Testing the Groomer
Performance
Important:
Improper or over-aggressive use of
the grooming reel (i.e., too deep or too frequent
grooming) may cause unnecessary stress on the
turf, leading to severe greens damage. Use the
groomer cautiously.
DANGER
Contact with the reels or other moving parts
can result in personal injury.
•
Before making any adjustments to the
cutting units, disengage the reels, set the
parking brake, shut off the engine, and
remove the key.
•
Keep your hands and clothing away from
the reels or other moving parts.
To determine the proper height/depth setting, do the
following:
1.
Set the cutting reel to the height of cut that would
normally be used without a grooming reel.
2.
Set the groomer reel to the height-of-cut setting
above the roller level.
3.
Set the grooming brush equal to the height-of-cut
setting above the roller.
Note:
Adjust the grooming brush (up or down)
in 0.25 mm (0.01 inch) increments to avoid
unintended turf damage.
4.
Make a pass over the test green, then lower
the grooming reel 1/2 the roller level and make
another pass over the test green.
Note:
For example, to set a 3.2 mm (1/8 inch)
height-of-cut, set the grooming reel at 1.6 mm
(1/16 inch) above the roller.
5.
Compare the results.
Note:
The first setting (when the groomer
setting was adjusted to the height-of-cut setting
above the roller level) should have removed
significantly less grass and thatch than the
second setting.
6.
Check the test green 2 or 3 days after the first
grooming for general condition or damage. If the
groomed areas are turning yellow or brown, and
the non-groomed areas are green, the grooming
was too aggressive.
Note:
The color of the grass changes when
you use the grooming reel. An experienced
greens superintendent can judge by the color
of the turf (along with close examination) if the
current grooming practice is appropriate for the
particular green. Because the groom reel stands
up more grass and removes thatch, the quality
of cut is not the same as without the groomer.
This effect is most noticeable the first few times
that you use a groomer on a green.
Note:
On multiple passes (i.e., double and
triple cutting), the groomer penetrates deeper
on each successive pass. Multiple passes are
not recommended.
After testing the performance of the groomer on
a test green and you obtain satisfactory results,
you can begin grooming on the playing greens.
However, each green may respond differently
to grooming. In addition, growing conditions
constantly change. Inspect the groomed
greens frequently and make adjustments to the
grooming procedure as often as necessary.
Setting the Height/Depth of
the Groomer
Set the groomer blade height/depth using the following
procedure:
1.
Make sure that the rollers are clean and the
main reel is set to the desired height of cut. Park
the machine on a flat, level work surface.
2.
Use the quick-up levers (both sides) to lower the
grooming reel into the grooming position (
g017189
Figure 25
1.
Quick-up lever
2.
Micro adjustment knob
3.
On one end of the groomer shaft, measure the
distance from the lowest tip of a groomer blade
to the work surface (
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