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Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 10:23 am
by SimonR
I wanted to share some pics of my winter project, as around this time of year most of the warm-season members are pulling their hair out at how thick and spongy the lawn has become.
I converted a reel mower to a dedicated verticutter/ groomer last year to attempt to thin out and reduce excessive lateral growth of my hybrid bermuda. The off-the-shelf blades that I used didn't work as effectively as I had planned, so if at first you don't succeed; spend more money!
To keep the cost down I decided to design my own blades based on the JRM/Dyna-blades and have them laser cut out of 2mm sheet steel. I went for slightly thicker material as I wanted to use it for renovation work too if I need to. I also tracked down some 10mm hex shaft spacers to suit.
It has come together pretty well and I think this will provide the results that I am after.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 10:28 am
by dfw_pilot
Nice work!
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 10:43 am
by Jacob_S
Very cool, what brand of mowere was used for this, and overall how dificult of project was this?
Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 10:49 am
by Michael Wise
Super cool, Simon!
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 11:06 am
by SimonR
Thanks boys! I can't wait to use it so I might find an inconspicuous spot to give the grass a tease.
Jacob, the hardest part was getting the shaft made. Making sure that I had all the measurements correct, as the shaft for the bearings needed to be turned down, a wood-ruff key cut for the sprocket and then a thread cut for the retaining nut. As for the blades, once again it came down to tolerances and making sure that the blades fit snugly on the shaft. It wasn't hard, just a little frustrating at times as I am not exactly a wizz when it comes to using Adobe programs.
Here is the bare shaft.
It is fitted to an Australian made rear drum-drive reel mower called a Scott Bonnar 45.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 6th, 2015, 11:13 am
by Mightyquinn
Very nice Simon!!! I wish I had gone with a blade design similar to that when I had mine made.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 12:51 am
by SimonR
Mightyquinn wrote:Very nice Simon!!! I wish I had gone with a blade design similar to that when I had mine made.
What are you running on your JD dethatcher MQ?
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 6:51 am
by Mightyquinn
I had some 6 point star shaped blades made for mine that aren't as pretty as yours. Your blades look like they would fit on mine. How big is the Hex hole in the middle?
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 7:13 am
by SimonR
The shaft is 27mm which is 1 1/16". I made the bore on the blades slightly oversize by 0.2mm and they fit perfectly.
The Dyna and Dellennium blades are all 1 1/8".
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 7:33 am
by Mightyquinn
I believe the shaft on my verticutter is 3/4"(19mm) Hex drive. Where did you get those spacers at?
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 7:43 am
by Southernguy311
Looking forward to seeing your test. I'm in the market for a verticutter and will modify the blades also. Cheers
[ Post made via iPhone ]
This is the one I'm staring at.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 7th, 2015, 8:14 am
by SimonR
MQ, I got the spacers from Golf and Bowling Machinery in Melbourne. They were really easy to deal with so I can find out where they source them from as I am sure they would come from the US.
SG311, I am still about a month away from scalping for the start of the season, but I doubt I can wait that long so I will probably give it a whirl and just nick into the canopy to see how effective it is.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 8th, 2015, 2:05 pm
by Jayhawkmba
Simon, you just keep 'raising the bar'...designing, custom making your own verticutter!
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 9:12 am
by Southernguy311
The verticutter I was looking at was a bust. Could not pull the start chord when I went and looked at it. Engine possibly seized. Replacement engine over $600.
Anyone know why a verticutter would need an 11 hp motor? May look to convert a reel like Simon if I can't work it out.
[ Post made via iPhone ]
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 8:53 pm
by SimonR
Jayhawkmba wrote: Simon, you just keep 'raising the bar'...designing, custom making your own verticutter!
Thanks Jayhawk, although strictly speaking I am trying to lower the bar! We have 3 kids under 4, so disposable income to spend on new equipment is not something I can do at the moment so I need to get creative with what I have.
Southernguy311 wrote:The verticutter I was looking at was a bust. Could not pull the start chord when I went and looked at it. Engine possibly seized. Replacement engine over $600.
Anyone know why a verticutter would need an 11 hp motor? May look to convert a reel like Simon if I can't work it out.
Those Gradens are a pretty serious commercial renovation machine and are designed to cut into the soil and mat layer, dredging up all kinds of organic material.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 9:48 pm
by Southernguy311
If I were only using the Graden for light frequent verticutting do you think a 4 hp engine replacement would suffice?
[ Post made via iPhone ]
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 10:27 pm
by SimonR
Southernguy311 wrote:If I were only using the Graden for light frequent verticutting do you think a 4 hp engine replacement would suffice?
[ Post made via iPhone ]
If you were going to use it only as a verticutter only and not for deep renovation then I couldn't see a 4HP being an issue.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: August 9th, 2015, 10:39 pm
by Mightyquinn
I have an old small Kawasaki engine on mine and it does just fine even when I lower it down into the soil.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: September 9th, 2019, 11:46 pm
by PRiser
Hi SimonR,
an old post but was just reading it. I am in Brisbane and going to make a Groomer reel. Any chance you can let me know what shaft cost and spacers also. And was one of the shaft lock nut threads left hand.
Re: Groomer/ Verticutter v2.0
Posted: September 10th, 2019, 12:51 am
by TimmyG
It'll be interesting to see if SimonR replies. His last post was in January 2017.