Flail Mower Any Caroni 1900 owners in CT MA or NY

[BoylermanCT]

I am shopping for a flail mower and I can't decide between the Caroni 1500 and 1900. I have a 2 acre field I mow and keep at 4 inches or so with a Craftsman lawn tractor. Its time for a bigger mower. I want a nice cut, hence the 1500. But my tractor is 64 inches wide and the 1500 is 59 inches plus it is offset so I won't mow my tracks. I know the 1500 won't handle brush, but that is fine as I have a 60 inch bush hog mower. The 1900 is 73 inches wide which is great and it can be offset or centered, but it has brush blades so it won't be as nice a cut. So I want to see the results of the 1900 in real life. I'm hoping if someone in CT, MA or eastern NY has a 1900 I can stop by and see the quality of the cut in a field that is maintained regularly.

I also have an email into Agri-Supply to see if the can get a 1900 with the F rotor and at what cost and time frame.

Thoughts? Comments? Recommendations?

 

[leonz]

I am shopping for a flail mower and I can't decide between the Caroni 1500 and 1900.
I have a 2 acre field I mow and keep at 4 inches or so with a Craftsman lawn tractor.
Its time for a bigger mower. I want a nice cut, hence the 1500. But my tractor
is 64 inches wide and the 1500 is 59 inches plus it is offset so I won't mow my tracks.
I know the 1500 won't handle brush, but that is fine as I have a 60 inch bush hog mower.
The 1900 is 73 inches wide which is great and it can be offset or centered, but it has
brush blades so it won't be as nice a cut. So I want to see the results of the 1900 in real life.
I'm hoping if someone in CT, MA or eastern NY has a 1900 I can stop by and see the quality of
the cut in a field that is maintained regularly.

I also have an email into Agri-Supply to see if the can get a 1900 with the F rotor and at what cost and time frame.

Thoughts? Comments? Recommendations?

=================================================================================


Dont let them tell you that you cannot purchase a TL1500FSC or TL1900FSC with a finish mower rotor.
Ask for Rodney Barbour if you get a poor response with regard to the purchase of an
TL1500FSC,


What makes you think a 1500MM width flail mower will not mow brush???????????????????
I use my four foot finish flail to mow brush as needed.

Any well maintained flail mower with a four row rotor will will provide you with a finish cut that will be
golf course putting green quality as long as it is used properly and maintained with sharp knife pairs.

You can look at any of the pictures on the flail mower thread to see the quality of cut with 40 year old finish
flail mowers.

The other thing is you cannot get a good cut with a 3.5-4 inch mowing height as the flail
mower will not create the pressure gradient to lift the clippings over the flail mower rotor
very well as the mower shroud is not close enough to ground to create the a enough
pressure gradient with the side slicer knives.

As you are making this investment you should spend the money on the hydraulic side shift option.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Thanks Leonz. I know I can get the 1500 with the F rotor, they have them in stock for $1973 incl shipping to CT, but I'm hoping I can get the 1900 with it. I'll definitely reach out to Rodney if they say it can't be done. I assumed the F rotor is not a good brush mower because they built a B rotor specifically for brush! But in either case, I'll be keeping my bush hog so I don't beat on the flail mower. Most of the pictures I have found here and other websites show a field that is mowed once or twice a year, and it looks like a hayfield after cutting, but before bailing. I'm looking to see what a field looks like that is mowed every two weeks with a 1900 with the B rotor.

 

[leonz]

Keep looking!!!! There are many pictures there with finish cuts all the way to the sod that are golf course quality.

Just be patient and you will see them as you look through the posts.

 

[kevinjd]

Were you able to get the 1900 in the F model??

 

[leonz]

Thanks Leonz. I know I can get the 1500 with the F rotor, they have them in stock for $1973 incl shipping to CT, but I'm hoping I can get the 1900 with it. I'll definitely reach out to Rodney if they say it can't be done. I assumed the F rotor is not a good brush mower because they built a B rotor specifically for brush! But in either case, I'll be keeping my bush hog so I don't beat on the flail mower. Most of the pictures I have found here and other websites show a field that is mowed once or twice a year, and it looks like a hayfield after cutting, but before bailing. I'm looking to see what a field looks like that is mowed every two weeks with a 1900 with the B rotor.

==============================================================================


Hello Boylerman,
Have you gone through the flail mower thread to find the finish cut pictures??
Once you see how the flail mower works you wil want to throw stones at the bush hog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are plenty of You tube videos showing dlail mowers at work too.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Leonz, I'm still looking and researching. I'm exploring "duck foot" blades I believe they are called. I know Caroni offers them on their P style rotor, which they say gives the best cut. I read a thread here about someone who replaced the Y blades on a TM1900 with aftermarket duck foot blades and loved the smooth cut. The people at Betstco recommended sharpening their duck foot mulching blades for their EF mower to get a smooth cut. LandPride also has flat blades on their flail.

I've been trolling Youtube watching flail mower videos. It really depends on how many rows of blades are on the rotor. I am pretty sure I want a finish type rotor, and I don't think I want Y blades, I am not crazy about the grooved look they give. Flat blades that are parallel to the ground seem to give the best cut. I also saw some L shape blades, similar to Y blades, but bent 90 degrees instead of 45. But I don't think they fit the Caroni or Betstco flails.

I followed up with Agri-Supply about getting a TM1900 with the F rotor, and am waiting on a price. They say it would come in around the end of the year. Maybe I should get the TL1500. It has the F rotor, and is in stock. But I'd love the extra 14" that the TM1900 provides.

In the meantime, I continue to mow my field with my Craftsman lawn tractor, all the while dreaming of getting the perfect flail mower! Maybe I should bite the bullet and get a MDR50 or Lesagi51 field mower! I'd be done in 2 passes down and back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPWO_C1rT34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXr8pcGzgjo&feature=related

 

[leonz]

Leonz, I'm still looking and researching. I'm exploring "duck foot" blades I believe they are called. I know Caroni offers them on their P style rotor, which they say gives the best cut. I read a thread here about someone who replaced the Y blades on a TM1900 with aftermarket duck foot blades and loved the smooth cut. The people at Betstco recommended sharpening their duck foot mulching blades for their EF mower to get a smooth cut. LandPride also has flat blades on their flail.

I've been trolling Youtube watching flail mower videos. It really depends on how many rows of blades are on the rotor. I am pretty sure I want a finish type rotor, and I don't think I want Y blades, I am not crazy about the grooved look they give. Flat blades that are parallel to the ground seem to give the best cut. I also saw some L shape blades, similar to Y blades, but bent 90 degrees instead of 45. But I don't think they fit the Caroni or Betstco flails.

I followed up with Agri-Supply about getting a TM1900 with the F rotor, and am waiting on a price. They say it would come in around the end of the year. Maybe I should get the TL1500. It has the F rotor, and is in stock. But I'd love the extra 14" that the TM1900 provides.

In the meantime, I continue to mow my field with my Craftsman lawn tractor, all the while dreaming of getting the perfect flail mower! Maybe I should bite the bullet and get a MDR50 or Lesagi51 field mower! I'd be done in 2 passes down and back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPWO_C1rT34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXr8pcGzgjo&feature=related

============================================



A couple of things:

The reason you see a serated tooth look on some lawns is simply because the finish flail mower is mowing much too low AND or mowing to fast.

You only mow that low when you have thatching overseeeding knives in the center of the side slicer pairs.

Mowing at two inches with the four row finish flail rotor with a high knife count is going to give you a great mown field or lawn provided you do not mow too fast or have the cut too low.


Now did they also tell you that you will not be able to recut the clippings and brush if you have the scoop knife or the cast scoop hammer from Land Pride flail mower????????
The Land Pride Flail Mowers have the trash door to mow heavy brush with the trash door open if my memory is right.



You can save a lot of seat time with your craftsman if you mow in a spiral from the center outward blowing the grass clippings in as you will have no need to stop to brake and turn around. You will save fuel too.

Before you unload your wallet I want you PM Dr. Jay and ask him what he thinks of his finish flail caroni with the four row flail mower rotor and also Island tractor as he has the two row rough cut rotor and then decide which way you will go with a mower.

It may be better for you to invest in a used flail mower from tractor house so you can get a feel for them as you would be first time user of flail mowers.

I can and will tell you that with my 30 plus years of owning and repairing my towed motorized finish flail mowers I dont need another type for both brush and poor grass sod(I have a lot of clay soil so the turf is not all that good).

Which evever style of knife you decide on be sure to invest in a wet well knife grinder from grainger or amazon to keep the knives sharp.

The wet well grinder is best for thew heat treated knives or cast scoop/duck foot hammers tlo keep them sharp without loss of the temper from the hardening process when they are made and ground the first time.

I also want you to visit the Maschio farm equipment site and look at their flail mowers as the land pride folks have them painted with thier colors to sell here on this side of the pond as my british friends are fond of calling the Atlantic Ocean

 

[BoylermanCT]

I heard from Agri-Supply about the Caroni TM1900 with the F rotor. It will be $2,975 and if I order it now, it will ship from Italy in August, and be ready for pickup / delivery in November. Too expensive for my blood. $2,000 is the max on my budget. I can get the TL1500 with the F rotor for $1,750. Its 59" wide instead of 73", but $1,200 for the extra 14 inches is too much. I can get the TM1900 with the B rotor for $1,900 (plus $260 shipping) so if I want the bigger mower, I'll have to do that. Or I could get the TL1500 and have a slightly smaller finish flail. I want the bigger mower since it is only a little more, I just don't know if I will be happy with the cut of the TM1900B on the field. I like the lawn look that I get on the field with the my Craftsman lawn tractor.

 

[kevinjd]

I would want the F model too, way too much for the 1900, and if you add hydraulic slide it really makes you think. I am going to give the 1500 some serious thought. Thanks for sharing all the info.

Kevin