# Any Ex - Reel Mower Owners Here?



## Ken_K (Apr 16, 2020)

I'm currently mowing my Zeon Zoysia with a Honda mower. I was seriously considering a reel mower for next season but am concerned about all the negatives that come with the better cut of a reel mower. Recently I've developed a system to sharpen the blades on my Honda and the cut looks pretty good but certainly not what a reel mower would produce.
If you've had a reel mower in the past and switched to a rotary, what were your reasons?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I think the people you are looking for are few and far between especially if they are on TLF. I'm not saying they don't exist but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that has made that switch unless they moved into a new house where a reel mower wasn't feasible for their new property.

Once you experience the cut quality and the look of the lawn it's hard to go back and then when you start to use PGR it's a whole new ball game after that.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Ken_K said:


> I'm currently mowing my Zeon Zoysia with a Honda mower. I was seriously considering a reel mower for next season but am concerned about all the negatives that come with the better cut of a reel mower. Recently I've developed a system to sharpen the blades on my Honda and the cut looks pretty good but certainly not what a reel mower would produce.
> If you've had a reel mower in the past and switched to a rotary, what were your reasons?


This thread might interest you.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

Look into the Rotary Toro Prostripe 560 HOC from .50-2.25. The cutter bar is the secret sauce plus the roller.
https://www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk/uploads/product-files/toro-prostripe-560-striping-mower_100220161524.pdf

https://youtu.be/erODpFpjeo0


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

I have a pro stripe and a reel mower. You can't tell the difference if the ground is smooth.


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## cnet24 (Jul 14, 2017)

ABC123 said:


> I...You can't tell the difference if the ground is smooth.


But very rarely is that the case, which is why a reel mower shines.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

cnet24 said:


> But very rarely is that the case, which is why a reel mower shines.


Nothing a little bit of sand can't fix though.


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

ABC123 said:


> I have a pro stripe and a reel mower. You can't tell the difference if the ground is smooth.


I got to test drive one at Georgia Club very nice. They were using it on a sloped fringe/rough you would have thought they reeled the area. The maintenance guy let me use it instantly fell in love and nice complement to a reel mower. I'm seriously considering it as a backup mower to my GM 1600.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

FedDawg555 said:


> The cutter bar is the secret sauce plus the roller.


I get the roller, but what is the "cutter bar"?


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Spammage said:


> FedDawg555 said:
> 
> 
> > The cutter bar is the secret sauce plus the roller.
> ...


Its the blade, its a little different. When you tighten the bolt the blade flexes causing it to arch, torque is like 40ftlb.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Gotcha. I thought you might be talking about the blade, but calling it that made me wonder if there was something else.


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## Ken_K (Apr 16, 2020)

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Like all reviews and opinions, there are opposite points of view. Roz Weston claims the Toro Prostripe 560 beats any other rotary mower with a roller kit while Jub recommends a Toro Timemaster with a Big League Lawns striping kit. I also find it interesting that Jub switched to this set up from a Swardman. That's the mower I've pretty much decided on if I make the switch to a reel mower.
In looking at the specs on the Prostripe, I was shocked that it only has a 179cc engine. My Honda has a 160cc and struggles mightily if my grass gets the slightest bit too long.


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

My first riding mower was a very cute little red rig from Sears that was made by Murray/Noma. I decided to try it because it had four wheel steering. It had a 42 inch two blade deck and a 12.5 horse Tecumseh. Worked great in my yard.

Then I bought the house next door. The back yard was full of Zoysia. On the second mow it broke the hangar brackets on the mower deck. I went to Home Depot and bought a 20 hp 50" three blade Scotts lawn trac that I used for the next eighteen years (with a PTO clutch and deck replacement after about 12 years).

Unfortunately here in St.Louis we are just a little too far north for Zoysia. It's great stuff that crowds out the weeds beautifully but it is brown for a long portion of the year. Tough stuff. In the late winter early spring here people used to burn their Zoyzia lawns to get rid of the brown canopy. Didn't bother the roots at all. Was SOP.

I haven't been able to find anyone here in St.Louis who will grind and especially relief grind reels.


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## jabopy (Nov 24, 2018)

Ken_K said:


> Thanks everyone for your feedback. My Honda has a 160cc and struggles mightily if my grass gets the slightest bit too long.


My Honda 160cc with roller never had a problem. Maybe your cutting more than the 1/3rd then it would struggle a lot .


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## jal (May 30, 2020)

jabopy said:


> Ken_K said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone for your feedback. My Honda has a 160cc and struggles mightily if my grass gets the slightest bit too long.
> ...


Agreed. My Honda handles my palisades zoysia without difficulty, even if it's been 10 days because of bad weather or travel, etc...


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## RCUK (Jul 16, 2018)

That Toro looks like very much like my Hayter but with a better engine, blade cut out and probably better in the wet. Tempting


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## surs73 (May 16, 2019)

I'm probably a good reference for you....I have zeon and use a reel on the front and rotary in the back. The back gets a bit of shade and I found it didn't like the shorter cut and lower levels of sunlight. Both look great but the front is insanely good in peak form...always get comments on the front from neighbors/friends....never on the back. That said, zeon can be a challenge from the mowing side. One the one hand it doesn't need cut as frequently as bermuda (I don't use PGR) but it gets so dense and thick that the reel mower floats constantly making straight lines difficult. Next season I'm going to start verticutting in an attempt to thin out the turf. For what it's worth, I have a toro recycler for the back....tried it on the front but it just struggled with the thick, dense grass.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Lee at Reel Rollers has 7500 square feet of Zoysia and uses the Swardmans. I know @Jub had difficulty with a Swardman on Zoysia. It can certainly be done, but maybe the reel needs a bit more groundskeeping. Perhaps mowing frequency? Maybe Verticutting more often? There is certainly a reason Rotary mowers are used by 99% of home owners. They are convenient and work well. Reel mowing is definitely more finicky. I know I miss just going over anything other than rocks and sucking up all the sticks, leaves, and other lawn debris. I wanted the best cut possible, but if that isn't the goal, the roller driven rotaries might be a good middle ground.


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

Ex reel user here, we moved to a yard that is about 1.5 acres and has roots that will for sure tear reels up. If it wasn't for that I would have never gone back to a rotary. The difference in cut and lack of scalping with a reel is soo worth it.


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## BubbaGrumpus (Jun 17, 2019)

The only issue I had with reel mowing.. was time. Time in the yard in the summer. I was cutting every 3-4 days, and I was there for 2ish hours every time.

I'm not a spring chicken.. and "round" is a shape.

I have more money then sense though. I bought a Walker C19.. and I'm never going back.


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## Merebor (Sep 17, 2020)

I'm a soon to be Ex-Reel owner/cutter. Arthritis in the knee is keeping me from frequent cutting. I'm looking for a ZTM to replace the reel with. I recently demoed a Walker R21 and it is amazing for a rotary on bermuda. My question: is a Walker worth the $2k upcharge compared to say a Ferris 400S or Spartan RZ? No one demoes these two ZTMs to compare against. I'm looking to maintain HOC 1 to 1.25" so the blade spacer trick will be necessary. I do have a hill, but otherwise very even (no undulations).


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## BubbaGrumpus (Jun 17, 2019)

I love mine. They're not built to cut acreage, but the cut.. is phenomenal! Their claim to fame is that it's the closest cut in quality to a reel mower. I don't disagree with that statement.

As far as are they worth it? It depends.. I'm with the buy once cry once crowd.

Maintenance needs to be done every 50 hours or so.. which is once a year for most homeowners. They will last 100x the horsepower in hours before any "real" engine work needs to be done.

Basically it's a lifetime purchase.


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

ABC123 said:


> Spammage said:
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> > FedDawg555 said:
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What does one of these cost? I can't find any for sale.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

There about 2k


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## FedDawg555 (Mar 19, 2020)

ZachUA said:


> ABC123 said:
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> > Spammage said:
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Looks like your in Alabama you will need to call Jerry Pate in Birmingham....it's a Toro specialty golf product so regular Toro dealers cannot sell it.


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## ZachUA (Dec 28, 2018)

FedDawg555 said:


> ZachUA said:
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> > ABC123 said:
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Thanks! Not sure I want to invest in one just yet. It does look interesting though! Wish I could find a used one.


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