Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Blade Breaker]

Thanks for the note but I am looking at the swing flail mower from diamond. The ability to mow behind the tractor and then swing out like a disc mower is what I am looking for. Only this one and another brand that was mentioned earlier can do this that I have found. The diamond looks much heavier duty than the others which are smaller. Diamond offers smooth and rough knives. Smooth would work for long and short grass and leave a nice finish.
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with a swing flail mower from diamond? Sounds more like a commercial grade unit which is what I want. Not buying used just was mentioning that I seen the highway dept using one and it looked good.
Thanks

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Good evening Blade Breaker,

My flailmower is 35 years old, many ot the flail mower owners here on
the forum have units that are much older.

There are many good used flailmowers available on tractor house
and you may wih to go that route as they are not units used by
municipalities and were trade ins or being sold on consignment.


It all depends on whether you want new or used, how much time you have to mow,
the power your tractor has at the PTO AND whether it is has a hydrostatic transmission
which will rob power if it is much below 30 horse power.

The major issue is what kind of finish do you want and whether or not you will be using it
for heavy brush also which will dictate whether you want a mower with either the scoop knives
that cannot recut clippings to shred them finer, or side slicers which are an excellent dual purpose knive.






.

 

[hunt4570]

Bladebreaker... might I ask how much one of those costs? the website says nothing about price.

I know just my "normal" Caroni was 2k..

 

[Blade Breaker]

Bladebreaker... might I ask how much one of those costs? the website says nothing about price.

I know just my "normal" Caroni was 2k..

Around 10k or so. To replace two mowers for me it will be perfect if it works as I hope.

 

[hunt4570]

Around 10k or so. To replace two mowers for me it will be perfect if it works as I hope.

Well good luck if you buy it, let us all know how it works out for you!

 

[Kodiak45]

I am in the process of cleaning up my JD 25A. I ordered new blades. The blades that were on there were all bent, its no wonder it wouldn't cut anything. I was going to disassemble the shaft bearings to clean everything up and remove the cutting shaft and roller now that I have all the blades and bolts out.
Anybody know or have any estimate on how heavy either one are? Its hard to tell while they are assembled. I don't want to get hurt or have to ask anyone to help me. Just curious if it is something that I can maneuver or at least handle without getting hurt by myself.

 

[Kodiak45]

I am in the process of cleaning up my JD 25A. I ordered new blades. The blades that were on there were all bent, its no wonder it wouldn't cut anything. I was going to disassemble the shaft bearings to clean everything up and remove the cutting shaft and roller now that I have all the blades and bolts out.
Anybody know or have any estimate on how heavy either one are? Its hard to tell while they are assembled. I don't want to get hurt or have to ask anyone to help me. Just curious if it is something that I can maneuver or at least handle without getting hurt by myself.
I ordered the blades from hardhitter as flailmaster wanted an extra $40 for the same order and I didn't like the Tennessee sales tax addition also. They told me that it's mandatory, but if I phoned my order in then I wouldn't have to pay it. It just rubbed me the wrong way. Either way hardhitter was cheaper.

 

[leonz]

They have to reclaim any tax revenue from phone sales of all types out of state
like many states do now.


If the bearings are good I would not worry about them mgraham112,
The rotor is still heavy even without the mounting hardware.

Removing and installing one one requires beer and pizza bait for
several willing participants and several pairs of hands using straps or ropes.

The other issue is securing it on a bench or a wheeled portable work table.
a long folding table could work as long as you have a pair of wooden blocks
made that will support the rotor and hold it.

they can roll at the worst times.

The one and only time you remove them is when the rotor seizes up
and everything comes to a screeching halt and the belts burn up.
OR you know that you need new bearings.

Those flange bearings should not give you much grief as long as you have taken the
mower to a car wash or you have a hot pressure washer or know where you can find and use a Steam Jenny.
If you want to replace the bearings with new ones just empty the gearbox and
then roll it over on its back to lift out the rotor first.

JUST BE AWARE that you can change the bearings without removing the rotor
as long as you are careful with the shaft ends and use old towels to prevent the
the exposed ends from becoming dinged. you will need to lay in a supply of enery cloth
and blue loctite and be sure to drill dimples in the set screw holes to make sure the set screw
has a better hold on the shaft.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm new to the "flail" craze. So far, I don't quite get it. I ordered a new set of blades for my Ford 917 today from Flailmaster, at the suggestion of those on this thread. I too was a bit aggravated at the sales tax. Didn't realize I could call and escape that $27. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm looking for a mower to smoothly cut road banks regularly. I got this mower a month ago so I'm dealing with clippings. Hopefully next year I can start early and keep up with growth and not have that problem.

I'm also struggling with the complexity of a Flail versus a Rotary. I see huge maintenance costs in the future. But I can't confirm that since I just started. I'll post back in a couple years after practical application. So far, all I see is Hype.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm new to the "flail" craze. So far, I don't quite get it. I ordered a new set of blades for my Ford 917 today from Flailmaster, at the suggestion of those on this thread. I too was a bit aggravated at the sales tax. Didn't realize I could call and escape that $27. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm looking for a mower to smoothly cut road banks regularly. I got this mower a month ago so I'm dealing with clippings. Hopefully next year I can start early and keep up with growth and not have that problem. I'm also struggling with the complexity of a Flail versus a Rotary. I see huge maintenance costs in the future. But I can't confirm that since I just started. I'll post back in a couple years after practical application. So far, all I see is Hype.

It ain't "hype" but that doesn't mean that a flail beats a rotary cutter in every measure.

Rotary cutters are simpler and cheaper to maintain. Rotary cutters are generally preferred for really thick brush etc. On the other hand, flails are safer generally and definitely safer to use around people and dwellings. Flails grass cut quality is much closer to finish cut than can be achieved with a rotary "hog". Flails mulch brush much better than rotary cutters. Flails take less space to store and are easier to maneuver. Flails don't need either shear bolts or slip
clutches.

Know what characteristics you need in a mower and then choose flail or rotary or both. Neither is hyped.

 

[Kodiak45]

I took your advice and didn't try remove the shaft or bearings. So you wouldn't change a bearing if it wasn't stuck or at least grinding? The roller bearing feels a little resistance but it does spin free. Not sure if I should mess with it or not or how I would even get it off without someone on the other end holding the opposing nut. Why did you say empty the gear box if I flip it over? I've had it on it's back for a few days now without emptying it. Is there concern with that? I plan on changing the oil as I've been pressure washing, phosphoric acid cleaning and degreasing it before I try and paint in the next day or two. I've got to fill in some rust spots and redo some welds and maybe add some metal. Any body used bondo as a filler on heavily pitted areas? Not looking for a show piece, but just don't want to deal with rust issues the future if I can reasonably help it.

 

[whirly]

I'm new to the "flail" craze. So far, I don't quite get it. I ordered a new set of blades for my Ford 917 today from Flailmaster, at the suggestion of those on this thread. I too was a bit aggravated at the sales tax. Didn't realize I could call and escape that $27. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I'm looking for a mower to smoothly cut road banks regularly. I got this mower a month ago so I'm dealing with clippings. Hopefully next year I can start early and keep up with growth and not have that problem.

I'm also struggling with the complexity of a Flail versus a Rotary. I see huge maintenance costs in the future. But I can't confirm that since I just started. I'll post back in a couple years after practical application. So far, all I see is Hype.

I suggest you start @ post #1 and read ALL 223 pages. You will find that no one here is trying to get anyone to buy or use a flail. We are here because, for our own reasons, we are tickled spitless with our choice of implements and want to share our experiences and knowledge with others. In another thread you stated you got your Ford 917 free from a friend. If it needs repair then the cost to put it back in good working order is most likely less than what many of us paid for our flails - the flail you have is built like a tank and will take a lot of abuse. If it doesn't work out for you then you can sell it on craigslist and make some quick money.

 

[leonz]

I was not sure if your gearbox had a vent, that is why I said to drain it just
on general principals to prevent it from leaking on the ground.

any bearing provides resistance when it is loaded with grease. If you think the bearing is
grinding its an easy change out. if you can borrow a mechanics stethescope its easy enough
to find out by spinning the driven pulley with out the belt on it.



but wait until your done welding the shell if you use a heliarc unit.


I would not use bondo simply because you need to whack the shroud with a 2 pound
hammer to see if the metal sounds solid (if that is where the issue of corrosion is)
or you have a dull thud if you have a dull thud after smaking the rusty spots you need
to drill and rivet heavy sheet metal to those spots if they are part of the curved mower shroud.

I would rather see you gas weld the bad spots with sheet metal and rivets if needed
as the new or old bearings may be ruined with a heliarc weld due to the electric charge.

I want you to succeed my friend.

leonz

 

[Fallon]

as the new or old bearings may be ruined with a heliarc weld due to the electric charge.

I want you to succeed my friend.

leonz

Its called TIG these days rather than heliarc. And I highly doubt there would be any problems welding on a flail unless you put your ground on the other side of the bearing from where you were welding. I did some TIG work on mine patching bent parts of the hood I plasma cut out. No problems except for a little heat warpage I was expecting.

 

[Kodiak45]

Thanks for the advice. This is exactly why I ask. I'll probably mig weld maybe gasless or not, depends on my wire inventory. I have never heard that about ruining the bearings from welding. That's interesting. I'll go get some sheet metal today on my lunch break. Any idea what gauge/thickness? I've never purchased sheet metal before so I'm not familiar with how think I need to get and still be workable and have support. Thanks again for all the help. If I could get the pictures to post, I'll send some before and after. You wouldn't believe what all I removed from being wrapped around the shaft last night. was a mess.

 

[leonz]

Garden hose snakes are the worst, barbed wire comes in a close second,
smooth baling wire third, monfilment baling twine third, nylon twine fourth,
hemp sisal baling twine comes in at fifth place on the nasty scale.

 

[whirly]

Garden hose snakes are the worst, barbed wire comes in a close second,
smooth baling wire third, monfilment baling twine third, nylon twine fourth,
hemp sisal baling twine comes in at fifth place on the nasty scale.

What you said:shocked:

 

[hunt4570]

Garden hose snakes are the worst, barbed wire comes in a close second,
smooth baling wire third, monfilment baling twine third, nylon twine fourth,
hemp sisal baling twine comes in at fifth place on the nasty scale.

Hey... you have 2 thirds there... come on, pay attention!!

 

[IslandTractor]

Garden hose snakes are the worst, barbed wire comes in a close second,
smooth baling wire third, monfilment baling twine third, nylon twine fourth,
hemp sisal baling twine comes in at fifth place on the nasty scale.

I second the garden hose. I caught one of those while mowing a very dense high field and couldn't tell what was happening. All I saw was something very long slithering very quickly towards me and then under my tractor. The possibility of an anaconda was higher on my list than garden hose at the time. Spent quite a while trying to get it unreeled but finally just got out clippers and dissected the durn thing.

 

[DavesTractor]

I mowed my neighbors field as a favor once. I hit a garden hose and wound it up. After I got done she came out and thanked me and I told her I wound up her garden hose. She said thanks, I meant to do that....she did not understand! The terms "flail" and "wound" are bad if they occur in the same sentence.

 

[sodamo]

I caught barbed wire one time really bad, took an hour underneath with nippers. Wound it so tight I had to unbend it after cutting.

David Sent from my iPad Air using TractorByNet