SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/43432
of what adjustments have been made, one quick fix is to revert back to factory settings and start from there. Knowing the true effective height of cut is also important to the health and appearance of the turf. A cutting unit height of cut is usually set in a shop using a metal bar across the rollers to simulate the surface on which the cut- ting unit rests. The problem with this bench set height of cut is the actual surface on which the cutting unit rides is not stiff like metal—it's grass. Grass absorbs and cushions some of the weight, and it can give even more if it is wet. Because of this, the effective height of cut, or the height at which you are truly mowing the turf, is usually much lower than the bench set height. Cutting the turf lower than you think you are could very well lead to after-cut appearance issues. An effective tip to improve after-cut appearance is to raise the bench set height of cut. Using the optimal clip rate, a more complicated concept is critical to achieving high quality after-cut ap- pearance. Although unnoticeable to the eye, reel mowers leave a subtle scal- lop pattern, similar to waves on water, on the surface of the turf. The peaks of the "waves" are created by the reel blades and bedknife working together to gather and clip the grass. Ideally, the distance between the wave peaks, or the clip rate, should be equal to the height of cut. The factors that affect the distance between the wave peaks are the fre- quency at which a reel blade hits the grass (a combination of the number of reel blades and the speed at which the reel is spinning) and the forward ground speed of the cutting unit. If the reel speed is too slow in relation to ground speed, there will be too much space between wave peaks, resulting in visible clip marks and uncut grass. If the reel speed is too fast, the reel blades will unnecessarily impact the grass blades multiple times before being cut. This can lead to turf tearing and leaf tis- sue damage which is a visual eye sore and is detrimental to the long term health of the turf. SMART MACHINE PRACTICES Keeping reels and bedknives sharp is critical to achieving good quality of cut and after-cut appearance. Whether it is cutlery, a saw blade or a mower reel, blades cut cleaner and more accu- rately when they are sharp. Dull reels and bedknives tend to tear grass versus cutting it. This can make the after-cut appearance less attractive and endan- ger the health of the turf. Light bedknife-to-reel contact will ensure a good after-cut appearance, too. With light contact between the bedknife and the reel, the two act like a pair of scissors to clip the grass. This light con- tact setup also serves to act as a self- sharpening mechanism for the two blades. This can lead to less mainte- nance through a longer service interval. Verticutting is a practice vital to an attractive after-cut appearance and overall turf health. Verticutting is the process of using vertically rotating blades to remove some of the horizon- tal growth and thatch that occurs around a grass plant. This process pro- vides several benefits to the turf: it opens the turf canopy to allow for more sunlight exposure, it allows top- dressing to penetrate into the plant and soil more easily, and it forces the plant to stand up straight and focus plant energy on vertical growth rather than horizontal growth. This emphasis on vertical growth leads to a more uni- form turf surface, which then leads a higher quality of cut.-provided by The Toro Company. ■ OFTEN OVERLOOKED GRINDING ADVICE T URF MANAGERS and technicians all seem to have their own ideas on when and how to grind reels. For some, their grinding philosophies are as guarded as a certain colonel's seven se- cret herbs and spices. www.stma.org So, for an expert look at reel mainte- nance, we asked Erik Sides, training man- ager for Jacobsen Turf Equipment, to give a few basics superintendents and technicians should keep in mind when it's time to grind. Continued on page 44 New aerator model on market Precision Welding has introduced its ProAerator commercial series of aerators in the USA. Available in four models with sizes ranging from working widths of 39" to 102", complete with closed spoon (core) tines or slicing blades which are independ- ently mounted for easier turning and minimal turf damage. Mounted on a 1" steel shaft, tines are manufactured of temper-hardened steel and have oil impregnated Teflon- coated tine bearings with grease fittings for ease of maintenance and extended life. Com- mercial models are built using a welded 1 ½' square solid steel frame with heavy duty ex- panded steel shields which serve as weight racks. Also available is an optional water tank for weight. Units are available with tow behind draw bar or Cat.1, 3-point hitches. An optional tow-behind kit is available for use with all terrain vehicles. Precision Welding TurfMuncher field reclamation machine Now turf manufacturers and field owners and builders have a sustain- able alternative when it's time to replace existing turf field installations. TurfMuncher from Field- Away provides a cost-ef- fective and efficient means of removing turf sports fields that need re- placement. TurfMuncher offers an opportunity to reclaim and recycle used turf and infill. Turf- Muncher is towed by a 25-hp hydrostatic drive trac- tor, and its hydraulics are powered by a separate 40-hp gasoline engine. After the turf field is precut, TurfMuncher lifts the turf and infill in panels up to 15-feet wide and then separates up to 98% of the infill from the turf and deposits it into carts, buck- ets, or bags. Finally, the turf is rolled and doffed in rolls up to 250 feet. The TurfMuncher can reclaim up to 30,000 square feet of field turf per day. FieldAway Ariens' profesional 36 Sno-Thro Ariens Company offers the Pro- fessional 36 Sno-Thro with a 342cc Ariens Polar Force engine by Briggs & Stratton, which removes snow from sidewalks and large areas with its 36-inch clear- ing width. The all-steel, 16-inch serrated auger and three-blade, 14-inch steel impeller enhance clearing ability. A 50-foot discharge range ensures that snow lands outside of the clearing path of the machine. Automatic traction control opti- mizes maneuverability, and with no levers or trig- gers, steering is effortless. The Sno-Thro also features a 120-volt electric start with recoil back- up, a 3.2 quart fuel capacity, 6 mph forward and 2 mph reverse speeds. Ariens Company