Washboard in Roughs Cancel The title field is required!

1. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/17/2014 12:10 PM

   Has anyone else found that after years of mowing with a Sidewinder that the rough is developing a washboard texture, especially in areas where you have to constantly cut in the same direction? I don't tend to see it at other clubs but definitely mine.
   If you have found this, what can be done. If no one else has seen this occur, I guess I have some very strange underlying soil
   
   Thanks

   
   
   
   
2. Chris Wiedenmeyer

   

   0 posts
   
   10/17/2014 2:10 PM

   Have seen this many times with the striping rough and surround mowers. Compaction is my guess and an operator running the same trail week in and week out is the culprit. I have instructed my mowers to try to take a different angle each week. Tough around greens and tees.

   
   
   
   
3. Dinger Greg

   
   10/17/2014 3:10 PM

   I've seen it a lot, so just you and I are the odd ones... There is some adjustability to the Toro units, hydraulically, that increases/decreases the cutting unit "weight", that you may tinker with. Also, I've see where the rear full roller has been abandoned and retrofitted with the same short rollers as the front takes. I've not tried this, but it is on my wish list, an expensive experiment though. I'd like to consider some cultural practices as well, like scalping, verticutting and aerifying and generally shredding these areas, but I suppose that's a tad risky, especially this time of year.

   
   
   
   
4. Theodore Piersol

   

   0 posts
   
   10/17/2014 7:10 PM

   I have used a sidewinder for over 12 years on my intermediate cut and have noticed more washboarding this year than in previous years. Thinking about taking a five ton roller a see if that will help, any thoughts

   
   
   
   
5. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/18/2014 10:10 AM

   Theodore W Piersol said: I have used a sidewinder for over 12 years on my intermediate cut and have noticed more washboarding this year than in previous years. Thinking about taking a five ton roller a see if that will help, any thoughts

   
   That is the direction I was thinking of going in the spring. And thanks guys for reassuring me I'm not the only one

   
   
   
   
6. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   10/22/2014 1:10 PM

   Question, are you seeing washboarding or is it your soil that is developing humps that makes it look similar to washboarding.
   
   I was always under the impression that washboarding is when your ground speed is too fast for your reel speed. it has a habit of pushing the grass into clumps where it is whacked off which leaves some short grass followed by long grass.
   
   If it is your soil that is developing the bumps I have also seen it over my last few years at my club but it is on my fairways. I figured mine was from us cutting the fairways when they are still wet (a bad habit I got rid of with one of my last operators). the down pressure on the reels combined with wet or damp soil. the problem is much harder to get rid of then the washboarding from ground speed-reelspeed in that it will take a roller to help mash it level again.
   
   If it is indeed your soil you may need to look at irrigation cycles and cutting timing to try to dry them out a little more before cutting.
   
   maybe I am wrong, and I hope if so, someone else can let me know what it really is so I too can get rid of mine also. Until then I do not water early in the morning when we are scheduled to cut fairways and always wait a few days after rain for them to dry out.

   
   
   
   
7. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/22/2014 2:10 PM

   James Smith said: Question, are you seeing washboarding or is it your soil that is developing humps that makes it look similar to washboarding.
   
   I was always under the impression that washboarding is when your ground speed is too fast for your reel speed. it has a habit of pushing the grass into clumps where it is whacked off which leaves some short grass followed by long grass.
   
   If it is your soil that is developing the bumps I have also seen it over my last few years at my club but it is on my fairways. I figured mine was from us cutting the fairways when they are still wet (a bad habit I got rid of with one of my last operators). the down pressure on the reels combined with wet or damp soil. the problem is much harder to get rid of then the washboarding from ground speed-reelspeed in that it will take a roller to help mash it level again.
   
   If it is indeed your soil you may need to look at irrigation cycles and cutting timing to try to dry them out a little more before cutting.
   
   maybe I am wrong, and I hope if so, someone else can let me know what it really is so I too can get rid of mine also. Until then I do not water early in the morning when we are scheduled to cut fairways and always wait a few days after rain for them to dry out.

   
   It's not a cutting problem or grass problem. The underlying soil gets washboarded like a dirt road just after a stop sign.

   
   
   
   
8. Richard Jensen

   

   0 posts
   
   5/14/2015 1:05 PM

   Anyone had luck with using the 5 ton roller to level out washboards?

   
   
   
   
9. Steven Huffstutler

   

   11 posts
   
   5/14/2015 5:05 PM

   I've seen that quite a bit in roughs and fairways, too. In our case it's from being forced to mow when the ground is very wet, like all summer long. We fix it with a 1 ton vibratory roller and the top dress the hell out of it.
   
   Steve

   
   
   
   
10. Bill Brooks

    

    18 posts
    
    5/18/2015 7:05 PM

    We've had the same issue with our 3500-D rotary. We noticed bushings in the carrier assembly were bad, so we looked for them in the parts catalog and they were not listed. Called our distributor and they shot us a part #108-4000. It made a difference for us.

    
    
    
    
11. Richard Jensen

    

    0 posts
    
    6/2/2015 12:06 PM

    good info guys...thanks for the help

    
    
    
    
12. Johnson Aaron M

    
    6/30/2015 9:06 PM

    awesome thread guys!!!
    I have this problem with our sidewinder around our green banks as well in some areas of fairways. I was considering doing a big hollow core, soaking the crap out of the area and renting a heavy roller to try and displace the humps but didnt know if it made sense to do it this way.