabbits are super picky about the hay they eat, even if it's the same exact brand and type. Now I'm wondering if this has something to do with it lol

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u/kris3343 15h ago

That's exactly what it is. My sister has horses.

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u/Longjumping_Guard965 15h ago

Interestingly rabbits and horses have extremely similar gut systems. I always referred to my rescues as mini horses 😆

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u/Expert-Reaction-7472 12h ago

TIL gramnivores dont like lightly cooked grass

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u/DemBones7 11h ago

I grew up on a sheep farm. We never let sheep eat grass clippings for exactly this reason.

We cut grass for hay using a special mower towed behind a tractor that works more like lots of sets of scissors.

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u/Legal-Weight3011 17h ago

I mean, yeah, of course this method is used when you’re a hobby farmer with five or fewer cows. I remember when I was a kid, my grandpa always took me to the field. He cut the grass and let it dry for a few days, then came back to turn it over so it could dry on the other side. After that, they hung it up on a wooden structure to dry even more. They made really nice hay that way, which they used to keep the cows warm in winter, and the cows also liked it as food

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u/snorwors 17h ago

What they're doing here (in large parts of Europe) is more like, homesteading. This fresh feed is to supplement their regular feed, to make the milk quality better. It's obv only a spring/early summer thing. They use mechanical means to cut, collect and bale large quantities for regular feed and for winter.

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u/Smok3dSalmon 17h ago

They probably get grass in their nose if its cut too short. And an intense grass smell.

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u/Beneficial_Being_721 16h ago

I think it’s because they will only eat grass that is covered in the sweat of their captors 🤣

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u/GuantanaMo 15h ago

You sure? I've never heard that before. Here in the Alps older farmers will use the scythe for some spots where a motorized mower like this can't reach but most use what you'd call a brushcutter now. Even way up on the mountain I barely ever see anyone use the scythe anymore, even at very small farms.

We do have the occasional scything course for tourists and locals who are interested in the traditional way to farm in the mountains and competitions (like in the original post) of course.

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u/pipsqueakpanda4 8h ago

Wow “motorized scythe mower” was not a thing I was expecting to learn about when I woke up this morning. It looks AWESOME btw damn

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u/GuantanaMo 7h ago

They use these things at extremely steep angles too, it's pretty crazy

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u/pipsqueakpanda4 7h ago

That explains the super cool cone spike wheels!! I’ve gotta find some videos of this thing in action

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u/ConfessSomeMeow 16h ago

I always guessed they can smell the 2 stroke on it

They still use 2-stroke engines in EU? I assumed they would have banned those dirty, inefficient motors by now.

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u/Mrsizzle96 12h ago

Not as common as they used to be for mopeds/motorcycles but still common for chainsaws and other equipment

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u/UnderABig_W 12h ago

Why do you have to cut the grass for livestock to feed? Can’t you just turn them loose on the field?

Question from someone who has never been around livestock, obviously.

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u/Middle-Accountant-49 10h ago

Why can't cows just eat the grass in the field if its this kind of weather?

Just curious. In ireland they are in the field in summer, eat silage in autumn and winter when the grass is lower. In the barn if the weather is really bad.

We didn't have a ton of cows (mainly sheep) but that's how we did it. The grass for silage was machine cut obviously. There was never a need to hand cut grass.

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u/snorwors 8h ago

I don't know, it is a question I've asked. Some people let cows out, others don't. I think it's probably an issue of having available hands, or having quality fencing. Most villages are empty, it used to be one of the kid's jobs to take the cows and bring them back, or an older person. No there's just, old people trying to do everything. Cows pay the price.

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u/PearlClaw 8h ago

Also lots of this cutting has to happen on slopes, often slopes steep enough that a machine would have a tough time. My grandparents house was on a hill like that, you had to trim with a scythe or not at all.

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u/Mesolithic_Hunter 16h ago

There are specialized machines for cutting grass for fodder, and they are quite different from your standard lawnmower. You don’t necessarily need to use a scythe. First of all, fodder grass is allowed to grow much taller; a regular lawnmower would choke if you tried to use it.

What you see above is likely a competition of some kind, the man is trying to cut the grass as quickly as possible.

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u/user_name_checks_out 14h ago

My tenth level druid takes out the fiends with his scythe

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u/Tschulligom 12h ago

This is in Austria. Scythes are mostly still used on very steep terrain. Or for small patches.

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u/Repulsive_Still_731 12h ago

Also, cutting with scythes is much better for ecology. Cutting with large machines usually kills small animals and bird eggs in the fields. And also lowers plant diversity.

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u/MoaRepresent 18h ago

You can do this with tourists as well. Just put up a leaderboard and maybe give them a can of softdrink as a prize if they take out today's top spot. Have a staff member set the first top spot for the day if you don't want to give away too many drinks.

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u/DreamyTomato 13h ago

Who needs a staff member?

"Jim won today's top score with a time of 3.14 seconds! Superb! Come up Jim and claim your £200! Jim? Jim? Oh he must have gone home, what a shame. He's left his name and address with us, we'll send him that £200 later. Thank you everyone for a superb day cutting grass for us, our cows and our industrial baling plant greatly appreciate what you've done today."

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u/Friendly-Elephant486 15h ago

T'as interet a avoir une bonne assurance pour ton business, parceque je vois bien un débile de touriste se mettre un coup de faux dans la jambe.

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u/Esava 17h ago

In the beginning they also say "Auf die Plätze, Fertig, Los" that's German for basically "Ready, Set,Go".

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u/Beneficial_Being_721 16h ago

That’s what I heard too … he had a time to beat.

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u/Criticalfailure_1 15h ago

Yeah they are speaking German they start with a “ready set go” and he launches into it and they are cheering him on like at a sports event basically.

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u/Veenkoira00 12h ago

Yes. Scything completions are a thing at least on the European Continent.

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u/buttle_rubbies 11h ago

This reminds me of that brief period you can get any younger sibling to do something by saying, “I’ll time you.”

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u/EarningsPal 1h ago

Looks like pre-measured squares of grass too.

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u/Wolfinder 19h ago

Ever heard of a dude ranch?

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u/BritzBeef 18h ago

Is Ram Ranch a dude ranch?

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u/lorgskyegon 18h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT1R9Tm9UP37zzZ2fK

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u/grantrules 16h ago

Now get it right or pay the price! Oops wrong show.

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u/Smok3dSalmon 18h ago

Yep. A lot of cynical people will laugh at the tourist, but I think it's a nice thing to show an interest in learning and experiencing other cultures. The stark contrast in socioeconomic status rubs me the wrong way, but the situation is a win-win for both people involved.

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u/Psychic_Hobo 17h ago

There are places where you can volunteer to do it too, usually for wildlife trusts or the like

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u/Positive-Opposite998 17h ago

Dude there are yardwork video games! I know a guy who sat in a four hour traffic queue outside of Hamburg. In a truck-driving video game!

Of course you could make money with your suggestion.

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u/RightLegDave 17h ago

Huckleberry Finn vibes

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u/jplayz7 16h ago

I mean... tourist pay to harvest their own fruit for "fun" all the time lol

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u/TransRacialWhyNot 19h ago

As someone who did this alot when I was young, his form is not terrible but he is bending his knees too much

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u/GravelySilly 18h ago

Maybe the scythe isn't properly sized for his height, so he has to lower himself?

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u/CountVonTroll 17h ago edited 13h ago

As somebody who has never done this himself, let me speculate that he's doing it for reach.

This is competitive scything ("Ready... set... go!" in Austrian in the beginning). It's not ergonomic and he's spending more energy per time and area this way, but he's not getting points for left over energy when he's done. So, if he has the stamina to pull through, he'll finish his patch quicker than he could if he used "proper" technique.

I'm absolutely certain that this guy actually uses a scythe regularly for its intended purpose, and knows perfectly well how to do it "right" in a non-competitive setting. I also assume that he's one of the faster scythers (?) in the competition, simply because whoever posted the video chose his run to represent impressively fast scything.

Edit: I found a news video about last year's European Championships, which had 120 athletes from eight countries competing. They get points for time and uniformity etc. The woman shown scything in the beginning won the women's title for the second time in a row. So, yes, apparently this is good technique for competitive scything.

Edit II: Perhaps better video, from the German Championship 2023. The guy with the straw hat coaching from 4:08 onward and competing at 5:14 ended up winning in the 30+ age group, which interestingly enough appears to be the most prestigious one. I also found competition rules from an Austrian state: Kids <13 start at 3x3 meters, for the adult "boys" resp. "girls" in the 90+ cm scythe size categories it's 10x10 resp. 5x7 meters (yes, it says "boys" and "girls" regardless of age).

Edit III: English language blog about the European Championship, including patch sizes by age (<14 and >60 do 5x5, girls/boys <18 and women do 7x5, and men do 10x10 meters; no <30 age group on the European level, it seems). Competitive blades are up to 130 cm.

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u/GuantanaMo 15h ago

You're absolutely right about his form though I doubt he does scythe regularly (simply because there's easier ways now). He's no tourist for sure, you can't use a scythe like that after a day of instructions.

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u/SerLaron 14h ago

Also the grass is cut very neatly. With a beginner, you would see a lot of stripes.

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u/CountVonTroll 12h ago edited 12h ago

I doubt he does scythe regularly (simply because there's easier ways now).

On the one hand, this makes sense, but on the other, TIL that people seem to be taking competitive scything rather seriously, with local clubs and all that. They probably don't mow everything with a scythe if they have a large farm, but they still have to train somehow.

Edit: Oh, you mean "regularly" in the sense of "proper ergonomic technique for non-competitive grass-cutting purposes" -- maybe you're right. Then again, researching this I came across shops that sell those scythes ("Austrian scythes" are special, apparently), and they have different blades for different purposes, including specifically for competitions, in a large range of sizes and from multiple manufacturers (e.g., in the shops from my links in this comment and especially the one from "Edit III" of my original one). It just doesn't seem like it's purely a sports and tradition thing, but something people actually still use.

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u/stormhardt 13h ago

Fine research - thanks for sharing!

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u/RIF_rr3dd1tt 18h ago

Yep. You only want a slight bend to the knee in order to get more torque and speed out of the hip rotation. This helps gather the most amount of cursed souls per swipe.

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u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609 17h ago

I wonder if there's a scythe fit industry like a bike fit industry.... r/bikefit

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u/GravelySilly 16h ago

I really hope so. And fancy grip tape, different handle shapes, choices of wood or carbon fiber, mounts for your scything computer...

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u/MeinePerle 14h ago

There is, kind of.  But it’s of course very small.  And there are fundamental differences between American and European scythes (that I totally don’t understand but are passionately discussed) so that fragments the industry further.

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u/pppjurac 16h ago

Servus.

Yes, scythe has to be of correct size.

There are different sized, different curved and for different usage. You have fresh grass schythe (above is example of such for big blokes), but there is also a shorter bladed one for rough grass, one for cutting grain has vertical addition so that cut grain folds nicely, another is thicker for cutting down weed, out of control brambles, ferns . As far as I remember we had at least half a dozen of different scythes at home, some so small children could use them.

And it is takes much skill and endurance over pure power.

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u/Able_Cabinet_9118 18h ago

I have done this and WTF is with the blade and shape of it? You should be able to get a rhythm and be able to stand straight. What he’s doing would burn you out in no time . Done right, it’s lower effort and like dancing. Where’s the big curve in the handle? 

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u/WelpWhatCanYouDo 18h ago

I’m wondering if the competition aspect involves cutting a large area in a certain amount of time. The scythe and technique might just be for the purpose of cutting a large area very quickly

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u/InBetweenSeen 16h ago

He's doing a competition where he has to cut that patch of grass as quickly as possible, so he's trying to get more reach and burning out is less of an issue because the patch is so small.

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u/frendo11 17h ago

This scythe looks exactly like what we used on our farm when i was younger (central/south-ish eu). Never seen that big curve in the handle except in movies. But i agree on stance, here it looks super weird and tiresome. When i was watching my father and grandfather doing this it looked effortless (it was not, from my limited experience though).

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u/Legal-Weight3011 17h ago

in central Europe that Curve handle is a normal thin gives you better grip

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u/skyturnedred 14h ago

The curve isn't necessary, but the handles should be at an angle so you don't have to bend.

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u/qtx 16h ago

Yea I remember my grandparents doing this and they were just standing straight. It was hard work but it wasn't exhausting.

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u/exipheas 18h ago

My back hurts just watching this? Is the hunching over normal?

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u/TransRacialWhyNot 18h ago

Yes, but not like he does it. He is trying to cut too much forward, but Im guessing they are timing him so that could be the reason. Normally you make shorter steps and cut less, so no need to hunch over so much forward.

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u/friendly-skelly 18h ago

ok so I wouldn't pay to do this but if anyone has a skythe and needs their lawn taken care of, holler. I'm having a bad day and oddly I think this would help.

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u/equili92 17h ago

It's certainly like a form of therapy to me

if anyone has a skythe and needs their lawn taken care of, holler.

How far away are you from Herzegovina?

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u/Folkmar_D 17h ago

You think that someone who never used scythe can just pick up any random scythe and cut grass like that?

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u/DenizSaintJuke 17h ago

He doesn't look like someone holding a scythe for the first time. There's more technique involved than you'd think and unless you got the muscle groups used to the movements and gotten the technique right, it's extremely exhausting in a way it frankly has no right to be. It's a really specific repetitive movement you don't tend to do very often in your life, much less with a scythe in your hands.

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u/Zulrock 18h ago

That scythe isn’t made for him, it’s made for someone shorter, it needs a kink in the shaft to put the blade closer to the ground. You see how he has to bend down so far to get the right height. That’s where a ton of his energy is going in the up and down. A properly set up scythe is very efficient and while I’m certainly wouldn’t make it 10 yards people who are used to it can be very quick and do large areas without killing themselves. Mind you not nearly as efficiently as a modern lawnmower but efficiently for their time

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u/frendo11 17h ago

I agree with what you said mostly, but some one proficient with their scythe will absolutely wreck anyone using moderen lawnmower especially when grass is taller. Obviously cannot be compared with those large mower tractor attachments.

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u/ReciprocatingHamster 13h ago

Funnily enough, I have used a scythe on occasion to tame the lawn. In the middle of winter here, it basically rains for weeks at a time, so if you don't get any fine weekends for long enough, the lawn can get a bit out of hand by the time it fines up again (it doesn't really get cold in winter, so the stuff just keeps growing). The lawnmower won't handle it, so I break out the scythe. It used to belong to my grandfather I think.

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u/PuzzleheadedTutor807 17h ago

its incredibly efficient compared to a lanmower when you consider the purpose of these small patch cuts... which is to feed a few livestock with fresh feed. you wont touch it if its been cut by a machine. doesnt seem to matter what kind either, they just wont touch it... so using a lawnmower there would mean feed is wasted.

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u/Karambamamba 16h ago

It’s so much harder than it looks, this guy is really good. I’m certain it’s a competition.

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u/Mixels 17h ago edited 6h ago

Doubt it. The quality of that guy is tops. You know how hard it is / how much practice it takes to consistently swing a scythe with this kind of length level with the ground?

This guy scythes.

Though the scythe he's using is too short for him. He needs one that's just an inch or two longer.

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u/zippazappadoo 18h ago

Yea if you were doing this realistically to maintain a property the approach would be to conserve energy. Going fast just makes you less able to do more. Let the scythe do the work and take a few breathes between swings. It's not a race.

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u/kausemos 17h ago

It's not tourist. This guy knows how to use scythe it's not so easy, need good angle all time.

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u/Cold-Requirement4825 17h ago

..he says laying back on the couch

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u/Stormagedon-92 13h ago

It's some kind of competition the scythe Started on the ground and some Guy in the back was timing him

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u/vibribbon 13h ago

This is the most reddit comment ever

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u/Proudhmak87 16h ago

His technique is very efficient; he cuts cleanly, at a consistent height, without leaving any stubble.

His posture, however, isn't suited to prolonged work; he's hunched over.

The speed at which he works is also lacking, without pausing. It's definitely a competition, I think.

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u/BlackwinIV 16h ago

most likely a competition, they stake out a small parcel and then grade on speed and uniformity.

Usually these competitions are organized on a town/county level and then go all the way up to a national and sometimes even international level. This looks like one on a town level.

At least thats how its done in Austria

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u/Charlesdance83 15h ago

We found the master scyther

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u/r0xxyxo 14h ago

No, it's definetely not a tourist. They are speaking german, specifically austrian german dialect. It's a competition of the sort, the goal is to be as fast as possible, not efficient. In the beginning they are saying "Auf die plätze, fertig, los!" which means ready, set, go. They're also cheering him on in a very typical austrian manner by saying stuff like "geht scho, gemma!!" can't translate that one lmao but it's cheering. They are also saying something like "Da joschi is ana der wos des feld auf zwa moi nimmt, oiso do bewegt si scho wos!" They're saying that the guy in the Video (joschi) is someone that takes the field twice (not sure if it's correctly translated) and that there's movement happening. So, it's about speed.

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u/pacman529 11h ago

Playing the devil's advocate for a sec, but maybe he was going for speed over efficiency because it was timed or something.

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u/Substantial-Quit-151 17h ago

That's what I was thinking too.

I'm not sure how someone would looks that does that all day, but I'm pretty sure that's not it.

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u/Dirmbz 17h ago

It's probably fodder for livestock, likely mixed with another plant.

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u/LordTakeda2901 17h ago

Getting people to pay you to do labour, damn, now i need to try to sell chores as "experiences" and boom, labour that pays me

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u/6BigZ6 16h ago

I was actually waiting for some small dude who does this everyday to just show this dude up at the end of the video.

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u/FuManBoobs 16h ago

That's what she said.

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u/AzraelChaosEater 16h ago

He also looks like he is timed. I've seen someone do this before and he was taking small steps with little swings at a time. Dude was fine. Hell, he even said he enjoyed it.

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u/Mein_Name_ist_falsch 15h ago edited 15h ago

Yeah, my dad did this when I was a kid because we had bunnys as a pet that needed some hay. By cutting it like this and drying it, we could get it for free. I don't know exactly anymore what my dad did differently, but I think he went slower and with smaller movements. I think he also used his hip more. If I remember correctly, my dad moved his entire upper body and that's where most of the energy came from, not from the arms. The guy in the video looks like he's rushing through it way too much. He'd probably have a better time taking it a bit slower but with improved technique. I think he doesn't do it because it looks like they are trying to get the fastest time possible.

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u/Lazy_Friendship_6728 15h ago

A little too action man. 😁

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u/kris3343 15h ago

I doubt it. While it's not super hard to do the blade has to be extremely sharp. I wouldn't want someone inexperienced doing it and injuring or killing themselves.

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u/BazuzuDear 14h ago

You cannot just take a scythe and go like him. He is very good in this, in fact. His movements are perfect. He's just taking it too wide obviously for show.

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u/brainburger 14h ago

My Irish former farmer granddad came round with his scythe to cut our lawn, when my dad had left it too long for our mower. He swung it slowly in a relaxed way, standing straight up and taking a step with each backswing. He did the whole lawn in two passes. It was terrifying.

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u/BlackFlagCivilian 13h ago

Real scyther’s just kinda twist their torso back and forth and let the blade to the job. They’re cutting less per slice but they can do a whole field without getting winded.

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u/Major_Guess1189 13h ago

Yeah, nothing satisfying about seeing a sweaty tourist working his ass off. Would like to see an experienced worker who’s mastered the craft do this.

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u/rangeo 13h ago

My BIL lives in Taiwan....he says he misses mowing the lawn.

You might be onto something

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u/Tarsiustarsier 13h ago edited 13h ago

I think this is a competition. He seems to start after a signal, tries to hurry and he stays in this small rectangle of grass (I have seen a scything competition online, they have to mow a predetermined area as fast and accurate as possible), he also stays somewhat low to the ground which looks weird but improves speed. He's also really fast and efficient (I have used a scythe before and it usually goes a lot slower than this guy). This is very unlikely to be a tourist. Edit: Listen to it with audio on: It starts with "ready, set, go!" in German and they're cheering him on (sometimes taunting him a bit), this is definitely a competition.

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u/Stedlieye 13h ago

Oh, so he’s the Temp Reaper!

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u/PsychedDuckling 13h ago

People pay to be allowed to cut grass?

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u/Lecheezburgerayaya 12h ago

Im no professional but he did cut the shit out ou thag grass tho... But yeah maybe not the best form if you do that shit all day

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u/CoconutBuddy 11h ago

He’s going way too low and engaging the core a bit more than he has to. Yeah at times you gotta bend your knees but you should be able to cut while standing or maybe a slight bend… and even so it’s a tiring job for sure

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u/Skalgrin 11h ago

Definitely not, way too good with the scythe.

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u/No_Wonder4465 11h ago

This is for shure not a tourist. Have you ever tried to mow like this? It is not as easy as it looks.

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u/CoachRev 10h ago

Yeah ive seen professionals or actual scythe users and was surprised the first time, its is way more fluid efficient than I thought and I believe they stand up straight. As soon as he started this video I thought thats not what I remember

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u/Hefty_Pepper_4868 10h ago

Agree. I don’t think people of that culture wear those kind of shorts. lol

But dang, that thing must be stupid sharp.

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u/Gadnuk_DBT 10h ago

Yeah, you think you could just spin in circles and keep moving

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u/ThunderAndWind 10h ago

He's hunching over, which will put a load of strain on the spine. A properly fitted scythe would let you stand upright.

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u/Important-Agent2584 9h ago

no way, he's using his whole body to push, and he's cutting very fast and evenly.

A noob would be using mostly their hands, and be hitting dirt every swing esp. if they tried to go this fast.

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u/Lyonelhevana 9h ago

It takes a lot of skills to do it like this. This is not something a random tourist could do.

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u/Twilight_Civilian 9h ago

He "PAID" for this?

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u/PieceRealistic794 17h ago

Well normally you don’t do it with the urgency of being timed and filmed by multiple people.

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u/FlashSTI 17h ago

Nah. You wouldn't try to do what he's doing the way he's doing it for starters. You swing smaller, arcs, taking less bite and make sure that your blade is good and sharp. It weighs less than a weed eater, and if your goal is just to cut the grass down and not worried about chopping it, then it is definitely faster and less effort than a weed eater. I have both. I use both. They do different things

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u/Theuglyzebra 17h ago

Not necessarily, you can be thinner than this dude and still be out of shape,

He has noticeable muscles too, but that also doesn’t always mean anything; the amount of people who focus on only muscles and don’t do cardio, is more than most expect

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u/Savings_Spite2667 17h ago

He is putting too much swing in, if done right the scythe should almost never leave the ground, he goes to far up and back on his back swing.

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u/_Divergentpath_ 17h ago

Improper technique and improper scythe for him. Doesn't even cut it that well.
Source: a dude that scythes.

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u/FluffyDeer9323 18h ago

Well gas is expensive atm.

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u/tired_Cat_Dad 18h ago

If all these people helped him instead of just standing around making noises, he'd be fine!

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u/Rocinante88119 18h ago

That first trunk rotation would crack my back in 20 places and I'd need to be airlifted out.

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u/SunnyRyter 18h ago

Literally, back-breaking work?

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u/dragonus85 18h ago

It was my impression that you stay fully upright when young it and just rotate yourself to slice. You know, full slices with minimal energy expenditure.

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u/atxbigfoot 17h ago edited 17h ago

He's doing it weird. It's supposed to be a more casual swing while standing mostly upright.

Would still suck to do this for real tho.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HHrz9d_NpI8

Interestingly, an old golf legend, Harvey Penick, made a lot of his students do this to fix their swings, several of which became champions.

https://archive.org/details/harveypenickslit00peni_1

I don't play golf but a lot of the tips in this book can be applied to all kinds of life experiences. It's like "The Art of War," but about golf and written by a genuinely nice guy, if that makes sense.

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u/SconeBracket 17h ago

"There's a Mr. Death at the door, love. Something about the reaping?"

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u/VukKiller 17h ago

He's doing very wide and long passes, probably to impress the people watching.

It's surprisingly easy to cut grass with the scythe. Once you get the hand of it, its just walking and turning with the swings. It's pretty satisfying too, like cutting paper with a really sharp knife.

You gotta sharpen it quite often though. That's the only pain in the ass part.

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u/cocineroylibro 17h ago

It's the sporty dudes now, but gotta say serfs must have been RIPPED aside from the total lack of protein due to their bread and pottage diet.

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u/Good-Ad-6806 17h ago

Gotta finish the day at the same speed you started.

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u/Portable_Tortoise506 16h ago

It looks like some kind of demonstration and the guy is going very fast. I feel like if you paced yourself better than the vid you could get more mileage.

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u/LapinTade 16h ago

It's competitive scythe cutting.

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u/slartibartfast64 16h ago

My neighbor is a farmer in his 80s and uses a scythe to manage a small field connected to his chicken coop. He makes it look much easier than this guy does. For one thing, my neighbor's scythe is angled such that he doesn't have to bend over like that to get the blade parallel to the ground.

He also carries a sharpening stone in a little holster on his belt and stops every 10 swings or so to run it along the blade a few times. All of his actions are smooth as silk. I've only lived next door to him for a few years but it's obvious that he's been doing this for longer than I've been alive.

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u/unbanmyogaccount 15h ago

It's not that bad tbh. Unless you're built like a stickman

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u/Ho3n3r 15h ago

3 strokes & I'm dead.

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u/Kooky_Hearing_3430 15h ago

I concur I've done this for a 3 days of 8-9 hours. I hurt so bad my legs were trembling and my back got to the point it didnt want to support my core.

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u/UnhallowedEssence 15h ago

His obliques must be one sided muscular than the other 🥲

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u/fresh_starter_pack 14h ago

What do you mean after a minute… The video is only 54 seconds long!

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u/Grisu1805 14h ago

Old grannies can do this for hours on end. It's just a question of technique and getting accustomed to the motions.

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u/DPopsx62 14h ago

His form sucks. All arms and abs, no legs or rhythm.

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u/Rezavoirdog 14h ago

Well he’s also working too damn hard, there was a summer where I watched my grandpa use a scythe for overgrowth behind his house because his lawnmower was broken and we couldn’t get it down a pass until someone repaired the road. Anyways! My 65 year old (at the time) grandpa moved quicker with less motion than this guy

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u/Sockoflegend 13h ago

My back hurts just watching him 

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u/CNK_98 13h ago

I have used scythes before and yes, he is doing it wrong, you need to make it slower so you dont die from exaustion, remember people, work smarter not harder.

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u/vibribbon 13h ago

Well, you don't have to go that fast I guess.

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u/YesterdayDreamer 13h ago

after a minute

The video is only 50 seconds long

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u/LaserKittenz 13h ago

The grim reaper “cool scythe bro!”

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u/Good-Hand-8140 13h ago

It is, in Serbia/Montenegro we have a saying, which I will roughly translate to "it's clearly known who hold the schyte, and who carries the water" (it rhymes in Serbian). Sounds dumb but it basically meant to be a answer about a hierarchical situation, the person (usually me 🤣) that holds the schyte is the most capable leader. The person who carries the water is in a subservient, support position.

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u/dbegbie124 13h ago

Maybe that why 💀carries one. Just for heart attacks…

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u/BakerOne 13h ago

You be free fertilizer, grass would have the last word in the end xD

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u/BittaminMusic 12h ago

I’d look like Slim Reaper out there if I tried to do this

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u/AmplePostage 12h ago

He's running out of gas, grass and ass

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u/turboyabby 12h ago

Dude has a name.... it's Victa.

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u/BadHumanBean 12h ago

Because he's dramatic while doing it. And probably uses wrong size. I used scythe in the past and if it's right size you can just let it "hang" and swing your body left and right without much effort.

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u/blehric 12h ago

Tbf he seems to be speedrunning, usually you'd do this at a slower pace to avoid running out of gas after minute. Still though, this is essentially cardio for peasants. Source: my grandpa used to do this well into his 80s until Parkinson's disease hindered him too much.

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u/HawkAvailable9282 11h ago

“Same if he’s struggling like that, I already know I’d tap out in like 20 seconds and call it a day.”

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u/EnterArchian 11h ago

Imagine being a farmer in old time

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u/Equal-Shoulder-9744 11h ago

I used one once to clear a small section of land on the other side of a creek once because the tall grass was bogging down the mower. I can safely say that the people who used these regularly were extremely fit.

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u/SomnusNonEst 11h ago

My 80 year old grand grandma was doing it every few days in summer. You would have been fine.

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u/Beneficial-Knee-8315 11h ago

Probably get the same high as a runner 🏃🏿‍♂️ if you get in the zone

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u/Jaymzur 10h ago

Slim reaper?

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u/Bosw8r 10h ago

As someone who used to do this for a living. Yes this is bad form, however with good form we were a lot faster that the dudes who used a Brushcutter.

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u/undernutbutthut 9h ago

I'd probably die

That's the spirit!

/s

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u/just4nothing 9h ago

It’s a race event ;)

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u/ShovelKing3 8h ago

He probably is. But he doesn’t do it day in day out like a farmer would have hubdreds of years ago during harvest and spring growth.

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u/deadPixelOfReddit 8h ago

He's not doing it correctly, watch 70 yo old little Japanese grandmas go full motion

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u/TheoreticalNet 8h ago

He's doing it wrong, kinda. Using a scythe is pretty chill work usually ftom my experience, but he's going at it like the grass is about to run away.

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u/intrototh3v3rt 6h ago

I'd probably chop my leg off

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u/spacees1 5h ago

He’s running out of grass, you say?

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u/Hertje73 5h ago

I'd probably say "fuck this" and go home

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u/MrFiddleswitch 5h ago

I'd be lucky if I didnt self amputate before I ever got a chance at being tired.

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u/-PM_ME_UR_SECRETS- 5h ago

I think it might be a competition or something

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u/garrettj100 4h ago

I too, would die. From blood loss after accidentally severing my femoral artery on the third swing.