Striping Kit

[WEEDEATER]

How many people use striping kit or is it waste of money.

[REO]

I use them on both of my eXmarks. Check out the results of using them on the eXmark home page. Click onto striping kit and then click on result of using the kit. You be the Judge.

[TLS]

The Striper that REO speaks of is what I have on my Lazer. Works great, but is even better as a full width ANTI-scalp roller. No more scalping berms or high spots. Also gets rid of the two rear OEM anti-scalp rollers and allows tighter closer trimming on both sides.

The Lazer striped pretty well without it, but really defines them with it.

Some of my lawns haven't been cut in over a Month due to the drought. The stripes are still nice and defined though!

Whats that wet stuff falling from the sky???

[geogunn]

my older model lesco 48 stripes quite nicely without any kind of kit so I wouldn't spend the money on one.

it also helps to have nice grass to stripe!

GEO

[John Gamba]

What Tls said:D

[REO]

Another feature that I found that the EZ Striper has is it feeds the leaves in under the deck when I back over them to grind them up in the fall. It seems to act like a conveyer and I can back over piles of leaves ( 18" - 24" high at least ) and with my Director in the closed position, they are History!

[Bill Davis]

Instead of spending the $300 plus dollars for the strping kit for my Lazer i thought i might be able to get an old conveyor roller with bearings and all for pretty cheap. Do yall think this would work? Also, what is the width on the striping kit that Exmark sells. THanks yall, Bill

[TLS]

I guess you could make one yourself. It would really help to have one to model off of, but it could be done.

The YSM/Exmark roller spans the width, and mounts between the rear antiscalp wheel mounts.

[Bill Davis]

TLS, What i am planning on doing is taking a roller from a 40 inch steel conveyor roller with the bearings already in it and putting it in. I think it will work. What i meant by width was what diameter pipe it was. I think a 2 inch pipe will work but i just wanted to see.

[John Gamba]

If You are going to Use a 40" roller on a 60" Deck It Might Leave between The wheel's And the roller What would appear To be Uncut grass.

You Might whant to weld Two Of them together. A 40&20 To Get 60 Or The Measurement That you Need.

But It's Easier to Get One. You Do Have To ajust for different Heights Of the deck.
Hope this help's John G.

[TLS]

Bill,

The Exmark/YSM roller is 3" diameter and runs the length between the rear antiscalp rollers.

Tires on a 60" Lazer are only 31" apart, so thats about all you'd need. Problem is, any bracketry you'd need to hang the roller from would interfere with the deck struts' mounting bracketry.

Cheapest way for stripe enhancement would be a rigid rubber rear flap that hangs about 1 1/2" lower than the rear deck skirt. Make it out of something that gives, but not too much so it wouldn't bend into the blades when in reverse.

All you have to do is bend the grass slightly. With my deck cutting at 3-1/2", my roller is hanging 1-3/4" off the ground. It doesn't need to be supporting the weight of the deck as some would seem to believe.

Good Luck, I'd still rather see you save many headaches and just buy the YSM roller though.

Just my $.02

[John Gamba]

When You Have the roller set for Three And a Half Inces And You go and Lower The deck To three Inches.The roller Will Ride On the ground.
Tls Is Wright About The rubber, But Make Cut's In It Like Gravely Make's And It will Bend On turn's. ( Won't Dig )
I've done this On My Walk behined's For Year's. Go into gravely's Web and See how they do it.

John

[Bill Davis]

Well, my mower in question is a 52 inch Lazer HP. There is only 40 inches between the rear antiscalp wheels. I went a company that has used rollers that are off of conveyors and i found a 36 inch steel roller with steel bearings already in it. The outside diameter is a little bigger than 2 inches. The inside diameter was 3/4 inch. So, i went to a steel company and got a 44 inch steel rod to put through the roller. I noticed on exmarks website that their kit had a steel piece that bolted into the exsisting holes where the anti-scalping wheels were. So i took a 2 inch wide piece of flat steel and cut it to 2 3/4 inches long. I drilled two holes in it so that it would bolt in to the exsisting holes where the wheels were. Then i drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the plates so that i could run my shaft that goes through my roller out on either side. I drilled holes on each end of the shaft and put in cotter keys ( i hope that is how they are spelled). To keep the roller from going side to side I lined up the roller where it was in the middle and i drilled holes on each side of it and put in cotter keys on each side. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for all your help, Any more advice would be great. Have a good one, Bill.

[John Gamba]

That sounds great Bill
Please tell Me How it work's.
Johnny G.

[GreenQuest Lawn]

this was NOT bought from york or Exmark. We made this. Alot of the high cost of their striper is the stainless steel used. This is aluminum. I have used it for two years now and no problems.

[GreenQuest Lawn]

Dangit I hit the submit button too fast.

[Tony Harrell]

Todd, Where did you get the parts for your striper?

[Navig8r]

Todd..... I wanna know too !!!!

I want one, but $300.00 is too steep for me.

I put a flap on my Z HP, but I think a roller would be better.

My concern has been bearing quality on a home-made roller, but I figure many can be built for the price of the eXmark roller.

[dwost]

Todd, I too would love to know where you bought the roller and supplies. I'm planning on fabricating one this winter. Let us know!!

[REO]

GreenQuestLawn
I don't believe it for a second that the roller pictured on your post is 2yrs. old. I have the stainless ones on my eXmarks and they are marked from stones and curbs etc. Yours look brand new and I think that it is. The only way that your roller is 2yrs. old is if you didn't use it.

[Runner]

I have the York striper and enjoy the results, but if I was going to get another one, I would just fabricate one with chains off the back. These definitely have their advantages.

[1MajorTom]

Quote: I don't believe it for a second that the roller pictured on your post is 2yrs. old.

Ever get something, and when it is new, take a picture of it?
It's my guess the picture was taken when it was freshly installed, and roller itself is two years old. Just taking a guess here. ;)

[SIG]

REO,
He probably took the picture when he first made it, 2 years ago???:eek:

[rross]

I love the stripping, customers think it is the best thing in the world, they say it is just a nicer setting,,, I like the strip too,, its wort h the change to put one on, but hey, I'm sure with some thinking we can always just make one to put on...

Rod

[REO]

I wonder how the aluminum holds up running sideways on a curb supporting the entire weight of the unit & climbing over it, or running along with the curb while mowing small Islands instead of pushing them. I know that it's hard to beat stainless and I personally would rather have stainless for strength.

[John Gamba]

What REO Said. It's To New Looking.:mad:

[vipermanz]

the mower looks quite clean too, the lables are even legible!!, i would assume he mounted 2 years ago and just showing a pic now

[Turtle II]

Viperman Z,

I clicked on your "www" link below, at the bottom of your post and just want to say that is pretty cool.......

I am not an AOL member, but do have an AOL screen name/account, from their instant messenger thing.....So I got in and checked your stuff out........

Both the stripping in your pics and the web site are pretty good.
That is cool that your getting that knowledge about posting the pics on that page.......You could really make a good sales presentation/pitch with real pictures,,,,,,pictures of before / after projects, work accomplished, do a mulching bed around some trees, take a nice pic---and then build it up into a flyer, an electronic flyer---that you can use to make a presentation.....make it into a package deal........Figure your mulch cost---weed block cost-----and come up with a price.......

"Installed and maintained with your weekly cutting for X number of dollars..........."

WoW---sorry for rambling---but back to the original thing---your site is cool,,,,a good start.....

Soon, if a business does not have a web site----they wont be a business.......Also---you'll send an email to your customer,,they will type in a numer---and you'll get paid........



Hope everyone is doing great!!!!!!!!!!!
Turtle II:cool:

[FrankenScagMachines]

John Gamba- (sorry to get off topic guys) - could you please email me? Remember that offer you made me a while back? I lost the email but I might possibly be interested next year, not for sure how things are gonna go for me though. Thanks,
Eric
bush_hog_v36@yahoo.com

[1grnlwn]

!!!

[Scag48]

Is it possible that the picture of the roller was taken when it was just installed? Maybe that was the only picture he had of it and didn't want to go out and take another. I wish Exmark made one a TTHP 36"! :cry: Too bad I don't have 2 rear anit-scalp rollers! :cry:

[Tony Harrell]

I contacted the company that supplies the conveyor systems to Grainger and requested some information on their products. Their catalog has numerous rollers in various diameters and lengths. They're available in several different kinds of steel and aluminum and also different kinds of bearings. I called and spoke with someone about their products and the only problem I can see is the bearings, they're not sealed. He told me there are some companies that make rollers capable of being washed down, probably with sealed bearings of some type. These types are probably used in food production plants like poultry.

[dwost]

Tony, Please keep us posted as to the outcome with the rollers. I checked Graingers site and didn't see anything that looked like it would work. Glad you went the extra step to contact the Mfg. I did contact a roller mfg near me here in Ohio and sent them the picture with a request for a price to do one in stainless. Since there was only 1 being produced and they didn't stock stainless the woman told me it would be in the hundreds to a thousand bucks to develop one due to machine set up costs and material costs...........back to the drawing board. It would be great if you could find one who mfg them in standard lengths. Let us know what you find out.

Don

[Tony Harrell]

I can't find the catalog the company sent me, I have so many catalogs from so many companies. Do a search on Google and it'll turn up a lot of stuff about "conveyor rollers". I think a roller would lay down the best stripe. I'm looking at a Lesco brochure about their Z and it has several wide antiscalp rollers that would also work. I'm gonna check with them next monday to find out about prices.

[dwost]

Ok, Tony inspired me to build my own kit. I purchased a new Gravely 48" WB earlier this spring that had the factory "rubber flap" kit installed. I will say, this thing stripes well now, but I feel they could be even better with an enhanced striping kit and doubles. I began searching the web for conveyor rollers and after 4-5 calls to the different mfg, I was disappointed with my results. Prices to mfg a single roller is anywhere from $100-$1000 depending on the materal chosen. I was referred to McMaster Carr by one of the distributors as a possible solution. It turned out, this was the solution. They supply anything you can imagine for industrial applications. Their website is http://www.mcmaster.com/ under search type in 1045 (this is the page where the individual replacement rollers start). I ended up finding a 1.9" round x 36"long galvanized roller with commercial grade steel bearings for $13.75 and it will be at my door tomorrow!!! I couldn't believe it but they supply everything from 10" to 70" long rollers in a variety of materials including stainless for a fraction of the cost to have one mfg. The same roller in 304 stainless would have been about $84, but for me (the residential user) the galvanized should work just fine. I'll post a write up when I build my kit for anyone that is interested. Kudos to tony for the idea!!! :blob3: :blob4:

[TLS]

I'd worry about a 1.5" roller being too small. The EZ Striper is at least 3" diameter. With a small tube/roller, your bearing holders are going to be gouging from time to time. Plus the bearings that are on the EZ Striper are larger than 1.5", so the roller wouldn't even be touching the ground, the bearing supports would.

Hope I didn't rain on your parade. :rolleyes:

[dwost]

Thanks TLS for the input. I actually went with a 1.9" roller that weighs about 8lbs. The bearings are recessed a bit into the barrel so the only thing sticking out is the axel which will be mounted to a support. I'm not overly concerned about it diging in as I'm working on a "free floating" mounting design that would give it some play. Not sure if this will work or not but it's worth a shot. Oh and the other item is cost. I'm sure the ezstriper is a fantastic setup and well worth the 2-$300. I'm a residential user and my total material costs are under $20. The rollers come in diameters greater than 3" so if anyone wants to bild a bigger one you can do that too. The other item is clearance. I'm mounting mine behind the deck and have limited distance between the deck and rear wheels. I didn't want it hanging down behind the wheels to get caught on bushes etc. Its all personal preferance I guess. I'll let you know how it works out.

[dwost]

Well, the roller came yesterday in the mail so I ended up attaching it last night before I cut to see how it worked. All I can say is WOW it does make a huge difference. I'll take it apart and post pics of the install when I get some time. The total cost with harware set me back a total of $28 including the roller and shipping. I used two zinc coated brackets to mount the roller to the existing scalp wheel housings using all stainless 5/16" hardware. I have my deck set at 3" and have the roller set at about 1/2" to 3/4" off the ground. This ensures definite contact with the turf but doesn't cause the deck to actually "ride" on the grass. The roller fits perfectly and it lays down a mean stripe. there is a definite difference between this and the rubber flap that was originally installed. I have some finishing to do on the brackets such as cutting them down a bit, but the overall appearance is quite stock looking and it works perfectly. I have some rough terrain that I mow and there was no effect at all on the roller being bounced around. Also, there were no issues going over the curb at any angle. Thanks again for the idea:D :D

[Bill Davis]

well, My experiment making a roller has turned out great!! In all it cost me about 35 five dollars. not once has it come off, dented, or been damaged. It is the best at avoiding scapling too. I will get my new camera working and show yall what I got. Have a good one and dont work to hard, Bill.