# SCGrassMan's Toro GM1600



## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Guess what's on its way?!?

Dealt with Greg at Prairie Turf, on the recommendation of Ware. Fantastic people there. I haven't received the mower yet, but if it matches up with the pics, I feel the price was very fair (I paid $1850 with freight for those curious). It's a 2011 GM1600, and they serviced it fully including replacing bed knife, sharpening reel, and replacing a bearing before shipping.

Greg was always quick to respond, and patient with my many questions. I believe that they have a few more of these in similar condition for around the same price, if anyone is interested.

http://prairieturfequipment.com/

When it arrives, I will give more details on its condition etc.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Congrats! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

:banana: :dancenana: :banana: :dancenana:

Looks like it's in good shape, and you bought some peace of mind with a fresh grind, new bearings, etc. :thumbup:

I'm a big fan of the wide stripes a GM1600 lays. :thumbsup:


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Yeah, for sure! I'm looking forward to it. Also got 2 yards of sand and 3 yards of mulch in the driveway, so time to get cracking on that!


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## PHXCobra (Mar 20, 2018)

I'm very jealous. I think when my wife isn't looking I may check out a few pawn shops around here and see what I can find.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

PHXCobra said:


> I'm very jealous. I think when my wife isn't looking I may check out a few pawn shops around here and see what I can find.


Yeah, you could go that or the auction route. For me, it was just a question of OK, I might find one for $500... and then freight it for $300-$400... and then a reel, and some bearings... and a tuneup.. I might save some money, but lose a lot of time. So I just said "screw it" and went for one that is all done. It also has the grooming attachment, which is a very nice addition!


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

Uh, you could have bought my JD 220E!


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

PHXCobra said:


> I'm very jealous. I think when my wife isn't looking I may check out a few pawn shops around here and see what I can find.


I don't know about in Phoenix, but here I didn't have much luck finding a great selection at pawn shops. I actually scored my McLane in a pawn shop, after having looked for years. I can only imagine how fast I would poop myself if I came across a much nicer mower in a pawn shop.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> PHXCobra said:
> 
> 
> > I'm very jealous. I think when my wife isn't looking I may check out a few pawn shops around here and see what I can find.
> ...


I think @Mightyquinn bought a brand new Baroness in a pawn shop once...


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## gijoe4500 (Mar 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> I think Mightyquinn bought a brand new Baroness in a pawn shop once...


If so, that is truly insane, and I am definitely jealous.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

gatormac2112 said:


> Uh, you could have bought my JD 220E!


I've been publicly trying to buy a Toro or JD 220 for a very long time on here lol.


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> gatormac2112 said:
> 
> 
> > Uh, you could have bought my JD 220E!
> ...


Well I posted it in the equipment sell/trade area :thumbup:

If that one doesn't work out give me a call!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Will do! What's the cut width on that model isn't it 22?


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## gatormac2112 (Sep 14, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Will do! What's the cut width on that model isn't it 22?


Yep, 22 inch width, 11 blade reel.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Oh OK. I wouldn't have gone with an 11 blade reel, but the rest of it sounds nice, you really should have no trouble selling it here!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Keep in mind that with an electric reel drive like the 220E has, you can slow that 11-blade reel down to adjust FOC to your conditions. Big advantage of the hybrid walk-mowers.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

MasterMech said:


> Keep in mind that with an electric reel drive like the 220E has, you can slow that 11-blade reel down to adjust FOC to your conditions. Big advantage of the hybrid walk-mowers.


Yeah, that would have been nice!


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

gijoe4500 said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> > I think Mightyquinn bought a brand new Baroness in a pawn shop once...
> ...


It is true :thumbup: Baroness LM56


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

So, mine has the groomer unit on it, which is the little metal blades. Is there anything out there anybody knows of that gives a good explanation of exactly what it does? I vaguely understand its supposed to stand the grass blades up or something like that for better cutting, but I don't really know much.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Posting this here too...


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

wow, 7 TENTHS per click? That's pretty precise tuning... thanks for this!


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> wow, 7 TENTHS per click? That's pretty precise tuning... thanks for this!


0.007 = 7 Thousandths


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> 7 TENTHS


7 ten thousandths...


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)




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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

@J_nick on the 1600 it is .0007.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Spammage said:


> @J_nick on the 1600 it is .0007.


 :shock: I stand corrected I guess that's what I get for trying to keep up with TLF today. Eyes are getting blurry


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## derek (May 9, 2017)

Wow that is a great price for a 2011 with a groomer. Did they say how many hours are on it?

Late last year I picked up a 2006 gm1600 with a groomer for $2K shipped to Texas (it's a good $300 freight from Florida)
Had great reel life left and lowish hours though.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Tenths is machining slang for 1/10,000ths


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

derek said:


> Wow that is a great price for a 2011 with a groomer. Did they say how many hours are on it?
> 
> Late last year I picked up a 2006 gm1600 with a groomer for $2K shipped to Texas (it's a good $300 freight from Florida)
> Had great reel life left and lowish hours though.


It has a counter. 900 and some odd hours. It's in great shape!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

She arrived yesterday! Other than one tiny bend in one tine of the groomer, which was more than likely from my unloading, it came in perfect condition. Prairie Turf Equipment had it nicely secured to a pallet along with an owners manual and parts manual, with some really nice ratchet straps - free bonus!

I fired the engine right up, and drove it around the front yard a couple of times. If I had to guess the HOC is set near the top - I just cut my grass pretty low with the rotary, so there weren't many places it made contact. But I looked at the grass blades and they are cut perfectly, no tearing or anything.

When I have more time, probably tomorrow, I'm going to go over it more thoroughly, check the bed knife to reel gap with a feeler gauge, set the HOC for a scalping, etc.

I will say two things - this unit is absolutely MASSIVE width wise. Supposedly the same width of cut as my rotary mower... but this thing is beefy. Definitely a difference in a commercial mower vs a homeowner mower. And secondly, even at the lowest throttle setting, you're basically jogging to keep up with this thing!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Congrats! It looks great!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Thanks man! Is there a pulley underdrive kit or something I can do to make this thing usable on a small yard? LOL


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> Thanks man! Is there a pulley underdrive kit or something I can do to make this thing usable on a small yard? LOL


I don't think so, but you can basically mow at idle just fine. Also, it's not uncommon to feel overwhelmed at first, but you'll get used to maneuvering it at higher speeds. :thumbup:


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks man! Is there a pulley underdrive kit or something I can do to make this thing usable on a small yard? LOL
> ...


yeah I did notice that! I may leave the pegs on for the transport wheels though, those are handy. Until I put pavers down on the side of the house thats currently just sand.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Your rotary cuts 26"?  My Jake is about 39-40" wide with the wheels on. And yes, if have not run one of these before, they move at a pretty good clip! Watch Ware run his in his video's he makes it look effortless, because it really does get easier. Try mowing 6-7 golf greens with one every morning. :lol: It's good exercise!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

MasterMech said:


> Your rotary cuts 26"?  My Jake is about 39-40" wide with the wheels on. And yes, if have not run one of these before, they move at a pretty good clip! Watch Ware run his in his video's he makes it look effortless, because it really does get easier. Try mowing 6-7 golf greens with one every morning. :lol: It's good exercise!


Yeah if I had a little more space to run with it, it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe its 22 on the rotary? Not sure. But wow is this thing BIG lol. I was thinking of seeing if there is an appetite in my area (Charleston SC) to do rotary lawn cutting.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > Your rotary cuts 26"?  My Jake is about 39-40" wide with the wheels on. And yes, if have not run one of these before, they move at a pretty good clip! Watch Ware run his in his video's he makes it look effortless, because it really does get easier. Try mowing 6-7 golf greens with one every morning. :lol: It's good exercise!
> ...


There are actually 26" Rotary mowers, but they are very rare. I've thought about reel mowing residential lawns for hire, but the problem is, 99% of the homeowners that care enough about their lawn to want it, are going to want to DIY it just like the rest of us here on TLF. Those that utilize lawn services also are accustomed to weekly or bi-weekly cuts. Would they pay for 2x a week, let alone 3x? And then as the business owner, there's some pretty significant overhead to mowing with reels. In addition to the extra maintenance over rotary equipment, you risk expensive breakdowns. Finding a kid's toy, rock, buried utility/valve box, dog wire, etc all can equate to a $300 breakdown, real quick, and that's if you DIY the repair and ignore the lost time/business. So then you need a backup mower, and that mower then needs to be maintained.....

@Greendoc does residential lawns with reels. I'm sure he's got stories to tell too!


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

Ware said:


> SCGrassMan said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks man! Is there a pulley underdrive kit or something I can do to make this thing usable on a small yard? LOL
> ...


I still haven't mastered the flip technique that I've seen on some of the Toro videos. I always disengage the reel & drive at the end of my pass, prior to turning. Sure am glad I have the split drum though. Oh, @SCGrassMan I suggest mowing with the catcher on until you learn where all the things you might run into are at. Last thing you want to do is drive head-on into a property marker/fire hydrant/obstacle.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

That's a good call. Today I'm going to sit down and read some of the manual and learn how to adjust HOC etc.


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## TC2 (Sep 15, 2017)

I think you need plenty of room for the flip technique. At a brisk walk cutting speed you just cover too much distance. The 1600 is probably significantly heavier as well.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Yeah it's pretty heavy. The good news is I'm basically rolling the yard more level every time I cut!


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Getting it all dialed in! Per Prairie's recommendation I made sure that the gap all the way across was 0.002". It ranged from about 0.001 to 0.003, but for my purposes that seems close enough.

Not pictured, I set the height of cut evenly, but I have no idea to what height  best guess is between 0.5" and 0.75". I have to buy the thing for measuring that.

I also aired up the tires in the transport wheels and unbent the one tine on the groomer.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

This is a strip along the curb that's brand new this year - it didn't fare well with dog pee last year so I had it resodded after the irrigation went in. This was its first cut. And then the one of these that isn't a little strip is the main edge of the yard from the side, so you can get an idea of height and quality of cut.


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## gooodawgs (Jul 10, 2020)

SCGrassMan said:


> Getting it all dialed in!  Per Prairie's recommendation I made sure that the gap all the way across was 0.002". It ranged from about 0.001 to 0.003, but for my purposes that seems close enough.
> 
> Not pictured, I set the height of cut evenly, but I have no idea to what height  best guess is between 0.5" and 0.75". I have to buy the thing for measuring that.
> 
> I also aired up the tires in the transport wheels and unbent the one tine on the groomer.


@SCGrassMan what is that tool that you're using that measures the width of reel to bedknife? I'm picking up my GM1600 later this week. Do you always keep it at that width?

Thanks!


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

I think it's just a regular ol' gap/feeler gauge you can get at the auto parts store.


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

Several years ago a golf course buddy of mine gave me a gauge to set my reels by. It was a steel plate about 8 inches long by 2 inches wide with a hole drilled and tapped for a bolt (fine threads). It was probably about 1/4 inch thick. This bolt had a lip on it and it was long enough to have a nut. I measured the length from plate to the bolt head, tightened the nut on the bottom, and adjusted my reels. This was accurate enough for their course, and I soon discovered if I wasn't meticulous in rechecking both sides of the reel that I could see a stripe in the lawn if it was off by 1/32 inch. This wasn't a gauge malfunction, but the disturbance caused by moving only one side at a time. Somehow getting the left dialed in would move the right side, etc.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

LoCutt said:


> Several years ago a golf course buddy of mine gave me a gauge to set my reels by. It was a steel plate about 8 inches long by 2 inches wide with a hole drilled and tapped for a bolt (fine threads). It was probably about 1/4 inch thick. This bolt had a lip on it and it was long enough to have a nut. I measured the length from plate to the bolt head, tightened the nut on the bottom, and adjusted my reels. This was accurate enough for their course, and I soon discovered if I wasn't meticulous in rechecking both sides of the reel that I could see a stripe in the lawn if it was off by 1/32 inch. This wasn't a gauge malfunction, but the disturbance caused by moving only one side at a time. Somehow getting the left dialed in would move the right side, etc.


That method works just fine for tee mowers and fairway units. The dial-indicator style is much preferred for greens heights however. If the adjusters and arms on the bed shoe are not out on the extreme edges of the bedknife, one side's adjustment will affect the other extremity. Measure the HoC at the same spot where the adjustment arms are attached to the bed shoe and the measurement will be much more accurate.


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

MasterMech said:


> That method works just fine for tee mowers and fairway units.


To further explain my previous post, I was not trying to insinuate that my gauge was as accurate or more accurate than the dial indicator devices, but the added accuracy is probably overkill for use on home lawns. This course did use this plate for its greens, and they tried to maintain 1/64 inch accuracy. I have no doubt that the dial indicator is more accurate but question its price/performance ratio for home lawns. I also tried to say that adjusting one side of the reel easily disturbs the other side; in other words, check both sides without making adjustments to either before you re-tighten the bolts. I think sometimes the very act of retightening the bolts changed the HOC. It's a pain.


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## Stuofsci02 (Sep 9, 2018)

I think you guys are discussing two different things...

One method (feeler gauge) is for setting reel to bed knife clearance. Most folks will just use paper to make sure it cuts clean.

The steel plate with bolt and nut is for setting the cutting height (HOC) from the bedknife to the imaginary line projected between the drive drum and the front roller.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

It's a set of feeler gauges I got off of Amazon pretty cheap.

I personally did not rely strictly on the paper cutting test.

For instance, if it was 4 thousandths at one end and 7 at the other, I knew to tighten one side. If it's the same at the sides but different in the middle, I knew the reel was out-of-round.

There's no need to try and save <$10 on feeer gauges when you own a $1-$2k mower in my opinion.


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