# Bluebird S22 Seeder



## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

I picked up a Bluebird S22 Seeder yesterday for verticutting my zoysia. I believe this is a lot like the Husqvarna that @wardconnor uses. It is bigger than I expected and the wife thinks it already needs a new home with a larger yard. :shock:

So, any tips on how low I should go when verticutting? Or is it too late this time of year? Worse case scenario...I take it to the backyard to plow the bermudagrass.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

TulsaFan said:


> I picked up a Bluebird S22 Seeder yesterday for verticutting my zoysia. I believe this is a lot like the Husqvarna that @wardconnor uses. It is bigger than I expected and the wife thinks it already needs a new home with a larger yard. :shock:
> 
> So, any tips on how low I should go when verticutting? Or is it too late this time of year? Worse case scenario...I take it to the backyard to plow the bermudagrass.


I agree with your wife. I'll be by there shortly to pick it up. :thumbup:

I ran an aggressive dethatch (two directions and about an 1/8" below the soil surface) last year in late August. The grass took about 7-10 days to fully recover. I've never used a true verticutter, but I'm thinking it will be less damaging than the dethatcher. Feed it and keep it in plenty of water and you should be fine.


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## wardconnor (Mar 25, 2017)

Never too late. Go for it. I put my machine all the way down. You may need to look into changing the blades. That works so much better.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

wardconnor said:


> Never too late. Go for it. I put my machine all the way down. You may need to look into changing the blades. That works so much better.


The reason for you putting your blades all the way down is due to your man-made sand plain beneath your exquisite, smooth grass...Keep up with the sand and eventually I see this as your yard...  

(This is Great Salt Plains Park near Jet, OK. My wife and I celebrated my survival of mowing last Friday in 106 degree heat...So, we dug for crystals on Sunday in the 95 degree heat.)


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

What a charming piece of equipment! The seed bin is AFTER the blades where it belongs. Tell your wife you'll get rid of it after a couple of seasons. When you use it to make your yard totally wonderful she will cease complaining. Just keep it out of her way and maybe put a cover on it. There are snow blower and mower covers on fleabay. Show us a picture of its' underside and blades. (Equipment porn :roll: :lol

Was it new or on Craig's List? Do you want to brag about how little you paid for it? :lol:


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

TulsaFan said:


> wardconnor said:
> 
> 
> > Never too late. Go for it. I put my machine all the way down. You may need to look into changing the blades. That works so much better.
> ...


That's only about 40 miles East of me.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

J_nick said:


> That's only about 40 miles East of me.


I swear that the last hour of our three hour trip...I repeatedly told my wife that someone on TLF lived out there. There were many amazing lawns...Lots of pride in one's work near agriculture communities.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

gene_stl said:


> Show us a picture of its' underside and blades. (Equipment p*_n :roll: :lol
> 
> Was it new or on Craig's List? Do you want to brag about how little you paid for it? :lol:


Definitely used...I would never pay new prices for something I planned to use twice a year. It took me an hour to get it started. So, I went ahead and ordered a replacement carb kit for $13. I hope to install it this weekend.

Here is a pic of the delta blades...


Here is a pic of pre-cleanup...


This time, the gamble appears to have paid off...we will see.

*EDIT: Installed the carb kit and it works fantastic!!!*


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## SGrabs33 (Feb 13, 2017)

Wow, that cleaned up real nice!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Very nice! Congrats!


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

Very nice. You can unbolt those blades and sharpen them if you want to. Probably never necessary. You can also flip them if the leading edge gets worn.. But it doesn't even look like there is any wear on it. With Zoysia you are going to LOVE that thing. Congrats :thumbup:

PS Remind your wife that you have every intention of buying her a MUCH bigger house with a MUCH bigger yard. :lol:


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

TulsaFan said:


> J_nick said:
> 
> 
> > That's only about 40 miles East of me.
> ...


TLF has my expectations set petty high. I imagine it's like most areas, for every one person that cares for their lawn there's 50 that only mow when it's 1 foot tall and they lose their dog in it. Wish you would have said something I was at home all day with a new to me shop fridge :beer:


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Thanks for all the congratulations from everyone. The verticutter is yet another example of something I never knew I needed until I joined TLF!

FYI...I have been actively looking for the right deal since last year. A big thanks to @Ware and @Greendoc for answering all my questions on these!!!


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## Mrsamman (Jun 12, 2018)

Did you pick that up at an auction in Oklahoma?

Scott Matson


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

Husqvarna and BlueBird are the same gear with different colored paint.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Mrsamman said:


> Did you pick that up at an auction in Oklahoma?
> 
> Scott Matson


Yes, Sapulpa public schools.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Finally got around to using it...


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

TulsaFan said:


> Finally got around to using it...


That looks really slick. What was the clean up like after using it?


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

After using my Billy Goat vacuum...


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> TulsaFan said:
> 
> 
> > Finally got around to using it...
> ...


My mower is set at approximately 0.75" right now and my trash container was completely full. Probably have thatch from fertilizing so much this year because my soil sample test results came back so badly.


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## Mrsamman (Jun 12, 2018)

Do you rent it out? I need to use it next year when I got low on the rest of the front yard and sand.
Scott


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

The wife's plan is that I will be renting from one of you after this fall.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

TulsaFan said:


> The wife's plan is that I will be renting from one of you after this fall.


Worth it? :lol:


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

Suweet! :thumbup:


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

MasterMech said:


> TulsaFan said:
> 
> 
> > The wife's plan is that I will be renting from one of you after this fall.
> ...


The wife or the rental fee? Really depends on the situation...However, I would say that both are keepers.

Regarding the verticutter, I will always be on the lookout for my next one if WE decide to sell the current one.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

@TulsaFan anything else to add here? I saw a unit similar to this pop up and I'm interested in it. I prefer the Classen due to the ability to change to the actual verticutting blades, but your pictures show it cuts clean.

Edit: pic below of the flail blade setup. Would I have to buy the delta blade kit to truly make this a verticutter?

https://www.mowersdirect.com/Bluebird-539-10-71-84/p8463.html


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

cnet24 said:


> @TulsaFan anything else to add here? I saw a unit similar to this pop up and I'm interested in it. I prefer the Classen due to the ability to change to the actual verticutting blades, but your pictures show it cuts clean.
> 
> Edit: pic below of the flail blade setup. Would I have to buy the delta blade kit to truly make this a verticutter?
> 
> https://www.mowersdirect.com/Bluebird-539-10-71-84/p8463.html


Well, you can see why I don't keep a lawn journal. Looking at those photos of my two year old zoysia grass makes me cringe. The lawn looked really bad then and I didn't even realize it! :lol:

Regarding the Bluebird, I sold it in the fall. It worked well, but I really wanted a Graden. Kept the Graden for a while and sold it. Picked up this Ryan Ren-O-Thin.

If I was you, I would try to find an overseeder with delta blades. Therefore, you won't need to make any modifications or purchase anything different. Converting a Power Rake to delta blades or vertical slicer blades can be expensive. Ask @Ware! :lol:


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Amen. I think I gave more for the vertical slicing blade conversion than I did the machine.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

Went ahead and picked it up today after talking to the seller. I was able to pick it up for $650 after a list price of $800. Bonus to me was that he was the original owner, bought it new and used it only a handful of times. Ordered the delta blade setup for it (ouch) and can't wait to make the conversion.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

Working on the verticutter conversion on my PR22- anyone have a thought on how to remove the bearing in the belt side?


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