Reel Vs. Standard Mower on bermuda and zoysia grass

11 years ago

Ok ive had a very interesting question come up by one of my customers. and im gonna direct this question @tiemco or dchall maybe one of you can answer this. Reel or standard mower And the question is which is the better type mower for bermuda and zoysia grass? And is there a preference? i personally dont own a reel mower i own 4 Kubota ZD331 tractors and some smaller ones for those people who have gated yards that my big mowers wont fit thru. And i have noticed that alot of schools in my neighborhood use reel mowers on their football fields any thots on this. Im assuming the reel mowers cut way lower. I mean my ZTRs cut pretty low but not low low..

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Comments (5)

KubotaMaster
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes i know i probably should shuld have posted this in the lawn mower or tractor forum but not many of them folks know the effects on the grass they are like me and only know about the mechanics of the mowers.
david_tx
11 years ago
There are a lot of Bermuda lawns around here and lots of lawn services. I've never seen any of them use a reel mower. Sure, you can get lower with the reel but that means more frequent mowing. Is there anyone in your customer base willing to hire you to mow three times per week?

At higher mowing heights, the reel mower will definitely give a sharper and more even cut. That "sharp" look goes away with a couple of days of growth. So, IMO, you'd still have to mow much more often to really see the benefits of the reel.
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Should I even consider this change, because from what I am seeing a reel mower means lower cutting heights. Will this be to much stress on the grass? Manicuring turf (as opposed to "just" mowing it) describes the action of clipping a small part of the grass blades. You can use the rule of thumb to not remove any more than one-third of the grass height at any one mowing. An example of this would be if you are maintaining your lawn at 1.5 inches, mow the lawn when it gets to about 2.25 inches. To-date, the only method used to manicure turf is a reel mower where the reel, in conjunction with a bedknife, creates a shearing action, as compared to an impact with a rotary. The shearing action is one that duplicates a pair of scissors. Just like a pair of scissors, the reel blades should be acting with the bedknife with very little (preferably zero) clearance between the two. If you have been "just" mowing with a rotary mower and change to a reel mower to manicure your lawn, one thing you can do almost immediately is to bring down the height of cut. Mowing lower is possible because you are doing minimal damage to the grass blade and you are cutting the blade tip off cleanly, not leaving a ragged edge on the blade. This causes less yellowing and gives your lawn a better and healthier overall appearance. What are the best heights for the Zosysia Jamur grass Rotary and Reel mowing? JaMur Zoyziagrass is a medium to course textured zoysia primarily developed for use in high traffic, high visibility locations. JaMur is similar in appearance to a dwarf variety of St.Augustine and has many of the same uses. The recommended cutting height, with a rotary mower is 2 to 3 inches. Using a reel mower you can mow between 3/4" and 1-1/2". Using a gang reel setup, I'd recommend the higher end of the reel recommendations. Using something like this would make fairly quick work of your 1/3 acre while providing a manicured look: Good day, Dan
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This weekend I will dust off the McLane and take a photo-tutorial for you. In the meantime if you follow the reel shafts to the outside frame of the mower, mixed among the jumble of frame bolts and height adjustment bolts there will be an aluminum colored plate with small "ears" on it. There should be two bolts maybe three along the outer edges of this plate. Loosen all of the bolts on both sides. Use a drift punch and small hammer to tap the ears forward. Left side of mower counterclockwise, right side clockwise. This will rotate the entire reel down against the bedknife. Tap both sides equally until you cannot spin the reel at all, then start gently tapping the other way (away from the bedknife). You want to be able to turn the reel FORWARD with a single finger but still hear or feel very slight contact. Then get a sheet of newspaper and cut it into strips. You want the paper to be cut cleanly......not pinched or torn along the ENTIRE length of the bedknife. Once you get it, tighten down carefully. You may have to secure the reel position with your hand while tightening. Once you do this a few times you will know exactly what a proper mating feels and sounds like. You may have to adjust every week or so depending on your mowing habits. Stay away from mower shops that claim they sharpen reel mowers unless that is all they deal with. None of them get it right.
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To the Original Poster: A half acre (20,000sf) is a LOT OF LAWN for a manual mower. I've got nearly an acre lot, with about 25,000sf of lawn, and even a walk-behind self propelled mower kicks my butt. In New Jersey I have rye, but I lived in Southern California until 2000 and had St Augustine, so my experiences were similar to yours. However, I had a 12,000sf lot (big for So Cal) and about 7,000sf or actual lawn. While I can appreciate your desire to get rid of a gas engine, I think you need to consider a power reel mower. Personally I like the Trimmer mower. I had a succession of both 20" and 25" mowers. Preferred the "Original" all chain drive mower, although the less expensive "Home Owner" model did an adequate job in a non-commercial environment. The Tru-Cut was also an excellent machine and was available in 21", 25", and 27" cuts. The Tru-Cut was a wheel drive while the Trimmer was a roller drive. At a lower price point, the 20" McLane was a competent machine. Not as good as Trimmer or Tru-Cut, but about 2/3 the price. Whatever you do, avoid the 17" model. I think it is a piece of crap. Good luck.
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tiemco
11 years ago
A properly sharpened and set up reel mower will always give a better cut than a rotary. Reel mowers cut like a pair of scissors, the grass is cut by a moving blade against a stationary bedknife. It also gives more even results as the bedknife holds the blades up while they are cut as opposed to being hit by a spinning blade with some lift provided by a suction effect from the blade. After I cut my lawn with a rotary I usually have some missed blades. Reel mowers are the only ones that can cut very short, so if you want to have a fairway for a yard, then you need a reel mower. A bumpy yard however, will give an uneven cut at low heights (the yard will look even, but the grass on mounds will be shorter and in the dips will be longer), and scalping can occur, but this is also true of rotaries too. Rotaries, if their blades aren't very sharp will tear grass blades, so you get ragged edges, which isn't great for grass, although a poorly sharpened reel can have its issues too.
texas_weed
11 years ago
What it boils down to is quality and frequency of mowing.

Most all Bermuda and Zoysia varieties look and perform best when kept less than 1-inch. Some Varieties you can go to less than 1/4 inch like those used on putting greens and sports feilds.

But be very careful what you ask for. When you go lower than an inch requires more frequent mowing. On the order of two to 3 times a week mowing. . Get down to sports field and golf course height with Bermuda and you are talking every day mowing.

In addition you are talking more water and fertilizer thus more expense.

Great if you are a pro landscaper and have a customer with a large multi-acre lawn as you can keep 1 man full time there working every day. All you got to do is get the client to sign the contract for $1500/week... You get a $1000 and Pedro gets $500 a week.
dchall_san_antonio
11 years ago
Ditto. Reels mow better than rotary lower than 1 inch. Rotaries are much less expensive and do okay above 1 inch.

Reel Vs. Standard Mower on bermuda and zoysia grass

Comments (5)

KubotaMaster
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david_tx

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Reel Vs. Standard Mower on bermuda and zoysia grass

Comments (5)

KubotaMasterOriginal Author

david_tx

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KubotaMaster
Original Author