# ReelRollers Grooved Front Rollers for Tru-Cut, Trimmer & McLane



## Ware

This is worthy of its own thread... :thumbup:



Reelrollers said:


> The roller makes a huge difference and actually puts less pressure on the grass prior to being cut.
> 
> Look at it this way, with the caster wheels you are putting the entire weight of the mower on two sets of front caster wheels = 4" of contact supporting the weight of the mower.
> 
> With the front roller, you are dispersing that same weight across 27" (length of the roller in this scenario).
> 
> If the roller was bending the grass before cutting significantly, it would REALLY push the grass down with the stock caster wheels.
> 
> Two other considerations specific to front rollers on reel mowers:
> 1. The reel is spinning forward which actually picks the grass up and brings it into the bedknife helping the grass stand y'all and consistently before it is cut.
> 2. In general, you are cutting the grass shorter meaning the grass is stuffed and strong closer to its roots vs cutting with a rotary at 2"+ where the grass is less strong.
> 
> Grooved rollers don't bend the grass less unless you are cutting below 1/4" (depth of grooved). A grooved roller creates a more consistent cut height because it follows the terrain better. A smooth roller in thick turf tends to ride on top of the grass.
> 
> *Lastly, we will be launching a grooved roller for Tru Cut, Trimmer, and McLane in a few weeks. We will begin preorders in a few weeks.*
> 
> PM if you have any questions or visit our site Reel Rollers.


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## RayTL

Awesome, I knew @Reelrollers would figure out a grooved roller for us residential reel folk!

Edit: spelling/capitalization


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## SGrabs33

:shock: :shock: :shock:


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## Greendoc

Interesting reversal of position. I remember being told several months ago that a grooved roller was not necessary.


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## William

Greendoc said:


> Interesting reversal of position. I remember being told several months ago that a grooved roller was not necessary.


If there's a market, someone will fill it. Regardless of necessary or not.


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## Reelrollers

Greendoc said:


> Interesting reversal of position. I remember being told several months ago that a grooved roller was not necessary.


Necessary, that's up to the consumer. The homeowner reel mowers need front weight to keep them grounded which is why historically the Smooth front rollers were the best option made from steel. Fitting these mowers with a light weight aluminum grooved roller (which is the most common grooved roller), doesn't add enough weight and the mowers "bounce". We've sourced some heavier aluminum and a steel grooved roller.

For example:
Tru Cut 27" steel roller = 16lbs
Tru Cut 27" aluminum grooved roller = 14lbs
Tru Cut 27" steel grooved roller = 22lbs


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## Spammage

Reelrollers said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting reversal of position. I remember being told several months ago that a grooved roller was not necessary.
> 
> 
> 
> Necessary, that's up to the consumer. The homeowner reel mowers need front weight to keep them grounded which is why historically the Smooth front rollers were the best option made from heavy steel. Fitting these mowers with a light weight aluminum grooved roller (which is the most common grooved roller), doesn't add enough weight and the mowers "bounce". We never want to put a product on the market that won't be great just because in theory it sounds good. We've tested this steel grooved roller all summer on McLane, Trimmers, and Tru Cut's and are super excited of the results.
> 
> For example:
> Tru Cut 27" steel roller = 16lbs
> Tru Cut 27" alumninium grooved roller = 6lbs
> Tru Cut 27" grooved roller we are building = 13lbs
> 
> Finally we have a grooved solution we can be confident will fit our customers
Click to expand...

Pics please!


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## drewwitt

@Reelrollers can you make a groomer for trucut?


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## JRS 9572

Boom goes the dynamite! I knew you boys would get that figured out!


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## Daddylonglegs

Excited about this! Only downside here is I just invested in the OG reelroller and since it cost half the price of my used McClane itself, I think justifying the cost of an upgrade to the grooved roller will be hard to make.


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## cnet24

This is great. Following and will be looking out for updates from @Reelrollers. Would love to mod my Tru-Cut with this and the Checkmate striping system


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## ddrriizz

Awesome news, even though I just purchased the non grooved roller two weeks ago.


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## Tifway419

Its nice to see upgrades done too the Tru Cut reel mowers. I've had mine with the smooth roller now for a couple years and enjoy the cut on my tifway. I will definitely purchase the grooved roller and switch out the 7 blade for a 10 blade and install a new bed knife as well good times ahead!!


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## kichigai

Any update I'm about to purchase a tru cut mower


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## Reelrollers

kichigai said:


> Any update I'm about to purchase a tru cut mower


I'm loving the grooved roller. The grooves I felt were actually going deeper and following the turf vs riding on the grass.

The sample steel roller did come out a little GOLD from the yellow zinc coating, but I think we'll go back to black.

Here's some pics. The plan is to do a 1st run with pre orders and then based on that feedback look to ramp up.

We made a grooved aluminum roller and steel. The question we have is.... compared to your current smooth roller, would you rather it be heavier or lighter?


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## TulsaFan

Reelrollers said:


> kichigai said:
> 
> 
> 
> Any update I'm about to purchase a tru cut mower
> 
> 
> 
> I'm loving the grooved roller. It's heavier than the smooth roller so it doesn't allow the mower to bounce at all, it really stays grounded. The grooves I felt were actually going deeper and following the turf vs riding on the grass.
> 
> The sample runner did cane out a little GOLD from the yellow zinc coating, but I think we'll go back to black.
> 
> Here's some pics. The plan is to do a 1st run with pre orders and then based on that feedback look to rampnuonfor 2020.
> 
> We made a grooved aluminum roller and steel. The question we have is.... compared to your current smooth roller, would you rather it be heavier or lighter?
Click to expand...

Looks really impressive! What sizes are you going to offer? 20, 25, 27"

If I still had my Trucut, I would buy a black one in steel!


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## dmouw

Trucut 27" I'd rather have the front heavier for sure.


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## Spammage

dmouw said:


> Trucut 27" I'd rather have the front heavier for sure.


@Reelrollers This - definitely heavier. :thumbup:


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## avionics12

I concur - heavier!


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## Ware

Agree - heavy.


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## JRS 9572

The heavier, the better. I'm sure there's a cost difference between aluminum and steel. So I'm sure that's a consideration in manufacturing.

And color really doesn't matter to me. The grass catcher covers the view of it any way. At least on my piece of garbage McLane it does. :evil: :x


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## JTCJC

JRS 9572 said:


> The heavier, the better. I'm sure there's a cost difference between aluminum and steel. So I'm sure that's a consideration in manufacturing.
> 
> And color really doesn't matter to me. The grass catcher covers the view of it any way. At least on my piece of garbage McLane it does. :evil: :x


+1 Heavier
+1 POS McLane... :lol:


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## RayTL

+1 Heavier, also I kinda like the bling, lol.


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## 95mmrenegade

Heavier x25. I hang a 12" weight off the nose.of my c27.


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## drewwitt

@Reelrollers heavy heavy in black. I've got a smooth but will buy a grooved one pre order. I have Zeon zoysia and want all the weight I can get to avoid floating.


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## Arnezkanizzle

+1 heavier


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## drewwitt

Lee, I'm so excited!!! Will any of these ship this year? @Reelrollers


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## Reelrollers

TulsaFan said:


> Reelrollers said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> kichigai said:
> 
> 
> 
> Any update I'm about to purchase a tru cut mower
> 
> 
> 
> I'm loving the grooved roller. It's heavier than the smooth roller so it doesn't allow the mower to bounce at all, it really stays grounded. The grooves I felt were actually going deeper and following the turf vs riding on the grass.
> 
> The sample runner did cane out a little GOLD from the yellow zinc coating, but I think we'll go back to black.
> 
> Here's some pics. The plan is to do a 1st run with pre orders and then based on that feedback look to rampnuonfor 2020.
> 
> We made a grooved aluminum roller and steel. The question we have is.... compared to your current smooth roller, would you rather it be heavier or lighter?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Looks really impressive! What sizes are you going to offer? 20, 25, 27"
> 
> If I still had my Trucut, I would buy a black one in steel!
Click to expand...

We're going to make the grooved roller for all McLane, Trimmer, and Tru Cut sizes like our smooth rollers. It's the exact same diameter as the smooth roller = exact same height as stock front casters.

I've had two different neighbors/ friends with Tru Cut 27" mowing this past week with the aluminum and steel grooved rollers. Feedback has been identical. They both said the grooved roller left a better cut and they would use grooved over smooth going forward.

Today, a TLF member dropped by our shop to purchase a roller for his Tru Cut 27. While there, he saw the gold steel grooved roller in the office and asked about it. I felt guilty not being able to confidently tell him which was better, so he purchased a smooth roller and I gave him a grooved roller. He promised to provide feedback on TLF on which he likes best and will use going forward:
-caster wheels
-smooth roller
-grooved roller

My fear is launching a product that doesn't make an impact. Before we start production, I need to confirm a grooved roller does improve the lawn or handling of the mower.


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## UFG8RMIKE

Awesome, can you also please come up with a better mechanism to adjust the damn reel to bed knife &#128512;


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## Ware

At typical homeowner HOC's, I much prefer the more aggressive cut I get with a grooved front roller. Smooth rollers seem to float more as the bermudagrass gets thicker/taller. Probably the same reason you rarely/never see a smooth roller on a fairway mower. :thumbup:


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## Reelrollers

Ware said:


> At typical homeowner HOC's, I much prefer the more aggressive cut I get with a grooved front roller. Smooth rollers seem to float more as the bermudagrass gets thicker/taller. Probably the same reason you rarely/never see a smooth roller on a fairway mower. :thumbup:


+1. Totally agree and in line with what our test folks are saying.

Here's how the McLane and Trimmer rollers look.


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## Greendoc

Ware said:


> At typical homeowner HOC's, I much prefer the more aggressive cut I get with a grooved front roller. Smooth rollers seem to float more as the bermudagrass gets thicker/taller. Probably the same reason you rarely/never see a smooth roller on a fairway mower. :thumbup:


So true. I notice grasses getting thick/thatchy when they are mowed with mowers with smooth rollers. 1/2" or 5/8" from a McLane, is different from the same bench HOC on a GM with the grooved iron front roller.


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## 95mmrenegade

I am over in Auburn and work at Akins, when are they available and cost?


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## mre_man_76

Been busy this weekend. Spent 13 hours round trip to Georgia to pick up my first Tru-Cut from a local seller on Friday and went to the ReelRollers shop to pick one up for my C-27 since it was close by. Never thought I would be leaving with 2 of them...





I will be sharing my thoughts once my lawn recovers from the hard scalp I gave it yesterday with my rotary.

Shout out to Lee for the opportunity to test the grooved roller and the awesome support!!


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## skywalkertwins

@reelrollers that is sweet. Im in in the process of getting my friends mclane. It'll need some work. hoping these grooved rollers will be available once i get the mclane up and running? Even to us out here in hawaii?


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## mre_man_76

Did a quick back lap and the C-27 is cutting paper all across. Hosed it down and blow dried it then greased the chains. Need to get a grease gun so I can hit the zerks. First ever cut today, 2 days post scalp at .75 inches with factory wheels, just for a baseline. Overall about what I expected, way better cut than I ever had with my rotary.











All those scalp marks are from my rotary. Will spray some liquid fert and bio-stims tomorrow ahead of the rain to speed up growth so I can use this bad boy.



I'll use it for at least 3 mows then switch it out with the grooved roller.


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## Reelrollers

I wanted to send an update on what we've found with the grooved roller vs smooth vs wheels. First, front wheels should not be allowed on a reel mower, period &#128512;

what we are finalizing now is testing locally several different roller materials for the grooved roller. What has been absolutely confirmed, is the grooved roller leaves a tighter cut and holds its line better than the smooth roller, no question! That's exciting.

But, like many of you, I thought the heavy steel (heavier is better) would be the no brainer material and weight for a grooved roller, but I was wrong!

The steel grooved roller is too heavy! I know it's hard to believe, but It makes the mower much harder to maneuver, puts more strain on the ground propulsion, and if the ground is soft, leaves an impression on the soil/ grass.

We have made another aluminum grooved roller which is much thicker aluminum which is about the same weight as the smooth roller when assembled. This heavier aluminum roller is pulling ahead and working great. Keeps the mower grounded while being very simple to maneuver with a much tighter cut compared to the smooth roller.

I'll post when we have them for sale, but we won't have any shipping to customers until late November/ December because they need to go into production 10/1. We're also going to have a $20 discount for any customers who "pre order" during the month of October for a December delivery - these will be in customers hands in time for Xmas.

Because the grooved rollers are much more expensive to manufacture/ CNC machine, the price is higher, so I want to get that out there. Starting 10/1, these will be available on our site to order.

McLane 20" = $179.99
McLane 25" = $189.99
Trimmer 20" = $179.99
Trimmer 25" = $189.99
Tru Cut 20" = $179.99
Tru Cut 25" = $189.99
Tru Cut 27" = $199.99

These prices are without the $20 pre sale we'll do in October. Post pics of aluminum grooved roller Monday.


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## Ware

Those prices sound reasonable. I think adding a good front roller is probably the single best thing you can do to homeowner reel.

Thanks for bringing these to the market! :thumbup:


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## skywalkertwins

@Reelrollers that is awesome news. I just picked up my friends mclane today and it's getting fixed up. I can wait til the grooved rollers come out. Mclane 20" $179 is reasonable.
Would you kindly remind us before the presale?


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## Greendoc

If a heavy grooved roller is on the front of the mower, all turns must be made by tipping the mower back and pivoting it on the rear wheels only. If that is not done, the rollers will tear up the grass. I need to tip back and pivot when turning with my GM 1000. I have the grooved steel roller on mine. Weight of that roller is 16 or so lbs


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## g-man

@Reelrollers did you play around with the depth of the grooves? And the width?

The JD roller has more depth to it.


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## Reelrollers

g-man said:


> @Reelrollers did you play around with the depth of the grooves? And the width?
> 
> The JD roller has more depth to it.


Yes! We're really looking at it all! Depth of grooves, contact area, weight, feel, and most importantly - cut.

The deeper grooves are netting the biggest improvement in cut. Top pic has deeper grooves (aluminum).


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## drewwitt

Santa Clause is coming to town...


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## Way2low01

Looking good!


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## gkaneko

TAKE MY MONEY NOW. I'm ready to order. NOW. Haha. really excited for this. Oct 1st??


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## gpbrown60

Manicure Touch in Douglasville, Ga. has been using grooved rollers for years now. Link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PkA5KfpwXc


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## Ware

Yep, always wondered where they got it - assumed custom made.


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## SwBermuda

I cannot wait. This will be a christmas/birthday gift for me. How much do the grooved rollers weigh if you don't mind me asking @Reelrollers ?


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## skywalkertwins

@Reelrollers i got my 20" mclane (with wheels) back from the shop. if you need anyone to HELP Test your grooved front roller I'm willing to be that guy.


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## Greendoc

Ware said:


> Yep, always wondered where they got it - assumed custom made.


He said it was custom made. Looks like a roller from a cutting unit that was adapted to the front brackets where the casters were. When changing from casters to the roller in that way, the HOC range changes. Casters are of a larger diameter vs the roller.


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## Reelrollers

Greendoc said:


> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, always wondered where they got it - assumed custom made.
> 
> 
> 
> He said it was custom made. Looks like a roller from a cutting unit that was adapted to the front brackets where the casters were. When changing from casters to the roller in that way, the HOC range changes. Casters are of a larger diameter vs the roller.
Click to expand...

The roller is a smaller diameter compared to the front caster wheels, but the height is exactly the same. Our mounting brackets account for the difference in diameter so that there is zero cut height difference when you convert from the caster wheels to the smooth or grooved roller intentionally.

The gentlemen referenced with the grooved roller only made a Tru Cut 27" option (he's local to us) and it wasn't custom and required you to already have a smooth roller so he could use the brackets to make it work. We're doing this right, just imagine the same ease of install and quality you experienced with the smooth roller, but now having the option of a tighter cut with a grooved roller. We've been working on this for 2 years to ensure weight, HOC, and groove spacing was perfect for each mower application at a price less than any other grooved roller on the market.


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## Greendoc

Reelrollers said:


> Greendoc said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ware said:
> 
> 
> 
> Yep, always wondered where they got it - assumed custom made.
> 
> 
> 
> He said it was custom made. Looks like a roller from a cutting unit that was adapted to the front brackets where the casters were. When changing from casters to the roller in that way, the HOC range changes. Casters are of a larger diameter vs the roller.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The roller is a smaller diameter compared to the front caster wheels, but the height is exactly the same. Our mounting brackets account for the difference in diameter so that there is zero cut height difference when you convert from the caster wheels to the smooth or grooved roller intentionally.
> 
> The gentlemen referenced with the grooved roller only made a Tru Cut 27" option (he's local to us), but it requires you to already have a smooth roller so he could use the brackets to make it work.
Click to expand...

I know you took the measurements, etc to make sure the rollers would provide the equivalent HOC. Doing DIY or custom installs makes things different.


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## Reelrollers

I'm sorry, you are 100% correct, I misunderstood. The gentlemen referenced used a 1.9" grooved roller which did change the HOC when used with our brackets. We are using a custom diameter grooved roller identical to our smooth roller diameter which means, no HOC difference compared to the casters. That's what took us so long to launch, we wanted to manufacture a grooved roller with the exact same diameter as our smooth roller so customers could be confident with the cut and quality.


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## dfw_pilot

I want one and I don't even have a TruCut...


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## gkaneko

any updates?


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## Reelrollers

Yes. 
Updates: we put into production all the grooved rollers last week. Our website is being updated to have a grooved roller option and exact product pics with the McLane, Trimmer, and Tru Cut grooved rollers.

Website will be live to order on 10/1 with a mass email communication to current roller owners as this new option and October sale of $20 off.

Assembly/ packaging/ shipping will start 11/1 with the promise of first order in, first order ships.

Our first run Is a limited one. I'm really excited because of the feedback


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## skywalkertwins

Im so excited. Thank you for the Updates @Reelrollers


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## Reelrollers

Final images of the grooved roller on each of the 3 Major brands of US residential mowers.

Website will be live Friday for purchase and we'll post/ email a reminder.


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## skywalkertwins

@Reelrollers did I miss the sale? Ive been checking your website today with no luck.


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## Reelrollers

skywalkertwins said:


> @Reelrollers did I miss the sale? Ive been checking your website today with no luck.


No, I'm sorry the site isnt ready yet. I was bullish on the site update. Oct 1st.


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## skywalkertwins

@Reelrollers thanks for letting me know. I thought i over slept and it sold out. I try on Oct. 1st


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## AZPilot

Heavier, I currently have your smooth front roller. I also have a GM1000 with a grooved front roller and it makes a difference as it allows it to sink further into the canopy as opposed to smooth riding on top of the canopy.

@Reelrollers How do I get on the pre-order list?


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## AZPilot

AZPilot said:


> Heavier, I currently have your smooth front roller. I also have a GM1000 with a grooved front roller and it makes a difference as it allows it to sink further into the canopy as opposed to smooth riding on top of the canopy.
> 
> @Reelrollers How do I get on the pre-order list?


@Reelrollers In my excitement I didn't read all the pages, bad TLF member, but I did read all the way through, good TLF member!!! Now I am just patiently waiting till tomorrow.


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## Reelrollers

AZPilot said:


> AZPilot said:
> 
> 
> 
> Heavier, I currently have your smooth front roller. I also have a GM1000 with a grooved front roller and it makes a difference as it allows it to sink further into the canopy as opposed to smooth riding on top of the canopy.
> 
> @Reelrollers How do I get on the pre-order list?
> 
> 
> 
> @Reelrollers In my excitement I didn't read all the pages, bad TLF member, but I did read all the way through, good TLF member!!! Now I am just patiently waiting till tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Dang, Thats a lot of pressure. My web guy is going to hate me tomorrow. 10/1 is the goal!


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## Reelrollers

Today we launched the Grooved Rollers for purchase. All grooved roller orders will ship before 12/1.

https://reelrollers.com/shop-front-rollers/


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## kichigai

I just bought one.... how heavy is the roller ?


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## skywalkertwins

@Reelrollers i purchased mine. anxiously waiting like a kid at Christmas for it to arrive. Thank you


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## TulsaFan

kichigai said:


> I just bought one.... how heavy is the roller ?


Are you guys getting the lighter aluminum or heavier steel rollers?


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## kichigai

Good question...there was only one choice of roller to buy fir my tru cut....hopefully RR will reply with the answers


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## Greendoc

I asked about that earlier. There is a weight limit as to how heavy the front roller can be for a Tru-Cut or McLane mower so as to not affect the balance of the mower or cause problems with the wheel drive. If the roller is too heavy, I could see it causing the rear wheel drive to spin out on the grass and cause gouging.


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## Reelrollers

Great question and this is something we've been working on for a few years. It was important that we kept the larger 2.25" diameter currently on our smooth rollers because they handle concrete transitions much better than a smaller roller.

The best set up was the Aluminium 2.25" deep groove roller and that is the roller we're manufacuteing now.

We tested 4 variations:
-Steel with shallow grooves
-Steel with deep grooves
-Aluminium with shallow grooves
-Aluminium with deep grooves

Groove depth: the shallow grooves didn't sink into the turf any more than the smooth roller, there wasn't much benefit.

Material: the steel roller with deep grooves is insanely heavy. The weight of the steel made maneuvering the mower cumbersome
and the grooves were actually digging into the turf.

Because we are using larger diameter rollers than the common 1.9" Aluminium rollers, our grooved rollers with the steel mounting brackets weigh only a few pounds less than the smooth roller most folks use. The mowers really feel balanced.


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## drewwitt

Ordered! Tired of my TruCut floating on my 3/4" Zeon.


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## gkaneko

I ordered! Hawaii sucks! boat shipping and $43.


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## skywalkertwins

@gkaneko are you serious? i didn't even bother to see how they were gonna ship it to me. i was assuming fedex or ups.


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## gkaneko

yeah, shipping heavy things to Hawaii sucks. I think it takes 4 weeks too!


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## Greendoc

I get reels and bedknives shipped here from Arizona in 5 business days or less for about $100. Not understanding 1. Slowest shipping method 2. High price. A reel roller is about the size and weight of the reel for my GM 1000.


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## 95mmrenegade

I have a 12# dumbbell weight off the front along with the steel roller and it's about perfect. Keeps the front down, no traction issues, cuts clean. I can not imagine a lighter front end unless your a geezer or something.


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## Spammage

95mmrenegade said:


> I have a 12# dumbbell weight off the front along with the steel roller and it's about perfect. Keeps the front down, no traction issues, cuts clean. I can not imagine a lighter front end unless your a geezer or something.


+1. If I do get the new grooved roller (if - yeah right 🤣), my plan is to put the big steel roller across the front right above the grass shield to add weight.


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## skywalkertwins

Got my confirmation of roller being shipped out Today. In 14-21 days i will enjoy the mow. Thank you @Reelrollers


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## Reelrollers

Please give feedback! We shipped a little over 120 grooved rollers over the past 24 hours!


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## weezer0321

Reelrollers said:


> Please give feedback! We shipped a little over 120 grooved rollers over the past 24 hours!


Mine is out for delivery right now. I'll post some feedback as soon as I get it installed and give my nearly dormant zoysia a trim.


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## drewwitt

got my shipment notification! It arrives monday. My zoysia is still slowly growing in South Texas. Needs a cut. Will wait to cut with the grooved roller!


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## weezer0321

Got the grooved roller in last night and threw it on my Tru-Cut. Aesthetically, the roller is beautiful. There are no manufacturing flaws or the like.

I had a chance to cut with it this afternoon and was impressed with the balance that it provided to my mower. I've got the 27" Tru-Cut and it always bounced around and was too light at the nose. However, with the roller on the front, it felt absolutely planted to the lawn and didn't slide side to side or bounce around at all. As to it's striping ability, I can't comment on that. My grass isn't growing much right now and I cut on Wednesday night not knowing that I would have this roller on Wednesday.

My only negative is that the grooves are the perfect width to capture the tiny acorns that are around my lawn, so I have to pick those out by hand after they get wedged in there, but that isn't the fault of the roller.

Overall, I'm pleased and am looking forward to getting the chance to see how well it stripes.


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## skywalkertwins

Got mines in yesterday. Thank you @Reelrollers on that fast shipping to hawaii. I put mines on and got my first cut in. I like the weight and the grooves makes the cut not float. My only problem is the height adjument lever hole is a little bigger than the orignal. There is space. Other than that its great


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## Reelrollers

I agree the grooves really cut through the turf giving a very consistent cut.

I also think the rollers give the mower a tougher look!


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## gkaneko

I'll get some pictures up later. I got mine, installed it. It rides a tiny bit lower than the original roller. For some reason it creates more resistance to the rolling of the mower. I could tell that the mower ran slower than the original roller, you could feel there was more rolling resistance. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

I definitely cut more grass. I'm not sure if its because its cutting a bit lower or because of the grooves but there was substantially more grass in the catcher. Surprisingly there was very little scalping. I was surprised with the amount of grass that was being cut without major scalping.

Only draw back is the grooves do collect stuff. Mud get clogged if it's muddy and if you are unfortunate enough to run over your dog's poop, poop definitely gets stuck in the grooves and it's kind of a pain to get out without getting all over the place on everything.


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## 1k9

For those of use who have already purchased one of you smooth rollers, please make the grooved rollers available to us as a replacement roller so we can switch out from smooth roller. You could make the replacement grooved rollers only available To those who have already purchased a smooth roller system.
I think you would sell zillions of them this way. &#129305;&#127996;


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## Greendoc

gkaneko said:


> I'll get some pictures up later. I got mine, installed it. It rides a tiny bit lower than the original roller. For some reason it creates more resistance to the rolling of the mower. I could tell that the mower ran slower than the original roller, you could feel there was more rolling resistance. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
> 
> I definitely cut more grass. I'm not sure if its because its cutting a bit lower or because of the grooves but there was substantially more grass in the catcher. Surprisingly there was very little scalping. I was surprised with the amount of grass that was being cut without major scalping.
> 
> Only draw back is the grooves do collect stuff. Mud get clogged if it's muddy and if you are unfortunate enough to run over your dog's poop, poop definitely gets stuck in the grooves and it's kind of a pain to get out without getting all over the place on everything.


Grooved rollers do not smash down the grass before the blades as much. If I mow a lawn that was previously mowed with a Tru-Cut or McLane fitted with the smooth roller setting the HOC the same on the GM 1000, I will be cutting off a lot more grass. I have the solid steel grooved roller on the GM 1000.


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## skywalkertwins

Anybody else's grass catcher rubbing their grooved front roller?


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## skywalkertwins

Never mind. A little tilt on the grass catcher metal rods and it's all good now.


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## Reelrollers

Okay, so let's hear the feedback on the grooved front roller vs the smooth front roller.

We designed and launched the grooved roller in Oct 19 because customers kept asking for one for their well established lawns. I personally like the tighter cut, but would love to hear from those who have used both.


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## cnet24

@Reelrollers just getting started with the grooved roller after scalping. Agree it provides a better cut vs. the smooth roller and I prefer it. I'm interested to see how it handles more dense turf later in the year after a few fertilizer and PGR uses. That's where the smooth roller seemed to glide, so hoping the grooved roller provides a more aggressive cut.


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## kydegan

I received mine sometime in early November. I previously had casters on my 25" Tru-cut. It has totally changed the way I feel about the machine. It has balanced the machine out and made it much easier to control. I cannot give a comparison between the smooth and grooved rollers, but the cut is markedly better with the grooved roller vs. the casters. I seeded a PRG back lawn (about 5500 sq ft) for the winter as more of erosion control and have enjoyed feeling like a golf superintendent of my own course since.

I will be killing off the PRG soon and sodding a tif419 lawn soon and I am curious to see if I get the same results.


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## Reelrollers

kydegan said:


> I received mine sometime in early November. I previously had casters on my 25" Tru-cut. It has totally changed the way I feel about the machine. It has balanced the machine out and made it much easier to control. I cannot give a comparison between the smooth and grooved rollers, but the cut is markedly better with the grooved roller vs. the casters. I seeded a PRG back lawn (about 5500 sq ft) for the winter as more of erosion control and have enjoyed feeling like a golf superintendent of my own course since.
> 
> I will be killing off the PRG soon and sodding a tif419 lawn soon and I am curious to see if I get the same results.


Forget the rollers, your lawn looks awesome!


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## SoCalBermuda

Anyone have feedback on the smooth vs grooved roller for someone who's looking to buy one for a Mclane? I have Bermuda and I want to cut as low as possible. However, my backyard isn't the smoothest but I'm working on leveling out the little ruts and potholes from pulling out chunks of Dallisgrass. And my front yard is sloped coming up from the sidewalk. Both are not fully established, 75 grass/25 bare. I'm hoping that by the end of the summer the Bermuda will have pushed through to the bare spots. I want to buy one and done, so I'm thinking the grooved roller. Currently I have the stock caster wheels. I am open to the smooth if the grooved wouldn't be ideal for me for a while.


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## SGrabs33

SoCalBermuda said:


> Anyone have feedback on the smooth vs grooved roller for someone who's looking to buy one for a Mclane? I have Bermuda and I want to cut as low as possible. However, my backyard isn't the smoothest but I'm working on leveling out the little ruts and potholes from pulling out chunks of Dallisgrass. And my front yard is sloped coming up from the sidewalk. Both are not fully established, 75 grass/25 bare. I'm hoping that by the end of the summer the Bermuda will have pushed through to the bare spots. I want to buy one and done, so I'm thinking the grooved roller. Currently I have the stock caster wheels. I am open to the smooth if the grooved wouldn't be ideal for me for a while.


I don't see any reason why the smooth would be better than the grooved roller for you. The grooved should allow for a better cut at the lower height you are trying to achieve.


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## MasterMech

SoCalBermuda said:


> Anyone have feedback on the smooth vs grooved roller for someone who's looking to buy one for a Mclane? I have Bermuda and I want to cut as low as possible. However, my backyard isn't the smoothest but I'm working on leveling out the little ruts and potholes from pulling out chunks of Dallisgrass. And my front yard is sloped coming up from the sidewalk. Both are not fully established, 75 grass/25 bare. I'm hoping that by the end of the summer the Bermuda will have pushed through to the bare spots. I want to buy one and done, so I'm thinking the grooved roller. Currently I have the stock caster wheels. I am open to the smooth if the grooved wouldn't be ideal for me for a while.


Heavy grooved rollers will do more to help smooth out minor bumps your lawn.


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## cnet24

@SoCalBermuda grooved and don't look back. It is my first year using it and I'm getting an "almost" greens mower quality cut.


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## SoCalBermuda

Seemed unanimous. I ordered the grooved last night and looks like it shipped this morning. We'll see how long it takes to get to San Diego from Georgia


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## Reelrollers

You'll be mowing with it by Wed! please post your experience!


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## nickmg

I installed a solid roller last week and wow what a difference. Some think you are crazy that the roller cost me more than I paid for the mower.


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## SoCalBermuda

Here we go!


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## Coach8

I bought a smooth one for my Tru-Cut C27 last year. A few questions to people that have tried both. Is it worth the price for the change? Will the grooved roller help with stolons and matting? How does the striping compare?


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## Way2low01

Coach8 said:


> I bought a smooth one for my Tru-Cut C27 last year. A few questions to people that have tried both. Is it worth the price for the change? Will the grooved roller help with stolons and matting? How does the striping compare?


I removed my smooth roller and replaced with the grooved on my C-25. With my grass still waking up here in NC, I really haven't had a chance to compare/contrast between the two. I've been mowing for a few weeks now but still waiting for the grass to fully green up. Once it's fully growing, I'll be able to make a fair comparison.


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## cnet24

A lunchtime mow with my C-27 Tru-Cut and grooved front roller. Not sure if it is the roller or time of day, but I never got stripes like this with my smooth roller. I will say, the cut quality is much better (think greens mower quality without a greens mower). Still curious to see how it handles much thicker turf in the summertime:


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## SoCalBermuda

I got a feeling I didn't install mine correctly as I cannot a dust by height to notch 1. The black roller bar hits the yellow height adjusting handle.


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## Spammage

Any updates from those who upgraded from the smooth roller to the grooved one?


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## GoDawgs

Anyone have any feedback? Wondering if this will help with the floating on thick Bermuda. More aggressive cut? Currently at .5"


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## Joeeeekkkkk

SoCalBermuda said:


> I got a feeling I didn't install mine correctly as I cannot a dust by height to notch 1. The black roller bar hits the yellow height adjusting handle.


It looks like you have it installed on the middle of the three holes at the front of the mower. I would suggest installing it on the top hole as this will allow you to have the lower HOC range. I had the same thought as you initially with the roller and wasn't getting as low a cut as I desired and the lowest setting wouldn't stay in place. Shifted the roller position and good as gold.


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## Ware

GoDawgs said:


> Anyone have any feedback? Wondering if this will help with the floating on thick Bermuda. More aggressive cut? Currently at .5"


I prefer a grooved front roller.


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## GoDawgs

Thanks Ware.


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