Need experiance and knowledge on reel mowers!

[Doubletrouble 10]

I recently had a 3-gang reel mower given to me. It doesnt cut very well at all. I need to know the best and easiest ways to sharpen and adjust this thing. It has 3 18" reel mowers on it, 2 in front and 1 in the center rear. I don't know if it is home-made or a manufactured peice. When I pull it behind a tractor the wheels sometimes stop turning, it's hard to pull by hand and it deffiately needs sharpened. Thanks for any help!

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

The best way to sharpen it is on a reel grinding machine - which you'll normally find at (bigger) golf courses. (along with bedknife grinders)

Check out this .pdf file from Toro for some good information:

Fundamentals of Reel Mowers

[Doubletrouble 10]

That was interesting reading. If I were to go to a golf course would they grind it for me? Do any mower shops perform this or is it stricktly a golf course shop service? Would the backlapping process be more cost effective? I have no idea what someone would charge to grind the reel and bedknife on 3 units. I may end up sticking with my good old rotary blade mowers. Any additional input is welcome. Thanks

[Horse Fanatic 51]

Reel mowers are blunt, there is nothing to "sharpen" per se. The main thing to get them to cut is to adjust the cutting bar so it makes enough contact with the reel to get a shearing action but not so much that it makes it "drag". If they haven't been abused just adjusting the cutting bar to the reel should be enough to get it to cut.

[Doubletrouble 10]

I've done that but the reel dosent contact perfectly even so I have a couple spots it dont cut or the reel will hang-up on the bedknife. I'm curious if backlapping will help that.

[TT-(Moderator) 1,162]

Backlapping would be a good place to start, Bill - although some mower manufacturers consider that cheating.

You are basically reestablishing clearance between the reel blades and the bedknife when you have to adjust them tighter to get them to cut all the way across the reel.

Reel mowers are like rotating scissors. Not only does the bedknife have to be ground to the appropriate angle on the top and the face (with a nice sharp corner where they meet), the face of every blade on the reel needs to have a good sharp corner where it intersects the leading edge.

If you can get them to cut heavy paper without catching or tearing it off, (leaves a rough edge) the grass will appreciate it greatly. If the blades and bedknife are dull, the grass blades will be torn off and will turn brown shortly after cutting.

Although "normal" lawns are a lot more forgiving than golf course greens, they will be much healthier (and look a lot better) when a properly sharpened and adjusted mower is used.

Getting a golf course to grind them for you might be tough, but it wouldn't hurt to ask around. Other shops that have the ability to grind reel mowers are pretty scarce these days, and sometimes quite expensive.

[wallfish 18,075]

I remember seeing a reel mower sharpening kit in my mother-in-law's basement. Old box, looked like it was from the 50's. The old man used a reel mower for a long time but he has passed on. I'll see if she wants to sell it if you're interested. I'll try to get by there this week to check it out and see if it's all there.

[stevebo-(Moderator) 8,527]

If anyone at the show in PA is interested, I will bring my front reel mower for a tutorial on "how to" sharpen a reel mower. Just let me know who is an expert in this ..thanks !!!

[Doubletrouble 10]

If you find it wallfish I"d be interested. I dont know much about these things. I've been reading alot on-line to learn about them. I did find another sharpening system useing a frame that clamps to the bedknife and uses aluminum oxide sanding paper that sticks to the frame to grind the reel evenly.

I hope that link works. It's the video for that sharpening kit from:

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/20-inch-sharpening-kit.html

Check it out see what you think.