Equipment guides / Reference

How to read a greensmower listing

Two machines can look identical in photographs and cut nothing alike. These are the specifications on every listing we write, and what each one tells you about the machine you would be buying.

Reel and bedknife

The reel is the rotating cylinder of blades; the bedknife is the fixed blade it passes. Grass is sheared between the two, so their condition and the contact between them decide cut quality more than anything else on the machine. A listing that says the reel and bedknife were ground and set to spec is telling you the cutting edge is ready to work.

Reel blade count

More blades put more cuts into the same pass, which is what lets a machine hold a lower height of cut cleanly. An 8 blade reel suits higher cuts such as tees and approaches; 11 blades is the common choice for a putting green; 14 blades is for the lowest cuts and is offered on the Flex machines. Choose the count around the height you actually mow, not the lowest number available.

Height of cut

Height of cut, usually written HOC, is how far the bedknife sits above the ground. It is set on the machine rather than fixed by the model, but the reel, roller and blade count all limit how low a given machine will cut well.

Front roller

The front roller carries the cutting unit and controls how the machine follows the ground. A smooth full roller gives the most consistent surface on a true green. A grooved or Wiehle roller stands grass up before it is cut and reduces marking on softer ground.

Groomer and brush

A groomer is a small vertical blade unit that stands up lateral growth ahead of the reel, and a brush does a gentler version of the same job. Neither is required, but a machine fitted with one is worth more than the same machine without.

Hours, engine and condition

Hours tell you how much work a machine has done, though many older units have no hour meter at all, which is why our listings say so plainly rather than guessing. What matters alongside hours is what has been replaced: engine, bearings, belts, reel and bedknife.

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