Curious about deck rings on flexwing mowers....

[Richard]

I've got this older Hydraulically powered 15' flexwing mower (Terrain King which is now owned by Alamo). Mower is powered by PTO driven speed increaser and a pump.


Debating on getting a newer mower.... saw a newer version of THIS same mower, now made by Alamo. The newer version has deck rings and mine does not.

Got me wondering.

When I cut with mine, the air/wind will blow through the hinges and I will have some grass accumulate on top of mower. I interpret this as the blade suction helping to pull the grass up and ejecting most of it backwards but some goes vertical. Leaves a decent cut. The field hasn't been cut since last summer and the sprouts were about belt high.

Are the deck rings on a mower strictly to act as a barrier between the blades and the deck or, do they also serve to create an air chamber to help improve the cut of the grass??

 

[Industrial Toys]

My Large finishing pull mower was ALAMO. I thought they got bought out long ago. Is yours a finishing mower? Mine sounded like a GIANT Vaccuume cleaner and I'm guessing the sheet metal work directed airflow and provided suction for the grass being cut.

 

[Richard]

Alamo Industrial: Products


Mine is a 'bush hog'....or rotatary cutter. (in need of newer blades I might add)

Being hydraulically powered, I suspect mine is fairly quiet (as though you could hear anything above the noise of the IH 1066 screaming at PTO speed with no muffler)

I don't know that to be true about being more quiet.... I have just presumed that I don't have the additional noise of the rotating shafts that I might otherwise have.

I admit I kind of like the idea of no spinning shafts but I suppose the hydraulic part has its issues too.

 

[Richard]

I probably have the great great great great...... great grandfather of this mower.

Alamo Industrial: Products - Rotary Mowers > Falcon™ Hydraulic Flex-Wing

 

[Industrial Toys]

I bought mine at auction from a CITY. Found out the GEAR box cost $6000.00 if I had to replace it. Double what I paid for the whole mower. I would have prefered hydraulic drive so could use less than all the decks.

BIGGEST pain was 1/2 Reverse fine thread blade bolts that cost a few bucks each and I could loose several on ant or groundhog hills in a fifteen minute span. Ended up having bolts custom made in the US.

 

[Richard]

I've also been eyeballing a Schulte 15' however, before I knew too much about them, a dealer 3 hours away from me had a Schulte 20' get sold right as I was eyeballing it trying to figure out if I could stop it going down a hill. (my understanding is the highest spot in the county where I live, happens to be the hill my house sits on..... and the farm owns the entire hill)

I don't want to get manhandled by a mower going downhill.

 

[Richard]

in fact, those pictures above are of that very hill being cut. The pictures sort of hide the length. It's not terribly steep per se'.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A friend had a new pull type hydraulic wing mower and his employee jack knifed it on a hill and caused the pump shaft to be pushed in at tremendous expense.

 

[Richard]

Must have really crunched things. Looking at how mine mounts, (adapter mounted to tractor, speed increaser attached to adapter, pump then attached to speed increaser)

I have a hard time seeing how someone could crunch that unless they really got folded in half. Ouch.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I seem to recall something about the shaft being a little on the long side.