# GM vs. Traditional reel



## Jericho574 (May 24, 2017)

I'm in the process of leveling my little yard and would like to buy a reel mower. My research has been limited to Mclane and Tru-Cut. With a less than perfectly flat yard, I imagine a front roller is a must. Is a rear roller of any help?

Also, size....would a bigger, say 25", provide a smoother cut? Longer reel = fewer bumps for it to fall into??

After reading MQ's thread (constantly verticutting, dethatching, sweeping, etc...) with his Baroness, it made me think that a machine that allows for multiple attachments might be fun. That got me thinking GM, or even something like Allett Kensington. Thoughts?


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

For a bumpy lawn, a reel will scalp even less than a rotary. This is because the cutting reel is close to the rollers. A wider reel might actually scalp a bit more than a narrower reel on a bumpy lawn because the reel prevents scalping with a short cutting distance front to back (roller to reel), not side to side. (Someone will correct me if I'm wrong)

I've never owned a homeowner styled TruCut or McLane, but I've been happy with how affordable, solid, and easy to adjust a greens mower is.


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## Redtenchu (Jan 28, 2017)

+1 DFW

A Greens mower will also slowly help to flatten out some raised bumps you have.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

I bought a Trucut C27 with the optional front roller last fall with the intent of going low with my Bermuda this year. I wanted a Flex 21, but could not find one nearby at a decent price (used). Now that I've had a taste of reel mowing I wish I would have waited and got the greens mower that I really wanted. I just saw a Craigslist ad for a Flex 21 for $650.00, that looked to be in amazing condition. I am so tempted to buy it and either use the trucut for a backup mower, or just sell it.

So, my take, is if you are thinking you want a greens mower, get it. Do not settle for a Trucut or McLane. Somewhere down the line, you will ache for that greens mower that you passed on and settled for a Trucut or McLane

Disclaimer: My Trucut works great, and like it - a lot. But it ain't no greens mower. In my opinion, you will get a cleaner, more crisp cut with a greens mower if you plan on going less than .050 HOC


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## MrMeaner (Feb 21, 2017)

I know on my 27" tru cut the both rear double wheels and front roller are pretty far from each other leaving the bed knife far from either roller/wheel. With that said it leaves a great cut and is very easy to change heights quickly.

On both of my Triplexes the distance between the front and rear roller are less meaning the bed knives are closer to the rollers. More so on the greens mower Triplex

On the flex21 and other certain walking greens mowers the cutting head is separate from the motor and frame carrier and rear drum.. the reel head is pulled along the ground by a bar or bars attached to the reel head. So in essence the some models have three rollers, two on the cutting unit and the rear drive drum. Your yard has to be pretty level to use a flex head type greens mower as the cutting head itself is not very heavy. I find in using my now greens mower triplex the heads tend to wobble and bit being pulled across bumpy areas of my lawn, causing a washboarded effect. Finding out now my big utility/trim mower has much heavier, wider(27") cutting heads and a large weihl rollers that leave a better cut on my yard than the greens mower - both are set to .400 - just a bunch of random thoughts thrown out there to chew on while making a decision on purchasing a mower


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## lagerman72 (Feb 14, 2017)

I just recently switched from a McLane to a JD GM and am still getting used to the JD. As others have said, it's much easier to adjust cutting height (all I've adjusted on JD so far) but is quite a lot heavier and bigger to control. It's not a problem, just a lot different and taking more time to get used to than rolling the McLane around. The biggest factor for me getting one was having a groomer to help with grain, and having all lawn touching parts be rollers and not wheels. Even with a roller on the front of my McLane I started to notice wheel marks from the rear wheels after a few years (I switched mowing patterns all the time). The McLane cut great and served me very well and hopefully I can say the same about the JD in a few years.


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