Matt Falvo said: Well, kinda with solid rollers. I always hated dealing with groomers and didn't care for the extra weight they add to the cutting units. I started building these years ago out of old verticutting units and have had good results with them.
The blades are spaced at 1/4" and are usually set with a flat bar to just "scratch" for a light grooming. I have built these for Toro, Jac, and John Deere and if you have a decent set of verticut units to start with you'll only spend around $1500.00 setting them up. The blades in the pics have been used on 45 holes for 4 seasons now and show minimal wear.
Bret Hart
Equipment Manager
Turning Stone Resort
I have copied Bret's system and dubbed it the "BH" Verticutter. It works phenomenal, and we use it weekly. I recommend a press and a couple flat thick plates to flatten out the fans on the blades quickly and easily, as opposed to pounding out with a hammer. I also plan to restack the blades someday, maybe with a point in the middle and switching directions, as they tend to "screw" themselves in one direction when engaged with the turf. Like Bret said, they last forever. I have replaced a few, as they wear higher up on the blade eventually, as opposed to the carbide tip.
Thanks once again Bret.