Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers
- Thread starter TNhobbyfarmer
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sodamo
Super Star Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2004
- Messages
- 15,828
- Location
- Big Island, HI
- Tractor
- LS XR4140H (Mine) BX2380 (wife’s)
Not the munchers, but am familiar with the 175 &195 heavy duty.
Had the 175 about 5 years, caught badly on a root one day racking it. Wife got a bit annoyed that cut was a tad uneven, took 2 hours to sell on CL and price paid a good portion of the 195 I got as a replacement this spring. Wouldn't hesitate to get another. The company is great to deal with.
http://www.value-leader.com/heavy-duty-1/
Had the 175 about 5 years, caught badly on a root one day racking it. Wife got a bit annoyed that cut was a tad uneven, took 2 hours to sell on CL and price paid a good portion of the 195 I got as a replacement this spring. Wouldn't hesitate to get another. The company is great to deal with.
http://www.value-leader.com/heavy-duty-1/
powerscol
Veteran Member
Does anyone have one of their FHM ditch bank models. Would be more useful for me. but wondering about durability. Also how does it cut on flat ground?
Thanks for your responses to my situation LeonZ. I'm a bit late responding here, but i ended up figuring out my problem and all it cost me was some new bolts, nuts and lock washers. I took off the entire guard to the flail mower when i saw the tensioner bolt was a little bent. I took that off, cleaned everything up and put on a new belt (that was a pain). Upon putting all new bolts on and tightening the tensioner pulley down i saw the pulley do the same thing it was doing. I noticed that while tightening the nut that my guard and housing to the flail mower did not line up properly. The housing might be bent, i'm not sure. So I put a few washers between the housing of the mower and the guard to keep it straight. That did the trick and now the pulley is lined up perfectly. I mowed about 10 acres with the mower and the new belt. Everything worked great. The grass was very thick in some spots and very tall all the way around. It took me about 6 hours to do it all with a few breaks in between. I have no doubt that the next time i mow it will only take me half that time as i'll be able to fly through it. I absolutely love flail mowers and i'm already looking around to find a cheap one that I can rebuild over winter and have as a backup or it will give me an excuse to buy another tractor!
Which leads me to the next problem i want to solve. I own a truck, but i dont own a trailer. Is there anything out there that will help me load a flail mower or other heavy attachments into the bed of my truck? I dont want to have to rent a trailer when i do buy another flail. I saw a lift that slides into the hitch of the truck but it could only lift 300 pounds. I may have to just build something and put a hand crane on it that my truck could back under?
whirly
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 293
- Location
- Pepe'ekeo, HI
- Tractor
- Fordson Power Major, Kubota MX5100HST
I've always used the FEL to move heavy stuff in and out of the pickup bed. I had chain hooks welded on the bucket and they work just fine with both chains and nylon slings. Of course this doesn't address getting those things out at the other end of your trip.
I dont have a FEL on my tractor either. First tractor and I decided I didnt need an FEL to save some money. If I had to do it over again I probably would have found a tractor with one. But I think I did get a pretty good deal on the setup I purchased.
Xfaxman
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2013
- Messages
- 12,889
- Location
- Guthrie, OK
- Tractor
- Toolcat 5610 G - Bobcat V417 - TORO+Loader
I have used a come along hooked to the top of the headache rack and plywood for heavy stuff to slide up into the bed of my truck.
You might check out a ladder rack also:
And add a beam down the middle, like this:
Thats not a bad idea. What I had in mind was something like this
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356724_200356724
Not sure how easy it would be to assemble/disassemble. Also have to add a chain hoist which would be another 60 bucks or so. It would add up to be a bit pricey, but it may be worth it in the long run.
Greenland South
Silver Member
I pulled the pin and bought a Sicma TE 180 from a local dealer. Should be arriving next week. I AM EXCITED.
kco
Veteran Member
I wish I had read this thread a few days ago, Greenland South. I just bought an AG180. Price for the mower in Kelowna is $4,200 Cdn., including PTO shaft with clutch, 4 spare belts, 4 spare knives (it has 16 total), top link, mounting pins, and hydraulic connectors for the side shift. The seller imports them from China and sells many to orchards in this area. He also sells Foton tractors. He has a large stock of parts for the mowers. As for the tractors, he said he only sells standard transmission models because any tractor outfit should be able to repair them. He is a retired chief pilot for a large helicopter firm and has lived in this area all his life.
Still, I was concerned about parts for the mower since it is a 1-man operation. However, I researched the AG-180 and found they are sold in several countries besides the Value-leader firm in the US. I even found an Estonia operator's manual(actually, the ONLY operator's manual) and lots of parts manuals.
The Value Leader list price is $4,300 US and there would be shipping to Canada plus duties, so the local $4,200 Cdn seems like a good deal for Canada.
I see you already bought a Sicma and I am sure it will be great. Had I not found what I think is a good option locally, I was considering Value Leader or Sicma.
So....the reason I came to this thread....
I have followed it for years and finally took the plunge. My mowing is diverse. I have a large lawn and pasture with lots of obstacles; winding, steep, rocky walking trails, and sharp ditch banks on the driveway that I tried to trim with the string trimmer one or twice a year when they got very ragged. I have a 5' finishing mower and a 4' (which is too small) rotary mower. I have just had the flail for two weeks and have mowed everything, plus some places I could not mow before. I could not be more impressed. The flail has handled everything and more; and it does the rough areas in 1/2 to 1/3 the time of my rotary mower. Something that convinced me to go to the flail is this video from Implements Direct in New Zealand:
Flail mower Demo From Implements Direct - YouTube
I think the mower is similar to Value-Leader (i.e. AG mower) or the Sicma (can't remember which).
The video certainly shows the flail's versatility. It also shows mulching brush piles, so I had to try that out. I cut three dead firs and, rather than pile limbs on a burn pile, I left them on the ground and mowed them with the mower when I did the paths. It works great and is better for the forest.
Here's the only photo I have so far. I took it today to show my dealer how I adapted the category 2 to my DK35's category 1.
Anyhow, thanks to everyone for this thread. You have another flail fan(atic)
Greenland South, you're gonna like that mower!