Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[ericm979]

Betstco and Value Leader are US sellers of Chinese implements (I think they're owned by the same people). Victory is another US seller. Farmer Helper is a Chinese brand of implements. I think they are actually trading companies, not the factories. They buy from factories. If you look on Alibaba there's a number of factories making EF, EFG, EFGC etc flails. All the same basic design but with different quality and minor features. (look back to posts from Jack Yuan to get an idea; he's with one of the factories).

The trading companies and US sellers often have relationships with one or more factories and can, depending on their volume, ask for different levels of quality or minor features. It's hard to say if they're getting their stuff from the same factories.

 

[lennyzx11]

I'm getting ready to replace the blades on my 6 ft Mott Interstator (maybe a 72). Though I have the 5 inch fine cut blades, it also has a few of the shorter 2 3/4" blades on it. All Stations do not have the D rings and are hung by a pin and cotter pin.

I ran across an old post from Leonz about using hardened knives for a Ford flail mower as a better substitute. (referenced below)


My question is (Finally !) Which of the three ways is best setup. I have rocks and "good enough" mowing expectations on my yard.

1. original 5 inch side slicer blades hanging from a pin.
2. 2 3/4 inch blades hanging from Dring and bolt and nut.
3. The ford FM7 hardened blades that Leonz mentions back in a 2012 thread below.

Thank you, Lenny


Cut and pasted excerpt below.
>>
Replacing all the D ring hangers, nuts, bolts and 192 knives with original equipment spec'd replacements would cost:

192-fine cut side slicers @0.45 cents OEM #101993 $94.08
96- D rings @0.94 cents OEM #101991 $90.24
96- ring clips @0.55 cents OEM #101992 $52.80
96- bolts @0.22 cents OEM #000032 $21.12
_________________________________________________ _____
Total not including tax and shipping $258.24
8% sales tax 20.66 _______

Subtotal $278.90
plus freight- free shipping over $100.00 in sales ______
$278.90



Replacing the original knives with heavy duty knives using the Ford replacement FM7 heavy duty blades 192 @ 0.79 cents each = 151.68 +12.13 sales tax =163.81 with free shipping

 

[whirly]

I'm getting ready to replace the blades on my 6 ft Mott Interstator (maybe a 72). Though I have the 5 inch fine cut blades, it also has a few of the shorter 2 3/4" blades on it. All Stations do not have the D rings and are hung by a pin and cotter pin.

I ran across an old post from Leonz about using hardened knives for a Ford flail mower as a better substitute. (referenced below)


My question is (Finally !) Which of the three ways is best setup. I have rocks and "good enough" mowing expectations on my yard.

1. original 5 inch side slicer blades hanging from a pin.
2. 2 3/4 inch blades hanging from Dring and bolt and nut.
3. The ford FM7 hardened blades that Leonz mentions back in a 2012 thread below.

Thank you, Lenny


Cut and pasted excerpt below.
>>
Replacing all the D ring hangers, nuts, bolts and 192 knives with original equipment spec'd replacements would cost:

192-fine cut side slicers @0.45 cents OEM #101993 $94.08
96- D rings @0.94 cents OEM #101991 $90.24
96- ring clips @0.55 cents OEM #101992 $52.80
96- bolts @0.22 cents OEM #000032 $21.12
_________________________________________________ _____
Total not including tax and shipping $258.24
8% sales tax 20.66 _______

Subtotal $278.90
plus freight- free shipping over $100.00 in sales ______
$278.90



Replacing the original knives with heavy duty knives using the Ford replacement FM7 heavy duty blades 192 @ 0.79 cents each = 151.68 +12.13 sales tax =163.81 with free shipping

My Mott 72 has the 5" blades held on by a clevis pin and cotter pin. I can change all 184 blades in about 3 hours. I have never lost a blade but several have been bent by large rocks. However, even bent they give a pretty good cut.

The clevis, bolt and blade arrangement might keep the blades from bending but wouldn't change them out just for a marginally better cut.

 

[houser52]

Well, I just finished reading through this huge flail mower thread. It is loaded with lots of really good info if you've ever considered a flail mower.

My old Hardee 5' Tiger Cub rotary cutter and Bush Hog TM5 finish mower are both rusted out enough that I'm thinking of replacing them both with one Caroni TM1900. My wife and I stopped at Agri Supply, when passing through Florence, SC on the way to the beach, and looked at a 5' TM1900. I was impressed with how heavy duty it looked and the quality of manufacture. With all the positive posts from Caroni owners I think it would give me the most value for my money.

My tractor is a Kubota L3600 GST 4x4 with 38.5 hp and 31 pto hp. Most of what I mow is 2' or shorter grass, weeds, some smaller bushes and briars however, some of the grass is pretty thick in places. No rocks to speak of and a good many trees to negotiate around.

For you flail guys that use a tractor with HP similar to mine, will my L3600 handle a 6' Caroni okay or should I go with a 5' ?

Thanks

 

[RoyJackson]

For you flail guys that use a tractor with HP similar to mine, will my L3600 handle a 6' Caroni okay or should I go with a 5' ?

Thanks

Although my tractor has more PTO HP than your L3600...I say go for the 6 footer.
These flail mowers aren't as HP hungry as a rotary cutter...31 PTO HP will easily work with the TM190 73" unit.

 

[houser52]

Although my tractor has more PTO HP than your L3600...I say go for the 6 footer.
These flail mowers aren't as HP hungry as a rotary cutter...31 PTO HP will easily work with the TM190 73" unit.

Thanks Roy.
I've read where you've not had your Caroni all that long. Has a flail performed as good a you thought it would?

I mow about 5 acres about twice a month around my wife's mother's old home place along with mowing the perimeter around 18 acres of planted pine trees. Nothing terribly rough but scattered pine, gum saplings and small fallen dead pine limbs.

 

[MainiacMule]

Greetings all,

Final decision time on a Caroni flail! Leonz, you suggested a little while back I not go with anything larger than a 4' for my Mahindra Max26XL, but I can get a TL1500 (59" cut) + shipping for the same MSRP price of the $100 more TL1200 (47" cut) not including shipping. My tractor weighs ~1800lbs, not including FEL and loaded rears and I have 55" outside to outside rear tire measurement, 20HP @ PTO. I'm not sure what the fixed offset is on the TL1200, hard spec to find, but the TL1500 will have plenty of offset, if not too much based on weight? The TL1500 weighs in at 486lbs. For any of you that have a TL1200, can you post the dimensions from PTO shaft to both ends of the mower so I can gauge how much cutting I'll get outside my tire, and maybe also what you're running for a mule, weight and outside tire dimensions. Thanks. I want to save the $$ and get the offset, but not at the price of having a mower that is underpowered or not safe to use on my sloped terrain. Appreciate your comments!

Cheers,
Shawn

 

[leonz]

Shawn,


The TL1200 has no manual adjusted side shift adjustment by moving the three point hitch mount. The flail mower is center mounted.
This can be changed slightly with the right lower link if it is adjustable.

Why don't you invest in the hydraulic side shift kit for the TL1200 and be done with it so you do not have too heavy a mower to contend with that will still perform beautifully for your mule.

You will have plenty of overlap from the center line of the TL1200 mower withe the hydraulic side shift and have a stable mowing platform with the mule as its set up.

 

[RoyJackson]

Thanks Roy.
I've read where you've not had your Caroni all that long. Has a flail performed as good a you thought it would?

I mow about 5 acres about twice a month around my wife's mother's old home place along with mowing the perimeter around 18 acres of planted pine trees. Nothing terribly rough but scattered pine, gum saplings and small fallen dead pine limbs.

Yes, definitley meets my expectations. In fact, it did better mowing the bamboo then I expected.
I'm to the point I'm thinking about replacing the Y blades with hammer blades to get a better "finish" cut. However, realistically, I doubt I do this until next year, mowing season being close to the end

 

[houser52]

Yes, definitley meets my expectations. In fact, it did better mowing the bamboo then I expected.
I'm to the point I'm thinking about replacing the Y blades with hammer blades to get a better "finish" cut. However, realistically, I doubt I do this until next year, mowing season being close to the end

Better than expectations? That's good to hear.
The way I understand it the Y blades are good multipurpose blades so they should be fine for what I do. Not looking for a manicured cut but a pretty good one would look nice around the old home place. Everywhere else doesn't matter that much.

I'm also glad to hear the 6' would be a good match for my L3600. The extra width should help with my mowing time.

 

[Fallon]

Although my tractor has more PTO HP than your L3600...I say go for the 6 footer.
These flail mowers aren't as HP hungry as a rotary cutter...31 PTO HP will easily work with the TM190 73" unit.

My L3200hst (less HP & less efficient HST) ran a 7' old Ford 917 flail just fine. HP limited a bit, but I just slowed down. I prefer going wider & slower unless you have manuvervable limitations. Going slow means a smoother ride for you & the equipment generally while covering the same acres per hour as going fast with a narrower mower.

 

[TerryCC]

Terry, or others.... Does your Caroni leave what I call 'wheel misses'? I have turf tires on my 40hp JD and it appears the weeds/grasses get laid down and the flail does not suck them up 100% so I am left with two rows of bristles in the cut. Would those cup style, hammer knives do better .. can you mix the two style knives?

Still, I am 500% happy with this as a basic pasture and frontage cutter. I have had both a 72" finish mower and 5' bush hog styles that left the place in a mess. I can even cut right after a rain and still not get clumping and knots of weeds like before.

Jim

If the weeds get really high I do get some stems that are somewhat cut but definitely not at the cutter height. I sometimes recut those, but most of the time wait until he next cutting.

 

[ShowroomShine]

Ok guys I found a mower I want to buy. Listed as an Alamo 72" flail for $600. Owner says good shape, operational condition. Knives and belt are good. Was used for road mowing and hasent been used for the past few years. Says it comes with some spare belts and parts and knives.

If it looks in good shape I'll take it home. What do I look for and if I get it home what's the first few things to do before using it for the first time?

Where can I get a manual for it?

Is this a good mower for pasture mowing?

 

[leonz]

I can e-mail a mott manual to you if you like.

I also have a detailed explanation of what to look for and how to look when buying a used flail mower.
I also explain how to take care of the mower in detail as well.
I would definitely ask where the V belt guard is for this mower as they are not cheap to replace.

It needs a bit of work but until you tap the mower shroud at the weldment's with a heavy hammer to see whether it rings solid you will not know how intact it is.

The PTO shaft will have to be removed and the slip clutch freed up as well.

Please look for the ID plate as well and post an image of it if possible.

 

[PRCWI]

View attachment 519623View attachment 519624

Ok guys I found a mower I want to buy. Listed as an Alamo 72" flail for $600. Owner says good shape, operational condition. Knives and belt are good. Was used for road mowing and hasent been used for the past few years. Says it comes with some spare belts and parts and knives.

If it looks in good shape I'll take it home. What do I look for and if I get it home what's the first few things to do before using it for the first time?

Where can I get a manual for it?

Is this a good mower for pasture mowing?

I have a Mott SHD88 and it works great for pasture mowing. If everything spins and seems balanced $600 is a great deal. Bearings, knives, belts and other parts can easily be obtained from several sources. I love mine, I use it for pastures but also have used it for clearing trails in a former pasture that is growing a lot of brush and sumac. It's been a workhorse.

One thing I found on mine after I bough it was that it had some cracks in the steel around the bearing mounts on the drive side of the shaft. You may want to look, to see if you can see anything there but mine had been used pretty hard and I have used it pretty hard after repairing it. Even if you ran into the same things I did I would still say $600 is worth it.

 

[houser52]

I checked the Agri Supply website and as Roy said, they have 15 Caroni mowers in stock. I filled out the online form to request a shipping quote and got a quick reply. Shipping to me here in NC is cheaper than I can take a day off and travel to pick one up at a store.

I'm still on vacation but still may call and order one either today or tomorrow. That way it might be delivered early next week after I return. We still have a couple more months of mowing and I can put it to work.

Any other comments or concerns on the Caroni before I place my order?

 

[RoyJackson]

I checked the Agri Supply website and as Roy said, they have 15 Caroni mowers in stock. I filled out the online form to request a shipping quote and got a quick reply. Shipping to me here in NC is cheaper than I can take a day off and travel to pick one up at a store.

I'm still on vacation but still may call and order one either today or tomorrow. That way it might be delivered early next week after I return. We still have a couple more months of mowing and I can put it to work.

Any other comments or concerns on the Caroni before I place my order?

I think you'll like the mower.
There is a hydraulic side shift kit (about $800) if you think you need it. The side shift is one reason I ordered the Woodmaxx...nice, but not a "gotta have". I decided I didn't need it.

You will probably have to cut the PTO driveshaft down, so be prepared for that. Not hard, but measure twice, cut once. Plenty of info on the Internet (and TBN) on how to do this. Removing the plastic shield isn't hard...took a while to figure it out.

I have mine rigged to a Quick Hitch. The mower wasn't designed with a QH in mind, but it can be done. PM me if you have a QH (or going to buy one) and have questions.

BTW, you'll need 80/90 weight gear oil for the gear box

 

[houser52]

I think you'll like the mower.
There is a hydraulic side shift kit (about $800) if you think you need it. The side shift is one reason I ordered the Woodmaxx...nice, but not a "gotta have". I decided I didn't need it.

You will probably have to cut the PTO driveshaft down, so be prepared for that. Not hard, but measure twice, cut once. Plenty of info on the Internet (and TBN) on how to do this. Removing the plastic shield isn't hard...took a while to figure it out.

I have mine rigged to a Quick Hitch. The mower wasn't designed with a QH in mind, but it can be done. PM me if you have a QH (or going to buy one) and have questions.

BTW, you'll need 80/90 weight gear oil for the gear box

Thanks for the info.
The side shift really didn't come into play as I really dont need it. I had looked on YouTube on cutting the PTO shaft and it probably be that hard. I am going to see if the shaft will work that's on my Bush Hog finish mower first before I do any cutting. I know it's a lot shorter than the shaft that's on the brush hog.

Are you using synthetic gear oil or just regular? One other question, what type of grease is best for everything?

 

[RoyJackson]

Are you using synthetic gear oil or just regular? One other question, what type of grease is best for everything?

Just regular gear oil...the manual states to change it after 40 hours, so I'd wait until after 40 hours...just my opinion on that.
As far as grease...there are 4 fittings, IIRC. Two for the rotor, two for the roller. Thinking about it, I believe there's one for the upper drive pulley too. As far as type of grease...same stuff you use for your tractor (and loader, if you have one)...standard EP grease.
Island tractor...another Caroni owner, gives his mower a couple shots of grease before each mowing...probably overkill, but I reckon I'll do that same.

 

[PRCWI]

I typically grease mine before every mowing as well. Just a couple shots. It's served me well, When I mow I am typically putting 3-6 hours of run time on the machine.