10/17/2012 10:10 AM
Steve, the one pro I like about the Toro DPA reels, we went 1600 hours before changing the reel bearing housings, plus no grease fittings to over grease. There are still the front basket rollers to grease. Also fuel economy has been great, uses on average between .65 to .7 gallons an hour. The one con has been the front basket roller frame, slowly bends in over time in our rough terrain, although it doesn't seem to affect our quality of cut. We do mow bentgrass at .156
Our old Ransome G-plex II's with 3555 and 4600 hours have been good, but new engines this past year, hydraulic pumps, motors and steering, but what do should we expect at those kinds of hours. My one con over the years has been the switches on the pedals and where the reels come up. They have been pretty good the last few years, but there was a time maybe 4 to 5 years ago we were going through switches like crazy. Good machines, cut well, just have to rebuild reels and keep them greased more then the Toro DPA's. Seems to use a little more fuel then the Toro, but about a tenth of a gallon more per hour, (could be age, mowing tees and collars, are just the rpm settings, it's the same engine)
John Deeres, only complaint I had when using, I don't like the basket holders, but I wasn't there that long after we purchased it. We did buy a diesel as it mowed tees and collars/approaches. One of our other city courses have them and the main thing I have seen is the oil pump falling about, they are plastic at the bottom of the engines, have to pull out to replace. I don't know the hours off hand when this happened, just know they were brought back to our shop to fix. I also don't know their fuel efficiency.
Mel
Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO