Grinding bedknife on BG1000
Golfers at all levels demand the finest golf course conditions at all times. No matter the weather conditions or time of year, golfers demand perfection. One of the critical elements to keeping cut quality at a premium level is bedknife maintenance. The Frontier BG1000 packages precision with an easy-to-use manual grinder setup that is quick and efficient.
There are two principle bedknife angles, the top angle and the front angle. Each angle serves a purpose that impacts the overall cut quality. The top angle provides clearance for the clippings to eject after a blade of grass has been cut. Without this angle, grass tends to get pinched instead of sheared since it is difficult for the grass to eject. In addition, the top angle is important in eliminating metal-to-metal contact across a wide range of bedknife attitudes. The top angle must be present and should be maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. The top angle also combines with the front angle to create the actual cut point.
The front angle is important for allowing the reel to present the grass to the bedknife to be cut. The rake angle of the reel pulls the grass toward the bedknife. If there is no front angle on the bedknife, the tendency is for the bedknife to push the grass forward, making it difficult for the grass to be properly cut. The front angle prevents the grass from being pushed over, allowing for a premium quality of cut. The front angle is also important as the cutting unit must be set up to perform correctly across a wide range of bedknife attitudes.
Front facing is the most common maintenance practice performed on bedknives, and can have the most detrimental impact on life and performance of the bedknife. When facing a bedknife, it is important to remove as little material possible. Removing large amounts in a single grind shortens the life of the bedknife and increases the aggressiveness of the bedknife attitude. If a cutting unit gets too aggressive, the reel tends to make more of a rotary impact cut instead of a precision cut that may result in increasing the number of stragglers, brown stripes in the overlap, or just an overall deterioration in cut quality.
No matter what top and front angles are chosen to maintain the bedknives, the BG1000 is up to the task. And if an operator ever experiences a cut quality issue and needs to restore the bedknife back to manufacturer’s specifications to get a baseline, the BG1000 provides that capability quickly and easily.