a whole new game

magknife brings reel mower maintenance  to a new level

Some people liken driving into the grounds of Aspetuck Valley Country Club, Weston, Connecticut, to “entering the jungle.” Too many trees create maintenance challenges due to inadequate sunlight and air movement. In addition, the 18-hole private course has several
microclimates within its 110 acres. Throw in numerous rock outcroppings and fairways built on ledges with 3 or 4 inches of soil and superintendent Scott Suchenski really has his hands full.

One solution to these issues was the acquisition of three Jacobsen SLF-1880 super-light fairway mowers equipped with MAGKnife bedknives.

“One of the great things about the SLF-1880 with MAGKnives,” Suchenski says, “is that if an operator hits a rock or some other object the MAGKnife will pop off and not ruin the bedknife. The operator comes back in and our technician checks the mower and puts the bedknife back on. With the MAGKnife we don’t lose the reel or bedknife and save time grinding. Mowing fairways as often as people do these days, I can’t afford to have a mower go down. If an operator hits a sprinkler head, for example, we need to be able to change bedknives quickly to get back up and running. MAGKnives save time and money.”

The concept of the MAGKnife interested Suchenski since he was an assistant at Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California.

“I was the ‘grind guy,’” he says. “I’ve spent many winters taking apart bedknives and getting them ready. I used to spend an entire day just removing bedknife bolts, pounding on them with an air hammer. From that point of view, I like the ease of just pulling off a MAGKnife bedknife and popping it back on. It’s much easier and makes changeover faster.”

Aspetuck Valley specifies its SLF-1880s with four-wheel drive and 8-blade reels because of the course's steep hills and rocks.

“Without four-wheel drive,” Suchenski says, “we’d have to mow in the same direction all the time, side-to-side across the slope. Now we’re able to mow in all four directions and not cause a grainy situation in our fairways. The quality of cut with the SLF-1880s and MAGKnives is very good.”

Suchenski’s upbringing in the industry taught him to buy the piece of equipment that works best on his particular property.

“If two machines are equal, I go with the lighter one,” he says. “I’m glad we have the SLF-1880s, especially this year with all the humidity and environmental stresses. It’s great to know we’ve got a lightweight mower to get the job done with a limited staff. We can send three guys out and we’re finished cutting fairways by lunchtime.”

MAGKnife to the rescue
At Burning Tree Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut, greens are topdressed every Monday. With that frequency, walk mower maintenance has increased. The MAGKnife has been a great innovation for equipment manager Stan Pollander.

“We put a lot of energy into the golf course to make it better,” he says. “Sand is essential to increasing drainage and reducing thatch, and it smooths out the putting surface. Unfortunately, it’s pretty abrasive to the equipment and something we have to deal with. Having MAGKnives on our PGM 22 walking greens mowers is nice because instead of removing 11 to 13 screws on a standard bedknife, we just pop the MAGKnives on and off.”

Pollander looks at mowers daily, making sure they are properly adjusted. He grinds bedknife front edges once a week and gets the same life from MAGKnives as regular bedknives.

“As long as I stay on top of maintenance and keep bedknives sharp, I don’t have an issue with having to replace MAGKnives more often,” he says. “It’s a snap to change them. The MAGKnives have been great for us, and quality of cut is not an issue.”

Initially, Pollander had reservations about the ability of the magnets to keep the MAGKnives on the bedbar.

“It’s so critical to have a bedknife solidly screwed into the backing so everything is consistent,” he explains. “The process is very temperamental. If something’s not right and an operator strikes an object, it can really throw things off and affect the quality of cut. With the MAGKnife I can’t tell the difference from a standard bedknife. The MAGKnives are on the bedbars solid. It’s a great, great setup. We haven’t had any issues with them popping off.”

Part of his maintenance involves spraying the backing with a lubricant to keep it from rusting. Pollander also says it’s important to have a spare MAGKnife bedbar. That allows him to snap off a MAGKnife and put it on a grinder without removing the bedbar from the mower. The process is fast and easy because he doesn’t have to disassemble the machine. “I give the MAGKnives a front edge grind and keep them pretty sharp,” Pollander adds. “There’s not a machine in the shop that won’t cut paper. That’s just the way it is. That’s what the superintendent expects and it’s what I want — on every piece of mowing equipment. Everything has to be consistent.”