# Swardman Electra Verticutter Mod and Guts on Display



## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

So I've been meaning to post about my adventures with the Swardman. Still really love the machine and the simplicity of the design. Not much in the machine that isn't simple to fix and find . I've pretty much tracked down every part for it down to the cheap sealed bearings in the reel cartridges( yes they go bad quick as I've discovered had to replace the bearing on my verticut reel the part was 3 dollars at a skate shop). Anyway if you have tried to dissemble a cartridge like the verticut it's really simple. everything just unscrews and the bearings on the mount just slide off. The hex shaft is a 7/8" so I'm going to get some dynablades with carbide tips and replace them since that will work better on Bermuda. I also heard a rattling in the enclosed area with the reel drive motor and decided to take the top off. It was the bundle of battery protection boards flopping around (Swardman could real improved the way they have this setup, it's a bit ghetoo, but simple) . Wasn't shocked to see cheap batteries that are easy to find , some Chinese battery management boards and that's pretty much it. The motors aren't quite the ratings they are advertised but these are quality motors. Also if you didn't know the controller for the Electra is an arduino controller and it has built in Bluetooth and wifi , so I plan to poke and prod at the controller to see if there are some secret tricks in it. I'll follow up when I get my blades in and installed


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Great post...thanks for taking the time and sharing &#128077;&#127998;


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

Subbed to this journey.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Awesome post!


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## Wfrobinette (Feb 3, 2019)

HungrySoutherner said:


> So I've been meaning to post about my adventures with the Swardman. Still really love the machine and the simplicity of the design. Not much in the machine that isn't simple to fix and find . I've pretty much tracked down every part for it down to the cheap sealed bearings in the reel cartridges( yes they go bad quick as I've discovered had to replace the bearing on my verticut reel the part was 3 dollars at a skate shop). Anyway if you have tried to dissemble a cartridge like the verticut it's really simple. everything just unscrews and the bearings on the mount just slide off. The hex shaft is a 7/8" so I'm going to get some dynablades with carbide tips and replace them since that will work better on Bermuda. I also heard a rattling in the enclosed area with the reel drive motor and decided to take the top off. It was the bundle of battery protection boards flopping around (Swardman could real improved the way they have this setup, it's a bit ghetoo, but simple) . Wasn't shocked to see cheap batteries that are easy to find , some Chinese battery management boards and that's pretty much it. The motors aren't quite the ratings they are advertised but these are quality motors. Also if you didn't know the controller for the Electra is an arduino controller and it has built in Bluetooth and wifi , so I plan to poke and prod at the controller to see if there are some secret tricks in it. I'll follow up when I get my blades in and installed


I've beat up my motor cover and the top cover. I think i need to sand and repaint this thing.

Would love to understand the bearings needed. My reels are squeaking.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

The bearings are 6904RS sealed bearings. Super easy to get out of the mount and replace


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

HungrySoutherner said:


> The bearings are 6904RS sealed bearings. Super easy to get out of the mount and replace


Thank you! Do you know which DynaBlade part no. fits? I felt like the stock verticutter blades just ended up a tangled mess in my in-laws bermuda.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

mowww said:


> HungrySoutherner said:
> 
> 
> > The bearings are 6904RS sealed bearings. Super easy to get out of the mount and replace
> ...


I've order a few different ones to test fit. Once they arrive I'll get back with some measurements and some pictures to know for sure


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

How old are your units, and how much use do you have on them that you are already having these issues?

I'm not trying to speak ill of them, but I would think these units are much too new to be experiencing any of these issues - especially for $3,500.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> How old are your units, and how much use do you have on them that you are already having these issues?
> 
> I'm not trying to speak ill of them, but I would think these units are much too new to be experiencing any of these issues - especially for $3,500.


What do you mean issues? I so far haven't had any issues this year. If you're referring to the bearings, I don't think that is an issue as much as a consumable of a 3 dollar part. If you're a cyclist or a skater you know it can just be an unlucky day if you get sand in your bearings and have to replace them. My yard is sand capped, and I've used the verticutter a good bit this year, hence why I'm upgrading it to carbide blades. The other thing I think is a misconception is the cost on these swardmans. Everyone talks about the price, but I haven't seen a lot of guys on the forum buying brand new Toro Greensmasters or JD reel mowers at their new cost, and generally speaking they mow only, unless you want to buy a second machine to use as a verticutter. These are priced about the same as the Allett machines. Plus the potential for machine to do different things not just mow is plus. Comparing a swardman new to a used reel mower, regardless of the perceived quality etc doesn't seem like a fair comparison. I'm sure used swardman's will trickle into the market at much cheaper prices as they age and I'd say you're getting a bargain for sure. Whether people like it or not Electric reel mowers are the future, Allett has said they have abandoned development of new and upgraded products using gas engines, and is focusing on all electric systems. I'm sure the next version of the electra will be a swapable battery unit.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

HungrySoutherner said:


> DFW_Zoysia said:
> 
> 
> > How old are your units, and how much use do you have on them that you are already having these issues?
> ...


I don't mean it as a negative per se. I just mean that for a $3500 unit, I would expect the bearings to last more than one year. It's not a knock. Just a reasonable expectation that I have that may be incorrect.

Is there a part in the owners manual that identifies the bearings as a wearable part that should be replaced and maintained on a regular interval?


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> HungrySoutherner said:
> 
> 
> > DFW_Zoysia said:
> ...


So its a sealed bearing so no its not serviceable, you just replace it. If a 9 year old can replace the bearings in a skateboard wheel, anyone else can. The failure of the bearing is more related to how often you use the cartridge and the conditions its used in (sand vs soil , wet vs dry) or luck. You may never have an issue. You could have the exact same thing happen on the bearings in a toro reel or roller during a verticut or mow if its an unlucky day, the difference is if you've seen @wardconnor video servicing the bearings in his triplex its a pain to service the bearings on a toro. On the swardman its 3 screws to remove the plate, pop the bearing out, push a new one in and screw it back on. I don't believe the manual mentions servicing the bearings since you don't really service them, when they go bad you replace it. I'm not sure on their end what the expectation really is, I'm more or less just saying there really isn't a single part you can't find and replace without a dealer, and do it easily the machine just doesn't have that many moving parts. So far the only parts you would need direct from Swardman if something went wrong is the custom PCB Ardunio control board in the handle, the rear roller drums if you some how beat the crap out of them, and the reel and bed knife. I need to confirm, but some rough back of the napkin measurements and a part or 2 I'm pretty sure a toro or jd reel and bed knife could be adapted to the swardman because of how the reel is mounted on 2 sealed bearings. At the end of the day its a machine destined for consumers and not pros, I'm sure Swardman will have a commercial machine that competes in the market with Allett and some of these items will be beefed up, but that machine will also sell for a much higher price. I mean a new Toro Greensmaster is what 10k? 11k? Trying to compare a new swardman to a used Toro is sort of all over the map, because its always hard to tell when someone picks up a toro for a few hundred bucks how much they are in for after its running etc, still cheaper but then its a single tasker vs a multi tasker. I think there is obvious room for improvement in swardman, but overall I'm pleased with it, I'm sure if they had larger scale sales and weren't importing them the price would be cheaper, but its a low volume machine destined for home owners. To your point about spending $3500 on a machine and a 3 dollar bearing needs replacing in the first season, it sort of is what is with any mechanical machine at any price. Ever bought a brand new car and blown out a tire on day 3, and thought dang I just paid 42k for this vehicle, it shouldn't get flats at that price. I'm sure if I had emailed Lee at reel rollers and said I had a failed bearing, they would have either sent me a new bearing or reel, but then again I'm an engineer and understand crap happens, which doesn't change my relationship with the product, if anything I appreciate the minimal approach they took to removing as many points of failure as possible.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Thanks @HungrySoutherner for the detailed info. I've had some issues with my blade with the swardman (which they took care of) and getting used to it in general. It's nice to know from someone who knows what their talking about that I purchased a quality machine. I like that I can change the parts on it myself and having the flexibility to use it as several different machines will be worth it as time goes on. I will admit, that initial cost was steep and still hurts a little but I won't feel that way when I'm just dethatching and not lugging a huge machine from home depot every year and paying $50+ for the rental.

For those of you who have never used something like this, there may be a learning curve when you get it. I was used to manhandling my caltrimmer. This is much more a precision machine and gives a beautiful cut.


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## DFW_Zoysia (May 31, 2019)

HungrySoutherner said:


> * Ever bought a brand new car and blown out a tire on day 3, and thought dang I just paid 42k for this vehicle, it shouldn't get flats at that price. *


Actually - yes. That did happen to me. And no, I didn't blame the car manufacturer for the blown tire. That makes no sense to do that.

I wasn't looking for a lecture on consumables. I had a simple point - for $3500 on a brand new machine, I would expect the bearings to last longer. It's not a knock against them. It's not a blanket statement that it would never happen to a Toro.

It would appear having an opinion not following the Swardman group think may trigger some people. My apologies.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

DFW_Zoysia said:


> HungrySoutherner said:
> 
> 
> > * Ever bought a brand new car and blown out a tire on day 3, and thought dang I just paid 42k for this vehicle, it shouldn't get flats at that price. *
> ...


Obviously tone isn't relayed online. I'm not triggered nor am I trying to defend the purchase or price tag just because I own one. It's not a perfect machine and the price is a huge barrier to entry. My point about the tires and bearings was to say no mechanical system at any price is immune to weaklinks or just random failures. I was just trying to say that part of the extended cost of ownership is how easy is it to work on, what parts are likely to fail and how often, and when things need to be repaired can you get the parts cheap and replace them yourself quick or does it require a mechanic or hours of disassembly. I don't particularly look at a $3-5 sealed bearing as a fault relative to the price tag. Toro's cost much more and use the same bearings in places with the same likelyhood of failure. Its an engineering and cost trade off in their design that makes sense, because they reduced the complexity and did away with transmissions and gears that need greasing and servicing at the trade off of 2 sealed bearings that the cartridges ride on. So perhaps others bearings will last longer in their uses and conditions, mine just got sand grit in it and it was about 6 min and 3 dollars to replace. The flip side is Toro's are built like tanks and can be rebuilt as long as there are parts and enough will power to break them down. From a toughness stand point a toro is a tougher machine at the expense of complexity and cost I'd love to own a Flex21 but the used market right now is driving up the prices so I'll enjoy the swardman for the time being. I hope you aren't triggered by long responses, I just assumed since you were reading this thread a detailed answer was helpful.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

The Electra came out late 2018 / early 2019. So the oldest units are only 1 year old max. I won't be happy at all if my reel bearings fail within one year. I've only used my "scarifier" once to do about 3K square feet. I expect the bearings to last many years. If they do fail in the next few years, I expect it to be handled as a warranty issue.

Once I learned what a true verticutter was I had the same idea as the OP. Now I plan to buy a second scarifier cartridge and convert it to a verticutter with thinner slicey saw-blade action. My next project after that will be a shaved ice cone cartridge (the blue raspberry was my favorite). Or maybe an ice cream churn cartridge.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

hsvtoolfool said:


> The Electra came out late 2018 / early 2019. So the oldest units are only 1 year old max. I won't be happy at all if my reel bearings fail within one year. I've only used my "scarifier" once to do about 3K square feet. I expect the bearings to last many years. If they do fail in the next few years, I expect it to be handled as a warranty issue.
> 
> Once I learned what a true verticutter was I had the same idea as the OP. Now I plan to buy a second scarifier cartridge and convert it to a verticutter with thinner slicey saw-blade action. My next project after that will be a shaved ice cone cartridge (the blue raspberry was my favorite). Or maybe an ice cream churn cartridge.


What is the warranty on the Swardman? I've never thought to ask.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Warranties normally cover gross defects in manufacturing. Wear and tear on consumables no.


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## avionics12 (Jul 2, 2018)

Greendoc said:


> Warranties normally cover gross defects in manufacturing. Wear and tear on consumables no.


Patiently awaiting a response from @Reelrollers on this. Restated - Does the warranty on an Electra cover top to bottom parts and labor during the warranty period? Naturally the reel and bedknife would be considered wear and tear for the usage.

Working on these types of issues is a no brainer for me, however I am curious...


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I had a warranty issue. My blade was not quite round and was hitting on two non-symetrical blades. I couldn't get it to cut paper and not hit those blades. I called them and they had me send it in and I just got it back yesterday. They paid for shipping and kept it for about a week and a half. I haven't tried it yet but the service was excellent. Not sure what the warranty time is but they stand by their product.


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## sportsman10 (Feb 25, 2019)

Thanks for taking the time to share this information about the Electras. It's great for those of us that don't have one/haven't tried one but are interested in following the reel mower market as it moves to electric and home lawns.

I too really like a well-engineered machine (I found myself yelling at Whirpool for their engineering laziness/stupidity while trying to fix a refrigerator just yesterday). It is super interesting to consider the different approaches each of these companies take and the direct comparisons are definitely not apples to apples. Gets much murkier when you bring new/used in the equation. JD and Toro reel mowers are strictly commercial machines, so that explains a lot of their design decisions. I'm sure the engineers never even considered those mowers for home use. The commercial machines are beefy, complex, and designed to last given they are cared for properly. The Toro/JD service manuals are also detailed and use strict language for repairs/maintenance including scheduling.

I'm intrigued by the initial finding you have shown of the Swardmans design and repairability. The Swardman engineers took quite a unique approach to their reel mowers, obviously targeting home lawns. If the Swardman parts are so available and easy to work with, do you see the possibility of Swardsman making future mowers more complicated or difficult to repair in order to capture an OEM parts/certified repair technicians market? @HungrySoutherner

With Electras being so new and seeing the current successes of the used commercial reel mower market, it's an interesting exercise to imagine what the status and market for a 2018 Electra might be in 2028.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

I think the Swardmans are what I expected them to be. They are designed and engineered to be a residential mower. I really wanted to buy an Electra but I balked because of its light weight And what seemed to me to be flimsy construction. But to get a cartridge mower that was more robust I had to spend considerably more money than the Swardman. In North America we are used to buying a new home mower for $500. Unfortunately on this forum it always gets compared to the commercial reel mowers that are far more expensive. 
Not really a fair comparison. Hopefully they can survive and develop their mowers to be a bit more durable.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

sportsman10 said:


> Thanks for taking the time to share this information about the Electras. It's great for those of us that don't have one/haven't tried one but are interested in following the reel mower market as it moves to electric and home lawns.
> 
> I too really like a well-engineered machine (I found myself yelling at Whirpool for their engineering laziness/stupidity while trying to fix a refrigerator just yesterday). It is super interesting to consider the different approaches each of these companies take and the direct comparisons are definitely not apples to apples. Gets much murkier when you bring new/used in the equation. JD and Toro reel mowers are strictly commercial machines, so that explains a lot of their design decisions. I'm sure the engineers never even considered those mowers for home use. The commercial machines are beefy, complex, and designed to last given they are cared for properly. The Toro/JD service manuals are also detailed and use strict language for repairs/maintenance including scheduling.
> 
> ...


It's really hard to say what they will do next . Considering how simple the machine is and the low volume that these machines are manufactured at its not an economic advantage for them to have custom one off parts made. But who knows what they will do.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

Shindoman said:


> I think the Swardmans are what I expected them to be. They are designed and engineered to be a residential mower. I really wanted to buy an Electra but I balked because of its light weight And what seemed to me to be flimsy construction. But to get a cartridge mower that was more robust I had to spend considerably more money than the Swardman. In North America we are used to buying a new home mower for $500. Unfortunately on this forum it always gets compared to the commercial reel mowers that are far more expensive.
> Not really a fair comparison. Hopefully they can survive and develop their mowers to be a bit more durable.


I wouldn't say its light or flimsy, I mean then thing ways 150#. There are obvious compromises compared to a greensmaster, but then again the application is different. The other factor that has to be considered is these machines have to be shipable to consumers, so weight has to be a factor in that, where as a JD or Toro they don't care about that since its sold like farm equipment. The box and frame construction is secured and stabilized in a smart way and saves weight, there are a few areas of improvement but switching it out for machined parts would have added tremendously to the cost so again trade off. The 2 areas I'd say that aren't as beefy would be the rear drums, which instead of cast aluminum like toro and JD, they are rolled and welded aluminum and the handle assembly. The handle assembly will last and is fine, and is what it is but I wish it was a more traditional shape, as for the drums that is a pure cost thing for them. To do cast aluminum it would be super expensive for a small operation, perhaps someday they will offer that, but in the mean time it gets the job done. Its not perfect, but in a home setting it should last a very long time. I'd love to see beefy drums, a machined box, and a more traditional handle setup and a through axle transport wheel option, but I recognize it would make shipping a nightmare, increase cost significantly.


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## avionics12 (Jul 2, 2018)

With that said I feel sheepish in admitting I've been hoping for a full time groomer option similar to a greenskeeper mower. I realize the verticutter can perform the same task, however I dream big of an Electra Plus model! :thumbup:


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

avionics12 said:


> With that said I feel sheepish in admitting I've been hoping for a full time groomer option similar to a greenskeeper mower. I realize the verticutter can perform the same task, however I dream big of an Electra Plus model! :thumbup:


Yeah I'm with you on that. A modified verticut reel can get that done but requires a double mow. It is possible to mod the machine and add a groomer, I have a design that could adapt a toro groomer , but one screw up and it would be an expensive mistake . Currently cheaper to just mod the verticut reel for grooming and groom occasionally with it


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@HungrySoutherner did you ever end up getting to test the new verticut blades?


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

mowww said:


> @HungrySoutherner did you ever end up getting to test the new verticut blades?


Depending on how many blades he needs (spacing) he might be looking for ways to fund the adventure! :lol: I just got my DynaBlades in for my verticutter build. $360 to do .500" spacing on a 22" mower. Phew.


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

mowww said:


> @HungrySoutherner did you ever end up getting to test the new verticut blades?


Yes the Dynablades for a .75" hex shaft fit and the work much better on Bermuda at cutting the stolons . It's really easy to swap them out and the machine runs easier in Bermuda if you do a one for one swap of the blades. Haven't messed with increasing the number of blades


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

@HungrySoutherner thank you!


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## bauc54 (Feb 27, 2018)

@HungrySoutherner Great thread. Where did you get the dynablades? Carbide tipped or regular? Do you know the thickness of the blades that work best?

Thank you for the info!


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## HungrySoutherner (May 29, 2018)

I had to order different ones from woodbay. You can call them. Not real sure on what is best because I ordered several to test


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