Big can of worms. By Pro Grade, I assume you mean a greens mower (Toro, Jacobsen, Deere, Baroness) vs a powered reel mower (McLane, Tru-Cut, Cal-Trimmer, Swardman, Allet, etc.). Def sounds like a greens mower is what you are after.

Fixed-head greens mowers are the easiest to adjust correctly. Introducing a floating head design simplifies some things, like grinding, but complicates others like height adjustments and keeping all three (or more!) rollers parallel to the reel axis. Fixed head examples 25"+ are the Toto GM1600, Jacobsen GreensKing 526, Jacobsen Eclipse and Eclipse2 126, Deere 260A/B/C/SL, and Baroness LM66. I am not aware of any floating-head 26" units in a walk mower.

Electric and hybrid drive models offer on-board back-lapping options which is super convenient. The only such model that's 25"+ that I know of is the Jacobsen Eclipse and Eclipse2 126. Electric drive units (no matter who makes them) introduce the possibility of alternator or motor failure and associated troubleshooting/expense.

All walk-behind models run at about 3.2 MPH.

Toro GM1600 - Most popular by far thanks to excellent reputation on the golf courses. Clutch is a bit more "manual" which is a concern in tighter areas but it sounds like you are wide open. Transport axles are removable if desired for less chance of snagging on fences or foundations. But once removed, no transport wheels for you. Best resale value for sure - especially for cosmetically appealing examples.

Deere 260A/B/C/SL - Probably the easiest unit to find, I also see more of these listed with groomers than the others. Transport axles must be permanently cut off if they prove to be in the way. Loop handles on early models (B models especially) known to bend. It's cosmetic, but annoying.

Jacobsen Eclipse 126 - See above note about increased risk of expensive failure associated with electric drive models. Other than that, I'm actually after one of these myself. Have never seen one with a groomer mounted.

Jacobsen GK526 - My personal mower, love these especially on a non-golf setting. The controls and stupid simple drive system make this thing very easy to maintain and repair. I do prefer the newer style controls (InCommand, centrifugal clutch based), especially in a home setting as it gives a very natural feathering ability to vary speed while turning and maneuvering. Minimal maintenance needed if basic items are kept up with. Transport hubs are not really in the way so you can retain use of the transport wheels if you want to. Lots of these mowers out there, finding one with a groomer though..... they exist, but are pretty rare. Also, the GK500 series is the only machine where 99% of the parts are available from two sources. R & R Products sold GK500 series clones for a few years so they can produce handles, frames, bedbars, adjusters, pulleys, etc. in addition to the usual wear parts like reels, knives, rollers, etc.

 

@MasterMech wow! Thank you for the detailed write up!

Yes, absolutely a greens mower.

When you say a groomer, what exactly are you referring to? A grooved roller, or something else?

Thanks again!

 

a groomer is an additional, not on every machine, attachment. It looks like another roller with combs, it works to slightly stand the blades but also slices the turf to help eliminate grain. Something homeowners don't really need to worry about.

really meant for lower turf heights, fairway, greens height, not residential lawns at 0.50 and above.

Not necessary which is good because they seldom come with them and are costly to add.

 

Great summary @MasterMech :thumbsup:

 

@MasterMech wow! Thank you for the detailed write up!

Yes, absolutely a greens mower.

When you say a groomer, what exactly are you referring to? A grooved roller, or something else?

Thanks again!

This vid talks a bunch (and gives a good visual) about groomers, how they are setup and what options are out there. Brush rolls (instead of blades), variable blade spacing, bi-directional, etc.

I have little personal experience with groomers as my golf course time was on a course up north with ryegrass everything except for the greens. No need for a groomer in those conditions. Now that I'm playing on warm season turf, I think having the ability to groom and mow in a single machine would indeed be valuable as for me to use my groomer/verticutter unit, it's like squeezing in an extra mow. To verticut/groom (which are technically different operations but the execution is similar), and double-cut the lawn, means I'm walk-mowing 60k sq ft of turf, hardly ever in cool-weather/light humidity, and bagging any debris adds a good 20-30% onto the time required. If you're already mowing every 3rd-4th day and investing the time to spray PGR, adding in an all-day mowing marathon even once a month is not very appealing. Is a groomer required to have a great lawn? Nope, not even a little bit. But if having one saves me a mid-season scalp/reset and or a few major mowing sessions, I'd sure like to try it and it's prohibitively expensive to add if your machine doesn't already have one.

 

Big can of worms. By Pro Grade, I assume you mean a greens mower (Toro, Jacobsen, Deere, Baroness) vs a powered reel mower (McLane, Tru-Cut, Cal-Trimmer, Swardman, Allet, etc.). Def sounds like a greens mower is what you are after.

Fixed-head greens mowers are the easiest to adjust correctly. Introducing a floating head design simplifies some things, like grinding, but complicates others like height adjustments and keeping all three (or more!) rollers parallel to the reel axis. Fixed head examples 25"+ are the Toto GM1600, Jacobsen GreensKing 526, Jacobsen Eclipse and Eclipse2 126, Deere 260A/B/C/SL, and Baroness LM66. I am not aware of any floating-head 26" units in a walk mower.

Electric and hybrid drive models offer on-board back-lapping options which is super convenient. The only such model that's 25"+ that I know of is the Jacobsen Eclipse and Eclipse2 126. Electric drive units (no matter who makes them) introduce the possibility of alternator or motor failure and associated troubleshooting/expense.

All walk-behind models run at about 3.2 MPH.

Toro GM1600 - Most popular by far thanks to excellent reputation on the golf courses. Clutch is a bit more "manual" which is a concern in tighter areas but it sounds like you are wide open. Transport axles are removable if desired for less chance of snagging on fences or foundations. But once removed, no transport wheels for you. Best resale value for sure - especially for cosmetically appealing examples.

Deere 260A/B/C/SL - Probably the easiest unit to find, I also see more of these listed with groomers than the others. Transport axles must be permanently cut off if they prove to be in the way. Loop handles on early models (B models especially) known to bend. It's cosmetic, but annoying.

Jacobsen Eclipse 126 - See above note about increased risk of expensive failure associated with electric drive models. Other than that, I'm actually after one of these myself. Have never seen one with a groomer mounted.

Jacobsen GK526 - My personal mower, love these especially on a non-golf setting. The controls and stupid simple drive system make this thing very easy to maintain and repair. I do prefer the newer style controls (InCommand, centrifugal clutch based), especially in a home setting as it gives a very natural feathering ability to vary speed while turning and maneuvering. Minimal maintenance needed if basic items are kept up with. Transport hubs are not really in the way so you can retain use of the transport wheels if you want to. Lots of these mowers out there, finding one with a groomer though..... they exist, but are pretty rare. Also, the GK500 series is the only machine where 99% of the parts are available from two sources. R & R Products sold GK500 series clones for a few years so they can produce handles, frames, bedbars, adjusters, pulleys, etc. in addition to the usual wear parts like reels, knives, rollers, etc.

Infinicut has a 26" and larger floating head walk behind.

 

@Boy_meets_lawn Just today I saw a 40" rig for sale, in new condition, big $$.

https://www.needturfequipment.com/listings/for-sale/cub-cadet/infinicut-40/greens-and-tees-walking-mowers/12005

 

@Boy_meets_lawn Just today I saw a 40" rig for sale, in new condition, big $$.

https://www.needturfequipment.com/listings/for-sale/cub-cadet/infinicut-40/greens-and-tees-walking-mowers/12005

Big $$ indeed. Wow

 

Ya, I didn't say its cheap but they exist. Maybe in a few years there will be more 2nd hand options available.

I say get the first 26" greensmower you can find thats ready to cut within your budget. I would not specifically care if its orange, red, or green. They are all commercial units and have replacement parts available. If you are not handy you may need to find a local golf course mechanic to help you out.

 

Wow, that thing looks pretty sweet too. The label shows "Demo Unit", so I'm guessing it's not been "test driven" overly hard -- is quite a nice looking machine, though is also 'only' a 30-inch machine it appears. But oofta, that sticker price, heh!

Nonetheless, if I ever have the opportunity, I'd love to take it for a cut; maybe there's a market there somewhere, for a business that lets you "mow with any/all reel mower ever made" -- would be a fun business to run, too. Just maintain the mowers & grow grass -- lots & lots of grass! =D