I need a reel type pull behind mower.

[Scratchnbell]

I need a reel type mover to mow a couple of acres of burmuda grass.
Does anyone know of what brand and where to look for one?
Thanks
Bob

 

[jhortonvt]

I bought a PRO-MOW brand used and I am pretty pleased with it. It has 7 gangs and mows a 9'8" swath - it gets alot of lawn done in a short time. I don't know how much research you have but as anyone will tell you they have pros and cons.

You could google Pro-Mow or go to the Northern Tools & Equipment website as they sell Pro-Mow and I think another brand.

 

[_RaT_]

Geez Bob, what a coincidence. I was just looking at various grasses at seedland.com. They recommended Yukon for my climate. They also suggest reel type mowers for Bermuda. As much as some folks despise Bermuda, it can make a great grass and in our summers here in Califonia on the interior, it will grow whether you like it or not. Now if your really loaded, heres an interesting setup, JD Reel mower

 

[thcri]

I have been looking for a pull behind type mower for a long time. I was always looking for a finish mower that was pull type since I have so many trees to go around. A 3 point would be a pain as the mower moves away as you turn. I really didn't know the reel types as pull behind existed. I am very impressed with the Pro-Mow and it looks like you can buy them online a bit cheaper than Northern Hydraulics. I am thinking of selling my Mid Mount Mower possibly on E-Bay and getting a reel. But what are the pros and cons and my terrain is very hilly and a 6 foot wide spot would not be even in any direction?

murph

 

[_RaT_]

<font color="blue"> A 3 point would be a pain as the mower moves away as you turn. </font>

Murph, you would be suprised at how dexterous you get with a 3 point RFM. I have many trees and even more sprinklers. First I turn into the object then away at just the right time. Sure you leave a eye shaped uncut area, but the better you get, the smaller it is. It requires minimal amount of weed eater work for me. I don't really care much for weed eating. I do love the way the reel mower works, something about the sound it makes and the way the grass flys out. With summer approaching, I look forward to Rainbirds, crickets, frogs and the smell of fresh cut grass, oh yeah, and for those from Sacramento down to Stockton, the delta breeze that pours in off the Pacific, /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jhortonvt]

When I was researching these types of mowers I found most people said the following:

Cons:
1-They don't mow long grass very well, if you let the grass grow too tall it lays it down instead of clipping it.
2-They don't cut weeds very well, not a big deal if you have a nice lawn with few if any weeds.
3- Maintenance can be a bit time consuming.
4-They don't do too well on wet grass-but who mows in the rain?

Pros:
1-As I mentioned in my earlier post at 9'8" it cuts ALOT of lawn in a short amount of time-- I think this helps you avoid Con #1 as it's easier to keep on top of a lawn if it takes less time to mow it each session.
2- You use less fuel, if you have a big enough lawn to warrant a gang reel mower then you would go through alot more fuel running the tractor AND PTO for a longer time (especially with a gas engine).
3- The lawn looks great when mowed with one of these, a well maintained set of reels really clip the grass pretty finely. Speaking of the maintenance I think the time spent on a couple sharpenings a season are easily offset by the quicker mowing times.

I've only had mine for a year but as I said I like it alot, if you do have alot of weeds get rid of them (naturally, please) or do what I did for my parents field; I would use the reel mowers for most of the mowing then after a few weeks the weeds would be big enough to warrant mowing with a regular mower.

It is a beautiful sight to see thousands of clippings fly in the air leaving behind a good looking and healthy lawn.

 

[Scratchnbell]

I saw the PRO-MOW brand after I posted. They make a nice 3 row model. I could pull that b ehihng my cub cadet ride on mower. I saw the 3 real for 1199 and the 5 real for 899.
I getting ready to plant real soon. the yard is all torn up right now with sprinkler trenches.
Thanks
BOb

 

[thcri]

If I had the money I would go out and get one right now, but I don't have the money. I think this winter I will put my 72" MMM on Ebay and see if I could sell it for $1500.00. I could then buy the Pro Mow gang #7 for 1299.00. I will be mowing almost 9ft a swath. Is it pretty good for getting around trees?

murph

 

[have_blue]

>>1-They don't mow long grass very well, if you let the grass grow too tall it lays it down instead of clipping it.
>>2-They don't cut weeds very well, not a big deal if you have a

Well, anyone that wants a reel mower for a hybrid bermudagrass lawn won't have to worry about weeds! You mow bermudagrass so low that almost no other grass or weeds can survive. Princess 77 for example is clipped at or even slightly below 3/16", which would spell death to just about any weed or grass.

I've been eyeing that Pro-Mow from Northern myself! It would be really qick and comfy towed behind an ATV!

 

[Scratchnbell]

HAVE BLUE, how does that princess 77 compare to the say to the tiffway II that is typically sold as sod or stolens?
I'm trying to decide on a grass type right now.
Bob

 

[alan_huf]

I have a 5 foot wide Promow reel mower for sale. This unit has three mower heads and costs $1200 new. I will sell it for $500. Send a PM to me if any one is interested in seeing photos.

 

[Mith]

dont know i youre interested, but i made a 3 gang self powered set from 3 normal self drive mowers. they just pin together, have thier own engine and you can individually drive them to trasport
attached is a pic

 

[Scratchnbell]

sweet! That is what I was thinking about doing but with push mowers.
This might be even better. IT ake it they are self propelled? How do you get them all going the same speed or how did you fix that?
Thanks
BOb

 

[_RaT_]

Bob, Princess 77 is sold as seed. The seed is pricey, but then, it takes a lot of bermuda seed to make up some weight. Check here for all the info. Seedland

 

[Mith]

They are self propelled but when cutting they are towed by the tractor with the drive clutched in, so I doesnt matter about the speed. The self propultion is great cos if you get stuck up a too steep of a hill you put them in drive and it drives you out, also you can unhitch and drive them individually into the shed or whatever.
The thing that makes them so great is that you dont rely on traction to the ground to turn the blades, the engine does that for you. I tow them with a 12 Hp tractor.
the mowers cost total £7, all worked with little effort, on has a new engine, but that was for fun and not necessary.
I actually never use them, so if you wanna collect theyre for sale /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[hazmat]

murph,

I wouldn't recommend a reel mower for northern climate grasses. the "cool season" grasses like to be cut at ~3". The reel mowers excell at 1" and less.

Food for thought...

 

[thcri]

Oh man, you just dampened my dreams. Really it won't work that great here in Minnesota?? I always wanted a pull type mower and thought this would be the cat's meow. Wow we use to mow my grandma's farm with reel mowers all the time. In fact my neighbor had one also for many years with a motor on it. Oh well back to the drawing board.

murph

 

[hazmat]

I'm not saying you can't use one, just that your MMM is likely the better tool for the job... At the very least, try before you buy. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[have_blue]

Bob.

Princess 77 is rated for practice greens. It won't quite hang with the sod type hybrids such as Tifgreen, but should compare favorably to Tifway. It's still amazing for a seed turf. It's the top-rated seed type bermudagrass hybrid right now. You can save a ton of money by using seed over sod. Princess 77 seed costs ~20-$25 per 1000 sq feet if I remember right. Compare that with Tifgreen or Tifway!

 

[computerboy]

Murph,

You might want to ask ground maintaince about the northern grasses at golf courses in your area. In my college years I worked for a large golf coarse (northwest Illinois) and we used large reel mowers pulled by tractors for all the 'ruff' grass which was Kentucky bluegrass (I think) at around 2 inches tall (maybe taller). We mowed probably once every 2 or 3 days so you would be mowing twice as much. I would not give up just yet.

Thanks,
Mike