Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[leonz]

Interesting on the chain mounts. They sure look like they were forged on the knives and the piece that connects to the drum. I can't tell where the links were welded. I am a boilermaker by trade and see welds all the time.

Would the chain set up not work as well or is there another issue? The man I bought it from said it cuts very well as is even with the wore out knives.

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I am unsure if this flail shredder was ment for potato, cotton or sugar beet topping BUT the knives on the chain links is a bad idea simply because of the potential for a broken side slicer impaling someone or something. If John Deere did this its the first time I have ever seen it in 40 plus years. But it would explain the wider front apron due to the clockwise rotation of the flail mower rotor.

Any Flail Shredder sold today and made here or in Europe has the pair of side slicers mounted to a knife mounting station or the "Flail mower rotor" has a set of wide scoop knives that are either mounted in a spiral or simple overlap pattern over the "Flail Mower Rotors Diameter"to cover the entire width of cut under the shroud.

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

"Cuts very well as is" is subjective and depends on the persons point of view.

You may be able to replace those chain link sets with two longer knives like this:

View attachment 469224

Different attachment to the drum. The ole boy I bought it from there is no telling what his idea of very well is lol.

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

The chain set up should work about the same as knives mounted on a clevis. Same principle and useful for rough cutting in brush or with unseen obstacles. Worn blades can work fine for rough cutting. I would worry more about imbalance issues when you start to change blades as some blades are worn and new blades will be different weight.

I am going to replace all Knives for sure.

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

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I am unsure if this flail shredder was ment for potato, cotton or sugar beet topping BUT the knives on the chain links is a bad idea simply because of the potential for a broken side slicer impaling someone or something. If John Deere did this its the first time I have ever seen it in 40 plus years. But it would explain the wider front apron due to the clockwise rotation of the flail mower rotor.

Any Flail Shredder sold today and made here or in Europe has the pair of side slicers mounted to a knife mounting station or the "Flail mower rotor" has a set of wide scoop knives that are either mounted in a spiral or simple overlap pattern over the "Flail Mower Rotors Diameter"to cover the entire width of cut under the shroud.

The man I got it from said it was a cotton stalk cutter but I didn't know if he really knew. Maybe he did. I know we don't have any cotton any where near here.

It's interesting that out of the 32 stations half of them have the correct link and hanger set up with the other half being the chain. Not a single chain set up is broke but most of the hangers have broken on that half.

I'm not doubting you one bit on the chain set up being homemade but I have tried welding chain and it is pretty tough to do and make it look original. Whoever done it done a pretty good job.
At one time there was shields on the front of the unit and I will probably install something there for sure.

 

[leonz]

Now that I know you have a standard John Deere Flail Mower Rotor for that flail crop shredder life just got easier for you.

The JD folks apparently made this specifically for shredding/topping multiple crop types like peanuts, potato's and cotton for flat land farming and the chain mounted knives for between the rows on Sugar beets and potato's and other crops grown in the Ridge Tillage-Raised Bed Farming Method having one machine for both types of farming on irrigated as dry land ridge tillage.

You wont need the chain mounted knives for simple mowing.


The knife hangers are simple affair with bolt through connections(use fine thread Allen Head Bolts with two allen washers and Nylock nuts- these are the simplest way to prevent adding to the swear jar as you can use a long handle Allen Wrench to hold the Allen Head Bolt while using a ratchet to loosen the Nylock nuts(just be sure to clean the inside of the Allen head bolt with an o ring pick to get the dirt and dust out to let you push the wrench all the way in the head of the allen bolt to hold it in place.


I would purchase new hangers and knives or at least 2 pair to compare part numbers with flail master, clean cutter and hard hitter for a per piece price basis as you will have a low part number count in total to replace them all.

 

[Zerker]

Proud new owner of a Ford 22-124 Flail Mower, which is believe is the 907 series. Once i hooked it up to the tractor I had to test it out and ran a quick strip down the field. It mowed perfectly. Unfortunately my phone was dead so I was not able to take any pictures, but I will have some to post tomorrow! Gonna need a new belt for it real quick, but other then that it seems like its ready to roll after some regular maintenance.

 

[KenB2920]

So here is a hypothetical for the smart guys that know gearsulleys : math etc

If it were possible to put a smaller pulley (if you could find one to fit etc) , then do the math at what that revolution would be to make it 540 when lowering your RPMs on the machine, would that be possible ? Of course fitting shorter belt too

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

Now that I know you have a standard John Deere Flail Mower Rotor for that flail crop shredder life just got easier for you.

The JD folks apparently made this specifically for shredding/topping multiple crop types like peanuts, potato's and cotton for flat land farming and the chain mounted knives for between the rows on Sugar beets and potato's and other crops grown in the Ridge Tillage-Raised Bed Farming Method having one machine for both types of farming on irrigated as dry land ridge tillage.

You wont need the chain mounted knives for simple mowing.


The knife hangers are simple affair with bolt through connections(use fine thread Allen Head Bolts with two allen washers and Nylock nuts- these are the simplest way to prevent adding to the swear jar as you can use a long handle Allen Wrench to hold the Allen Head Bolt while using a ratchet to loosen the Nylock nuts(just be sure to clean the inside of the Allen head bolt with an o ring pick to get the dirt and dust out to let you push the wrench all the way in the head of the allen bolt to hold it in place.


I would purchase new hangers and knives or at least 2 pair to compare part numbers with flail master, clean cutter and hard hitter for a per piece price basis as you will have a low part number count in total to replace them all.

So the chain mounts were manufactured at one time? Going back to what I see when looking under the machine I'm thinking chain is the way to go as far as reliability. I imagine whoever broke nearly every hanger on it was probably doing things they shouldn't have but at the same time the chains held up to that abuse. I intend to not hit anything with it when I get it going but my property is loaded with rocks, stumps, limbs and even some old junk iron that I find every now and then so I can not guarantee I wont.

It's not really a money thing even though John Deere is ridiculous on their parts. I'm just looking at what is the best. In my line of work we lift sometimes up to 1 million pounds very high in the air over very critical equipment. We know that when looking over loads that any bolting is very suspect. We don't worry much about welds other than testing for cracks before lifting. Without a doubt bolts are always the weakest link. Even dropping down to lower weights and using hand rigging such as a 10 ton chainfall it is not the chain we worry about when the chainfall is getting maxed out.

When you say that using any welded part on the Knife hangers is not advised what is that reasoning? Please don't think I'm trying to argue with you on this as that is not the case at all I'm just trying to understand it all and get my mower going. I can't wait to see just what it can do.

 

[IslandTractor]

The weakest "link", by far, on the Caroni flail is the clevis. The bolts never seem to fail but the clevises break so regularly after knives hit solid objects that I suspect they are designed to do so.

 

[leonz]

Proud new owner of a Ford 22-124 Flail Mower, which is believe is the 907 series. Once i hooked it up to the tractor I had to test it out and ran a quick strip down the field. It mowed perfectly. Unfortunately my phone was dead so I was not able to take any pictures, but I will have some to post tomorrow! Gonna need a new belt for it real quick, but other then that it seems like its ready to roll after some regular maintenance.

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Hello Zerker,

I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.

 

[leonz]

So the chain mounts were manufactured at one time? Going back to what I see when looking under the machine I'm thinking chain is the way to go as far as reliability. I imagine whoever broke nearly every hanger on it was probably doing things they shouldn't have but at the same time the chains held up to that abuse. I intend to not hit anything with it when I get it going but my property is loaded with rocks, stumps, limbs and even some old junk iron that I find every now and then so I can not guarantee I wont.

It's not really a money thing even though John Deere is ridiculous on their parts. I'm just looking at what is the best. In my line of work we lift sometimes up to 1 million pounds very high in the air over very critical equipment. We know that when looking over loads that any bolting is very suspect. We don't worry much about welds other than testing for cracks before lifting. Without a doubt bolts are always the weakest link. Even dropping down to lower weights and using hand rigging such as a 10 ton chainfall it is not the chain we worry about when the chainfall is getting maxed out.

When you say that using any welded part on the Knife hangers is not advised what is that reasoning? Please don't think I'm trying to argue with you on this as that is not the case at all I'm just trying to understand it all and get my mower going. I can't wait to see just what it can do.

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It is a case of worrying about impact damage liability in my opinion. The JD Flail Crop Shredders now only have side slicers mounted on D rings on the crop shredder or flail mower.

Its obvious that this mower was used and abused and removing the chain mounts reduces the potential for any damage by the chain mounted flail knives.

So much of this involves a basic worry about making a missile out of any object that creates impact damage or is hit and thrown. As long as you replace every mount with new hangers, bolts and knives you will be fine.

 

[leonz]

So here is a hypothetical for the smart guys that know gearsulleys : math etc

If it were possible to put a smaller pulley (if you could find one to fit etc) , then do the math at what that revolution would be to make it 540 when lowering your RPMs on the machine, would that be possible ? Of course fitting shorter belt too

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Hello Ken,

It would be possible but counterproductive as the flail knives work best at 2,200 RPM+-

The tractor PTO would be the only part of the system operating at 540 rpm.

The gearbox would be operating at a one to one ratio +-, then the cross shaft would
be operating at a speed faster than 540 RPM.

Then the small V belt pulley on the cross shaft is operating at X plus speed which is
being transmitted to the larger pulley which is rotating at X speed and the
Flail Mower Rotor is operating at 2,200 RPM +- at the flail knive tip.

 

[cerestes]

At the end of last year I picked up a 6' flail mower.


Ran it for a pasture clear or two, but the tractor needed the pto shaft replaced so it didn't see much use. Finally got the tractor repaired, and now I want to get the flail in good working order.

While I had the tractor apart, I figured I would replace the oil in the flail's gear box. The oil that came out was >REALLY< thick. Like ten minutes to slowly drain thick. I replaced it with 80-90 gear oil and went in for the night.
Came out to the garage in the morning to a puddle of oil on the floor. Looks to be leaking out from around the input shaft in the tractor side of the gear box. Oddly, it doesn't seem to have leaked at all in the 8 months sitting in the barn.
Long term, I imagine seals need replacing. Short term, would there be issues reverting to how I got it? Fill it with a much thicker oil?

Next, it needed a bunch of missing or broken knives replaced, and those that were still there were pretty beat up. Decided to replace all of them, but the order hasn't arrive yet. I pulled the old off last night.
A section of 4-5 knife stations must have hit something really bad. Maybe 3 stations bent, one missing entirely. For the three beat up stations, I haven't been able to remove the bolts. The retaining clips that hold the d-rings in are so bent that I can't get a wrench seated on either the bolt or the nut. Any suggestions there?

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

So now to try and figure out what needs to go on it as far as hangers and knives go. I don't think I'm going to be able to figure out what model it is and not sure if it really matters as long as I get the right connection to the drum and the length right. From the center hole on the drum connection to the shroud is 10''. How close to the shroud should the blades run?

Although the blades took quite the abuse surprisingly every bearing seems to be in good shape. There are a few cracks here and there that someone tried to fix that I will have to repair on the shroud.

 

[Zerker]

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Hello Zerker,

I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.

Hello and thanks!

I spent most of the day tilling up a field as I want to change the oil in the gearbox first before i use it. I greased up all the bearings and PTO shaft, but i'm wondering what is the correct oil to put in there? I dont have a manual for it, is there one available online at all?

 

[IslandTractor]

Hello and thanks!

I spent most of the day tilling up a field as I want to change the oil in the gearbox first before i use it. I greased up all the bearings and PTO shaft, but i'm wondering what is the correct oil to put in there? I dont have a manual for it, is there one available online at all?

90 weight is typical. Probably just about anything will work including axle grease.

 

[KenB2920]

Picked up a new to me New Holland 918H today. I've got several hours of use with TSOs so when I saw this one I had to pick it up. I plan to get some new belts for it and clean it up. Over the winter some new paint etc.





The bad part is it is missing the rear roller. The good news is I tried several passed and it cut fine as it slid in the shoes.

I won't be purchasing a new roller at this point unless I find a deal on one.

 

[KenB2920]

With purchasing my new to me flail, I'll be selling one of my other flails. Although I like the Mott better than my ford 907, I will sell it.

The simple reasons are as such: 1: the knives are more time consume than the ford to change.

2: the rear has some Rusted thought spots (or small hole.

3: could use a new roller bearing on the rear drum

It still cuts fantastic and if it were just for my house Id keep it. If it were for extended use etc, I'd repair the back with some new metal and out a new bearing in it.

I'll list it for 450 on Craigslist but $350 for anyone here on TBN



This is after I painted it and you can see the rear hole.

 

[leonz]

So now to try and figure out what needs to go on it as far as hangers and knives go. I don't think I'm going to be able to figure out what model it is and not sure if it really matters as long as I get the right connection to the drum and the length right. From the center hole on the drum connection to the shroud is 10''. How close to the shroud should the blades run?

Although the blades took quite the abuse surprisingly every bearing seems to be in good shape. There are a few cracks here and there that someone tried to fix that I will have to repair on the shroud.

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Hello Ozarks Landowner,

Yes it does matter, you have to have enough room to create the air current and pressure gradient to lift the shredded material up and over the Flail Mower Rotor with the side slicer knives as they rotate with the Flail Mower Rotor.

Take a picture/image of it to a John Deere dealer and they can identify it for and you and get a manual or a copy of a manual for you.

The D-ring is mounted to the "Flail Mower Rotor The knives that are mounted on the mounting station are the ones you want to purchase for replacement.

The orbit diameter of the knives includes the two sets of opposing knives, the two D rings and the rotor diameter
at the mounting station weldment edge.

The knife sets mounted on the flail mower rotor are the proper length knives.

The chain mounted knives are ment for between the irrigated or non irrigated ridge tilled row crops to shred weeds and vines from sugar beets, sugar cane, cotton and potato's etc., as I mentioned previously.

Its up to you if you want to leave the chain mounted side slicers on the Flail Mower Rotor BUT in doing that you will not be able to lower the Flail Crop Shredder to a 2 inch cutting height and the knive sets mounted on the Flail Mower rotor will not shred brush as well because they are not close to the ground to have some resistance to create the negative pressure gradient to help lift the shredded material up and over the Flail Mower Rotor.

 

[leonz]

As strong as that flail mowers shell looks I would think long and hard about investing in a new Flail Mower Rotor as the rotor as it looks now has had some serious impact damage and is probably out of balance and they cannot be re-balanced without welding on some new mounting stations.

If it were me I would invest in a new Flail Mower Rotor and new Flail Mower Rotor bearings because damage like that is not good.