Stay Up to Date With Toro Reel Maintenance Tips

Stay Up to Date With Toro Reel Maintenance Tips

Proper reel maintenance and cutting performance go hand in hand. That never changes. But what constitutes “proper maintenance” can change over time as products and materials evolve. That’s why we have updated our reel mower sharpening and maintenance recommendations to ensure the latest information is available and consistent across a variety of platforms — whether it is accessed online, on a phone or in print, from the field or in the shop.

Make sure your technicians are aware of this update, as there have been subtle changes based on our current product offering. Here are a few highlights that may offer new information:

• Toro^® EdgeMax™ bedknives and EdgeSeries^® reels are made of a harder material that calls for slight nuances in how these products should be ground and sharpened. Have your technicians review the recommendations for these products.
• We have discovered a specific sequence that works best for tightening bedknife screws during installation to ensure parallelism between the bedknife and reel. Details are available online, but the first critical step is lightly tightening the two outer screws to locate the assembly to the bedbar. Then, working from the center outward, you can bring the fasteners to their final torque.
• Toro has developed an angle indicator tool with a magnetic base that can be used to measure the accuracy of the top grind angle on all bedknives to ensure consistency. This angle is critical to retain a sharp edge (and the desired after-cut appearance) over a longer period of time. It’s also key to longer time between sharpening, which is a key benefit of EdgeMax bedknives.

Additional Resources
The Reel Mower Sharpening Guide includes best practices for removing, installing and grinding bedknives, as well as what to do before, during and after grinding the reel. Other links from this page cover topics including:

• Maintaining reel mower performance
• When to sharpen reel mowers
• Reel mower height-of-cut adjustment
• Factors that affect reel mower quality of cut
• Sharpening rotary mower blades
• Hydraulic hose inspection
• Preventive maintenance tips

The Importance of Proper Maintenance
Everything from installation and setup to adjustment and application has an impact on cutting performance. That makes proper maintenance critical for the best after-cut appearance.

For a cutting unit to perform well for the longest period of time without constantly being resharpened or readjusted, one thing is key: maintaining the parallelism between the bedknife and the reel. If those two components are sharpened, installed and working together properly, you’ll get Toro’s legendary performance from your reels for a long time. Even the highest-quality components like EdgeMax bedknives and EdgeSeries reels won’t make a difference without proper setup and maintenance. That’s why it’s so important for service technicians to have the latest recommendations.

Sharing New Knowledge
As the product manufacturer, we are constantly learning from the field. When we find a better way to do something, we share it because we want to help our customers get the most out of their equipment investment. As a result, even technicians who have been using the same procedures for a long time may pick up new tips that help them improve mower performance in the field.

If you or your technicians have any questions about proper sharpening or maintenance practices, please contact your local Toro distributor. We are committed to supporting you with the resources you need to keep your equipment working reliably every day.