MTSpiral roller overall

MTSpiral end section

The MTSpiral roller and the MTGrooved roller (not shown) options are available for Quick-Adjust 5 (QA5) cutting units to minimize roller overlap marks.

The MTSpiral roller and the MTGrooved roller options take the patented 50.8-mm (2-in.) machine spiral roller to a whole new level. These designs reduce the number of times the grass is rolled in the overlap area of the cutting units. With these unique designs, the material in the overlap of the roller is machined down to a smaller diameter, allowing the ends of the rear cutting unit rollers to roll through the open space of the front cutting unit rollers.

Types of overlap marks and what causes them

Cause of roller overlap marks

Roller overlap marks - bentgrass fairway

Roller overlap marks - bentgrass fairway

There are two types of overlap marks: reel overlap marks and roller overlap marks. It can often be difficult to determine what type of overlap marks a customer may be experiencing. In general, a roller overlap mark is roughly 88.9-mm (3.5-in.) to 101.6-mm (4-in.) wide, while a reel overlap tends to be 63.5-mm (2.5-in.) to 76.2-mm (3-in.) wide.

A reel overlap mark may be caused by a variety of factors:

Bedknife attitude
Low effective height of cut
Frequency of clip to high (shorter distance between cuts)
Cutting unit not parallel
Bedknife to reel contact
Dull reel and/or bedknife
Turf stress

A roller overlap mark is caused by how many times the front and rear rollers of the cutting units go over the turf. With traditional roller setups, the grass is rolled four times in the overlap of the front and rear cutting units – once by the front roller of the front cutting unit, once by the rear roller of the front cutting unit, once by the front roller of the rear cutting unit, and once by the rear roller of the rear cutting unit.

The rest of the cutting unit roller surface, not in the overlap, rolls the grass twice, once by the front roller and once by the rear roller. In certain conditions, particularly in times of lush growth, this may result in overlap marks, which will be darker striping marks in the dark stripes and lighter striping marks in the light stripes.

How the MTSpiral roller and the MTGrooved roller minimize roller overlap marks

Overlap design of MTSpiral rollers

Reduction of overlap marks - bentgrass fairway

Reduction of overlap marks - bentgrass fairway

The MTSpiral roller and the MTGrooved roller change the game in terms of roller overlap marks. Due to their design, at no point is the grass rolled more than twice. At every point across all five cutting units, the grass is rolled exactly two times. What this means is a more uniform appearance across the cutting pass.

If a customer decides the MTSpiral roller or the MTGrooved roller is the right choice to meet the needs for their application, it is recommended that both front and rear rollers be replaced with the MTSpiral rollers, or MTGrooved rollers, to achieve optimum performance and minimize overlap marks.

Since these are spiral and grooved rollers, they will tend to engage the turf more than a cutting unit setup with a smooth rear roller. A starting guideline is that all cutting units equipped with front and rear MTSpiral rollers, or MTGrooved rollers, be set up with a benchsetting of at least 1.1 mm (0.05 in.) higher to achieve a similar effective height of cut. Proper height-of-cut setting is critical for this setup.

The optional MTSpiral roller or MTGrooved roller setup does not solve issues due to reel overlap marks. Height-of-cut when the MTSpiral roller or MTGrooved roller is used should be measured by placing the gauge bar approximately 101 mm (4 in.) from the end of the roller to stay away from the tapered ends.

Applications for the MTSpiral roller and the MTGrooved roller

Reduction of overlap marks - paspalum fairway

Reduction of overlap marks - paspalum fairway

MTSpiral rollers and MTGrooved rollers can be installed on all PrecisionCut™ and E-Cut™ Hybrid Fairway Mowers and Riding Greens Mowers with QA5 cutting units. They are an addition to the lineup of roller options for fairway, tee, and approach applications, and may help reduce roller overlap marks on both warm season and cool season turfgrasses. Use of the MTSpiral Rollers or MTGrooved rollers is not recommended for greens applications.

Available for both the 45.7-cm (18-in.) and 55.9-cm (22-in.) cutting units, the MTSpiral roller and MTGrooved roller feature a true 45.7-cm (18-in.) and 55.9-cm (22-in.) length with tapered ends. This full-length roller, as compared to other shorter rollers in the marketplace, supports the cutting unit in turns and on sidehills without the gouging or marking.

This design is only available in the 50.8-mm (2-in.) configuration at this time:

BM23566 – 5.1-cm x 55.9- cm (2-in. x 22-in.) MTSpiral roller
BM23567 – 5.1-cm x 45.7-cm (2-in. x 18-in.) MTSpiral roller
BTC10267 - 5.1-cm x 55.9-cm (2-in. x 22-in.) MTGrooved roller
BTC10281 - 5.1-cm x 45.7-cm (2-in. x 18-in.) MTGrooved roller

8000A E-Cut™ Hybrid Fairway Mower