I just got an 8 blade reel, and all new bearing seals, etc from RR, installed and backlapped and is cutting great.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

Where did you price the Toro reel? For my GM1000 the R&R Razor series 8 blade reel is $258.95 and a genuine Toro EdgeSeries is only $287.17 through Smith Turf and Irrigation in Charlotte. When I got the full quotes and shipping factored in for R&R the genuine parts were $38.47 more +tax.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

Where did you price the Toro reel? For my GM1000 the R&R Razor series 8 blade reel is $258.95 and a genuine Toro EdgeSeries is only $287.17 through Smith Turf and Irrigation in Charlotte. When I got the full quotes and shipping factored in for R&R the genuine parts were $38.47 more +tax.

I asked my nearest dealer and they quoted $411.32 for a 8 blade for my GM1600.
If you can go genuine TORO cheaper than I sure would. No Brainer

 

Sorry not cheaper but for $40. Case Closed

 

For what it's worth, think of it this way:

You all obsess about the fine details of your grass, spending copious amounts of time and money on irrigation, fertilizer, and mowing equipment to ensure you have the highest quality lawns possible.
This is a frivolous hobby - but hey, it's a respectable hobby that everyone here enjoys.
You have invested in the best reel mower on the planet, a Toro, only to stick in an aftermarket reel to save, what $200?

Full disclosure, I work for a Toro distributor and I can tell you, in a golf application, R&R reels are not the same.
They are not manufactured to the same level of quality that Toro puts into their reels.
You guys are ordering only one reel, so it is less noticeable, but when you are outfitting several machines with new reels, variances in tolerances become more apparent.

 

Logan 200TCP, that's good to know about the quality differences. I'm thinking about switching out my 11 blade for an 8 blade on my TGM1000. I only go as low as 3/4" and it's missing a lot.

 

Bought a new R&R + Bedknife for my Jacobsen. Mounted, backlapped, and it cuts paper perfectly. Can't compare to buying OEM new but I saw no issues with it.

Just mounted 3x new R&R Razor bedknives on my 3100d. Having them ground next week so can't compare yet, but the quality seems perfect visually.

The OEM bearings on the reels are SKF, and R&R sells a chinese copy - not sure the brand. The SKF's can't be found online for less then like $25 and the R&R ones are $17 IIRC.

 

Logan 200TCP, that's good to know about the quality differences. I'm thinking about switching out my 11 blade for an 8 blade on my TGM1000. I only go as low as 3/4" and it's missing a lot.

Sorry I've gotta ask, why are you changing reels? Is your 11 blade worn out? Have you measured the reel life with a pi tape? When was the last time you got a grind?
Just asking cos I see alot of ppl on here spending alot of money going from a 14 or 11 down to an 8 blade. If you current blade still has life...don't buy into the hype. Same visual cut quality on a residential. Just making these reel sellers rich if you ask me. Nobody on here can look at a lawn & tell if it was cut by an 8 or 11 blade reel.
Unless of course you've got loads of money then...have at it lol

 

Logan 200TCP, that's good to know about the quality differences. I'm thinking about switching out my 11 blade for an 8 blade on my TGM1000. I only go as low as 3/4" and it's missing a lot.

Sorry I've gotta ask, why are you changing reels? Is your 11 blade worn out? Have you measured the reel life with a pi tape? When was the last time you got a grind?
Just asking cos I see alot of ppl on here spending alot of money going from a 14 or 11 down to an 8 blade. If you current blade still has life...don't buy into the hype. Same visual cut quality on a residential. Just making these reel sellers rich if you ask me. Nobody on here can look at a lawn & tell if it was cut by an 8 or 11 blade reel.
Unless of course you've got loads of money then...have at it lol

I wouldn't say it's the same visual cut quality. Most people on here are cutting at heights that will result in washboarding. I have a 14-blade and have cut as low as 0.25" and still have washboarding. Previously had an 8 blade and had little to no washboarding. So, switching to a lesser count blade reel does have advantages to a residential height of cut.

 

Switching is $500 between bearings, seals, bedknife and reel. If your current reel has life, $500 plus labor is expensive just to avoid some minor washboarding.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

Where did you get a quote for a toro reel twice the price of an RR?

I got all toro parts directly from a dealer, shipped, for like 70 bucks more than RR? I got bearing and bedknife, seals and a reel, and I got the parts in 2 days not 5 or more from RR.

For me it was worth getting real Toro parts, for the issues you and everyone else had with the bed knives not working. Tells me the tolerances aren't the same.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

Where did you get a quote for a toro reel twice the price of an RR?

I got all toro parts directly from a dealer, shipped, for like 70 bucks more than RR? I got bearing and bedknife, seals and a reel, and I got the parts in 2 days not 5 or more from RR.

For me it was worth getting real Toro parts, for the issues you and everyone else had with the bed knives not working. Tells me the tolerances aren't the same.

I went genuine Toro from Smith Turf and Irrigation. An EdgeSeries 8 blade reel, high cut knife, bearings, and seals were only $40 more than R&R. They had everything in stock but the reel and it only took 2 days to get. Being able to pick everything up saved a bunch due to no shipping.

 

I used all R&R products. I'm a name brand guy and really wanted Toro stuff. Bearings no big deal but I wanted the Toro reel but I couldn't convince myself that it was worth it. I could buy 2 R&R reels for the price of one Toro. So in essence by buying the R&R I have twice the life for same price. I did have issues with the thick bedknife binding with the reel so I had to buy a thin knife to make it all work. I will install the thick knife when I need to replace the bedknife.

Where did you get a quote for a toro reel twice the price of an RR?

I got all toro parts directly from a dealer, shipped, for like 70 bucks more than RR? I got bearing and bedknife, seals and a reel, and I got the parts in 2 days not 5 or more from RR.

For me it was worth getting real Toro parts, for the issues you and everyone else had with the bed knives not working. Tells me the tolerances aren't the same.

I went genuine Toro from Smith Turf and Irrigation. An EdgeSeries 8 blade reel, high cut knife, bearings, and seals were only $40 more than R&R. They had everything in stock but the reel and it only took 2 days to get. Being able to pick everything up saved a bunch due to no shipping.

 

Sorry I've gotta ask, why are you changing reels?

Although I haven't surveyed the people changing reels, I think most are trying to improve their cut quality. While increasing the number of blades does improve the cut quality, it also reduces the range of heights of grass the reel will cut. The rest it just pushes over, resulting in poor cut quality. For example an 11 blade reel might work great if used daily but poorly if used twice per week because it "misses" more grass blades. An 8 blade reel might do well on the twice weekly schedule.

 

I changed mine out because I like to mow the edge of the driveway too much.

 

Personally...I feel after owning 8-bladed and 11-bladed reels on triplex mowers mowing bermuda. The 8-bladed reels give a better cut and are more versatile than 11-bladed reels on a residential lawn. I would only go with 11-bladed or 14-bladed reels if you are cutting .400 down to golf green heights.

 

I bought a used mower and it was at the end of its reel life (dia of 4.5") and it also needed bearings and seals. Did it all in one shot and its a sweet machine now.

 

Personally...I feel after owning 8-bladed and 11-bladed reels on triplex mowers mowing bermuda. The 8-bladed reels give a better cut and are more versatile than 11-bladed reels on a residential lawn. I would only go with 11-bladed or 14-bladed reels if you are cutting .400 down to golf green heights.

Interesting...you could actually visually tell the difference? Hmm...any chance you are in the dfw area? I've got mowers with ALL the blade counts...would love to test this theory out.

 

Personally...I feel after owning 8-bladed and 11-bladed reels on triplex mowers mowing bermuda. The 8-bladed reels give a better cut and are more versatile than 11-bladed reels on a residential lawn. I would only go with 11-bladed or 14-bladed reels if you are cutting .400 down to golf green heights.

Interesting...you could actually visually tell the difference? Hmm...any chance you are in the dfw area? I've got mowers with ALL the blade counts...would love to test this theory out.

I live in Lubbock, TX - Just downsized my house and yard now that my kids are grown. New yard is only about 1500Sq Ft. so triplexes are way to big and all for sale now.

So for sure on the Greensmaster 3150q I own. The 11-bladed reels would slow down considerably or actually stop spinning while cutting at .400 -.500". Its just not made to cut much other than golf green heights. it Left a horrible cut obviously. The other things with Triplex Greensmowers are the reels are rather light so unless you have pool table flat yard the reels tend to bounce around much more. probably a big difference vs a walk behind reel and they are much heavier. Reels on the utility/fairway mowers are quite heavy.

The 3100d triplexes....both mowers I had powered through anything and everything and both left a great cut. Only issue was user error if PGR wore off or I waited to long to mow and grass was rather long. The 11-bladed reels would leave some stragglers.

Here is a visual of what I'm talking about....

 

Personally...I feel after owning 8-bladed and 11-bladed reels on triplex mowers mowing bermuda. The 8-bladed reels give a better cut and are more versatile than 11-bladed reels on a residential lawn. I would only go with 11-bladed or 14-bladed reels if you are cutting .400 down to golf green heights.

Interesting...you could actually visually tell the difference? Hmm...any chance you are in the dfw area? I've got mowers with ALL the blade counts...would love to test this theory out.

I live in Lubbock, TX - Just downsized my house and yard now that my kids are grown. New yard is only about 1500Sq Ft. so triplexes are way to big and all for sale now.

So for sure on the Greensmaster 3150q I own. The 11-bladed reels would slow down considerably or actually stop spinning while cutting at .400 -.500". Its just not made to cut much other than golf green heights. it Left a horrible cut obviously. The other things with Triplex Greensmowers are the reels are rather light so unless you have pool table flat yard the reels tend to bounce around much more. probably a big difference vs a walk behind reel and they are much heavier. Reels on the utility/fairway mowers are quite heavy.

The 3100d triplexes....both mowers I had powered through anything and everything and both left a great cut. Only issue was user error if PGR wore off or I waited to long to mow and grass was rather long. The 11-bladed reels would leave some stragglers.

Here is a visual of what I'm talking about....

A Walking greens mower fitted with an 8, 11 or 14 blade will cut grass at 0.4-0.5 without breaking a sweat.
I'll reiterate my position. If your current reel has well above 4.5in of reel life...don't bother replacing your reel. Unless you feel like throwing money at the reel manufacturers.

 

Personally...I feel after owning 8-bladed and 11-bladed reels on triplex mowers mowing bermuda. The 8-bladed reels give a better cut and are more versatile than 11-bladed reels on a residential lawn. I would only go with 11-bladed or 14-bladed reels if you are cutting .400 down to golf green heights.

Interesting...you could actually visually tell the difference? Hmm...any chance you are in the dfw area? I've got mowers with ALL the blade counts...would love to test this theory out.

It'd be a simple test, just set all mowers to same HOC. You should be able to see that 14 blade reels cut better at a golf green HOC. With a higher HOC, the 14 blade will leave more stragglers and have washboarding compared to a 7 or 8 blade reel.

 

Switching is $500 between bearings, seals, bedknife and reel. If your current reel has life, $500 plus labor is expensive just to avoid some minor washboarding.

I agree. I was only giving info on cut quality.