Finally getting a roller Cancel The title field is required!

1. Cecil Daniel

   

   0 posts
   
   8/31/2015 7:08 PM

   We are finally going to get a roller. Probably used. Anyone have anything that they like or hate. I saw jerry pate has a toro 1200. The men's golf association wants more green speed. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

   
   
   
   
2. Christopher Thuer

   

   101 posts
   
   8/31/2015 8:08 PM

   We just purchased our first roller this spring. Salsco HP11. It has performed really well except for the drive chains that need daily adjustment. We did not get the spiker attachment. We did get the rotary brushes to clean the rollers. This is a must. When we did a demo the rollers would collect clippings and drop them off in clumps. The brush chains are a pain to keep in adjustment though.
   
   We initially though we would roll M-W-F and mow T-R-S-S and did this for a while. We did increase green speed a little but the greens would get pretty shaggy by the end of the roll/no mow day.
   
   Since mid May or so we have been rolling M-W-F but mowing every day. We do skip the mower cleanup on roll days now.
   
   We also roll before mowing as the operator of the roller would have a difficult time following his passes if there was no dew. Many double roll next to no roll passes. Rolling over dew helps him greatly. We have groomers on the greens mower that are turned on every day so the grass laying down isn't a problem.
   
   We went from struggling to get the greens to roll 9.5 the last few years to rolling consistently 10 to over 11 depending on humidity. A few really low humidity days last week they were 12+. Same bench setting on the greens mower as in years past. The most commented upon quality of the greens is now how smooth they are and how well the ball tracks.

   
   Chris Thuer, CGCS, Bear Slide Golf Club, Cicero, IN
   
   
3. Wahlin Scott B

   
   8/31/2015 10:08 PM

   If you can only have one, get a heavy one like the Salsco. It will give you more speed and do a better job smoothing out newly aerified greens.

   
   
   
   
4. Kirby Keltner

   

   0 posts
   
   9/1/2015 5:09 AM

   I recommend either a salsco or a smithco tournament roller. I have used both and really like them for different reasons. I do suggest you steer clear of the speed rollers. They do a decent job and based on research I have read, acutally get more speed out of the green but they are a pain to run and it is easy to do a burnout on a green with only one drive wheel.

   
   
   
   
5. John Moore

   

   0 posts
   
   9/1/2015 5:09 AM

   Just to have something else to think about. You may want to take a look at "Tru-Surface" vibratory rollers. We have had them since 2003. They set up on a triplex mower and you use them just like regular mowing. No driving sideways and missing passes and no clippings to speak of because you lift the rollers at the end of your pass. It is also a great tool to train new employees to mow greens. Some drawbacks are you need to kinda have a triplex just laying around somewhere and your not using it and they can be a maintenance head ache until you get used to them. To date we have two triplexes with this set-up. We can mow and roll greens inside of three hours.

   
   
   
   
6. Grall Austin D

   
   9/1/2015 11:09 AM

   Salsco and Smithco heavy rollers can give us up to a foot at the right time in the year. We have tested many others to see if we can move faster and get the job done better (less debris left behind). Toro Roller left a mess. the Tru-turf speed rollers don't leave much of a mess and if I were to go with I light weight I like tri-turf. As far as getting the job done faster, it wasn't a big enough difference for us. Salsco and Smithco are pretty simliar and not much of a mess, some greens don't need a dew whip or backpack blower following the roll.
   
   I am on my second year being a first assistant and have worked on a golf course for 8 years now, I feel like i've run them all.

   
   
   
   
7. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   9/1/2015 2:09 PM

   I have a toro that is about three years old. I would not buy a used Toro unless it is less then a year old! They made some changes since my model (which I told them about at the National) which fixed many of the issues mine had. While it can be fast it is a pain to master. If I had a good spare Tri Plex I would be getting the vibratory rollers mentioned above due to the ability to vibrate topdressings in.
   Do not buy anything without getting a demo for a day first. And I mean a full day or two. Rolling one green will not show you how well it works with your crew. When you are using a demo, make sure you put the people you intend to use on it. Do not put a greens mower operator on it if he may be cutting greens when you have some one else on the roller. A good operator can learn to use one fast but if he is doing other work you will have to use other workers. I try to train my bunker people and such on mine since my best operators are generally busy doing other things when I need the greens rolled.

   
   
   
   
8. Keith Pegg

   

   0 posts
   
   9/1/2015 3:09 PM

   John B Moore said: Just to have something else to think about. You may want to take a look at "Tru-Surface" vibratory rollers. We have had them since 2003. They set up on a triplex mower and you use them just like regular mowing. No driving sideways and missing passes and no clippings to speak of because you lift the rollers at the end of your pass. It is also a great tool to train new employees to mow greens. Some drawbacks are you need to kinda have a triplex just laying around somewhere and your not using it and they can be a maintenance head ache until you get used to them. To date we have two triplexes with this set-up. We can mow and roll greens inside of three hours.

   
   
   "Tru-Surface" vibratory rollers are the best, been with them 10 years now and would not go back.
   
   Keith

   
   
   
   
9. Steven Huffstutler

   

   11 posts
   
   9/1/2015 4:09 PM

   Keith Pegg said:

   John B Moore said: Just to have something else to think about. You may want to take a look at "Tru-Surface" vibratory rollers. We have had them since 2003. They set up on a triplex mower and you use them just like regular mowing. No driving sideways and missing passes and no clippings to speak of because you lift the rollers at the end of your pass. It is also a great tool to train new employees to mow greens. Some drawbacks are you need to kinda have a triplex just laying around somewhere and your not using it and they can be a maintenance head ache until you get used to them. To date we have two triplexes with this set-up. We can mow and roll greens inside of three hours.

   
   
   "Tru-Surface" vibratory rollers are the best, been with them 10 years now and would not go back.
   
   Keith

   
   
   +1
   
   Steve

   
   
   
   
10. Andy Jorgensen

    

    1 posts
    
    9/2/2015 7:09 AM

    I've attached a great article that touches on the differences in green speed when comparing triplex rollers and sidewinder rollers.
    
    I've also attached a greens roller comparison chart with all specs listed. The Graden roller listed is the Toro 1240(now with a few updates), but for the most part the most dramatic change from the Graden to Toro is the increase of about 75#.
    
    The most important part in comparing rollers is not neccesarily weight, but ground pressure measured in p.s.i. Obviously more contact with the ground(more rollers), the lower the p.s.i. Higher p.s.i. doesn't neccesarily mean better smoothing, as the models that run multiple rollers would in actuality be rolling the same area 1x or 2x more.
    
    We run two different models here. We run the Salsco with brush attachment after aerification so that we can brush in sand and smooth the surface without using anything with tires; and the Tru-Turf RS-48 for normal day-to-day rolling due to speed of the machine. For instance, our Salscos require two operators and two machines to roll 21 greens in 3.5-4 hours compared to one operator and one machine with the Tru_Turf in the same time period. We have no issues with spinning of the drive roller on the Tru-Turf. It's all about how they are operated.

    
    
    
    
11. Steve Nelson

    

    0 posts
    
    9/2/2015 10:09 AM

    ditto the tru turf. It doesn't get much simpler or faster.

    
    
    
    
12. Robert Hall

    

    0 posts
    
    9/2/2015 5:09 PM

    1.Salsco 2002-2005
    2 True Surface Vibe V
    3.Tru Turf

    
    
    
    
13. Grall Austin D

    
    9/3/2015 11:09 AM

    "The day after rolling, however, the
    triplex-rolled plots averaged three
    inches faster than the non-rolled check
    plot, while the sidewinder-rolled plots
    averaged six inches faster than the
    check."
    
    I thought this was interesting in that article.

    
    
    
    
14. Melvin Waldron

    

    43 posts
    
    9/3/2015 6:09 PM

    Austin D Grall said: "The day after rolling, however, the
    triplex-rolled plots averaged three
    inches faster than the non-rolled check
    plot, while the sidewinder-rolled plots
    averaged six inches faster than the
    check."
    
    I thought this was interesting in that article.

    
    
    Funny thing is research also shows, even the best golfers can't tell the difference between 3 to 6".
    
    Mel

    
    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
    
    
15. Cecil Daniel

    

    0 posts
    
    9/4/2015 9:09 AM

    Thank you all for your input.

    
    
    
    
16. Steven Kurta

    

    2 posts
    
    9/9/2015 7:09 AM

    HA. Gotta give some love to the DMI Speed Roller!
    14 years running. Simplicity.
    http://www.speedroller.com
    
    
    
    
    Probably just an upstate New York thing. Local company.
    *custom paint is custom*

    
    
    
    
17. Andy Jorgensen

    

    1 posts
    
    9/9/2015 7:09 AM

    Steven Kurta said: HA. Gotta give some love to the DMI Speed Roller!
    14 years running. Simplicity.
    http://www.speedroller.com
    
    
    
    
    Probably just an upstate New York thing. Local company.
    *custom paint is custom*

    
    
    
    Had one of these at my previous course. Loved it. Very quick. Never had an issue with it.

    
    
    
    
18. James Smith

    

    112 posts
    
    9/9/2015 11:09 AM

    The only thing I did not like about my triplex rollers was the fact that you were running your tires right over the area you just smoothed out. If you have ever seen the greens in the dark with lights across them you know you can see every tire track on the greens. It just did not make any sense to me to continue using the triplex rollers for green speed.