# Thinking about picking up a Tru Cut this season



## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Hey guys, I just had a couple questions about owning a pre-owned Tru Cut.

I'm looking at a 20-25'' cutting width for my 1/4 acre lot. I have Bermuda Tifway 419 and brought in river sand last year to level it up. I'm going to scalp this year again come spring and add a little more sand after things have settled a bit. My plan is to use my rotary to scalp and bag then sand. From that point I would like to begin using a reel.

What are the most important things to look for when purchasing used? Definitely looking at a Honda motor but not sure what else besides blades being sharpened, back lapped, and the basics.

What are the average yearly maintenance fees if I'm using on a 1/4 acre lot and cutting every 3 days or so?

How often do you sharpen the blades versus back lapping? I've read that some people sharpen every other year but backlap as needed which could be a few times per season.

Should I wait to use the reel until my grass grows in fully after top dressing so the sand doesn't dull the blades?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Here are some comparison pics from last years top dress. Round one made a huge difference for my rotary. It used to scalp when a tire would fall into a rut where the yard was poorly graded by the builder.


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## Gotboost15psi (Jan 14, 2019)

Here is an excellent review on the tru cut if you haven't already seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY2d4SJFscE


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## jimbeckel (May 27, 2018)

MeanDean said:


> Hey guys, I just had a couple questions about owning a pre-owned Tru Cut.
> 
> I'm looking at a 20-25'' cutting width for my 1/4 acre lot. I have Bermuda Tifway 419 and brought in river sand last year to level it up. I'm going to scalp this year again come spring and add a little more sand after things have settled a bit. My plan is to use my rotary to scalp and bag then sand. From that point I would like to begin using a reel.
> 
> ...


I'll be selling my tru cut P20 this year, has a new roller, grass catcher and wheels. Going to get a grind on the reel and just changed the oil, plug and air filter. It is a well maintained unit with the commercial Honda GX engine. PM me if you are interested.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Thanks for the replies. I found a 27'' Tru Cut with a Honda 5.5hp motor for $400. Not sure how old the unit is but I have the serial number.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

How much do you guys spend yearly for maintenance?


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

MeanDean said:


> Thanks for the replies. I found a 27'' Tru Cut with a Honda 5.5hp motor for $400. Not sure how old the unit is but I have the serial number.


Nice! Did you buy it already? If so, share some pics!

Depends on how much maintenance you will be doing yourself. Also, if you will have the reel sharpened or backlapped each year by someone. Other than that a grease gun and a good can of chain lube will be about all you need.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

I called Tru Cut and provided the representative with the serial number to see how old it is. This model started with an 804xxx and new models are up to 890xxx which makes it 18-19 years old.

It would've retailed for around $1800 back then and $2500 today. He said at $400 it's a great deal if it's been maintained and that some of the older units were built better than todays.


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

@MeanDean I'm surprised that he said some of the older units were built better than today's.

Do you have any pictures?


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Not sure maybe it's like today's housing market. Some people will argue the build quality of a home built 30-50 years ago is far superior than homes they throw up in a few months today.

I've also seen people prefer old 2 cycle rotary mowers like Lawn Boys over newer models today. From the construction of the decks to the older motors.

I don't have photos yet but will next week. The mower is at a local lawn mower/small engine repair place. It belongs to the owner who said he no longer uses it. He offered to do a full service before I purchased it so it'll be ready next week.

The blades will likely need to be sharpened. I found a guy who used to work at a local golf course for over 20 years who's willing to sharpen the blades and install a front roller for $150. Sounds like a steal considering the cheapest I've found rollers alone is $120.


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## mattcoughlin (Jul 8, 2018)

there's a dealership in billings, mt called C & B that is selling 5 john deere 260c mowers for $235. They also have 2 220e mowers left (after i bought one) for 1165 and 1865 (different accessories on the two). They're not available until early june, but they're a lot nicer and better built in my opinion than the tru cut and more home owner focused reel mowers.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

mattcoughlin said:


> there's a dealership in billings, mt called C & B that is selling 5 john deere 260c mowers for $235. They also have 2 220e mowers left (after i bought one) for 1165 and 1865 (different accessories on the two). They're not available until early june, but they're a lot nicer and better built in my opinion than the tru cut and more home owner focused reel mowers.


Thanks for the info. I'm in South Carolina which is quite a ways from there.

Most greens mowers I've seen have a maximum cut height of 1" and I'm not sure my lawn is ready for that just yet. I top dressed it last year which helped a lot and I'm doing round 2 this spring but I'm still not sure I can go less than 1"at this point which is why a Tru Cut is more attractive at the moment.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I think the JD 260 and 220E will both do 1.25".


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## tcorbitt20 (Aug 31, 2018)

I cut my back yard last year almost all the way up on my Trucut, and it looked great. It wasn't as thick as the front yard when I was cutting it at 5/8" every other day, but still very good. (Best closeup of the back I've got)


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

Ware said:


> I think the JD 260 and 220E will both do 1.25".


This is true of the 220e, I've been running at 1" the past few years with room to go higher.



MeanDean said:


> Most greens mowers I've seen have a maximum cut height of 1" and I'm not sure my lawn is ready for that just yet. I top dressed it last year which helped a lot and I'm doing round 2 this spring but I'm still not sure I can go less than 1"at this point which is why a Tru Cut is more attractive at the moment.


Also on this note, I didn't think my lawn was worthy but I just went ahead and did it, the way greens mowers work with all the rollers, they are quite forgiving of a not perfect surface. What I noticed was after using mine, the lawn actually looked smoother than it really is. I am giving a go at 3/4" this year and plan on a level project to be able to go lower. Also due to the weight and the roller drum drive system they can actually assist in smoothing things out a tad.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Jacob_S said:


> ...Also on this note, I didn't think my lawn was worthy but I just went ahead and did it, the way greens mowers work with all the rollers, they are quite forgiving of a not perfect surface. What I noticed was after using mine, the lawn actually looked smother than it really is. I am giving a go at 3/4" this year and plan on a level project to be able to go lower. Also due to the weight and the roller drum drive system they can actually assist in smoothing things out a tad.


Agree. I think most people find they can mow much lower with a reel than they could with a rotary - without doing any leveling.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You can go up to 1.42in with the groomer and 1.80 without groomer with 3in roller.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I don't trust those charts, I have my front roller on setting 7 and it will most assuredly go below .83, I can go down to .5 for sure.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

@Jacob_S you can set the front to 7 and go low on the hoc. But, the front roller will be too high relative to the back. This will place the bedknife parallel to the ground or even pointing up. This might even make it to be ahead of the center distance instead of behind (BCD).

Toro reel mower


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

More info from MSU

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjACegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw2YonzO8BjMgBq20zKZOKZ5


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

g-man said:


> More info from MSU
> 
> https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjACegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw2YonzO8BjMgBq20zKZOKZ5


That's a lot of reading, but what you said makes sense to me. Never thought of it that way, basically just cause the adjustments allow for it physically, the charts dictate the adjustment range that keeps everything aligned properly for best quality of cut.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Ware said:


> Jacob_S said:
> 
> 
> > ...Also on this note, I didn't think my lawn was worthy but I just went ahead and did it, the way greens mowers work with all the rollers, they are quite forgiving of a not perfect surface. What I noticed was after using mine, the lawn actually looked smother than it really is. I am giving a go at 3/4" this year and plan on a level project to be able to go lower. Also due to the weight and the roller drum drive system they can actually assist in smoothing things out a tad.
> ...


This is what I'm hoping for! One of my neighbors has a reel and he's leveled his Bermuda Tifway 419 lawn twice already with river sand and his lawn always looks amazing.

I did mine last year and plan to add more sand this spring. The one thing I'm trying to decide on is how to scalp lower. I keep an old rotary around and with the deck on the lowest setting my dormant grass is still about 1.5'' which isn't really close enough.

I've seen videos of guys using their reels to scalp but I'm not sure I would want to do that.

Since I'm planning to top dress again would it be best to wait to use my reel so the sand doesn't dull the blades? What's the best approach with all this using a reel?


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I scalp with my reel then use the rotary as a vacuum to bag it all up.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Jacob_S said:


> I scalp with my reel then use the rotary as a vacuum to bag it all up.


So do you wait to sharpen your blades or backlap until after you've scalped?

I'm still trying to understand the timing of sharpening vs backlapping vs adjusting reel to bedknife and the frequency for each.

All this is new to be but I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I've always liked having a nice looking Lawn but no matter how good the rotary the look doesn't compare to even the cheapest of reels.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm from the north, so I don't have scalping experience, but I would sharpen the reel after the scalp if you only have one reel. Why? The scalp could pick up rocks/ debris that could damage the reel edge.

************ is done when you notice the quality of the cut degrading. You will see torn leaves and then can't cut paper. If ************ can't get it back, then you need sharpening.

Keep in mind the amount of time you will be without your reel for sharpening. Once the season starts, the shops get busy.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

I've never had mine sharpened, though it could probably use it, but I adjust reel to bedknife and backlap before and after scalp. and I may backlap randomly in the summer but check reel to bedknife fairly regularly.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Thanks so much!

So only sharpen when backlapping is no longer sufficient which may be once a year?

Of course I'll need to learn to do some of this myself especially adjusting reel to bedknife.

Do you guys ever run your bagger or is it worth leaving the fine clippings behind?

I'm also considering dethatching this year. The sod was laid almost 3 years ago when we built the home and laid over top red South Carolina Clay.


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## Keepin It Reel (Feb 20, 2019)

Jacob_S said:


> I've never had mine sharpened, though it could probably use it, but I adjust reel to bedknife and backlap before and after scalp. and I may backlap randomly in the summer but check reel to bedknife fairly regularly.


Are there any videos or tutorials that show how to adjust the reel to bedknife?

I picked up the mower and will post some pictures soon. I've been using it for spring cleanup and scalping the yard. Now that my lawn is coming out of dormancy it's looking good cut low. I'm not sure how low it truly is though. I have it on the 6th notch down from the top.

I noticed my drive lever is sticking a little and doesn't disengage when I release it. I can easily pull back on it with my hand and it stops but it's not happening automatically upon releasing. Any thoughts?


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