# JACOBSEN ECLIPSE 118F



## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

https://fayar.craigslist.org/grd/d/john-deere-220a-greens-mower/6643593787.html

Would this be worth driving several hours for?

$500 good deal or pass and wait for Toro or ?

Here is another

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/grd/d/jacobson-eclipse-11sf-greens/6636657759.html


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

I'd be more interested in the Eclipse than the 220a I think, especially if the prices end up comparable.


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

The Jacobsen looks to be a floating cutting unit. That is a great deal provided that the reel is in good condition and both brushless motors run properly. 
I have a fixed head cutting unit and it's amazing how quiet it is when cutting. Just know that the electric reels don't have as much grunt when it comes to scalping duties compared to the JD or Toro units.


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

metro424 said:


> The Jacobsen looks to be a floating cutting unit. That is a great deal provided that the reel is in good condition and both brushless motors run properly.
> I have a fixed head cutting unit and it's amazing how quiet it is when cutting. Just know that the electric reels don't have as much grunt when it comes to scalping duties compared to the JD or Toro units.


The seller stated "I get a high voltage alert but it does not stop it from running". 
Should I be worried? I don't like electrical gremlins...

OK. What cutting height does this unit go to, 7/8th, 1 inch?

I will ask about the motors. Thanks


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

DR_GREENTHUMB said:


> metro424 said:
> 
> 
> > The Jacobsen looks to be a floating cutting unit. That is a great deal provided that the reel is in good condition and both brushless motors run properly.
> ...


The high voltage alert can be a couple things, the mower is basically a generator that runs at ~60 volts. Engine rpm dictates voltage and if it spikes over 60 it will give an overvolt alert to protect the genset, it should shut the electronics off but the engine still runs. All you usually have to do is decrease engine rpm with the throttle lever and it's fixed. I would use that as a negotiation point to get it a bit cheaper. I think height of cut is somewhere around 0.5"


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

metro424 said:


> DR_GREENTHUMB said:
> 
> 
> > metro424 said:
> ...


I bought it! It's a pretty beastly machine, I will need to pick your brain as there isn't much information out there regarding these machines. The guy who owned it had no clue, reel was packed with grass, I doubt the grease zerks were ever lubed, the engine oil looked decent, starts on first pull, but I don't think the guy was taking good care of it. Said he only had it a year, tried to make a putting green in his back yard, but I think he had too much money to really care about it. I think it either needs a grind or backlap as it doesn't cut paper, I found out how to put it in backlap mode, but don't know how to make the reel spin backwards?

EDIT: Nevermind, I thought these units might backlap mechanically on their own...


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

Back lap mode requires going into the menus. My passcode on my 3 Jacobson's is all the same 6 7 8 9 one of my mowers you have to hold both the yellow buttons down when you turn the key to energize the electronics and that prompts you to put the passcode in. The others you just keep scrolling until it tells you to input pin. You switch the reel to backlap mode on the little black switch on the side of the mower set the time and speed for it to spin and engage and release the bail lever and it starts spinning backwards.


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

metro424 said:


> Back lap mode requires going into the menus. My passcode on my 3 Jacobson's is all the same 6 7 8 9 one of my mowers you have to hold both the yellow buttons down when you turn the key to energize the electronics and that prompts you to put the passcode in. The others you just keep scrolling until it tells you to input pin. You switch the reel to backlap mode on the little black switch on the side of the mower set the time and speed for it to spin and engage and release the bail lever and it starts spinning backwards.


WOW, So it does actually spin the reel backwards without having an actual "outside motor"? I need to read the manual and figure this out, this mower is really advanced.

EDIT: OK, I stumbled onto the backlap mode with that button, same one that puts it into drive, or cut mode. That is why I thought it might "reverse" for backlapping. Thats great! I hope it'll help, but I may need to grind but we will try the easier approach first. I do have to check the mower over good, as I did a "practice" run with it and several things came up. So the owner had the motor idled down, I guess to keep the voltage down below *60 or something? I have to check again as this is my first chance to feel her out. I did idle her up all the way and the unit was beeping and I noticed the error in the board. I just have never run a mower slower than full speed, is this normal? Like I said the owner really didn't have a clue, he didn't know what a backlap, or the bedkinife was, he was really well off, and I think just trying to make a chipping, putting green in his back yard. Which is great, but I don't think he really knew, or cared about the equipment though. I did also find a carriage bolt in the lawn after my first pass, also, I noticed the bolt that was connected to the idle bolt was vibrating pretty bad, I thought it would have fallen off. 
I will give her a good once over this weekend, But I think I know I need a backlap, at least now. She didn't cut paper at all!

EDIT EDIT: One thing that I thought was cool was that I had no idea at what length my Mclane was mowing at, as I had the roller on front, and I couldn't adjust it to "really know" what the HOC was, I had to adjust this new mower pretty low to really start cutting, and I actually scalped a little before I noticed it was cutting. From what I understand is that only goes up to ~.438". Long story short I think I was cutting lower than .5, in which I am impressed with the Mclane. It's a pretty darn good mower..


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

Easy backlap, bed knife adjustment and we're cutting paper!


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

It's not like other mowers where mow speed increases with engine speed,the floppy paddle at the handlebars controls mow speed. You can go into the menu to make adjustments and change the reel speed/clip rate, reset hour meter, ect

I haven't actually put a tach on the engine to see what mine is spinning at but engine rpm shouldn't really matter as long as you have the correct voltage... at least I don't think it should.


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## M311att (May 22, 2017)

I have the 122f. I'll check my running voltages on Saturday. The only complaint I have is that the mower is difficult to get close to walls etc.


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

metro424 said:


> It's not like other mowers where mow speed increases with engine speed,the floppy paddle at the handlebars controls mow speed. You can go into the menu to make adjustments and change the reel speed/clip rate, reset hour meter, ect
> 
> I haven't actually put a tach on the engine to see what mine is spinning at but engine rpm shouldn't really matter as long as you have the correct voltage... at least I don't think it should.


what reel RPM are you cutting at, or is that something I have to play with. I think its currently at like 2200?


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## metro424 (May 26, 2017)

If I understand the manual correctly you can set a desired frequency of clip and the reel will speed up/slow down 1800-2200rpm to maintain that clip rate at different speeds. You can also set it for a fixed reel speed. For me, I'm cutting centipede and one test plot of tifgrand so I haven't honestly noticed a difference in cut quality at different reel speeds but I'm also cutting at the max height of cut. 


Backlap mode makes it really easy to clean the reel of any grass clippings!


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## DR_GREENTHUMB (May 24, 2018)

metro424 said:


> Backlap mode makes it really easy to clean the reel of any grass clippings!


I haven't tried that yet, I did accomplish one backlap in that mode.

Once I got her back to the house I had to give her a test run, and I ended up making several "scalped" passes. Oops.
My lawn was nice and green and it had two white scalped passes around one side and straight down the middle.

I raised the HOC by counting the rotations on the dial all the way up from where I was, then counting the rotations until I had 4 complete turns. I suppose it will take a little trial and error to get her all dialed in.

I think I am starting to figure her out, what a difference in cut and it stripes well!

Is there any way to determine what year this unit is?


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