Lawn Striping Attachment

[Hootie]

Well I built this lawn striper like yours and was so excited to use it.
After mowing I can honestly say that my yard looks the same as it did before. I am wondering if I am mowing too low or if this is more effective with a mulcher. My grass is bermuda, does that make a difference?
Love the idea of having the yard striped.

 

[HarleyScooter]

After watching this subject, I decided to make one also. I made it to fit in the receiver hitch I made for the 3 pt. I also added limiting chains to set the height of the stripper when the mower is in the float position.

 

[shoppintractors]

Really nice work and welcome to TBN!

Don

 

[robertm]

Hootie,
Did your striping attachment ever work out? Just curious... i've been "away" for awhile.

 

[purpony]

I know this is a very old thread but great into... i plan on making one that mounts to the rear of my rear mount mower.....

 

[Knotbored]

My guess is they get those exotic quilted affect with a fertilizer spreader and not just with a roller. I would think the "turn-around" at each end of the lawn would look silly with a roller unless you got off the tractor and lifted it off each time you turned around.
My mowing method is to top lawn off just before the dandelions go poof-whether it needs it or not.

 

[53gravely]

Since this one got dredged up again, I'll throw in my two cents. Bear with me:

1)Given that a blade of grass has a "v" shaped cross section....and
2)Given that we've all seen what hapens to the grass around a parked mower with the blades going ( the suction bends the grass blades for about an inch outside the deck in towards the deck)...

The "Golf course/landscaper look" with alternating light/dark stripes is caused by the suction of the deck and the "aerodynamic" v- shape of the blades of grass. The light stripes you see are because as the mower continues down a row it bends all of the blades of grass over AND orients the V-shaped blades in one direction. The underside of the grass blades (like many tree leaves) is lighter that the tops, thus the light stripe.

Broom devices and even rotary sweepers may bend the grass but can't orient the "V" and won't create stripes nearly as dramatically as more suction....get high-vac blades if you want more distinct stripes!

Setting your mower 1/2 inch higher will emphasize it too!

 

[Rowski]

There is a really good reference book for turf care and striping. The author is a master groundskeeper for Fennway park. He has actually turned the striping trend into an art.

I have always loved lawn stripes. This summer I finally got a decent mower, John Deere Z-track 737. I've been working on a striping kit. John Deere sells one fro my mower but is about $350. Basically is a small (2" or 3") roller mounted at the rear of the deck. From my reading and research the small roller work best on super smooth lawns. The kit I'm making mounts were the roller mounts but will be out of rubber flap. I must say my Z-track does stripe well with out a kit but you see a more defined stripe created by the tires. That's what I'm trying to get rid off.

One thing about striping is that after mowing a few times your will get a memory stripe which will make the stripe stick out more. Just be sure break up the mowing pattern (every other mow) so you don't create "tire rutts" due to the mowers weight.

Things that effect stripe quality:

-Grass type and quality
-Grass moisture content
-Mower deck design, ie. blades speed, deck depth (vacuum)
-clean under side of deck, more vaccum
-cut height
-deck pitch

 

[Loogie]

I've been planning my own stripping roller for a while. I wanted something that will go on my quickhitch so I can lift it or lower it. Here's what I've come up with. It should be done next week. Total cost will be about $150.

The wheels are from a boat trailer. I got "blemished" ones for a steal.

I'm just using 5/8 steel rods for the axle and support, shaft collars to hold everything together and PVC pipe sections & washers to keep the wheels from rubbing against each other.

 

[SkunkWerX]

The mutiple wheels are a good idea, they assist when turning.

Some of the commercial systems I've seen are spring loaded to apply more pressure. They also use a lever so you can "turn off" striping, such as when you are repositioning, turning in the same spot, etc. etc.

If not too much trouble, do a stripe-job and show us how it works!

A friend of mine mows with walk behinds, as a side business. He says it works best on taller grass (3+ inches) and especially a day after a good rain, he says the grass and ground is more pliable and tends to hold the "bend" better. He said you are not only rolling the blade of grass, but, if done continuously (Same pattern each time) it applies pressure to the soil on the Up-Roller side of the grass blade, making it always want to tend to bend that direction.

On the other-hand, my dad always taught me to mow in different directions each time, he said: 1. it was better for the turf, 2. you didn't drive in the same lanes all the time compacting the soil , and 3. it kept you from going insane.
Well, for me, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.