Looking good!!

 

What kind of mower did you have before?

 

I had the Swardman but the drum started slipping bad and now it’s a push mower. Thinking about selling it with all the attachments if someone is a good enough mechanic and wants to fix it

 

JPorter:

I am just about ready to place an order for a Revolution 26. I currently have a Flex 1800, which I love. However, I struggle with the slope in my front yard. I saw the the Rev 26 has rubber rollers that helps with traction uphill and it just about sealed the deal for me. That and the wife says I don't need to get rid of the Flex, I can have both!

Could you please confirm something for me? I heard that you can engage the reel independently from the roller, and use it as a "free" rolling unit. Is this true?

That would be a very useful option for me.

(edited - i have a Flex 1800 not 2100, which was sold last year)

 

JPorter:

I am just about ready to place an order for a Revolution 26. I currently have a Flex 2100, which I love. However, I struggle with the slope in my front yard. I saw the the Rev 26 has rubber rollers that helps with traction uphill and it just about sealed the deal for me. That and the wife says I don't need to get rid of the Flex, I can have both!

Could you please confirm something for me? I heard that you can engage the reel independently from the roller, and use it as a "free" rolling unit. Is this true?

That would be a very useful option for me.

Yup, it sure does, you can engage and disengage the reel. Very helpful!

 

That’s correct. It has a reel lever and a bail for drive speed. Both independent of each other.

 

Sitting here, twiddling my thumbs waiting for container 3 to show up. Watching my grass grow.

 

Sounds like in the next week. Have you received any email updates lately?

 

Coming from a JD220A and a TruCut P20, the Revolution 26 is a beast & has all of the features I wanted. I still only have a couple of hours on the machine as I got it a couple of days ago, but it is awesome.

 

Why did you go from a greensmower to a residential geared mower? Genuinely curious.

 

The Rev 26 is a beast. Clean cut. Stays grounded. I’m very glad I bought one and ditched the cali trimmer.

 

Just going to add to your thread in agreement on the Rev26 and also show support to @Reelrollers

This is the 1st Reel Mower for myself & my lawn. These pictures are from the very 1st cut with it. The Rev is super user friendly -so easy to use. Looking forward what it makes my lawn look like after a month or two of using. (Also, plan to add PGR for the first time this year)

 

beast

!

 

View attachment 43625
Just going to add to your thread in agreement on the Rev26 and also show support to @Reelrollers

This is the 1st Reel Mower for myself & my lawn. These pictures are from the very 1st cut with it. The Rev is super user friendly -so easy to use. Looking forward what it makes my lawn look like after a month or two of using. (Also, plan to add PGR for the first time this year)

View attachment 43624
View attachment 43623

View attachment 43625
Just going to add to your thread in agreement on the Rev26 and also show support to @Reelrollers

This is the 1st Reel Mower for myself & my lawn. These pictures are from the very 1st cut with it. The Rev is super user friendly -so easy to use. Looking forward what it makes my lawn look like after a month or two of using. (Also, plan to add PGR for the first time this year)

View attachment 43624
View attachment 43623

Hell yeah man! Yard looks great! Once you go PGR you never go back, makes your grass look that much better. Enjoy your Rev 26, I know I will!

 

So I got a question for you guys. Any drawbacks or issues with the Rev 26 so far? I know, I'm kind of raining on the parade here, but sometimes knowing the negatives is more illuminating than knowing the positives. I'm coming from a rotary mower to first-time reel mowing experience, so my perspective will probably be different from someone with prior reel mowing experience.

• The Rev 26 is still a heavy, bulky machine and takes a bit of effort to navigate turns and curves, especially on hills. More difficult to do this than a rotary.
• The HOC adjustment is very easy to do, but I noticed that when you decrease the height, you need to manually push the mower down a bit to drop down. This is admittedly very minor but something to keep in mind.
• The HOC is noticeably lower when the grass catcher is attached due to the added weight on the front. Also something to just be aware of.
• The grass catcher is really very nice, but it's a bit awkward to empty on account of its design. There is one handle on it, but I have found it's not in a good place for emptying.

I think that's about it. Some of these issues are just me getting used to a new form of mowing. I'm very much enjoying my Rev 26 so far and can't wait to see how it continues to transform my lawn as we entire prime growing season.

Anyone else?

 

So I got a question for you guys. What are the things about the Rev 26 that you don’t like or that you've had difficulties with? I know, I'm kind of raining on the parade here, but sometimes knowing the negatives is more illuminating than knowing the positives. I'll go first.

Mind you, I'm coming from a rotary mower to first-time reel mowing experience, so my perspective will probably be different from someone with prior reel mowing experience.

• It's a heavy, bulky machine and takes more effort to navigate turns and curves, especially on hills. More difficult to do this than a rotary.
• The HOC adjustment is very easy to do, but I noticed that when you decrease the height, you need to manually push the mower down a bit to drop down. This is admittedly very minor but something to keep in mind..
• The HOC is noticeably lower when the grass catcher is attached due to the added weight on the front. Also something to just be aware of.
• The grass catcher is really very nice, but it's a bit awkward to empty on account of its design. There is one handle on it, but I have found it's not in a good place for emptying.

I think that's about it. I'm very much enjoying my Rev 26 so far and can't wait to see how it continues to transform my lawn as we entire prime growing season.

Anyone else?

I really only have positive things to say about the Rev26. I’m also going from rotary to reel. Just to comment on your items just for discussion purposes…
*I find it super easy to turn & maneuver the Rev26. Yes, it’s a little more work than a rotary but that’s expected due to size & weight of it in comparison to a rotary. The 26.5” reel makes cutting my 15k sqft lawn quicker than my rotary too.
*From my understanding, the pivot bolts on each side of the roller going through the frame are linked to how tight the HOC is to adjust.
*I have not used the grass catcher as of yet.

The reel clutch cable & the roller clutch cable are simple to make adjustments to with the thumb wheel(s). Also, really like the fact the handlebar folds down to allow for easy, compact storage.

I’ve only used it 4 times in the 8 days since I’ve had it. So far, no complaints. Knock on wood!!!

 

After a full season of using it, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who switched from a Toro or Jacobsen greensmower to the Rev 26... if that's even a thing.

 

I have a Greensmaster 1000 and it is great so smooth but I absolutely hate not having the ability to control the speed as needed. the independent drive/reel control make it so much easier to use. Hope this helps

 

To me, the advantage of a greens mower over a home owner reel is that the reel and ground speed are matched, so no matter what speed you go the FOC(Frequency of Cut) remains the same. Don’t get me wrong, these new reel mowers on the market are nice and definitely something to look at but the quality of cut of a greens mower is superior. I think the lower you go the more evident that becomes.

 

I think there's a ton of potential in the Rev26 but you are 100% right. The reel speed and ground speed are matched on professional mowers for good reason. At .750"+ it's not really a big deal if they are independent and the reel is a bit fast, but ALL reels perform best when the speed of the reel blade travelling backwards matches or only very slightly exceeds the speed of the bedknife travelling forwards.

Plus, the greens machines are so "tunable" with different reel and bedknife options, adjustment methods are so accessible and robust, etc.

 

@Mightyquinn - all great points. One of the first things I noticed on the HOC badge on the Rev is there is area in green from 1” down to 1/2”. I assume that’s the optimal range to cut in with the Rev.

For me, there is no way my lawn could handle getting cut at a HOC a greens mower goes down to. Hopefully, the Rev proves to be the right residential reel mower for myself and others who have purchased them.

 

Great lawn. Great flags. A+

 

Just got an update today. Should be in the next few weeks.

 

How are things going with all you early adopters? Honeymoon still on going? I'm on the fence, thinking of waiting it out to see how everyone's full season goes -- talk me out of it.

 

I picked mine up yesterday. Oil, gas and replaced the
roll pin w/ SS bolt and nylock nut and was ready to go.

Today I mowed in the rain and all went well. Seems more "planted" to the ground than my 25" CT, less swerving where the grain changes.
Turning is harder than with the CT but not really that difficult and should get easier as a I get more reps. Even in the rain this thing climbed all my hills no problem (one of the big reasons I switched from my CT it would not go up the hill with wet grass i.e. every morning in the summer in Atlanta)
I'm starting off at just under 3/4" hoc with little to no contact on the reel/bedknife, cut looks sharp no tearing.
I couldn't use a greens mower because of the hills but the Rev26 seems like it'll suit my needs quite well. We will see about reliability and servicing as we go. My CT 25 was purchased used 15-17 years ago and still has many good years on it (Tank!) the rev seems as robust in most areas as the CT.

BTW I made this... use chainsaw bar oil in it works great put the oil only where it needs to go without spraying oil over everything.

 

I have no idea who would be mowing at anywhere near 1.5" with this mower. Someone make it make sense.

 

I have no idea who would be mowing at anywhere near 1.5" with this mower. Someone make it make sense.

View attachment 47512

Cool season guys.

 

Just applied PGR for the 1st time (ever) & included FEature Iron in the app. Pictures are of Common Bermuda, 6 weeks with the Rev26 (first reel mower), lawn has never been leveled (I’ll dive into that next year).

Really enjoying the Rev26 & hoping to see a good, noticeable difference with PGR throughout the season.

 

Just applied PGR for the 1st time (ever) & included FEature Iron in the app. Pictures are of Common Bermuda, 6 weeks with the Rev26 (first reel mower), lawn has never been leveled (I’ll dive into that next year).

Really enjoying the Rev26 & hoping to see a good, noticeable difference with PGR throughout the season.

Your lawn is looking really nice. What hoc are you at?

 

I have no idea who would be mowing at anywhere near 1.5" with this mower. Someone make it make sense.

View attachment 47512

Cool season guys.

Yup - Rye and KBG in the 1"-1.25" range is amazing in color compared to peeling it down to .500" and much more forgiving on water, stress, diseases, etc.

 

Fair enough, but how did Ryan Knorr get so low on his lawn?

 

I've never reel mowed but have been researching it and thinking about it for over 3 years. My research has told me to buy a GM1000 mainly because there's a local shop here that services them. My main concern with a reel mower is having someone who can service it, sharpen the blades, bed knife, etc.

I want that servicability aspect but also maneuverability because my yard is kind of tight.

The Revolution looks great but who can service them? How would you sharpen your blades and honestly, I can't find any shops selling them online.

 

You can do a lot of the servicing yourself as it doesn't require any special tools and most of the time you don't need to get it sharpened that often if it has a relief on the reel. If you have a local place that works on Toro's I'm sure they could work on most reel mowers. The Revolution is sold by Reel Rollers and they ship them, I don't know of anywhere else that sells them. You might want to look into Rolux mowers and California Trimmer has some newer mowers too that are similar.

 

I can confirm that you can go 3-5 years without a grind with a relief as long as your mower is setup right you might need to backlap 1-3 times a year. The main thing I have found is that if you can’t get it cutting paper after backlapping you will need to reface the bedknife which can be done with a file or grinder. I have a greens mower but the same should still apply.

 

Thats good to know, thanks.

 

I'm surprised no one else is having the issue I've had. I tried two units and both are not holding the reel to bedinife adjustment. I'll set it up to cut paper all along the bednife and then after one cut the reel to bedknife is not cutting paper in certain spots. It even happens mid cut and I can see tearing in the top of the grass blade

 

Oh I’ve had the same issue and haven’t had any luck with getting it resolved. I can adjust the reel to bedknife with minimal contact and cutting index cards or paper all the way across. Fire up the mower engage the reel then shut it down and recheck only to find that the adjustment has moved

 

If you haven’t already….Send an email to Reel Rollers about it. They’ll take care of you.

There’s also a support video on “Replacing the Reel to Bedknife Adjustment Bolt and Nut” that may resolve your issue. But, I’d start by contacting Reel Rollers first.

 

I am more and more moving towards a Rev26. I was wondering, how has the HOC adjustment been over time? i see you have had it for 1 summer. Being that its HOC is only on 1 side, I worry that it could cause uneven cutting as the mower over time gets warn. I have had an Allett for 3 seasons, and last year the HOC adjustment got really loose on me and it caused some bad issues for me. I really love all the features of the Rev26, but I am also worried about the HOC adjustment. With a JD or Toro, its HOC is on both sides so you dont get that "fixed" point adjustment as you have with a Rev26.

If I could make one recommendation to @Reelrollers, on the next version of Rev26, have the HOC adjustment on both sides of the reel.