This winter the golf course mechanic, Brett, has been doing preventative maintenance on all of our equipment. Those tasks range from changing engine and hydraulic oil to changing bearings on cutting units. The mowing reels on the greens mowers are being replaced as well.
Below is a picture of the old reel above and the new reel below. There is a 1/4" difference in the diameter of the reel. That doesn't sound like much but when you're talking about mowing heights below 1/8", that's a lot.
One of the things this causes is for the old reels to become less aggressive. Since the reel is smaller the bedknife it cuts against must be raised up to contact the reel. This creates a more obtuse angle between the bedknive and the green, which makes the cut less aggressive. A less aggressive cut can cause more thatch, more grain, and a lower quality of cut that lowers the putting quality of a green.
Each cutting unit cost around 330 dollars to replace and there are 3 sets of 3 cutting units. Around 3,000 dollars may seem a lot for blades on a mower but when it comes to the difference in putting quality, it's worth every penny. We monitor the wear on each unit and rotate them to keep the units cutting consistent to the others.
Note the small cutting portion of the top units are worn off. This affects the angle of cut as well as friction with the bedknife.
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