Toro Reelmaster 5410 (03670) Articles
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1. Marketing Manager Reelmaster Products The Toro Company Aftercut appearance Part One The science behind the art As most of you can attest the one thing you can always count on changing Is the environment and turf conditions along with it At some point in every turf manager s career they will encounter turf and or soil variations that alter the aftercut ap pearance of their reel mowers After reviewing some of the latest TurfNet Forum discussions regarding aftercut appearance ACA on fairways we at Toro felt it appropriate to shed some light on how the reel interacts with the turf and how changes in turf conditions can alter that interaction as well as share a few adjustment tips to compensate for changing conditions Rather than provide a step by step diagnosis tool we want to help you bet ter understand how variations across the season affect ACA and in turn help you better achieve the ACA you desire Our recommendations result from thou sands of hours of field testing and years of research and development that cul minated with our Reelmaster 5010 series Every golf course and even individ ual fairways has its own unique condi tions that often require special atten tion These variations can include differ ences in turf and soil composition culti vars seasonal growing periods geo graphic location water fertilizer and even individual micro environments within a single fairway As a manufa2. dra matic improvements in clipping disper sion and ensure a smooth level roller which ultimately increases consistency from reel to reel High thatch conditions Thatch buildup is another turf condition that affects the interaction of the reel with the canopy and the resulting ACA of the turf Because thatch creates a spongy surface and a denser canopy the cutting unit may exhibit similar ten dencies to wet or high growth condi tions The most critical issue created by thatch buildup is related to how the denser canopy reduces the amount of sunlight and nutrients exposed to the base of the canopy This ultimately re duces the amount and depth of green leaf tissue on the leaf blades which magnifies any inconsistencies between cutting units especially from an effec tive HOC standpoint In high thatch conditions the green to white color gradient from tip to crown is smaller than normal To understand this further we need to take into account the fact that the leaf blade has a color gradient from tip to crown green to white tan re spectively Because of this aftercut ap pearance and mowing uniformity is highly dependent on uniformity in effec tive HOC This is especially in high thatch conditions where the color gradi ent is smaller than normal or when taking off more than 1 3 of the leaf blade To compensate for this potential turf condition Toro has engineered an integrated blade and brush style
3. rear cutting units for a more uniform HOC and resulting ACA Me 1 A Te Spring actuator Hole locations oN Each of four settings on the counterbalance springs increases or decreases counter balance on the cutting unit by 5 Ib The springs can be positioned on the back side of the spring actuator to remove all counter balance 4th position Other ACA variations which can result from cutting unit overlap include double rol marks and double cut marks Each has its own unique visual appear ance and typically shows up as small 2 or less strip between each cutting unit To compensate for these Toro devel oped shorter rear rollers standard on o dia cutting units to eliminate the double roller marks most often seen in cool season grasses A top view of the Toro 5 DPA fairway cutting unit showing the full width rear roller installed with the now standard shorter rear roller behind it TurfNet Monthly May 2008 Double roll or double cut marks Run two passes side by side in the same direction one pass with the reels on and the other with the reels off If the strips go away on the pass where the reels were not spinning then it is a double cut mark If the strip is the same between the two it is generally a double roll mark A second technique is to examine individual strips from both sides of the mowing pass behind and in front If the color appears lighter from both directions it ge
4. appearance Continued from pg 12 Wet Conditions Wet or spongy conditions create many challenges for reel mowers Cutting units are designed to achieve a specific mow height in relation to the bottom of the rollers Notice that did not simply say to achieve a specific height of cut This is because the actual effective height of cut HOC is influenced by how far the rollers sink or engage into the turf Canopy The amount of engagement is de pendent on many factors including cut ting unit total weight on the turf sus pension system down pressure front to rear roller weight bias roller type smooth grooved canopy thickness amount of clippings and even the amount of grass turf removed Under wet turf conditions reel to reel setup consistency across the machine becomes more critical The effective vs bench set HOC variation becomes more apparent when the turf is soft as it will allow the cutting unit to sink or engage further into the canopy resulting in a lower effective HOC when compared to the same fair way when it is dry or firm Under wet turf conditions reel to reel setup consistency across the ma chine becomes more critical to ensure a uniform ACA Issues that may occur if reels are not set up consistently include scalping marking step cut and excess clippings among many others To com pensate most reel mowers have vari ous roller options adjustable counter balance springs an
5. cturer we design reel mowers to perform optimally across a broad range of mowing conditions We also provide a series of targeted adjust ments to compensate for turf variability when conditions fall outside the range of normal TurfNet Monthly May 2008 Toro machines are shipped with factory settings intended for the best performance under the widest range of conditions They may however need to be adjusted seasonally as dictated by changes in specific turf conditions The following guidance is intended to highlight ACA issues which can sur face during seasonal environmental changes and provide directional adjust ments to compensate for them Changes in turf spring rate causing bobbing Varying levels of turf unevenness cause fairway cutting units to hop vertically as they traverse the contours in the fair way Firm turf and heavier cutting unit weight help stabilize the reels to mini mize bobbing and the resulting uneven cut There is however a window in early spring when the turf comes out of dor mancy the soil is very soft and the spring rate of the turf approaches the level needed to create bobbing of the cutting unit Soring rate determines the distance the turf deflects under the weight of the cutting unit The softer a turf is the lower the spring rate the longer it takes for the cutting unit to re stabilize and stop bouncing This turf condition is not isolated to the beg
6. d most importantly HOC adjustment to allow you to achieve the same effective HOC in a variety of conditions When selecting a cutting unit con figuration one must understand that each cutting unit design or configura tion will have a different effective HOC due to the differences in ground pres sure at the roller the cutting unit sus 2008 Turnstile Publishing Company All Rights Reserved Wet or high growth conditions may require special adjustment to ensure a uniform aftercut appearance across the full swath of the machine pension the aggressiveness of cut etc This means that the same HOC for one type of reel mower will not necessarily give the same result on another To ensure your mower provides the desired ACA in wet conditions it is most important to ensure all adjustments and attachments are set the same If needed it may help to switch to full roll ers add rear roller brushes or in crease the HOC setting High growth conditions cutting unit overlap In times of high growth rates like in the spring after fertilizer applications or even from extended periods between mowing the thicker canopy and in creased amount of leaf blade removal create a unique mowing surface which may alter ACA from reel to reel TENT aN i A o As the cutting unit rides over the turf the canopy acts as a support pushing up on the rollers and bedknife with varying force depending on the amo
7. e of thumb to back off on the HOC to relieve stress on the turf In conclusion maintaining fairways requires a high level of knowledge and skill to understand the potential turf variations across such a large area The more you can understand about how your mower interacts with the natural variations of the turf the better equipped you will be to deliver the qual ity experience your golfers expect The adjustments highlighted above are only guidelines They work well in most condi tions but additional adjustments may be necessary to meet specific require ments or circumstances pi Coming next month Aftercut Appearance Part 2 Demystifying Step Cut Appearance where we will explore the most common types of step cut review diagnostic tips and provide directional recommendations to optimize the aftercut appearance of your fairways TurfNet Monthly May 2008
8. groomer This optional attachment combines the cutting action of a blade Continued on page 15 2008 Turnstile Publishing Company All Rights Reserved Aftercut appearance Continued from pg 14 with the lifting action of a brush to re duce thatch encourage lateral growth and reduce grain resulting in a firmer healthier fairway and a cleaner cut Other maintenance options effec tive in reducing thatch and grain include verti cutting mowing in alternating di rections aeration topdressing etc But like all changes in turf maintenance practices removing thatch or grain will involve patience due to the retraining process of the turf Hot or dry conditions When turf enters into the peak season for heat and dryness it is fairly common for the leaf blade to dry out or retain less moisture resulting in a less lush canopy This reduction in canopy mois ture has a direct impact on the cutting 2008 Turnstile Publishing Company All Rights Reserved unit as the moisture in the clippings acts as a lubricant for the reel as is makes contact with the bedknife When this moisture in the leaf blade is reduced cutting units have a tendency to experience increased heat and friction across the reel and bed knife surface It is a good rule of thumb to run not as tight of contact between the reel and bedknife during these sea sonal conditions Similarly during high turf stress conditions it is generally a good rul
9. inning of the growth season but that is when it most often appears To understand this further think of a typical spring Suspension on a car as it rides over a bump If the suspension is stiff like a sports car a high spring rate the tire or in our case the roller will traverse through the bump and quickly stabilize back to following the contours of the road On the other end of the spectrum if the suspension is softer lower spring rate like a Cadillac the tire will traverse through the bump absorb some of the energy and continue to bob or sway vertically long after the initial impact This is how the cutting unit can become excited to the point where bobbing occurs and continues across a fairway Soft turf with a low spring rate does not re stabilize cutting units as quickly as firm turf does so bobbing is more likely To offset this variation in turf Toro engineered a turf compensation spring to optimize front to rear weight bias of the cutting unit This adjustment gives you the ability to aggressively follow un dulations of a fairway during normal mowing conditions and if needed shift more of the cutting unit weight to the rear roller to reduce any bobbing that may occur during the growing season Under soft conditions the turf compensation springs may need to be adjusted to shift more c u weight to the rear roller 2008 Turnstile Publishing Company All Rights Reserved Aftercut
10. nerally indicates a double cut mark Roller options like front shoulder rollers or a decreased bedknife attitude should be considered If the color shifts from light to dark when viewed in different directions it generally indicates a double roller mark and roller options should be considered with different end designs example shorter rear rollers An optional front shoulder roller is designed to reduce double cut marks most often seen in warm season grass by increasing the rolling action of the cutting unit in the overlap areas High growth conditions clipping dispersion Excessive clippings during high growth conditions can have a significant affect on ACA due to their ability to alter the way sunlight reflects off the canopy and affect the HOC between reels When clippings are thrown for ward they thicken the canopy and re duce the ability of the to engage into the turf thereby altering the effective HOC This issue is magnified by the helix design of the reels because the front reels tend to throw additional clippings into the path of the rear cutting units causing them to rise up resulting in a higher effective HOC and creating an opposite step cut appearance Toro has designed a clipping deflec tion system to compensate for this con dition but you may also need to con sider the rear throw configuration to improve mowing capacity and reduce clumping in high growth conditions Rear roller brushes have shown
11. unt of turf or canopy thickness be low it This is also part of the reason why you observe a difference between bench set and effective HOC Now let s address the fact that all cutting units have a certain amount of overlap between them to minimize un cut turf when turning or mowing on side hills The Reelmaster 5010 series with 22 DPA cutting units for instance was designed with 212 of overlap on each side of the cutting unit This means the front three reels are exposed to a full 22 of thick uncut turf canopy while the rear two only see 1 7 of full turf canopy and 5 of pre cut turf This is over 20 less full canopy pushing up on the roll ers and bedknife which in high growth Continued on next page Because rear cutting units are cutting and being supported by over 20 less turf than the front cutting units a counter balance spring has been designed to relieve some of the weight off the rear cutting units so they don t engage as far into the turf canopy TurfNet Monthly May 2008 Aftercut appearance Continued from pae13 or even soft wet conditions can result in a lower effective HOC on the rear units which in turn can create a step cut look across the mowing path To compensate for this Toro has designed in a simple counter balance spring that can be Set to relieve some of the weight off the rear two cutting units thus reducing the difference be tween front and
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