# Greensmowers on Slopes



## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

Hey guys! Just joined this site. I've been a turf nerd for about a decade. Owned my own landscape biz from 04-08 and have been in sales in the green industry since. Ran two Toro 3100D sidewinders and two Locke CL125s when I had my business, and now have a Legacy 25" 10-blade that I use on my home lawn..

I am wanting to upgrade to a greensmower. I am partial to Toro but would consider a Jake or Deere as well. Prefer to find one with a groomer reel.

My yard has a slope to it in a couple areas. My Legacy has no problem pulling up even when it is wet. I'm concerned about traction with a greensmower drum. One of my neighbors has a GM1600 and I tried it out - it pulled up but I had to give it a little bit of elbow grease. Another neighbor has a Flex 21 and it does not pull up the hill at all. Drum just spins.

So my question (after this long winded intro  ) is this: Does anybody have any experience modding the traction drum on a greensmower to get better traction? My first idea is to take it to a place that does spray-in bedliners for trucks and have them coat the drum. I also thought about bonding a flattened bicycle tire to each side of the drum, but I'm not sure how well that would hold up over time.

Any advice / tips / experience with Greensmowers on slopes would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!


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## wartee (Mar 27, 2018)

reidgarner said:


> My first idea is to take it to a place that does spray-in bedliners for trucks and have them coat the drum.


That's a good idea. I'm running 2 mowers now because my JD won't mow on a slope. If you end up doing this please update us!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

I give my Flex a little push going up my slope. If I keep engine RPMs low it gains traction quickly and I can just walk behind the remaining time climbing the sloped area. I considered putting some bed liner on mine as well, but didn't feel it was needed (for me).

Adding anything to the drum for traction I would be worried about clearance and HOC. If they are even and the clearance is there, you shouldn't have any real issues unless you plan to cut sub 1/2 inch.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Redtenchu said:


> I give my Flex a little push going up my slope. If I keep engine RPMs low it gains traction quickly and I can just walk behind the remaining time climbing the sloped area. I considered putting some bed liner on mine as well, but didn't feel it was needed (for me).
> 
> Adding anything to the drum for traction I would be worried about clearance and HOC. If they are even and the clearance is there, you shouldn't have any real issues unless you plan to cut sub 1/2 inch.


I bet if you sprayed some flexi-seal down on the grass itself, you'd get good traction without affecting HOC. Or maybe Line-X!


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

SCGrassMan said:


> I bet if you sprayed some flexi-seal down on the grass itself, you'd get good traction without affecting HOC. Or maybe Line-X!


Why don't you try that out and let me know how it works...


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

In Atlanta ...good news is there is a swardman dealer....if you haven't looked them over.

Locke.....floating head?....must have good reasons to have gone with the Shelby Trimmer


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Swardman offers what appears to be a bonded piece of rubber mat to their steel drum on the Edwin models. I've considered spraying the drum on my Jake as well.

For a floating head machine like the Flex 21, I would not expect the added thickness to affect HoC or bedknife attitude as the cutting head should have it's own front AND rear roller unlike a fixed-head machine.

On the fixed-head units, adding .100-250" of height would result in a more aggressive bedknife attitude and the reel would reach slightly deeper into the canopy which should not be a problem for us home-gamers unless you are mowing at or near putting green heights. (Sub-.200")


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## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

jayhawk said:


> In Atlanta ...good news is there is a swardman dealer....if you haven't looked them over.
> 
> Locke.....floating head?....must have good reasons to have gone with the Shelby Trimmer


Sold both Lockes with my business. The floating reel was great...cut awesome. Wish i could find another one in good shape for a decent price but they are hard to find.


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## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

Redtenchu said:


> I give my Flex a little push going up my slope. If I keep engine RPMs low it gains traction quickly and I can just walk behind the remaining time climbing the sloped area. I considered putting some bed liner on mine as well, but didn't feel it was needed (for me).


@Redtenchu, how steep is your slope? Pic of mine below (mostly driveway - only pic I have on my phone, but you get the idea). Height at about .5" right now, so low enough to help with traction. If I go with a Flex or a JD E-Cut I would think coating the drum would have minimal effect on HOC since the reel is independent of the traction unit.


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

reidgarner said:


> Redtenchu, how steep is your slope? Pic of mine below (mostly driveway - only pic I have on my phone, but you get the idea). Height at about .5" right now, so low enough to help with traction. If I go with a Flex or a JD E-Cut I would think coating the drum would have minimal effect on HOC since the reel is independent of the tract.


Yard slopes are hard to judge via pictures, and I don't know the degrees of slope in my lawn. Most people are surprised at how steep some sections are when they see it in person. So that's about the best explanation I can give.

From the picture you posted, it doesn't look bad. -BUT- If you've already tested a few units on the lawn without success, then you may need to try the bed liner route. You are correct in your thoughts that any minimal drum coating would have zero effect on your HOC for the floating head greens mowers.

Keep us updated!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I have a 220E and mow @1in. I'm able to go up a 40 degree slope on a wet grass near the patio. Overall, my backyard has a 3 feet drop in 42 feet (4 degree slope). The front yard has a 2 feet drop in 20 feet (5.71 degree slope). It goes up without me pushing. The weight of the machine helps with traction.


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