I have a Trimmer reel mower that works great. It has 7 blades and cuts the grass to get that carpet look. It has a Honda that always starts on thr first pull.

If you have the money, get a striper to get the ballpark look.

I've had several Tru-Cuts over the years, 21" and 25". Good machine, but my personal preference leans toward Trimmer. Trimmer is a roller drive, whereas Tru-Cut was traditionally a wheel drive thru a differential. Both brands are generally considered top of the line (for commercial versions) and difference is more a matter of taste.

For your application (4000sf) a 20" or 21" should be sufficient. I would definitely stay with the Professional/Commercial versions as the Homeowner has been "dumbed down" using pot metal gears instead of steel, and bushings replacing some ball bearings. Also comes with the GC Honda rather than the GX Honda used up range. While the GC Honda is a good engine, it is not in same class as the GX. Since there is relatively little difference in price, I can't see where there is a value proposition for the Homeowner models.

Unfortunately, Trimmer has changed hands several times and is now controlled by Eastman, and seems to be floundering. For several years the 20" Commercial machine was dropped, but I see from Peachtree's website it is available again. Like Tru-Cut, the Trimmer 20" Homeowner model has been "dumbed down". Uses bushings instead of ball bearings, has belt drive off the engine (instead of chain and clutch), and other cost cutting. My biggest concern about Trimmer is whether they will be viable long-term. Tru-Cut is a much stronger company and will be around longer.

The Trimmer 20" Homeowner and Tru-Cut Homeowner and not bad machines, but if you're going down-market, you might as well look at McLane. They are also roller drive like Trimmer, whom they knocked-off in the 1950's. McLane offers better value for the money, if you shop around, and are adequate for home use if properly maintained. My biggest complaint about McLane is the cheaper quality of fittings, and that the machine is assembled with many self-tapping fasteners rather than nut-and-bolt assembly like Trimmer and Tru-Cut.

The Professional level Trimmer or Tru-Cut should cost about $1400 with Honda GX120 or $200 less with Briggs or Honda GC. Comparable McLane 20" are as little as $1000 with GX Honda and $800 with Briggs.

For years, my Dad and I used 5 blade machines with good results. Gradually the marketplace shifted to 7 blade and 10 blade machines. Part substance and part marketing. The 7 blade will produce a smoother cut, but the 10 blade won't be measurably better unless you are doing a true putting green and cutting at 1/2" or so.

As for maintenance, all reel mowers will usually need to be backlapped yearly or every other year. They will also require a full, professional sharpening every three to five years.A sharpening is done on an Ideal, Nearing, or Foley grinder. Since you will be spending a fair amount for sharpening, make sure it is a relief grind, and not a cheaper spin grind. Backlapping can be done at home, although it does require some skills and more patience. Figure a couple of hours to do the lapping, reset the blade, and clean everything up. Peachtree offers reel grinding, but make sure you ask whether is is "spin" or "relief" grind. Relief is superior, uses less power to turn the reel, and is easier to backlap between sharpenings.

In my opinion there is nothing better looking than a St. Augustine or Bermuda lawn closely cut by a high quality reel mower. I had St. Augustine for more than 30 years when I lived in the Los Angeles area.

Ggoyeneche--You mention the McLane brand. Sears is marketing a 20" McLane for less than $600 new. I take it that this is "decontented" to better fit Sears' pricing. It addition, I have not read or found anything about differences in quality among McLane models, merely differences in pricing based on size and type motor. Can I assume their build quality across models is about the same? (Which I would further assume would mean that they are not marketed to be of commercial quality?)

McLane is not a commercial quality mower. It's a competent homeowner machine, but the same is true of the Tru-Cut "H" models and the discontinued Trimmer "Home Owner". You are correct that the 20" and 25" mowers are the same basic design, differing in width of cut, make and horsepower of engine, and 5 7 or 10 blade reel. As I said in my earlier post, there are qualitative issues which make McLane less desirable.

I mentioned McLane because you are planning to trade with Peachtree Mower, and they handle Trimmer and Tru-Cut, as well as McLane. If you are considering the Tru-Cut "H" models, a look at McLane is warranted. If you are strictly interested in Trimmer, or the Tru-Cut "P" or "C" lines, forget about McLane.

I very surprised how low Sears is pricing the 20-4.75GT-7. At $599, this is more than $350 lower than McLane's website and nearly $200 less than Amazon. At the same time, Sears pricing is very high ($600 to $650) on the McLane 101 and 801 edger, while Amazon is much lower at $300 to $330.

At the end of the day, your decision will be whether you need the commercial quality if the Tru-Cut or Trimmer and are prepared to pay the premium. In private usage like yours, a well maintained McLane should last for ten seasons or more. The commercial equipment last longer, but predicted how long would be subject to usage and maintenance.

My first reel was a McLane purchased on eBay for about $100. I used it for a couple of years before it died on me. I replaced it with a Tru-Cut C27. It's 8 years old now and I have 0 complaints about it. I had to replace the clutch about a year ago because the reel kept stalling on me. Other than that, I spend about $100 per year at the shop where I have it tuned up, backlapped, etc.

My father-in-law "retired" from reel mowing this year and gave me his 10 blade McLane. For the first time, I've been able to make a side-by-side comparison. What I found is that there is no comparison. The McLane sits idle for emergency use only. Forget the fact that the Tru-Cut is a larger 27 inches. It flat cuts better.

I have what I thought was a perfectly level lawn which I cut at 0.5 inches. When I used the McLane, I found that my lawn wasn't as perfectly level as I thought. The lighter McLane did a lot of bumping around that the heavier Tru-Cut does not do. I haven't top dressed with sand in the last 5 or 6 years. If I went back to the McLane, I'd have more sanding to do.

I have a Truecut Power Reel Mower and I want to learn to back lap the blades myself. It does not appear hard to do, but my issue is learning how to remove the reel. Anyone have any suggestions or guidance? Thanks!

I have Tru-cut 27" commercial. The self propel keeps getting stuck in drive which literally has me jogging behind the mower with no way to slow it down. When I turn the engine off the wheels are stuck and the the thumb select for drive can longer be pushed in. Any idea how I can fix it without having to take to repair shop. Last time mechanic was able to fix problem in 10 min however the fix only lasted through 3 cuts.

You are going to need to adjust the clutch for the wheel drive. Normally the reel drive is adjusted loose enough that the rod can be pushed past the detent and stay engaged until you pull it back out. Most users like the wheel drive to be tighter so that the wheels engage with thumb pressure alone, and the wheels are disengaged as soon as you release you thumb. However, some users prefer the wheel drive to be adjusted the same as the reel drive.

To adjust, there are two large nuts on each clutch pack. They are either 15/16 or 1". You will need two wrenches, and one of them must be a thin "tappet" style. Loosen the lock nut, and tun the main nut in and out to get the desired adjustment. Check to be sure that everything is free when disengaged, and that the clutches "bite" properly when pushed in. You may have to re-adjust several times to get it right. Then tighten the lock nut against the adjusting nut and repeat your test one more time. If necessary readjust.

Armstrong 15/16 x 1" is widely available for $17 to $20 (ARM069-27-751). Snap-On 15/16 x 1" is the "Cadillac" but is $46 (LTA3032).

I've never really cared for reel mowers cant say i've never had one. I just remember gitn my butt wooped by one when I was little trying to hand mow 3 acres once a week. And havent used one since. But I have seen some nice ones recently.

Good luck with your choice.

Roger,

You don't need to remove the reel to backlap your machine. Backlapping involves using a grit paste to remove the last couple of .001's high spots to get the reel closer to the bedknife. I wrote these directions on a previous post:

"If you are starting with a new machine, with properly sharpened and set up reel and bed knife, you should be good for two seasons before you need a back lapping. If you have sandy soil, you might need to back lap annually. You should then be able to get at least two or three back lappings before you need a full blown sharpening. Sharpening has to be down by a professional, preferably using a relief grind, not the less expensive spin grind. After such a sharpening, the shop will then back lap reel to bedknife to dial in the last couple of thousands, and then adjust reel to bedknife for final set.

As a homeowner you can adjust the reel to the bednkife and you can also backlap the machine your self. All mowers have some kind of adjustment to move the reel relative to the bedknife. Professional machines like Trimmer and Tru-Cut have the reel bearings in eccentric holders, which you rotate to cam the reel closer or further. Less expensive machines either move the reel or the bedknife relative to one another, with a simpler mechanism. The goal is a scissor type action, while not actually having metal-to-metal contact. It takes a fair amount of time, and the reel is set by using a number of strips of paper to see that the ree-bedknife is cutting cleanly on each blade, and at several points across the blade. With a seven-blade reel, you will be testing with strips of paper thirty five or more times.

Back lapping is done using a grit paste (like Clover Compound) to gently grind or burnish the high spots between reel and bed knife. The reel is rotated in reverse direction, and continually adjusted to get a pencil line of contact across the full width of every blade. When you are done, you have to carefully clean all compound, and then set the reel to bedknife as described above.

There are power back-lapping machines or sprocket arrangements, but I don't recommend. They can easily gall the reel and bedknife, if you don't know what you're doing, and at very least tend to remove more metal than necessary. I suggest you get a bell crank, or at least use a large pair of vise-grips to manually rotate the reel. If you damage the reel and beknife with power back lapping, you could be looking at a new $400 reel and $200 bedknife."

A professional can do a backlapping and reset the reel in 60 to 90 minutes. Figure 2 to 3 hours yourself as a shade tree mechanic.

I have bought and sold several McLanes and Tru-Cuts on Craigs List here in Atlanta. You can usually find a used one. What I learned (and why I sold them), they aren't good on lumpy turf and especially poor with big slopes. I have both. These machines are very heavy so my back would hurt tryig to keep the roller bar firmly planted while going up hill.

HELLO--I sincerely appreciate all the advice and comments. Had the opportunity to "test drive" both a McLane and a Tru-cut during this past week. Not a very nice experience. After much (much) consideration, I've obtained a new Honda rotary mower. It has been used twice so far (once by me and once by my son) and is doing a very good job taking the lawn down to 2" (waiting to go lower). It will not cut as low as a reel (1 1/8/ min.), but I think it will do well for my needs for now.

Best Wishes--CARL