ReelCNC : Scott’s 18” reel mower conversion. A closer look at how this thing is wired up!

ReelCNC : Scott’s 18” reel mower conversion. A closer look at how this thing is wired up!
#lawn #lawncare #diy #lawnmower #bermudagrass #turf #southcarolina #sc #lakewylie

[@stefanspringer4600]

Have you looked at any grooved front roller option?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

Hasn’t been on my radar as of yet. Currently I’m running 2 heavy rollers from reelCNC and really liking the weight. Still experimenting with that setup. Back to no wheels as of now, and about to try the front roller bracket backwards so the roller sits in closer to the reel. I’ll be sure to make an update when I get that to where I like. Any pro to the grooved front that you have experienced? Next up for me will be some verticutting, as I can tell it’s getting a bit fluffy after all the attention it has gotten since we moved in here 😂

[@brent8213]

nice and simple. ive been looking into doing this myself. one thing i noticed is your top and bottom sprockets are not perfectly aligned. if you tuned them in it would run a lot quieter and smoother

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

That’s a great tip! The sprocket on the reel itself is the one that gives me the most issues. Needs to be tightened every few mows. Been thinking about trying another one to see if it works a little better. Thing has done a killer job for me all summer!

[@brent8213]

@@CarolinaLawnDad yea looks like a fun project. i recently picked up a troy built 18" for super cheap but its like brand new. since they are a fair bit more expensive i was hoping the reel itself would be a bit more heavy duty but its not. the blades are still a pretty lite gauge. this will be my conversion unit. while electric swapping I'm also going to take out some width. i don't know why but they all seem to have an excessive amount of space between the wheels and the reel. its always a bit of a guess when your lining up for your next pass. also makes it easier to bottom out on uneven ground. i plan on bringing the wheel brackets in to about on 1/8" clearance. it'll probably be about 2 ' narrower and then the wheels should line up better for the reverse pass

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

Nice! I went straight to double heavy rollers on this and it’s been doing killer. You are right about the wheels, with removing them I had to adjust my set up for how I was compensating for the wheels. Took a couple of runs to get it right, but working great now!

[@oldmanwaugh]

What is the metal wire ran in front of the reel behind the roller? Some kind of safety?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

This setup is running 2 of the heavy rollers that are 2 inches shorter than what the brackets are designed for, so I was getting a bit of flex when turning that would pop the roller off. To offset that, I temporarily added the wire to pull them tighter, and left the wheels on until I had time to play with adjustments and figure it all out how I wanted it. Worked great in that setup! Currently, I am running without the wheels or wire with the brackets for the front roller faced inward which has solved the flexing issues I was getting with the brackets. Biggest thing I’ve noticed for double roller only is the motor side is a good bit heavier and will sit a bit lower. I have compensated for that by adjusting the roller on that side up a notch which seems to do the job. When i have some more time, I’m going to look into equalizing the weight on the other side, but for now it’s kicking it!

[@marcschaffer3225]

what did you use for the clippings flap? is there a way to hold it open?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

It’s a cutting from a cheap tote lid I had laying around. It’s nice and flexible to to hold it open, I just give it a little bend and set it on top of the bars. Super simple!

[@Typical_Brothers]

That sunjoe bag looks like it would work way better than the ALM. Do they sell it separately?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

That I’m not sure. Prob not since you can’t get parts for them to fix. If bet you can find one on marketplace from one of the many broken sunjoes 😂 Mine is from one I bent the reel bad on 🤦‍♂️

[@kevinisnguyen]

I'm looking into the ReelCNC kit with a Scotts 18" right now. Not sure if keeping stock wheels is the way to go or if I should do front and rear rollers, but I think adding at least one roller is pretty much required at this point? Just want to check my understanding so far, so please correct me if I am wrong. If I want to keep stock wheels and add a front roller, then no extra parts are necessary? Just need the roller itself? If I want to keep stock wheels and do rear roller only, I need some sort of bracket kit? Last option would be no stock wheels and front+rear roller?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

For stock wheels and front roller, you just need the little bump outs he lists on the site to push the wheels away to accommodate the chain. I like my front and rear rollers a lot. Front helps me roll right over my live edges for a clean cut. I have 2 of their heavy rollers, so I had to play around to accommodate that

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

For stock wheels and front roller, you just need the little bump outs he lists on the site to push the wheels away to accommodate the chain. I like my front and rear rollers a lot. Front helps me roll right over my live edges for a clean cut. I have 2 of their heavy rollers, so I had to play around to accommodate that

[@kevinisnguyen]

@@CarolinaLawnDad Was there anything else needed for a rear roller? Looks like you have front, rear and stock wheels in the video. Do you just take off the wheels whenever you go around your live edges? Any other benefits you can think of for going the different combinations of rollers and stock wheels?

[@CarolinaLawnDad]

The wheels basically just make it wider. I still roll over the live edges no problem. I’ll probably just remove them now that I have the front roller bracket flex under control. I’ll probably make a video showing the difference as well