Reel vs regular deck mowers

[Gary noe]

I have a very large yard and came across a lf 128 golf course fairway mower ,runs great and reals are sharp my question is why won't it cut my lawn,was even thinking about if there is a deck conversion kit and deck that would work. Thanks

 

[cpurvis]

How much are you trying to take off? Reel mowers aren't meant to take off a lot.

 

[Honda Tech]

And they don't like rough yards either. Golf course fairway mower would require a golf course fairway lawn....smooth and meticously maintained.

 

[wrldtvlr]

But they sure do cut purdy!

 

[Hammermechanicman]

If you have never maintained a reel mower you won't like a reel mower. You need to back lap the reel(s) and set the bed knife fairly often to keep a good cut. Reel mowers are made to only cut an inch to inch and a half.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The bed knives need to be set very close to the reel as reel mowers cut with a scissor action
This is why they do not like tough grasses , twigs or tuffted weeds .
The gap is in the order of 0.010" and as already mentioned needs to be reset every few hours.
Most golf courses spend more time lapping blades on these mowers than mowing with them.
Next is the speed, a tiny amount of blade slip will render them useless.
And then there is travel, you have to get that right, if you over run the reels then they will tear & jamb.
I love the cut but way too much maintenance for me and fortunately I have only 2 in my service run
These are used on couch grass and in season the owners cut their grass every day because if they don't the mowers choke on the clippings.
Most golf courses would mow fairways every second day .
And the other problem is the type of grass.
Reels like thin leaved grasses and hate tough grasses like buffalo or kikui

 

[slomo]

Like the others said, it's a negative on the reel mower vs a rotary. Reels are meant to cut low like .5" or shorter. Better have a laser flat yard.

slomo

 

[Gary noe]

The bed knives need to be set very close to the reel as reel mowers cut with a scissor action
This is why they do not like tough grasses , twigs or tuffted weeds .
The gap is in the order of 0.010" and as already mentioned needs to be reset every few hours.
Most golf courses spend more time lapping blades on these mowers than mowing with them.
Next is the speed, a tiny amount of blade slip will render them useless.
And then there is travel, you have to get that right, if you over run the reels then they will tear & jamb.
I love the cut but way too much maintenance for me and fortunately I have only 2 in my service run
These are used on couch grass and in season the owners cut their grass every day because if they don't the mowers choke on the clippings.
Most golf courses would mow fairways every second day .
And the other problem is the type of grass.
Reels like thin leaved grasses and hate tough grasses like buffalo or kikui

The bed knives need to be set very close to the reel as reel mowers cut with a scissor action
This is why they do not like tough grasses , twigs or tuffted weeds .
The gap is in the order of 0.010" and as already mentioned needs to be reset every few hours.
Most golf courses spend more time lapping blades on these mowers than mowing with them.
Next is the speed, a tiny amount of blade slip will render them useless.
And then there is travel, you have to get that right, if you over run the reels then they will tear & jamb.
I love the cut but way too much maintenance for me and fortunately I have only 2 in my service run
These are used on couch grass and in season the owners cut their grass every day because if they don't the mowers choke on the clippings.
Most golf courses would mow fairways every second day .
And the other problem is the type of grass.
Reels like thin leaved grasses and hate tough grasses like buffalo or kikui

Is there a way to convert reels with a deck

 

[northcreeek262]

From what I'm seeing your machine was never offered with anything but, reel mowers so there would be no direct bolt on but, if your fabrication skills are decent anything can be adapted from another machine but, rotary decks are popular and consequently not cheap.
You might want to pose your question to Jacobsen. I have done so and they are great at getting back with an answer, although it may not be what you want to hear.....Mike.