OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Front Roller Designs on Reel Mowers - Help

(mod's if this is a repeat of a previous post please feel free to delete)


Hi guys

Being fairly new to cylinder mowers I have a question. I am just wondering what is the difference between the different types of front rollers available on cylinder mowers and what is the main benefit of each?

My SB 45 has a flat solid metal front roller like this:


My Webb has individual flat wooden rollers similar to this:

(I've seen metal ones like this also)

I've also seen metal ribbed ones similar to the ones SimRice has on his Toro:


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Crillo,The solid roller is good in straight line cutting e.g bowls green where the front roller is lifted slightly during turns.The split front roller makes it a little easier going around obstacles when you want to continue cutting e.g trees.The third roller is called a ripple roller and is generally used on golf greens and it's primary function is to allow turf to not be rolled down by the front roller prior to cutting giving a more efficient cut.This roller is not great for curved cutting as it can cause tearing in a low cut situation.Golf courses will often skip the clean up cut around the perimeter of green if using this roller particulary on small greens or tight turns.

Cheers for that! I've always wanted to know!

Hello Cirillo and sb30inch

This is such a fascinating topic, and sb30inch has done a better summary
than I could have done.

The issue of front roller design seems to be a combination of theory
and fashion.

The original 1830 Budding patent was 'defective' in that the front roller
was placed behind the bottom block (sole plate and bedknife). Here is a
reproduction machine.



The problem with that design was that there was a tendency to scalping,
and Thomas Green (Green's mowers) sorted that with moving the roller
in front of the reel. Other experiments were conducted, including small
side rollers and/or pivoting wheels.

For historical reasons, countries have adopted their preferences.
Euro reel mowers have stuck with one piece or multiple front
rollers for fine lawns. They accepted the argument that the front
roller would hinder the cutting of higher grasses, and so
offered side rollers or wheels on commercial machines for parks
and road verges...



The thing is, that USA lawnmowers favoured the side roller/wheel
designs - even for good lawns. I think this is closer to fashion than fact.

The theory was that a full piece or multiple piece front roller would
'push down' the grass before the reel could cut it.

The UK makers rejected that argument for fine lawns - they recognised
that a well-balanced machine placed minimal weight on the front roller,
but the front roller did contribute to the 'stripes' the UK loves,
and it certainly prevents scalping.

AUS makers have taken the UK approach.

The issue of one-piece or multiple piece front rollers is probably
academic. In theory, a multi-piece might make turning easier for
all but straight lines when the front roller is on the ground.

The ribbed front roller only appears on professional equipment.
The theory is as sb30inch has described. I guess it's a sort
of compromise between the two reel mower roller philosophies.

These are my thoughts anyway.
--------------------------------
Jack

Some further info here from the Toro Accessories Options.

Essentially the grooved front rollers give a more aggressive cut by penetrating into the canopy. Some of the grooved rollers have fewer numbers and deeper grooves with less edge support for even more penetration. The solid front rollers are used for high stress ultra low HOC where an aggressive cut is not desired.

Thanks guys!

I love reading and learning all about these machines!

I've found a decent article on this that might be of interest to anyone who might be interested

Front Rollers
http://www.greenkeepingeu.com/the-range-of-rollers-available-to-greenkeepers/

G'day Cirillo

Many thanks for that link!

It is a great read that is understandable to folk, but I am
compelled to say that I am not sure whether the writer is representing
the marketing, rather than the science. I make a couple of points.

[1] The first point is that radical changes in 'turf management'
only occurred in the 1970s, when the North Americans started to take
the lead (from the great UK firms).

The driving force was not residential or commercial mowing - but SPORT.
SPORT [mainly Golf] became big business - and that meant mega-huge profits for some.
From this we saw an explosion in changes to lawnmower design ... and how
these machines were marketed.

For me, the 'science' of turf management seems to be a combination
of credible science and snake oil. With just a few big manufacturers
controlling the profession lawnmower market, any claimed advantage can
reap huge profits over the opposition.

In other words, I am a skeptic.
An example of that is the -non-contact' method of reel adjustment.
That is, perhaps, the biggest con-job in the reel mower world.
By 'con-job' I mean mis-understood and mis-used.

[2] Yep, this is an argument about turf surfaces used for SPORT.
It is not particularly related to aesthetics of the lawn at all!

In the 1950s, When the Greens at Saint Andrews were cut with an Auto Certes
with bog-standard steel front roller, everyone commented that the greens
were in splendid shape. It is the North American re-defining of
turf management that has been the 'game changer' in the modern world.
Modern professional lawnmowers are more precise, and there is some
good science, but much is just commercial puffery.

[3] Indeed.
The basics have not changed, and the same ideas have been there
since 1830. Even then, the lawnmower was not a totally original idea -
it came from the textile industry.

In summary, the world of the professional mower is fascinating,
but I have become increasingly skeptical about its relevance
to everyday residential blocks, and public parks and gardens.

I have become increasingly skeptical about the claims made by
the few key players in professional turf management. It's like
going to McDonald's and being hounded for the 'upgrade' - do
you want the 4 pounder roller or the 7 pounder? We can offer the
ribs roller for a bit extra - but it is leaner.

This all depends on the time of year: in Winter you eat more ...
Yeah ... right ...

All very interesting.
--------------------------
Jack

Hi Jack,Got to agree with most of what you say here.Certainly a lot of marketing hype.Most not even relevant to home lawn maintainence.Demands for sport surface performance has certainly increased over last thirty years.Some good innovation but a lot of BS.You should see the fertilizer market everyones got the latest greatest product.I like using the KISS principal