Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[def38]

Wow. Good thing it wasn't 20' with a fence post tied to the other end.

Yeah and good thing the sparks didn't start the dry grass on fire.

 

[leonz]

I am surprised that your question got missed. I don't know the answer, but maybe someone that does will see it this time.

Thanks. I was going to bump it in a day or two.

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If you start doing stuff like that with the B rotor the end result will not be pretty, especially adding knives to the outside of the knife hangers=not good.

You have to decide what mower you want and stick with it.

The B rotor with the two row flail mower rotor with the side slicers will provide you with an all around mower with a fair finish.

 

[Valkyreel]

I had a feeling that leonz would say that. I guess I shouldn't try to redesign a flail mower from the cutters up.

 

[Weedaway]

I have an F rotor Caroni with Y blades on every second station. I dont know how this would compare to a B rotor since the blade pattern is different. But im happy with how it cuts. No it doesn’t vibrate. My point is, with an F rotor you have the option.

 

[leonz]

Gooday Weedaway,

I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nations from Australia.

How has the early spring been going in South Australia so far?


Leon

 

[def38]

I see reference to various rotors such as F and B rotors. Can someone please inform me as to the specifications for each and which is the best? Thank you.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Do the side slicers seem to take less HP to than your old knives (wing)?

What size is your 917?

What tractor are you running it with?

I have a 5 foot. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the HP requirements because of the following reasons: 1- changed knives and tractors at the same time (went from 24HP to 45HP), 2- the wings were so beat up that I cannot make a good comparison. I do know that having sharp blades instead of dull broken ones seems to help. It does seem to take more to get the rotor spinning because of the extra weight. I feel the side slicers are a better choice for tall pasture as the wings have that center section and short blades, where side slicers are sharp all the way across the cutting surface.

The side slicers I ordered are heavier, which is what I was looking for to help reclaim pasture after 20 years in CRP. I like the extra weight I got because it will maintain momentum when hitting heavier objects like brush. They fit right on the same hangers and links (which I also ordered all new, in case of a weight difference because I had a few missing). I decided on the side slicers because I did not care about the finish look. If I decide to care again I'll get a new set of wings. It was also less expensive to go with the "extreme duty" side slicers from Flailmaster than to get new wings. The side slicers have more cutting edge surface, which in theory will require more HP, however they are cutting across the same amount of turf so it should be the same. The wings will create lift to pick the grass up to cut it due to their shape and leave a flatter finish because they are flat across the bottom.

The 917 will not re-cut anything unless you run it over again. It has a forward rotation (same as tires...) rotor which cuts it and spits it out the back on the first swat. This is the same as the JD 25A, and perhaps others but these are the 2 like this I came across in my research when buying. The wings will do a better job of re-cutting on subsequent passes as they have a shape to create lift to suck up the stuff laying on the ground.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Hello all.
I have decided to get a Caroni flail mower. I want a tm1900fsc (122 knifes) for a one pass finish. But, after getting a quote of $3512.99 + $260 shipping, I'm rethinking my F rotor choice. Question. Can I buy the B rotor model (tm1900bcs) for $2240 and add to or change the knives? Was thinking of ditching the clevis and short knives, and adding the A/F style (long) knives with a spacer, possibly a longer bolt and adding a knife to the outside of the knife hanger tabs. Is this possible, smart, worth the time and effort, or am I just being cheap? Thanks.

I've seen someone that put the scoop knives onto the B rotor with good results. That would give you a good smooth finish while still being less expensive. It would also be more able to cut heavier stuff while still giving that good finish. It won't be as good at brush as the standard knives, but it will still do it with limits.

 

[leonz]

I see reference to various rotors such as F and B rotors. Can someone please inform me as to the specifications for each and which is the best? Thank you.

The B type flail mower rotor has 2 rows of knife mounting stations that also use metric nuts and bolts and metric shackles to mount the scoop and side slicer knives on.

The F type flail mower rotor has four rows of knife mounting stations that are mounted with metric nuts and bolts and use the side slicer knives and it is used for finish mowing.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

The B type flail mower rotor has 2 rows of knife mounting stations that also use metric nuts and bolts and metric shackles to mount the scoop and side slicer knives on.

The F type flail mower rotor has four rows of knife mounting stations that are mounted with metric nuts and bolts and use the side slicer knives and it is used for finish mowing.

All the rotors have 4 rows. F just has twice as many stations as the others. A and F use the same style station mounting, and B and P use the same style station mounting. B and P may be the same rotor, just with different blades. I saw someone convert the B into the P rotor by changing the blades.