Quick and Easy Circular Grinding with Foley Quick Spin 642

ARTICLE

Wijnand Meijboom, Monday 18 November 2024

126 sec

There's good news for greenkeepers and field managers looking to quickly and easily sharpen their push reel mowers or a mower unit from a reel mower during the season. Foley has introduced the Foley Quick Spin 642, available through Milati Grass Machines.

Owner Arjen Spek has been involved in the development of this new sharpener from the start. "About six years ago, Allett asked if we had grinders that were low to the ground so that you could easily drive a stadium mower onto it. These mowers weigh between 300 to 500 kilograms, making it almost impossible to lift them onto a regular grinding bench. Thus, grinding these mowers was not or hardly done."

Spek brought Allett into contact with grinder manufacturer Foley and also participated in the sessions that followed to develop a machine that could meet this need. "Not only was it necessary for it to be easy to drive on and off, but it also needed to be compact and efficient without requiring the user to kneel or bend over."

Prototype

Foley's engineers went to work and by 2023, the first prototype was ready. This first version was tested in America and England. Based on feedback, the angle at which the mowers are driven onto it was adjusted to better position the mower. "The suspension of the electric motor on the grinder has also been adjusted and has become more user-friendly," says Spek.

Floorgrinder

Thus, the final version of the Foley Quick Spin 642 was born, available since early October. Spek: "The name Quick Spin refers to the ability to quickly sharpen a push mower/mowing unit. The number 642 refers to the 42-inch wide stadium mowers for which there was no suitable grinder available until now." The name floorgrinder was also considered because this new grinder stands just twenty centimeters above the ground. However, Quick Spin was chosen over floorgrinder. "Once, a now-retired employee of Foley told me that it was his dream to develop a floorgrinder. Due to technological developments and related changes in machines and market demands, the Quick Spin has now emerged."

"It's just a matter of driving the mower on, checking if the grinding stone touches the blades on both sides, locking it in, and grinding."

The operation is extremely simple, explains Spek. A user no longer has to bend or kneel to sharpen the blades but can now simply adjust the grinder while standing. "It's a matter of driving the mower on, checking if the grinding stone touches the blades on both sides, locking it in, and grinding. You also no longer need a hoist to lift the push reel mower onto a regular grinder, which was almost impossible. Yes, it was still possible on a very old grinder, but not on modern versions. Now, you can sharpen in a minute and backlapping would no longer be necessary."

Milati has already sold the Foley Quick Spin 642 in Switzerland and Norway and expects this new grinder to tap into a broad market, both on sports fields and golf courses. "I was at a golf course in Finland where they mow all the tees and green boxes by hand. They used to spend a lot of time backlapping, but thanks to this grinder, they are now very quick with this task," he illustrates a major advantage of the Quick Spin. Also, the competitive position relative to users who only want to sharpen their mowers is improved with this new acquisition. This fast circular grinder is certainly no competitor to Foley's regular grinders, emphasizes Spek. "Of course, sharpening according to factory specifications of reel mowers from Toro, John Deere, and Jacobsen is still necessary."

This article was previously published on November 18, 2024, on the Greenkeeper website.

Milati Grass Machines B.V...

TORO NSN Europe

John Deere Walldorf GmbH ...

COMMENTS

There are no comments yet.

Tip the editors