Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[leonz]

Being a new user I would at least consider buying the BIRBA model if you are planning on owning and using a used flail mower as it will be easier to obtain
parts for it and the build quality of the Italian flail mowers is very high as these implements must conform to the European Union safety standards for farm machinery
which are much more stringent that the safety standards for mowers here in the United States.

The BIRBA model does not have adjustable skids to prevent gouging and you have to set and lock the draft controls on your tractor when using it.

The FURBA has the manually adjustable side shift mechanism which does not require a double acting remote hydraulic circuit on the tractor.

For the price they want for it I would not hesitate to purchase it as the implement is of a very high quality and parts are available for it and if you use it
for a year and are happy with the cut and managing the brush and killing off the invasive plants you can always invest in the FURBA with the manual or
hydraulic side shift.

The manual side shift and the skids would be a worthy addition if you buy new.

You can always keep the BIRBA and have it as a spare to enable you to have a back up mower when you need to sharpen or change any broken hammers on the FURBA.

If and when you purchase it please let us know so that I can welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations".

 

[shaeff]

Thanks for your detailed reply. That is what I have always been curious about, is the cut quality as good as a top notch zero turn like a Grasshopper, Exmark or Scag?

You bet, no problem.

If the knives are kept sharp, yes. It’s a bit more labor intensive to keep them sharp though. And my old Ferris ZT is WAY faster on my lawn. That said, the flail can make tall brush and field grass look fantastic in a single pass.

I prefer the ZT on my lawn. No way it would touch my field though. I’ve had to use the flail on the lawn before, it came out fine, but with my clay soil that holds moisture it better be dry for weeks otherwise my Massey will sink out of sight.

 

[1savoy]

Being a new user I would at least consider buying the BIRBA model if you are planning on owning and using a used flail mower as it will be easier to obtain
parts for it and the build quality of the Italian flail mowers is very high as these implements must conform to the European Union safety standards for farm machinery
which are much more stringent that the safety standards for mowers here in the United States.

The BIRBA model does not have adjustable skids to prevent gouging and you have to set and lock the draft controls on your tractor when using it.

The FURBA has the manually adjustable side shift mechanism which does not require a double acting remote hydraulic circuit on the tractor.

For the price they want for it I would not hesitate to purchase it as the implement is of a very high quality and parts are available for it and if you use it
for a year and are happy with the cut and managing the brush and killing off the invasive plants you can always invest in the FURBA with the manual or
hydraulic side shift.

The manual side shift and the skids would be a worthy addition if you buy new.

You can always keep the BIRBA and have it as a spare to enable you to have a back up mower when you need to sharpen or change any broken side slicers on the FURBA.

If and when you purchase it please let us know so that I can welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations".

Hi leonz,

Thank you for your thoughts on the Birba and I really appreciate all your knowledge shared on this site. I was hoping to hear it may be a good mower for the money to at least get going with for now. As you said I can use it for a while and then upgrade down the road if needed. Just really hate to spend the money on a rotary cutter when I know I would prefer a flail mower. I will be trailering the B26 about 1.5 hrs each way for a bit and the flail will also be much nicer to fit on my 18 ft. Big Tex trailer than with a rotary cutter

I will definitely let you know if I grab it and if so may see if you think it is worth fabbing up some skids?

Thanks again,
Russ

 

[leonz]

Hello Russ,

The build quality is very high on these machines and they will tolerate the workload as they are designed to do a bunch of different jobs on the other
side of the Atlantic pond. The BIRBA has skids welded on the die weldments of the flail mower so that is a plus for you.

They are smaller because the great majority of the mowing shredding/ limb clearing is in small acreages in vineyards and orchards that may be on steep hillsides where the flail mower/shredders are mounted up front on small low profile articulated orchard and vineyard tractors.

Investing in the BIRBA will be a positive for you as its smaller and less in cost and easier to transport and the FURBA with its cast hammers will be a good addition to the tools for your mule if you decide to add a second unit.

At most adding liquid ballast to the rear tires on the B26 will be all you need to help provide balance for your machine as you can leave the loader on it minus the bucket. for front weight.

Be sure to invest in a tilt meter that you glue/bolt to the hood of your new mule to keep track of the slope in degrees if you are mowing on a side hill AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS, mow climbing in reverse as your machine will operate more safely while mowing as the weight of the mower is going up hill with rear tires. it will be even better if the rears are loaded with liquid ballast.
You can mow down hill on the second pass and shred everything more finely.

 

[1savoy]

Hi Leonz,

All great info and I will definitely follow your advice. The new land does have some fairly steep slopes along the road and ditches so I will be loading the tires for ballast. I spoke to the dealer today, about the Maschio Birba, and unfortunately they sold it so they will pulling down the listing. I guess it belonged to the owner and was in real nice shape. The search will continue and I will keep you updated on what I find. I really appreciate all the help and advice.

Russ

 

[JethroB]

Hello all. I’ve read through much of this thread. I recently inherited a 10 year old Caroni TM1900 with Y knives. It seems to be in good shape other than the blades are mostly worn to nubs. Has anyone found a way to access and replace the blades by tipping the entire unit forwards or backwards? I’m really not comfortable working from underneath it. I’m fortunate to be near an Agri Supply store. What an amazing place .

 

[Xfaxman]

Has anyone found a way to access and replace the blades by tipping the entire unit forwards or backwards? I’m really not comfortable working from underneath it.

Hanging from the loader works:

 

[JethroB]

Thanks. But I don’t have a loader. Not sure my 3pt boom pole could handle it. Maybe?

 

[Fallon]

Hanging from the loader works:
View attachment 719128

I have a SSQA to 3pt adapter I mount mine to to lift & service it. I always prop the loader with something before getting underneath. Crawling underneath is fine if you have jack stands or cribbing underneath. Never trust hydraulics not to crush you.

View attachment 719147

 

[leonz]

Hello Jethro,

You do not have to lift it that high to work on it. You can drain the oil out of the gear box and then lift it enough to set it on its back to do all the major surgery.

Check the knife hangers as they are automatically suspect when you mentioned the knife condition as you probably need new hangers, bolts and nuts.

The best tool for this if you do not have smoke wrenches or an impact wrench is to use 12 point metric sockets and 12 point box end metric wrenches to remove the bolts and nuts.

You can use a 36 inch 1/2 inch drive breaker bar, 12 point metric socket and hard wood blocks to rest the wrench against to hold it in place.

Once you have the nut broken loose you can use a ratchet with a shallow socket to spin it off unless you have a 3/8 drive 90 degree impact wrench.

You will be able to tell whether you need to replace all the nuts and bolts with removing the first one. Use Blue loctite to secure the new nuts and bolts in place.

 

[JethroB]

LeonZ, thanks for your reply and tips. Sad to hear that the nuts, bolts, and hangers may need replacing. Agri Supply is really proud of all the Caroni parts. Big $$$. By my quick calculation if I were to go all in and replace them all along with 56 blades the total is around $1300. May stew on it a while longer. And call Flailmaster. Thanks again.
Jethro

 

[jthibodeau89]

Cleck Flailmaster for blades if using side slicers. Hammers may need to come from Caroni. I use GR5 bolts and lock nuts from Tractor Supply bulk bin.

 

[jonsstihl]

there is info about converting the hardware to standard stuff with only a few modifications instead of paying outrageous prices for specific metric hardware to install the knives. I don't know if it was in this thread or another thread on the forum but I do remember reading about someone converting their caroni to standard hardware. clevis had to be ground a bit and deformed slightly in a vice if I remember correctly.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

The first video of it's kind. Tim from tractor time with Tim has made the very first factory tour of a flail mower factory and I am sharing this history in the making with all of you to see:

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

LeonZ, thanks for your reply and tips. Sad to hear that the nuts, bolts, and hangers may need replacing. Agri Supply is really proud of all the Caroni parts. Big $$$. By my quick calculation if I were to go all in and replace them all along with 56 blades the total is around $1300. May stew on it a while longer. And call Flailmaster. Thanks again.
Jethro

Yep this is why the Caroni has such a cheap up front price on the mower when you buy it new. Their business model mirrors that of the printer industry. The printers themselves are cheap but the ink/toner is where they get you.

 

[AndyCee]

Hi Guys,

I had hoped to get to the end of this thread before I posted my request for opinions ... currently on page 535, but have found myself in the situation where I need to make a decision ... so ...

I have a CK30 - gear tractor with 23PTO HP ... 3PL lift at 1764 lbs

As I am in Australia, we do have a somewhat limited range of available flails ... and due to current conditions, an even more limited range of what's actually in stock (or in stock soon). Looking at the manufacturers recommended specifications, most (if not all) recommend a higher PTO power than what I currently have, but using the mantra on this forum - "if you can lift it, you can turn it", and "5hp per foot" ... I am looking a 5ft wide mowers.

I have 30 acres of flat to sloping ground. It's an equestrian facility, so we have horses to do alot of the pasture mowing. As horses are fussy eaters, they tend to eat parts of the paddocks (2.5 - 5 acres) down to 1" ... and leave parts to grow to 8". I intend to use the flail to mow down to about 2" ... mulch and spread the manure piles, and then leave the pastures to recover to about 4" before putting horses back. The property is fairly good, with only small areas of some woody weeds, and a couple of blackberry patches I am trying to control.

So .... my choices seem to be between


Hayes - Chinese made - just over 5ft - manual side shift - weights about 1124 lbs - recommended HP @ 35 = around $5000

Muthing Eco-Top 160- German made - manual side shift - just over 5ft - weights around 770lbs - recommended HP @ 30 = around $8500

Del Morino Flipper 152 - Italian made - manual side shift - 62" - weights around 635 lbs - recommended HP @ 30 = around $6000

Berti Park/P 145 - Italian made - manual side shift - just under 5ft - weights around 825 lbs - recommended HP @ 25 = around $9200

all have hammer blades - seems difficult or special ordered (read: 4 month wait) to get Y blades.

Very interested in everyones feedback and opinions on the best options, and if I will "be able to turn" these effectively

Thanks

Andrew

Del Morino Flipper 158 delivered today ... and hooked up for a quick test flight!

I did a quick run around the outside of the small paddock, and it all seemed great. It handled the long grass with ease, and didn't strain the tractor whatever even going over the thick windrows left by the previous slashing ... although I did take it very slow and easy. As it's hammer blade equipped it didn't seem to mulch as much as I had originally thought, but there was lotsa grass (about 4ft high). I'll need to fiddle a bit with height adjustment (currently a bit too low), but I reckon will be a good unit.

Once it stop raining, I'll need to re-adjust the belt tensions and give it a couple of squirts of grease and I'll be flailing away .... lotsa grass to cut here after all the rain.

This thread has been great in helping me make the call on the right unit

Thanks

Andrew

 

[leonz]

Hello Andy,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations" from Inverell, New South Wales, Australia (OZ).

I hope you are tolerating the winter in OZ, brrr. We had 4 inches of the white stuff last night.

I will hoist an ice cold Fosters lager to celebrate your resident membership in the Flail Mower Nations.

AS I am sure you know we are a very happy bunch of flail mower owners and if you need help we are all only a PM or email away.


leonz

 

[Plant 175]

So where can you get the Furba I see the other Weekend Worrier on Ag Folks don’t list the manual

 

[leonz]

Hello Plant 175 Where are you located/in what state or country do you reside?

Happy New Year

 

[Plant 175]

Wisconsin