Toro Pro Sweeper on 5040 Kubota Tractor

We inherited a pro-sweep from the sister course . It was used with a diesel pro-gator with a high flow kit . The set up was quit cumbersome trying to get around our course . After going to my tech sites and talking to other mechanics familiar with this product I was able to come up with this configuration . The windrow was replaced and I had to get some jumper lines to connect the tractor fittings to the sweeper . The sweeper does track to the outside of the tractor quit a bit . On a level paved surface it wasn't to bad to move back  behind the tractor . We may invest in the hydraulic kit to move it from the tractor riding position .

A small video of the pro sweep in action . We are removing greens cores and they are fairly wet . In this area having dry cores to pick up rarely happens this time of year ( usually the rainy season ) Having it mounted to the tractor gave it more stability plus the fact that it has 4 wd and float tires on is a big plus . The wide range of gear selection gives me the option to go as slow as I wanted L 1 @ 1500 to 2000 rpm gave the sweeper time to pick the cores up as it moved forward . Things I learned : dump often , in this case about half full or 4 to 5 passes seemed to do the best job for our course .We tried loading it right up but the wet cores couldn't get thrown up high enough and would clog the brush causing large clumps to fall back on green .  The other thing was to listen to the guys helping out to find the best way to do it here . We chose to go down one side and drive around and make the next pass in the same direction . The Staff preferred this method and it was less messy . The sweeper doesn't pick up 100% but with a couple of staff with back pack blowers it went well .  

A short video of the dumping action . It is advisable to keep staff away from dump area for safety . Can be a big tip hazard , it can weigh up to 3500 lbs . fully loaded . It tipped very well using the tractor .

A picture of the sweeper in the outside tracking position .

Above is the set up . Below we have Greg ( one of our large area machine operators )  blowing the bits of cores that didn't get picked up . Looked pretty good and had our system down pat by the end of the day . I found the sweeper did a better job and exposing more open cored holes to receive sand . Great learning day for us and next time will go a little more like clock work .



End of another season

 Another summer here and gone . Boy it went by pretty quick . We're having a lot of rain and courses are pretty saturated . Starting to get some light frosts . It won't be long and winter will be here . Hoping for the same winter as last season .
 We managed to get our push up greens cored last week and plan to do the sand base ones this coming week . Usually can get them done in a day or two but with the wet Fall and lack of staffing this season it is slowing us down a bit .All hands on deck are needed to get jobs done . The gardener and I are chipping in as needed and getting to our jobs when we can . Lots of time to get things ready for winter .With the frosty days coming the grass should slow down enough to work on other projects .

 We received a sweeper to try out on the greens . It was a bit of a job using it on the pro - gator and didn't work as well as I would have liked . This time I have it on the tractor and with the 4wd drive and slower speed selections I'm hoping to get it to work a little more efficiently . I'll post some pic's later on . Time will tell , That's all for now .

 I did manage to get a little jump on winter work . My flexes are ready to go for the fall cut and are put in storage . Next rain days I'll try to get a couple of PGM's to bed .Good time to start looking around at gear and start making a list of parts for winter repairs . I have a few things I want to get done .eg; 5410 the older model will need some hoses replaced and a seal kit put in the steering  . Some of the rough units need spindle rebuilds . New cushman may need the rear end resealed . Bedknives ,belts , etc. Having a running list , speeds things up a bit so when your putting orders in you can pre order for a couple of jobs in advance to avoid part delays and down time .