[William13]

so realistically how often would "diamond zoysia" grass cutting result in the need for sharpening. Is it every 15000 sq feet if so that would mean every 2 months for me

 

[Spammage]

Why did you like it better than Tru Cut? I want 2 things: manuverability and low maintenance. No one sells McClane nearby. Tru Cut shops are not to far away. I have ability to fix things but not lift heavy things (get my drift?)
Hard to find comparisons on these. I don't need perfect golf course strips but they are nice

I definitely feel like setting reel-to-bedknife is easier. I am also not a fan of the TruCut sprocket/key setup as I had two fail, resulting in mower downtime and expensive repairs. Maneuverability is about the same, but I prefer the handle on the McClane to the thumb drive system of the TruCut.

 

[William13]

How often do blades need sharpening for reel mowers used on greens only?

 

[MasterMech]

How often do blades need sharpening for reel mowers used on greens only?

Depends - sorry. :lol:

It's highly subjective to the preferences of the turf superintendent and the equipment manager. Greens mowers visit the grinder more frequently than others however since the ultra-low cut height exposes the reels to more sand. If they are sharpening via back-lapping, then the frequency can be anywhere from daily to once a week, with a re-grind every 2-3 months typically. Spin-grind only programs may grind every 4 weeks or so, give or take.

 

[Gilley11]

If you don't mind pushing, a Hudson Star is what you seek. It's not hard to push, kids can do it. They are the Cadillac of push reels and they are not inexpensive but they're built like little tanks and will last you.
A new hudson might be cheaper and and easier than maintaining a powered greens mower in the long run.

 

[William13]

I watched a few video on the Hudson. The cost is not a problem for me not because money doesnt matter but because it acturally sounds less expensive to me becuase I get the impression power mowers cost a lot to maintain. Its interesting but there are very few videos of the Hudson out there and very few videos. I would be interested in hearing peoples experience.

 

[Saints]

Have you considered a Swardman? It's light and easy to maneuver plus you can send the reel off once a year to be sharpened. The reel pops out of the machine so easy to send off for sharpening. Mid season just replace the bed knife which is cheap and takes all of 5 minutes to do. I have Geo zoysia which is similar to diamond and have no problems cutting it unless I let it get a bit too high. I keep mine at 5/8 - 3/4" so you could raise your height of cut a bit if you wanted to.

 

[William13]

No I have not researched it at all. How low does it cut?

 

[MasterMech]

If you don't mind pushing, a Hudson Star is what you seek. It's not hard to push, kids can do it. They are the Cadillac of push reels and they are not inexpensive but they're built like little tanks and will last you.
A new hudson might be cheaper and and easier than maintaining a powered greens mower in the long run.

Most of the maintenance in a powered reel is in the sharpening and adjustment of the reel cutting mechanism. What is it about the Hudson and similar machines that would avoid any of that? I would think it's actually more imperative to keep the reel and knife as sharp as possible as any of the usual compensatory adjustments for slightly deteriorated cutting edges would make a manual push machine noticeably harder to push.

 

[MasterMech]

No I have not researched it at all. How low does it cut?

I believe minimum height on a Swardman with a 10-Blade reel is about 5mm. Or just under .250"

 

[William13]

thank you!