stripes on a 21"

[tramahor]

ok guys I have to ask, whats the best way to make stripes with a 21" mower, I have a commercial snapper and a toro proline. I did a serch and I found lots of set ups with chains for the walkbehinds. Just wondering if anyone had any info on making them for the 21" Thanks in advance:o

[vipermanz]

Stripes Like This???http://photos.groups.aol.com/_img/viperlawn/BMaqNH/lawn4.jpg

i used a chain striping kit i made with a piece of preforated angle iron, with about 8' of chain, thats bolts to the back of my lawnboyhttp://photos.groups.aol.com/_img/viperlawn/iYaqNH/chains.jpg
i am going to add more chains to enhance to effect though.

[keifer]

There was a ad in one of the turf or pro mags for a roller that is filled with sand that fits 19 to 21 inch mowers for stripping. the company is inventtec and sells for 49 bucks.

[Russo]

How cool is that? Love home made stuff that works good. It looks like it should have a sign on the back that says"Just Married" LOL

[lawnkid]

I just double cut and it looks like a mlb baseball field with my John Deere 21" 14SB walkbehind.

[rkbrown]

Vipermanz:

What kind of grass is that ? St. Augustine ?

[dlandscaping]

put the rear wheels up an extra notch and mow i get some good stripes from that no chains needed

[tramahor]

thanks for some good info guys, keifer do you happen to remember their web site. I would tend to go that direction for fear of getting the chain stuck and having the toro handle go into my stomach or even worse........ ouch!!!! thanks again

[vipermanz]

Originally posted by rkbrown
Vipermanz:

What kind of grass is that ? St. Augustine ?

i believe it's in the transitional stage between rye,and fescue, but not sure exactly:confused:

[keifer]

tramahor i dont have it on me but when i get back home tonight i will find it and email you.It is a cool little set up.

[TGCummings]

Keifer,

When you get a chance, post the address under this forum, too. I might be interested in checking that out myself... ;)

[rkbrown]

http://www.inventtek.com/

[AielLandscaping]

i made a chain striping kit for my honda 216c's i used it about 4 times and then took it apart. the problem i found that i had was i think i used too much chain. i had bought some real heavy duty stuff for pulling out trees with my truck and decided to chop it up and make a kit out of it. don't use heavy chain it puts too much strain on the mower and if the chains are too long it will get behind your tires when you turn around and risks getting underneath the deck if you back straight up.. a roller sounds like a much better idea to me...

[keifer]

Looks like rob poped my bubble. that is the address i had for it.

[MuskTurfKing]

Those are some cool stripes ya got Viper....good work.

Hank

[vipermanz]

thank ya!!:)

[Esby]

Here is another business (Big League Lawns) that makes some great rollers. I guess they really work, although I have no experience with them, only word of mouth.

http://home.attbi.com/~bigleaguelawns/Publish/index.html

[vipermanz]

doesn't convince me any,, why pay like $100 for that thing when i get the same effect with chains on any mower for under $30????

[Esby]

I wasn't trying to convince you, I have never used one of these products. All I can say is I would think a roller would do a better job than chains as it would really "lay" down the grass, instead of just having chain drug over them. I think you could do alot better striping with a roller than the picture you posted. Not to be negative, but I just see tracks where the wheels went, not so much the drastic color differences you get between the down and up passes. I was just saying that this product might improve your quality of work and it might be worth the money, thats all. Good luck:blob4:

[lamblawnscaping]

viperman,

why did you mow that with a 21? it seems you could mow it quicker and leave nicer stripes with a 36", 48" or even bigger? I know there are certian instances where a 21" is best and that is why I have a proline, but that dosen't seem like one of them.

[TGCummings]

Well, I can't speak for Viper but I will tell you that in my experience my 21" Proline cuts better than my 36" Exmark. When I want to do a top quality job, and mulch w/o having to double cut or blow out grass piles, I use my 21". When I want to cut a wide open weed field where I don't have to worry about the final look as much, the 36" does that quicker for me (in most cases).

I've used several different blade combinations and the result is the same...

[lamblawnscaping]

tgcummings,

the proline 21 does cut very nicely, hence the 950 price tag. But my proline 36 cuts nicer, and even nicer still is my 15 year old exmark 36 with new 14HP kawi, high lifts & and a gobbler. But even nicer than that is my exmark 48" with high lifts and a jumbo gobbler. my point is that although a 21 can cut very nicely it dosen't stripe very well, and leaves a look that most homeowners can achieve themselves. most homeowners cant leave 48" stripes on their lawns and that is why they pay top dollar to have us do it. i love my proline 21 but I only use it when I have to.

[vipermanz]

Because Of The Placement Of Beds And Shrubs In My Yards, Nothing Over 21'' Is Practical or Possible To Use. Besides that, my yard is small..yet green:)

There are guys on lawnsite that say they won't touch it if they can't fit 3' of mower through the gate, that pretty much describes my n'hood,:(:) ,thanks for all the compliments and if i offend anyone please accept my apology in advance:)

[Brickman]

Vipermanz
I am at the point where I won't take a yard on if I can't use my Walker on most if not all of it. But I understand your position, you have to do what it takes to get work. If that is all you can get then you work with what you got.

my point is that although a 21 can cut very nicely it dosen't stripe very well, and leaves a look that most homeowners can achieve themselves. most homeowners cant leave 48" stripes on their lawns and that is why they pay top dollar to have us do it. i love my proline 21 but I only use it when I have to.

Around here the most of the home owners hate the look my Walker makes. A few love it, but they are a minority. Of course they all love it when they see a commercial I just did, but won't let me use the Walker on their lawn. Go figure.
I have had a few tell me I can only use the JD wb on their lawn. So I raised the price on them and they stayed with me, ok we will mow it with the small mower.

[TGCummings]

lamb,

Not the same at all out here. Maybe it's the type of grass, the small confines of our lawns, or whatever, but the 21" Proline simply does a better job, all things being equal, than the 36" Exmark -- for all the reasons I've already given above.

Do you mulch, bag, or discharge? The most disappointing thing about the $4000 mower is that it simply doesn't mulch everything down as the little 5 hp Proline. Don't ask me how or why, but two years of testing has proven this out.

I've made my peace with it, I just use the big machine on my worst lawns and save the little one for the premo cuts. ;)

[vipermanz]

we can all agree that each mower size has it's place and user's:)

[TGCummings]

Originally posted by vipermanz
we can all agree that each mower size has it's place and user's:)

Amen!