# Help choosing reel mower size!



## BvilleGrass (Jul 31, 2019)

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum but have been reading/learning for quite awhile. I live in Bartlesville, Oklahoma (NE Oklahoma) and am in the process of installing a latitude 36 lawn. I have attempted in the past to create a beautiful Bermuda grass lawn and failed due to ignorance and effort. This time I'm going to do it right. So that brings me to my question..... How do I choose between different sizes for my first reel mower?

My lawn is a typical city lot on the larger end of the spectrum. I have approximately 11k sq ft of grass with a few obstacles. But mostly it is open. I have only 1 minor slope (nothing to worry about) as well as a large patio, 2 retaining walls, some sidewalks, and a typical 25" or so beauty strip. I think I would like to maintain my lawn between .75" to 1.25". I am currently picking that height as I have 3 small children and a couple of dogs and I think mowing twice a week will be my norm.

I have currently settled on either a TruCut or a Swardsman. I like the drive system of the TruCut along with the history and reliability. I feel "safe" buying one of these machines. I like the ease of maintenance, sharpening, and multi-tool capability of the Swardsman as a new reel owner.

Can you please help me think through how to decide between these mowers? Service seems fairly minimal in my area as reel mowers seem to be rare outside of golf courses.

Also, what about the sizes? How do I decide between a 20, 25, 27 TruCut? I am leaning towards a 7-blade reel given my desired height of cut along with the risk of occasionally missing a mow and the need to trim taller grass. But I am stuck on the sizes and the tradeoffs between TruCut/Swardsman.

Any advice and wisdom you can provide to help me make this final decision would be very appreciated! Thanks and I look forward to being part of the community.

B


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Welcome to TLF!

Fellow Okie over here, SW Ok myself. I will tell you that a Swardman is a far superior cut and the proof is on the price tag. I would say that the size of the reel is dependent on how level your lawn is. The wider the mower the less it will dip and dive on the imperfections in your lawn.

Having the mower is half the battle. The other half will be the blood, sweat, and beers you put into the lawn. &#128527;

Nonetheless, welcome to the community. I'm sure other SMEs will jump in on this thread and give you a lot more info and advice. I look forward to seeing your journal!


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## BubbaGrumpus (Jun 17, 2019)

I actually don't have experience with either of those, but I have been researching reel mowers myself.

My 2 cents: Both mowers will improve the look of your lawn over a rotary mower, but..

1. The only advantage the Tru-Cut has is the independent drive system.. IF.. and it's a big if.. the Swardsman doesn't have something similar.

2. The Swardsman as far as I know is in its own league.. far and away above the Tru-Cut.. for cut quality. It is a true cylinder mower whereas the Tru-Cut is wheel driven. It will certainly stripe better because of this. It (Swardsman) also has the ability to use different cartridges. No need to ever rent a dethatcher, verticutter or a turf brush.

If the independent drive system is that important.. get the Tru-Cut. Otherwise it's the Swardsman for me.

Keep in mind.. all above is for brand new units. If buying used is an option. You're going to pay $800 for a gently used Tru-Cut. For that price you could get an actual greens mower and blow both of those units out of the water.

Good luck on your decision. I just wish I had your pocketbook.


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

Get as wide of a mower as you can as long as it will fit though a gate if you have one.

I have a tru-cut 27" that I have to use as I planted 6 pear trees 4.5" from my rear fence many years back. I had a zero-turn Walker brand 48" deck rotary mower at the time. Since moving to a Tri-Plex it obviously does not fit between the trees and fence.

One thing about the Tru-Cut I dislike is the mower is run by a clutch system. The problem is when the clutch fully engaged you practically have to slow jog behind the mower. Now you can feather the clutch to slow it down but my thumb is sore for me only after mowing approx. 1000Sq ft of grass. It appears even with the little use it gets the clutch will have to be replaced one day. I know the make a speed reducing kit but that's just an extra expense on an already expensive mower.

Ive never personally seen or used a Swardman but the versatility of the multiple-optional cartridges sure seems like a huge plus to me. Only drawback is the max width of cut is 22" but if you have a gate you need to get through it may be a plus for you. Maybe someone with a Swardman can comment on the speed control vs a Trucut.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Swordsman is an extremely nice machine! I don't own one but have seen them in action up close and personal. I'm sure that owners of the Swordsman will chime in but here are a few points to consider...
- easy to operate and adjust
- beautiful cut
- verdict probably still out on reliability/durability over time
- cost of repair or replacement parts
- available repair near you
- cost factor
- good range of cutting heights 
- looks awesome and unique

Cutting/maintaining with a reel mower is a commitment of time, energy and money! These factors should not be taken lightly... Other things to consider...

- how level is your yard
- leveling is hard work and probably not a once and done process 
- is your 11k yard including front and back
- will you be reel cutting both front and back
- how's your irrigation 
- are there any drainage issues in your lawn

What is your current HOC? Have you considered using your current mower to scalp at its lowest setting (probably 1") then raising current mower 1 notch and cutting there first? This will more than likely give you a sense of how level your lawn is. Doing this and continuing the rest of this year will give you a good idea of what to expect and help plan for next year.

I reel cut my front and rotary cut my back due to the sheer size of my lawn and other factors mentioned above. I truly love reel cutting and the look can be stunning. I cut the front and back twice a week and should be reel cutting the front no less than every three days max. Unless I chose to use PGR which I don't.

Lastly...take a few pics of your front and back lawn as this will be helpful to help evaluate your situation. Best of luck in your decision...


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## BvilleGrass (Jul 31, 2019)

@Two9tene

Thanks for the welcome! I wasn't aware that the Swardman cut quality was that superior to the TruCut at the cutting heights I am considering. I wasn't using this as part of my decision making process. Thank you for that information. If I were to go with the Swardman, what blade reel would you recommend for 0.75" - 1" cutting heights?

@MrMeaner

I have had concerns about the thumb operation on the TruCut whether or not feathering it over 11k sq ft would be a problem. I do plan on reel cutting both the front and the back. But I was under the impression that the TruCut operation made it much easier to trim around obstacles with because of the ability to feather the speed as needed. Could anyone that has used both extensively comment on how easy the Swardman is to operate around obstacles and how to view the speed control trade offs between the two (i.e. the benefits of of the separate drive system vs the thumb fatigue on an 11k sq ft lawn)

@ctrav

Thanks for the thorough reply! I currently have TTF and cut it tall. I live in a wooded neighborhood and have removed trees to get my lawn to full sun. So I haven't cut Bermuda at this location yet. I do have Bermuda in one spot and I cut it at 1.5" with my rotary mower. This is an older home and so the lawn is pretty smooth. I do plan on doing leveling in the future, but it certainly isn't as rough as new construction.

As far as I can tell there aren't any dealers (TruCut or Swardman) anywhere near me. There might be local shops that could do service, but Reel Mowers seem to only be relegated to golf courses around here. Frankly thats one of the draws of the Swardman, the ability to ship the reel cartridge off for service. Would you see that as a benefit?

My entire lawn has irrigation and no major drainage problems. It is also pretty flat with only a small slope in one area, so I think the Swardman shouldnt have any issues propelling itself. How temperamental is the rear roller drive system on a small incline?

I do plan on using my rotary mower to finish the season. We are only installing Latitude next week, so not much time left. My current mower is a Honda HRX so its lowest setting is 0.75" and one notch up is 1.3". Because there are only 7 height settings between 0.75" and 4", the steps are pretty big which doesn't give me much flexibility. If I'm mowing at 0.75" - 1" or so, is mowing twice a week enough with a reel mower? Or does it require more even at that height?

Attached is an old picture of my front yard before I moved in. Keep in mind all those trees are gone now and it is full sun in all but 1 small area. I have used DLI meters to create a sun map all across my yard and every location is Full Sun (30+ on the DLI meter) and the one location that wasn't was 25. So I feel pretty good about the Latitude thriving.

Any other thoughts?


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

ctrav said:


> Swordsman is an extremely nice machine! I don't own one but have seen them in action up close and personal. I'm sure that owners of the Swordsman will chime in but here are a few points to consider...
> - easy to operate and adjust
> - beautiful cut
> - verdict probably still out on reliability/durability over time
> ...


Meanwhile, Cliff is over here writing novels on people's threads!!! Hahaha 🤣


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

@BvilleGrass I would go with the 8 blade reel for that HOC. Anything lower than .75" would be better of with the 11 blade or more. Just my two ¢.


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Meanwhile, Cliff is over here writing novels on people's threads!!! Hahaha 🤣
[/quote]

Just trying to help out with what I think I have learned which aint much :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

I would take the lawn down as low as possible and finish the year that way. Im sure there will be reel mowers for sale after the season is over and thus you will have some options. One of the things I like about my Toro GM1000 is that it is very heavy. The weight has helped my lawn quite a bit in just over a couple of months use. Before getting the reel mower I could not use a rotary to cut at 1" and now its no issue at all! Point is the heavy GM 1000 roller has helped smooth things out a bit and this should help my leveling project next year...


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## BvilleGrass (Jul 31, 2019)

Thanks everyone for your feedback! You have given me some things to think about.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

BvilleGrass said:


> Thanks everyone for your feedback! You have given me some things to think about.


Just my personal opinion from a few miles south!

I have a owned a Trucut, but never owned a Swardman (never will).

I would skip both and buy a used greens mower. Neither can compare to a Toro, John Deere, Jacobsen, Baroness, Dennis, etc in quality of build.

Most of the guys on TLF started off with a Trucut/Cal-Trimmer/McLane. The majority of them now have walk behind greens mowers or upgraded to a Tri-plex.

For a fully loaded residential Swardman with all the options, you could buy a collection of amazing used commercial equipment for the same price.

Best of luck on what you decide! :thumbup:


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

TulsaFan said:


> BvilleGrass said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone for your feedback! You have given me some things to think about.
> ...


Agreed! I have never actually cut with a Swordsman other than on @Redtenchu's lawn for a couple of seconds! But I will say that the GM1000 is a better bang for your buck! Any thoughts Andrew?


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## smarchandiv (Aug 22, 2018)

The Swardman drive speed is supposed to be controlled with the throttle. Want to go slower, then throttle back. I have the 22 inch and the thing can cut running on idle basically, assuming the blade is set right and cuts paper. The left hand activates the rear drive rollers, and you could in theory feather the lever to adjust speed but they don't rec doing this for speed control. The right hand lever activates the reel. I keep both levers fully engaged during normal operation. On turns, let go of the left lever and spin it around. One thing I like about the steel rolllers is that they don't tear up your grass, even wet grass.


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## smarchandiv (Aug 22, 2018)

Another thing I love about the Swardman is the ease of height adjustment. Literally a 30 second job and it has 0.5-2.5 inch height range. That comes in handy when it has rained all week and you miss 2 cuts. Wonder how those green mowers would do on that with their max height of 1 inch.

You do have a large lawn. That 27 inch Tru Cut will be quicker I imagine. But I love my Swardman.


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## osuaero (Nov 10, 2018)

TulsaFan said:


> BvilleGrass said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone for your feedback! You have given me some things to think about.
> ...


Couldn't agree more with this. I have no experience with Tru-Cut or Swardman but I wouldn't trade my greens mower for any residential mower. You will get a better product for less money with a used greens mower.


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## BvilleGrass (Jul 31, 2019)

@TulsaFan @osuaero

Thanks for the feedback! Where do you each get your mowers serviced around Tulsa? One of my concerns is having a place I can rely on to get the mower serviced.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

I just sent you a PM and one more from yesterday! You should check your inbox. :lol:


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