Walk Mowing vs. Tri-Plex Cancel The title field is required!

1. Timothy Day

   

   0 posts
   
   4/29/2013 11:04 PM

   Our course has always mowed greens with tri-plex mowers, but we are thinking about switching to walk mowing, just wanting opinions on both.
   
   Thanks,
   
   Tim Day

   
   
   
   
2. Tony Feheregyhazi

   

   7 posts
   
   4/30/2013 6:04 AM

   I have always felt that quality of cut was better with a walker. That and the big drive roller was like an additional roll . Though I haven't demo'd or tried anything new in a walker in years there was a savings in fuel and maintenance. The biggest drawback is trying to staff, smaller budgets usually mean less staff. If I had it my way I would make the switch.

   
   
   
   
3. Timothy Johansen

   

   0 posts
   
   5/1/2013 3:05 PM

   We started walking 3 years ago after our first summer from hell left 4 of our greens in pretty bad shape (to say the least). The recovery was amazing and within 6 weeks all I heard was "those damaged greens now putt so much better than the rest". Then it was "what would it take to walk all of them " ? I snagged some good used Deere walkers and it was off to the races. Yes, you need 4 guys instead of 2, some trailers and most likely a little younger staff, but we had a lot of projects that needed young backs so that was easy to overcome. I don't think that we would go back to riding again unless something drastic happened. We used the triplex mowers twice this spring and maybe 3 times last fall. It is all in the quality- no more tri plex ring around the outside, smoother putting surface. Happier customers ! And we all know, you seldome hear "wow what great tee boxes", or "those fairways are fantastic", its all about the greens !

   
   
   
   
4. McDaniel Gregory B

   
   5/2/2013 9:05 PM

   Walk during the week and triplex on weekends. That makes it easier on the greens and the budget. I did this years ago after we got new equipment. The triplex that mowed greens did nothing but mow or verticut greens, so the wear and tear was much less as was the risk of a hydraulic leak. I made sure through trial and error what heights gave me the same cut between the 2. Matched sets of reels of the same age and use patterns are extremely important when using walkers. The same set height on new reels and reels needing replacement can vary by the amount of metal worn off the blades. It changes the angle of attack of the bedknife. Of course the same holds true of a triplex. Same age reels and all sets kept together. Replace reels in sets, not one at a time. This will give you consistency of cut between all mowers in your fleet.

   
   
   
   
5. Green Robert B

   
   5/4/2013 7:05 AM

   Walk nine and ride nine, alternating throughout the week. Ride-only on weekends.
   No question of the less stress on the plants from walk mowing. Due to labor cuts we had gone to riding only for a couple of years. After much reconsideration, it just seems to be overall worth it to have at least some walk mowing in the program. We are a public course and struggle with play at times and money all the time.

   
   
   
   
6. Cerminara Jamie L

   
   5/4/2013 8:05 AM

   We triplex due to staffing, but mow cleanup laps with a walker. It seems that with new technology on triplexes and cutting units that the difference in cut negligable, this was evaluated with a prism at the last club I worked at. I am pretty sure the footprint on both is similar. With all that said, my preference would be walking for aesthetics, and triplexing for those with crew constraints.
   
   Simply put both have pros and cons, and it all comes down to what is going to work better for you. I can say I have never had a member complain about the results, really not even sure they would care if putting surfaces were green as long as they were smooth and from day to day rolled 10+.

   
   
   
   
7. Brad Marcy

   

   0 posts
   
   5/10/2013 9:05 AM

   Other factors may come into play. How many staff members do you use to rake bunkers? We have 4 walk mowers that are responsible for mowing their section of greens (2.2AC) and raking the bunkers on those holes (avg 1/hole). If I would be triplexing greens (2 mowers) I would still have at least one staff member raking. Is one part time seasonal staff member worth having a better quality of playing surface?

   
   
   
   
8. Rosenthal Gregg

   
   5/12/2013 4:05 PM

   Walk mowing our greens is the key to great putting and consistent good green speed. Also the wear on the greens is minimal, especially in the cleanup area as we mow everyday. It is done by 6 mowers, each doing 3 greens, where the person fixes, divots, then makes sure after the green is clean with a dew whip. Nothing matches the quality of the cut and finished product of the poa/bent greens cut this way. All our greens run fast and are consistent putting daily for members and guests to enjoy! We do triplex once and awhile for simplicity and fast cut if required when rolling or after topdressing to save wear on the walkers. I also say nothing like the single small stripes made by the walkers, compared to a triplex larger stripe. It does take the crew size and consistency to cut straight lines for sure, to make it look good, I myself will mow on occasion to keep practice on keeping the line straight and ability to train others, as it is my job to do what others do just as well!
   
   GreggR

   
   
   
   
9. Gunsch Colby A

   
   5/29/2013 1:05 AM

   We've seen a big difference since I switched our greens over to walkers, many years ago. We did spend a season scalping our Push-up bent/poa greens until they were flat. Small course, small crew, small budget, and fortunately for us small greens. It takes 3 guys 2-2.5 hours to repair pitch marks, blow debris, rake bunkers and mow our 20 greens. I enjoy getting out there and showing the guys how to whip turns. We also cheat on the weekends with a Triplex, and skip the clean-up every other day, regardless of the mower we use.