Many of you have been asking which brand greensmower I like better. In this youtube video, I talk about which greensmower (toro vs john deere) I like better and why. I have had many John Deere greensmowers to compare.
Thanks so much! My wife has it looking pretty amazing, I can't take much credit for the garden. I do the heavy lifting and digging hahaha, thanks for watching!
Great video explaining the how the flex handles the hard lines. I know lots of people have had issues with those over the years. Glad to see the good witch is home and doing well. Keep it up
Thanks so much brother! We are glad to have her back home. I wasn't sure about the flex at first but I have really come to love it. Have a great week bro!
Toro offers a fixed reel mower as well just a regular greensmaster instead of greenmaster flex. Something relatively new we know now is have the mower or reel head as perfectly flat and level as possible, this is done by having a perfectly level work table to work on the mowers. I was skeptical when I first heard about that but it's something TPC Sawgrass swears by it, far better and consistent stripes and mowers last longer. Just because you have the mower set a certain height the mower might not be level affecting the stripe. Flex mowers take skill to use, if your not use to it the floating head can pull off to one side or other but people with flat home lawns shouldn't be using a floating head, those are truly meant for greens with crazy undulations. You can still use a f8xex head on undulations but it takes more skill with a fixed head mower so it doesn't scalp the green. Floating heads will never scalp the green. To fix a mower being level you basically take it completely apart, this more so applies to used mowers or mowers used a hell of a lot. I live by it now and have the mowers checked for being level every time I have the mechanics work on them. Been a superintendent for 20 plus years didn't care about this until 2020 ish
Thanks brother 🙏 I appreciate it. Another tip just check blade count on them. A lot of them are 14 blade which are good only at cutting super low. You may already know that. Some have 11 blade.
Hard lining!!! I’ve been chasing my tail trying to rid my yard of those and was always thinking I need more leveling. But then it was fine in the spring before I would level for the year. Then about a month ago, it all hit me on what’s going on with my Bermuda. It’s healthy Bermuda lol I have a toro GM 1600 and had a JD 220 SL. I ended up selling the JD. I just liked how the Toro operated. The toro doesn’t bounce as much, smoother engagement too, least compared the JD the I owned. I’ll be keeping my eye out on a flex now my friend! Thanks for the review.
I heard that term once but I'm not even sure if that's official but reel guys seem to know what I'm trying to describe lol. The toro seems more "grounded" but I do love the JD too. The Ole Bermuda gets thicker than a snicker around July for me
@@BermudaBoss Bermuda gets really thick during peak growing season and needs to be thinned out which is what i would use that groomer for. Grooming/Dethatching/Verticutting while they can be very different also share some some similarities by thinning overcrowded Bermuda. Reel guys certainly know what "hard lining" is whether its an official term or not. Grooming the turf, leveling, and floating head reels can all help resolve that problem. Great work man, keep it up! Glad you're still loving the Flex!
@Homes Ever After, LLC hey 👋 man!! Yeah I agree with ya for sure. I have found that the groomer does take some practice (for homeowners like me) to get right depth and frequency of use. I'm def still loving the flex and the thing you showed me about the front lol. Can't wait to see your 23 season bro!!
My GM1600 leaves those lines, though they're so minor that I'm sure there isn't another person within a mile of my yard who would notice... nice to see that it's not a unique experience, though. I'm hoping that they abate after I put down sand in the spring.
Hard lines! I almost have to double cut every pass this time of year with my JD. I wouldn’t mind maybe swapping for a flex or adding it to the arsenal after next season.
At the end of the day, it's the turf that gets so thick and would need verticutting or more leveling etc. I just noticed immediately when running these mowers on the exact same turf that the floating head on the flex made a huge difference (as it prob should). I would think any floating head mower would do the same. 👍
@@BermudaBoss As the turf density increases mowers have a tendency to float and leave "hard lines". Verticutting will help thin the canopy and prevent this from happening.
Seems if you have those hard line problems late season, it may be time to thin your lawn out. Thick is great, but there is such a thing as too thick. A groomer will help with that. That said, I'd take the Toro even though these two aren't comparable. JD's version of the flex is the E model. Toros are also much higher priced, which puts them out of reach for many homeowners.
Comparing a “floating” reel Toro to a fixed reel John Deere is really not a fare comparison. That’s like comparing a pick-up truck to a 2-door sports car. Would be nice to see the Toro Flex compared to a John Deere E-Cut with similar “floating” reel technology. Yard is looking nice though.
Thanks and fair enough, the JD ecut never appealed to me for 2 reasons. I didn't like the huge electric motor hanging to the side and the electric components are very expensive. I'm sure it cuts great but I wouldn't buy one personally unless I could get one cheap. I would love to try one someday though. Maybe it's worth it 👌
@@BermudaBoss I totally agree with you. I have a JD180B and didn't care about the newer E-cut becuase of the same reasons as you. But a "floating" reel head mower will cut better in non-flat lawns than a fixed reel mower regardless of the brand. My point was that to compare apples-to-apples the Toro Flex would need to be compared to an JD E-Cut or a Toro Greensmower 1000 or 1600 fixed reel to a JD180, 220 fixed reel. I do like the Toro Flex design better than the JD E-Cut electric motor solution. In my opinion Toro had a better design approach to powering the floating reel than JD.
@@dennisrodriguez4066 I would love to have compared the 2 floating heads like you mentioned I've just have never had hands on with an ecut. You are totally right though that would be a better video/comparison I was just sharing my thoughts on the ones I've had experience with. I hope in the future that someone makes an awesome affordable electric but just haven't seen that yet.
That's a great video idea for me let me see if I can do one! I would crank it, drive it around and make sure the travel clutch engages smoothly and that the machine can idle/throttle up smoothly. Make sure the reel can engage and disengage without issue. Check the reel and bednknife for bends, cracks. etc. You can take paper with you to do a paper cut test. If it has a GTC up front see if it will engage, those little gears are very expensive if a GTC is important to you. See what shape the plastics are in, the plastics are expensive if you care about looks. Also does it come with a grass catcher and transport wheels? All things to consider, good luck, they are great machines!!
@@danefredrickson5682 haha appreciate it man! My wife does most of it now and she is better than I am. I mostly do the heavy lifting lol. We are putting in a few new plants this year so kinda stoked to see how these turn out.
Toro will always be the better reel mower. Deere had problems with cutting issues for years. Trust the pros, Toro is the number 1 mower for a reason and used on more goof courses than any other
At least for the JD walk behinds, I've had I never had any issues with them. I usually just buy used units that have been taken care of. Toro walk behinds are definitely harder to find around me..
@@BermudaBossthat's because they last longer and more people keep them. Toro has lease programs, higher end courses get new mower for 2 to 3 years than toro takes them back to either lease again or sell but to lower end courses, usually public, the percentage of public courses walk mowing is very small but the market is still there. Your comparing a floating head reel to a fixed head reel also, fixed head mowers when cutting at .1000 can easily scalp from inexperienced ground crews or mowers, floating head reels take this issue away at least on putting green surfaces, you can still scalp the collars. Over 20 years on course experience as assistant superintendent and superintendent and I can't tell the difference in cut quality, I use fixed reels for tees, everything else is floating that's a walk mower. I have 15 guys plus myself, everyone mows greens, even I do just because I love it and I want to show all my workers I wouldn't have them do something I wouldn't do myself, this is why I use floating head reels, if the same 3 people cut greens every single day I would use fixed reels just because it's cheaper and less parts to fix or repair when that time comes. Always looking at it from a budget perspective.
Know anywhere near Oklahoma City where I could pick a greensmaster flex 2100 up? I had an accident and am pretty much handicapped, bought my dream mower worth $13,000 from Allett, the buffalo 27, have a smaller lawn now after destroying my leg heal and ankle, and a 21 inch mower would be perfect for me. I’ve leveled a lot but if it were a little forgiving would be great. Have a 10 blade McLane for now just because of maneuvering issues and that it doesn’t weigh 350 pounds but would love to know the specs on yours, if you have any contacts on how to pick one up, and any other advisement. Beautiful yard by the way and love the landscaping, never had luck with hydrangeas but those are very nice. Any tips would be appreciated
Hello 👋 I'm very sorry to hear that and hope you continue to heal. The flexes are still going to be more on the hard to maneuver side I would say. My flex weighs around 260lbs. I did recently snag an allett kensington and they are very lightweight and much easier to maneuver. I appreciate you watching!
@@BermudaBoss thanks for the reply, I know any good greens mower is going to be heavy, but if I can shave off close to 100 pounds I think that would help. The McLane is a good old Chevy of a mower and easy to work on but not going to cut it for my yard. I’ve used the kensington and really just too much plastic for the price of those things, and the rubber on the drum wears off within a year. I need to research more, was just wondering if you had any contacts around these parts. Appreciate the well wishes, will be back at it soon, best, again beautiful yard and would love to know your secret for those hydrangeas
I wish I did have more connections haha! Thanks for replying, the big limelight hydrangeas are around 5 years old or so. They love that spot, plenty of sunlight. We pruned them not long ago (yearly) and use basic ferts for feeding. I think we just got lucky on placement with those. The only thing I dislike about them is in winter they turn to sticks haha, wish they stayed nice year round.
@Jetskiergh Sounds like we live nearby. I have a 22” Swardman as my primary mower, it’s lightweight and easy to maneuver. You’re welcome to check it out.
Surely but I don't have an ecut nor would I buy one unless it was a smokin deal. Electric motor too risky on those and I hate how it hangs off the side. I wish jd made an all gas floating head walk behind.
@@BermudaBoss hopefully by the end of the year I'll have money to buy lawn equipment to start my lawn business. I'll definitely reachout for your advice concerning what brand of equipment to buy. I never heard of Toro till I seen your video, it's only Jonh Deer that's on TV commercials.
@@jamesiiireese to be honest you probably wouldn't want to run a commercial lawn business with these types of mowers. Mowing this low requires constant mowing just like a golf course, these machines are designed for golf courses and not home lawns. Toro does make some great equipment though for commercial use, good luck and lmk if I can help!
How do you have a house that size and still have money for insanely expensive commercial mowers? I need one; and sounds like Swardman a less expensive option isn't all that great.
@@BermudaBoss wasn't meant to be an insult, I genuinely don't understand how. I have a couple fast cars, a ridiculously cheap mortgage, just shy of 6 digit income, no kids or anything, but I can't drop like $17k on a new commercial reel mower. I suppose a dual income household helps. Did you buy used? And if so where, and who's trustworthy?
@@adamfrbs9259 oh yeah I buy them all used. Check with golf courses, weeks auction, Facebook marketplace. I'm in atl area they are around me like honda civics.
@@BermudaBoss thanks, I know one person in Atlanta still, he's definitely not a lawn nut, maybe he'd run to an auction and grab it until I could get down there to bring it home.
I would agree, def not a bad machine just was a hassle for me to work on and adjust. Some other guys I know are way better at working on them but I struggled with them.
No doubt on the Tru Cut Reel to bed knife adjustment. Just when you think you have it right and tighten the bolts on the side, the reel moves closer to or further away from the bed knife. Just bought a Toro Greensmaster 3250d, and I can hardly wait to cut the Bermuda next Spring. I have never adjusted the reel to bed knife on a greensmaster but the videos make it look so simple.