# Fair Price for a Refurbished Greensmaster 1000?



## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

I am looking at a used Greensmaster 1000. I'm a little nervous about buying this mower because of the lack of people that work on them where I'm located in Western Iowa. Due to the lack of service options, I want to try and find something that doesn't require a whole lot of work from the start. I'm not a technical person so I will most likely depend on trying to find a service technician to do all of my technical repairs. I'm ok with routine maintenance, but I don't want to have to deal with anything other than some occasional backlapping and changing the bedknife.

I found a used 2010 Greensmaster for $500. Here are some of the specs below:

1850 hours
Includes Wheelkit
Includes Grass Catcher
Includes Headlights
Kawasaki Engine
11-blade Reel
Free shipping from Minneapolis to my home in Iowa

This unit needs work, so the distributor said that he could perform all of the maintenance and grind the reel for and additional $750. So now the cost of this mower is $1250.

As stated above, this unit comes with an 11-blade reel. However, from what I have been reading on this site, it appears that an 8-blade reel would be better suited for my lawn. I plan on cutting anywhere from .50" - 1.00" and I'm told that the 8-blade reel is better for those heights.

The dealer stated that he would install a brand new 8-blade reel for the following cost:

(93-6087)8 blade reel cost $270
(93-4264) bedknife cost $35
(57-4910x13) screws cost $ 4.50
4 hours labor est. @ $100/hr

So switching from an 11-blade reel to an 8-blade reel is going to cost me an additional $750.

So now the final package is about $2000 and looks like this:

2010 Toro GreensMaster 1000
1850 hours
Wheelkit
Grass Catcher
Headlights
Kawasaki Engine
11-blade Reel
Fully Maintenanced
Brand new 8-blade reel and new bedknife
Installation of the 8-Blade Reel and bedknife
Free shipping from Minneapolis to my home in Iowa within two weeks of purchase

My question to the group is this....

Is this a fair deal - or am I getting hosed?

I realize that this isn't the bargain that others have gotten. I've read stories of folks purchasing them for $200 and restoring them themselves. Unfortunately, that is not an option for me since I do not have the technical skills to do such a thing.

I appreciate your input!


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

I am certainly no expert and am rather new to this game having just bought my first TORO a couple weeks ago and now looking to purchase a JD to go with it.

However for $2K I would think you could buy a nicer/newer unit to begin with.

I don't think it's worth the additional $750 to go to the 8 reel as the 11 reel I think will be ok given the price difference.

But again, take anything I say with a HUGE grain of salt!


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> I am certainly no expert and am rather new to this game having just bought my first TORO a couple weeks ago and now looking to purchase a JD to go with it.
> 
> However for $2K I would think you could buy a nicer/newer unit to begin with.
> 
> ...


I agree. I could probably find a newer unit for that money. In fact, I found a beautiful 2013 with only 567 hours. It also had the 11-blade reel. I almost pulled the trigger on it, but the shipping was going to cost $600, and I would still have to find someone to install the 8-bladed reel. But then I would have to get into the shipping game. I've never done that before, but I tried getting a couple of quotes the other night. And most quotes were coming in at $500-$600. Shipping was adding 25% to my costs!

Regarding 8 blade vs 11 blade....I hope I'm wrong about my assumption. I would rather just stick with the 11-blade reel if I could because I really do not want to invest another $750 into an 8-blade if at all possible. But at the same time, I really don't want to sacrifice cut quality in order to save money. The way I see it, I'm already spending ridiculous money on a mower that's 10 years old and only cuts 21" wide, I might was well spend even more money and have it the way that I want it.

Can someone else chime in? Is there any validity to the argument that 8-blade reels are better for higher heights of cut?

Thanks again!


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

You're getting a newish unit for 500, shipped. Shipping alone is like 300 so you are basically paying 200 for the mower, which is a steal. If you are not doing the reel swap then you are going to pay for labor - it shouldn't take 4 hours to swap a reel so that seems excessive; however, given that you aren't paying for shipping then it's kind of a wash.

It seems you want a turn-key unit so if I were you, I'd pay to swap the reel and not a tune-up.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

For $400, you should strongly think about doing it yourself. If you are going to pay others to work on your equipment then you've got to expect higher costs. Also, there is a lot of personal satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself.

You've got it, go for it. There are videos and manuals and people who can help if needed.


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

I think I may just get the unit with the 11-blade reel + maintenance and sharpening for a total price of $1250. Just like Gilley11 states above, I can always purchase the 8-blade and install it myself, or see if my residential Toro dealer can install it. He says he can't do sharpening, but he should be able to install it. He's been upfront with me in stating that he doesn't have a lot of experience with these machines.

My next question is.... Does a brand new reel need to be sharpened before it is installed, or does it need to be ground first?

Thanks again!


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## The_iHenry (Apr 23, 2019)

I know greens mowers can be intimidating but don't be intimidated.

Since you said you'd be comfortable doing the routine maintenance here is what I would do if I were you: 
I would pay the $500 and get it shipped. Upon receiving the unit I would place an order from R&R for a new 8 blade reel, Low Cut .187 - 1.00 HOC bedknife, and 13 bedknife screws ($271.81 + shipping). Upon receiving the R&R package I'd attempt to do it myself.

I know @Reel Low Dad has a series on YouTube where he does an in-depth break down on how to replace an 11 blade reel with an 8 blade on his Flex 21. I think the Flex 21 is more complex than the GM 1000.

$500+$271.81(+ shipping)< $2,000. 
If you take the DIY route you'll also have a better understanding of how the equipment works. I value things more when I know what it takes for them to operate. Good luck! :thumbup:


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## The_iHenry (Apr 23, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> Also, there is a lot of personal satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself.


Couldn't agree more.


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## Guest (May 13, 2020)

Gilley11 said:


> For $400, you should strongly think about doing it yourself. If you are going to pay others to work on your equipment then you've got to expect higher costs. Also, there is a lot of personal satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself.
> 
> You've got it, go for it. There are videos and manuals and people who can help if needed.


+1 study up on how to swap out the 11 blade for a 8. I took the jump and swapped out my own 11 blade reel for a 8 blade reel awhile back from R&R saved me a quite a bit of cash and labor. you will gain great experience as well. I paid approx $220 for my replacement blade its like night and day difference from the old 11 blades when cutting at 1". Otherwise, if you are just not wanting to invest the time and labor involved with it..which I totally understand..get yourself a Swardman and be done with it


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

Nixnix42 said:


> Gilley11 said:
> 
> 
> > For $400, you should strongly think about doing it yourself. If you are going to pay others to work on your equipment then you've got to expect higher costs. Also, there is a lot of personal satisfaction that comes from doing things yourself.
> ...


I really thought about a Swardman, but I read about the legendary quality of the GM1000 on this site. Plus, I think it would be easier to get parts for the GM1000.

I may still bite the bullet and buy a 22" Elektra next month. Why have one reel mower when you could have two? Those interchangeable cartridges are of the most appeal to me.

And speaking of biting bullets, I just pulled the trigger and purchased the GM1000 mentioned at the top of this post. It should be here in two weeks or kess. 
$500 is a steal for this machine, even if it needs some work. I have a buddy who is a mechanic and I might be able to convince him to help me swap out those reels. I tried watching Reel Dad's videos and I'm convinced that this process is above my pay grade.


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## Guest (May 13, 2020)

I'm sure you'll be happy with either one they both will do an excellent job.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

You can always just swap to a heavy bedknife and gain a good bit of cut quality.

For aprox .500" Hoc

11-blade + Low-Cut knife = Good
11-blade + High-Cut Knife = Better
8-Blade + High-Cut Knife = Best

For HoC .750-1.00" I'd probably lean towards a Super-Thick or "Fairway" knife, but others have reported fitment issues with new reels. I would call R&R and make sure to sort out any known issues like that before ordering, as it's unlikely you have the equipment to correct it in the field.


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## Jay20nj (Jul 25, 2018)

Toro parts outside of whats on rr are crazy expensive and if you cant work on it yourself you may want to go with a new swardman where you can ship off the cartridges. Working on the toro is pretty easy though


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

MasterMech said:


> You can always just swap to a heavy bedknife and gain a good bit of cut quality.
> 
> For aprox .500" Hoc
> 
> ...


This is excellent information to know. I must admit that reading about all of the different accessory options has been somewhat overwhelming. I, too, felt that a Fairway bedknife was better suited for the heights that I'm initially trying to achieve. It's good to have advanced notice of some of the potential problems I could've run into using the Fairway/Super Thick models. I will be sure to speak with R&R before I make that purchase.

I've only been a member of TLF for a few days but I am impressed with the valuable responses I've gotten from everyone. Glad I joined!


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## Guest (May 13, 2020)

R&R products suggested their equiv bedknife with the 8 blade reel would be a good combo for my HOC 1" or less.
https://www.rrproducts.com/Bedknife-~-Low-Cut%7C%7C--187-~-1--00-HOC-product26105?k=R93-4264
I've gotten great results with it so far its held up well.


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## leifcat1 (May 9, 2020)

Nixnix42 said:


> R&R products suggested their equiv bedknife with the 8 blade reel would be a good combo for my HOC 1" or less.
> https://www.rrproducts.com/Bedknife-~-Low-Cut%7C%7C--187-~-1--00-HOC-product26105?k=R93-4264
> I've gotten great results with it so far its held up well.


This is good to know and have confirmed. This is the exact same knife that the Toro distributor recommended with the 8 blade reel they were going to install for me (part number referenced in the original post).

Thanks!!!


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

Green's mowers were designed to be used on turf that is cut daily, i.e. turf that hasn't grown (vertically) much. An 11 blade reel should cut better than an 8 blade (assuming the reels are the same diameter), but you give up flexibility in the HOC. Miss a couple of days mowing, you can't cut with the 11 blade. A reel can't cut grass length that is more than half the distance between the blades. So it starts "pushing over" some of the grass instead of precisely cutting it. The 8 blade reel has more flexibility and you won't have to mow every day... which you probably didn't plan. And an 8 blade reel gives a very nice finish for lawn use!

I took a ten day trip once and found this out the hard way. I think everyone who mows with a reel still needs a rotary around for the unexpected. The mower needs to be tailored to its HOC range.

I don't fully understand about the thickness of the bed knife.


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## TNTurf (Mar 20, 2019)

I am going to be more direct with the reply. Skip all the extras and just buy the mower. When you get it home access what it needs, it may already be sharp enough to cut for a while. You will need someone local in the long run so start looking for that person that will help you. If you're cutting at .5 to an inch, what difference will the blade count really make? I would try the 11 and see if you can even tell how many blades it has. Too many will leave some blades uncut, at that height you likely wont notice. Change the reel if you find its just not working out, not before. $750 is too much for maintenance. I pay $120 a year for sharpening and do my own regular maintenance. These things are built like tanks meant to be used daily for many years. Get it home then chase down all the other extras which you might not even need. Worst case, it sits a month in the garage while you find someone and a part or two.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

LoCutt said:


> I don't fully understand about the thickness of the bed knife.


The thicker knives have taller front faces. That face will "reach" down into the turf a bit and stand up the grass in front of the knife for the reel to cut it. There is a compromise here however and that is simple ground clearance. You can't run a .250" thick knife cutting at .125". Most knives give a minimum cut height rating and that's really only practical if you have very level, true surfaces to cut. Also, thicker knives (and low-count reels, as they usually have thicker blades) are much more tolerant of debris in the turf, like golf tees, mulch chips or rough terrain. Bottom out a cutting unit in a depression from something like an irrigation head, yardage marker, or valve box with a super thin greens knife and it's very easy to bend the knife upwards and trash the reel. Different knives also may place the cutting edge further ahead of or behind the center axis of the reel for more aggressive cutting profiles. The higher the HoC gets, the more you want the reel blades to reach down slightly below the HoC and gather grass before cutting it.


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