Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Befco D90

That is really surprising! Befco is one of the best brands in the business. I am seriously considering buying one. I would like to know what caused this.

 

[John0829]

That's a cheerful and understandable answer... but I'm not made that way. The differences between people are endless. I hear really well and almost all the implements I use are out of sight unless I turn or twist (which is not comfortable at my age...) and even if I turned with ease I have ALWAYS depended on the distinctive sounds of whatever machine I am using. I can tell you at every point in time whether my bush hog is happy, whether the flail mower is doing well, whether the sickle bar is lubricated enough, and many,many other things. Whether something has changed and needs investigation. I depend on sound ALL the time.

By the way, I bike a lot too. And people walking wearing ear buds listening to music (or whatever they listen to) are a hazard to everyone around them AND themselves. They don't hear cars, they don't hear me yelling "on your right," etc. If it were up to me they would get tickets. Anyway, to finish my soapbox I consider operating tractors, machinery, and cars while wearing ear obstructions to be asking for trouble.

We each take the amounts of risk we choose.

Well said

 

[Number15]

That is really surprising! Befco is one of the best brands in the business. I am seriously considering buying one. I would like to know what caused this.

I wouldn't hold this against befco. This flail is built like a tank. ( An Abrams not a t72 )

I think this is either one of the belts failed and took out the others, or the dealership over tightened them

 

[Skagit]

Banded (multi rib) AG belts will put an end to those kind of problems and they last a lot longer. I switched a 12 ft Taarup mower conditioner and a 6ft New Holland flail over to banded belts a couple years ago, both went from destroying 3 or 4 sets of belts a season to lasting 2+ years.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I wouldn't hold this against befco. This flail is built like a tank. ( An Abrams not a t72 )

I think this is either one of the belts failed and took out the others, or the dealership over tightened them

Please keep us informed as to what you determine was the cause and fix for it.

 

[Craig_GA]

I have been interested in a flail mower for about a year and have been going through a LOT of posts. There is a lot of great info here...

Now I'm looking for some help before buying. Sorry for the length of the post, just trying to provide a good overview...

We have 12 acres, mostly wooded and a number of fallen trees to clean up. I want to use the flail mower to clean up what is left, small branches, small saplings and some brush. (I've been collecting all of the bigger rocks and getting them out of the way.) Also to maintain these areas once things are cleaned up.

Originally I wanted a 60" mower, however the paths in my wife's garden (it's a big garden) between the 15 raised beds are only 65"-66" wide and even though my tractor (Kioti CK5310) will just fit down the aisle the overall width of a 60" mower is too wide. ( I have an old Ingersoll 4018 with a 60" deck that takes care of the grassy areas, but that is also too wide for the garden.) I also thought that having a flail mower narrower than the tractor would make it easier to maneuver in the woods. I also like the idea of a 53" cut rather than a 48". The flail will also be great for the times when the grass gets too tall in the open areas for the Ingersoll to manage. During the spring and summer in Georgia, the grass grows VERY fast.

Here are a couple that look promising:

Betstco FH-FMC135 53" The "Commercial" level unit 53" wide. ( Side shift is +$500 )

Nova MFZ135 53" 53" unit with side shift

If I do not get a side-shift model, will I regret that later? (I wanted to stay somewhere in the $2700-$2800 area.)

With the tight woods, uneven ground and some elevation to deal with, I want a unit that is as heavy duty as possible. While I have collected a lot of rocks, the flail might find one or 2 that I missed... Also, the tractor has ~30 hp at the PTO, so 60" or less should not be a problem.

From comments and issues that I have read, it seems that no matter what I buy, putting Loctite on most of the fasteners might be worth the time up front.

The availability of spare parts and a reputable company is also important.

I am open to other options/suggestions. Thank you for taking a look.

Craig

 

[cholland]

Hey Craig,
I run a Betstco FH-EFG-175 with my CK3510. Thats the 68" model, it more like 75" total. No problem with PTO hp. It sits somewhat offset with the left side being right about the tire width and the right side hanging out 8-10 inches. It can be offset even more by shifting the top link bracing over to another set of mounting holes. I would suggest getting something at least as wide as the tires, but that might not work for you and the raised beds. I haven't found I would need the side shift, but that is just my applications.

It is a little wide in the woods and close quarters, but I use mine more for maintaining the openings, not clearing them. Thats what the grapple and landscape rake are for. It does take out up to 2" size brush no problem. I haven't tried anything larger.

I have hit some rocks, and it doesn't like them. Will break the hammers pretty quick. But it is a well built mower. I haven't bent or damaged anything besides hammers. Getting parts from Betstco has been pretty easy once they answer the phone.

One thing with the Betstco is the rear panel is welded on, so no way to remove for maintenance. Makes it more difficult to replace hammers, etc. Another manufacturer to consider is WoodMaxx. You can remove the rear panel on theirs.

 

[cbg8670]

Hey Craig
Look at titan implements. I run the fl135 and it has been good and reliable. Think it was Italian made

FL Series Mower | Titan Implement, LLC

www.titanimplement.com

 

[JWR]

I have been interested in a flail mower for about a year and have been going through a LOT of posts. There is a lot of great info here...

Now I'm looking for some help before buying. Sorry for the length of the post, just trying to provide a good overview...
...
We have 12 acres, mostly wooded and a number of fallen trees to clean up. I want to use the flail mower to clean up what is left, small branches, small saplings and some brush.
....
I also thought that having a flail mower narrower than the tractor would make it easier to maneuver in the woods. I also like the idea of a 53" cut rather than a 48". The flail will also be great for the times when the grass gets too tall in the open areas for the Ingersoll to manage. During the spring and summer in Georgia, the grass grows VERY fast.
...
With the tight woods, uneven ground and some elevation to deal with,

Craig

Just a sprinkling of comment on parts of your selection process: 1) The cast metal hammer type you are looking at will stand 1" to 2" scattered not clumped brush and light limbs here and there. The"Y" cutters you apparently already know will NOT stand that. I can tell you first hand that with pretty "heavy duty" Y type knives (described that way by the industry) they are very vulnerable to unseen small limbs and hidden pieces of wood. You spend more time replacing knives than makes sense. 2) You will be pleasantly surprised in terms of maneuverability. The flail mowers hug close enough the rear of your tractor (compared to a bush hog of the same cutting width) that they are VERY maneuverable. 3) In your shoes I would get one as wide as your rear tire spacing and you won't be hurting maneuverability. 4) Cleaning up after fallen tree removal is not the forte of flail cutter in my opinion. I think an HD bush his the better tool for that unless you have been pretty meticulous with your grapple ahead of time. Good luck with it. Both flails you are looking at look good to me.

 

[leonz]

I have been interested in a flail mower for about a year and have been going through a LOT of posts. There is a lot of great info here...

Now I'm looking for some help before buying. Sorry for the length of the post, just trying to provide a good overview...

We have 12 acres, mostly wooded and a number of fallen trees to clean up. I want to use the flail mower to clean up what is left, small branches, small saplings and some brush. (I've been collecting all of the bigger rocks and getting them out of the way.) Also to maintain these areas once things are cleaned up.

View attachment 744743
View attachment 744746

Originally I wanted a 60" mower, however the paths in my wife's garden (it's a big garden) between the 15 raised beds are only 65"-66" wide and even though my tractor (Kioti CK5310) will just fit down the aisle the overall width of a 60" mower is too wide. ( I have an old Ingersoll 4018 with a 60" deck that takes care of the grassy areas, but that is also too wide for the garden.) I also thought that having a flail mower narrower than the tractor would make it easier to maneuver in the woods. I also like the idea of a 53" cut rather than a 48". The flail will also be great for the times when the grass gets too tall in the open areas for the Ingersoll to manage. During the spring and summer in Georgia, the grass grows VERY fast.

Here are a couple that look promising:

Betstco FH-FMC135 53" The "Commercial" level unit 53" wide. ( Side shift is +$500 )

Nova MFZ135 53" 53" unit with side shift

If I do not get a side-shift model, will I regret that later? (I wanted to stay somewhere in the $2700-$2800 area.)

With the tight woods, uneven ground and some elevation to deal with, I want a unit that is as heavy duty as possible. While I have collected a lot of rocks, the flail might find one or 2 that I missed... Also, the tractor has ~30 hp at the PTO, so 60" or less should not be a problem.

From comments and issues that I have read, it seems that no matter what I buy, putting Loctite on most of the fasteners might be worth the time up front.

The availability of spare parts and a reputable company is also important.

I am open to other options/suggestions. Thank you for taking a look.

Craig

Rent a FECON forestry mulcher for a couple of days to clear the saplings
and dead wood out and you will have much less work.

 

[Racenut]

Nova MFZ135 53" 53" unit with side shift

If I do not get a side-shift model, will I regret that later? (I wanted to stay somewhere in the $2700-$2800 area.)

My property looks similar to yours in some places. I went with Novatractor because it had the meanest looking hammers I found. I was telling my wife we need to take better pics and video of what we're doing with it because so far all I find online is people just cutting grass lol. This thing eats twigs, small branches, saplings and pine cones like nothing. This was 15 minutes and was easy stuff compared to some.

Also, the sideshift has been great! I have the MFZ155, my tractor is 66 inches wide. So it's 60" cut doesn't quite cover the tires but I didn't want to go wider because it can be tricky to maneuver between the trees. The sideshift lets me reach a little as well as letting me get it out of the way when turning or up against the fence line. I am glad I went with a slide model.

I was a bit leary about getting one that seems almost nobody has heard of, but they've been on the market for at least a few years so hope they will be around when I need something. I do have a few spare hammers. And as I saw someone else mentioned, the back panel on the Novatractor opens up for inspection and maintenance and makes it much easier to deal with.

 

[toolslinger]

I'm only semi qualified to answer this since I'm still slowly getting my flail put back together... So this is from lots of other mowing experience...
If you're struggling to get your Ingersoll through the rows, I would suggest you might try to convince your wife to go a bit wider on that next year... I hated trying to work between tight rows my father used to put in. Even if it was ok early in the season, later in the season, I had to give up with the tractor, and just resort to a walk behind machine. (we usually just tilled between rows, rather than mowing)
For any other kind of mowing, I would either want tread width at a minimum, or a side shifter. My family went from a 5' rotary behind an 8N set at 5' to a 4' finish mower behind the same tractor over 20 years ago. As a result, the edges of the fields have been creeping in for years. We don't need the field space, but what crept in was briar and rhododendron. I'm in the slow process of putting a flail back together, 6' behind a 6' MF 135. But before I finish that, I'll get the rotary back in service, and between that, and a loader, push back, and chop up that bloody briar. I'd have preferred a wider, offset, or side shift flail, but the price was right on what I got for a test case... (needed more work than anticipated unfortunately)

 

[papachaz]

I paid $20 au each papachaz. How much were yours?

I ordered them straight from them, at palletforks.com set of 5 was $54.99.
back to the on going saga of different weight blades. I have run it a few hours with the heavier blades out on the ends, there is a little bit of vibration, and I don't want to run it that way. I contacted Betstco today and explained that I need some hammer blades because I can't find any to match their weight, and that I wasn't thrilled that these appear to be cast iron and not forged. I have broken two more, and had to stop mowing, AND the angle iron piece that bolts on to scrape the rear roller to keep it clean, broke loose from the welds on one end, and I had just took it off, ground it down and rewelded it myself. (not the prettiest welds but I bet it will hold better than what they sent me)

The customer service guy is sending me 12 new hammer blades, and a belt set for my trouble, so I can't complain! I won't have the time to use it again before they get here next week anyway, so I'm good to go. I figure I'll use it a lot this summer, I'll take the Titan blades back off and order some more to go with that to complete the set for when I replace the whole set. I honestly wish I had gotten the Y knives on it from the factory, and just ordered the hammers from Titan

 

[gcagle]

I'm sure this is asked and answered, but sorting through 700 pages of this wonderful thread? Crikey!

After one season of mowing with my wonderful new flail mower, the grass and weeds are not coming out with a clean cut anymore. Sure, I'm going to raise it up and grind the Y knives (or reverse them), but while I'm at it I'd love to get a better knife set. Something hardened, that will cut better, and for longer before needing another sharpen. Would like your advice on what to buy, and from where?


Flail: Del Morino Funny Top FT158C 62", 24" manual offset option. Stock Y Knives. (happily purchased from Good works tractors, replace the frequently failing stock belts with kevlar, never replaced another belt since.)

Tractors: I alternate between my 1025r and 2025r, depending on what's attached already.

Mowing: 15 acres of grass, wildflowers and weeds. Nothing thick enough to need a hammer. Over the next few years most of the fields will be nothing but white clover and a few wildflowers.

To see example of the grasses in the fields, view of video or two here:. https://m.facebook.com/cordolake

 

[JWR]

You pose an interesting question ... based on the smoothness of cut being worse after some wear of the knives. First, I think brand new blades always cut cleaner no matter the machine. That is true of my midmount mowers on Kubota lawn tractors, my 4 , 5 and 7 foot bush hogs and my flail cutter. It's always true. The question is how much degradation is too much and what can be done to minimize it.

With rotary cutters the answer is periodic sharpening and avoiding anything (like too much heating from grinding or welding, etc.) that would cause loss of hardness. With flails (my SHD88 has 44 pairs...) sharpening them is no simple task and I have yet to find it worthwhile.

With the Y flail knives I think the best you can do is reverse them after you become unsatisfied. By the way, check the rpm of the rotor and knives and make sure you are running at rated full rpm. Obviously they cut cleaner when going faster.

It is very possible that you may find harder more durable knives than the ones you have. I do not know if stainless or serrated knives are available. Compatibility issues may leave you with not many choices. Good luck.

 

[Lnk]

I'm sure this is asked and answered, but sorting through 700 pages of this wonderful thread? Crikey!

After one season of mowing with my wonderful new flail mower, the grass and weeds are not coming out with a clean cut anymore. Sure, I'm going to raise it up and grind the Y knives (or reverse them), but while I'm at it I'd love to get a better knife set. Something hardened, that will cut better, and for longer before needing another sharpen. Would like your advice on what to buy, and from where?


Flail: Del Morino Funny Top FT158C 62", 24" manual offset option. Stock Y Knives. (happily purchased from Good works tractors, replace the frequently failing stock belts with kevlar, never replaced another belt since.)

Tractors: I alternate between my 1025r and 2025r, depending on what's attached already.

Mowing: 15 acres of grass, wildflowers and weeds. Nothing thick enough to need a hammer. Over the next few years most of the fields will be nothing but white clover and a few wildflowers.

To see example of the grasses in the fields, view of video or two here:. https://m.facebook.com/cordolake

If all you are cutting is grass and weeds, and not brush. There is a blade between hammers and y blades. Scoop blades make a nice level cut at the expense of being as durable as heavy y blades. You only need half as many as they present a horizontal cutting face to the grass. I had them on my dandl 9' flail, but I needed Y blades. If I ever need to go back I can. They do move more air as well so they tend to lift the material to be cut better. You just won't be cutting up 1-2" brush with them.

Let us know what you do.

So you can download their catalog

Flail Master

 

[JethroB]

I purchased all new Y blades recently from Flail Master for my Caroni. They do offer a hardened blade of some sort. They didn’t have them in stock and I believe Carrie of FM said someone made them for them vs. made in-house. I went with what they call Extreme Duty being the most common they sell. $1.85 each.
I’m hoping once the tough stem-y winter weeds die out the cut will be better.

 

[gcagle]

I'm sure this is asked and answered, but sorting through 700 pages of this wonderful thread? Crikey!

After one season of mowing with my wonderful new flail mower, the grass and weeds are not coming out with a clean cut anymore. Sure, I'm going to raise it up and grind the Y knives (or reverse them), but while I'm at it I'd love to get a better knife set. Something hardened, that will cut better, and for longer before needing another sharpen. Would like your advice on what to buy, and from where?


Flail: Del Morino Funny Top FT158C 62", 24" manual offset option. Stock Y Knives. (happily purchased from Good works tractors, replace the frequently failing stock belts with kevlar, never replaced another belt since.)

Tractors: I alternate between my 1025r and 2025r, depending on what's attached already.

Mowing: 15 acres of grass, wildflowers and weeds. Nothing thick enough to need a hammer. Over the next few years most of the fields will be nothing but white clover and a few wildflowers.

To see example of the grasses in the fields, view of video or two here:. https://m.facebook.com/cordolake

Here is the condition of my knives after about three full mows of 15 acres.

Bottom is the business edge.

 

[Alien]

I have touched up the edge of my hammers 3 times in 4 1/2 years but only as a maintenance precaution. I mostly cut grass but a lot of twigs and small branches that are constantly falling off dead trees. Also occasionally lantana bushes. Hammers make a real nice cut on grass. As above, I bought a new set of hammers but it will be a long time before I fit them due to the excellent condition of the originals. Knives may be more forgiving if you hit a stump and a lot cheaper to replace if you hit a rock. I have sandstone rocks and the hammers can handle hitting those reasonably well as they are not as hard as granite. I still try to avoid them. So for a nice lawn finish, my vote is hammers.

 

[JethroB]

Here is the condition of my knives after about three full mows of 15 acres.

Bottom is the business edge.

Maybe just sharpen them? Not a chore I’d want though. Here’s a new and old from mine. The old pasture cut is now better but not what I’d call WOW. Maybe we expect too much.