Interchanging Mott and Ford 917L flail blades

[ncridgerunner1]

At some point when researching flail mowers I recall reading that someone used Mott blades for Ford 917 blades. If I remember correctly it was said the Mott blades were better than the stock Ford. After searching I can't seem to locate this post. Does anyone know which Mott blades would interchange with Ford 917L sidecutter blades? If so, are they the same size and do they require new rings and bolts?

 

[leonz]

Hello ncridgerunner1,


You will have to check the flailmaster catalog and compare the two side slicers

 

[Arc weld]

You can use the Mott/Alamo knives from the SHD series on the Ford rings. You may have to adjust the height of cut because the knives are a slightly different length. Just make sure the knives don't hit the deck. I don't think they will but I'm not sure if a 917L is different from a standard 917. Compare the 2 knives side by side for length. The Mott knives worked great on a neighbors 917. The Mott knives are self cleaning and don't plug up like the Ford knives can. They also swing to both sides if an obstacle is encountered and use less HP. Just make sure not to run the PTO below 540 RPM or the Knives may stretch.

 

[ncridgerunner1]

Thanks guys! Called Flailmaster today and they are going to send some samples to see how they will fit on my mower. I thought about replacing a few of the flails on my mower but the Ford style are very expensive even at Flailmaster according to the lady who answered the phone. She suggested using the Mott/Alamo before I had the chance to ask. That and the free samples she is sending out in the mail is good customer service in my book.

Rather than buy a few expensive replacement Ford flails, I am considering ordering a set of the Mott/Alamo. If they have a satisfactory fit, Flailmaster will have my business.

 

[POC]

Thanks guys! Called Flailmaster today and they are going to send some samples to see how they will fit on my mower. I thought about replacing a few of the flails on my mower but the Ford style are very expensive even at Flailmaster according to the lady who answered the phone. She suggested using the Mott/Alamo before I had the chance to ask. That and the free samples she is sending out in the mail is good customer service in my book.

Rather than buy a few expensive replacement Ford flails, I am considering ordering a set of the Mott/Alamo. If they have a satisfactory fit, Flailmaster will have my business.

Necro-thread bump....
What flails worked for you? I'm in the same boat as you were, 917L and knives are $9+ each!

 

[arto98607]

Necro-thread bump....
What flails worked for you? I'm in the same boat as you were, 917L and knives are $9+ each!

Another thread bump - hopefully more response this time?

I just bought a used 917L few days ago and am looking for options for replacement flails. Looks like the Mott/Alamo flails would fit fine, except they have 5/16" bolt holes vs. 3/8" holes in the Ford flails.

Has anyone here drilled the Mott/Alamo holes up to 3/8" diameter?

My only concern is if the Mott/Alamo flail material is too hard to drill with regular drill bit?

 

[Cletusdeere]

I called flail master and got some used a step bit to drill them out. No problem at all drilling them out.

 

[kthompson]

Have used a flail mower for few years now on third different brand. Two were boom mowers used to trim trees and limbs mostly. My thinking here and never had a need to make a change like you are considering. The flail or hammer weight and the speed they are made for comes into the diameter of the hole for them. If a company designed theirs for the 5/16 bolt and you use the grade recommend would think you are fine. Only negative can think of is it might wear the lug on the rotor in a narrow radius compared to the 3/8 bolt so would watch for that. Does the 3/8 bolt fit tight in the lug radius? I think to drill the flail itself you might be removing metal you need there and would not want to.

 

[aslack99]

I got a recommendation to use the Alamo/Mott flails on my new to me 917 over in the big flail discussion and I ordered them from Messicks. Alamo 02986332 (COURSE CUT KNIFE ) should fit a regular 917 according to those that know more than I. I hope they work, because I ordered a whole set.

 

[arto98607]

Thank you all for the replies!

Have used a flail mower for few years now on third different brand. Two were boom mowers used to trim trees and limbs mostly. My thinking here and never had a need to make a change like you are considering. The flail or hammer weight and the speed they are made for comes into the diameter of the hole for them. If a company designed theirs for the 5/16 bolt and you use the grade recommend would think you are fine. Only negative can think of is it might wear the lug on the rotor in a narrow radius compared to the 3/8 bolt so would watch for that. Does the 3/8 bolt fit tight in the lug radius? I think to drill the flail itself you might be removing metal you need there and would not want to.

New 3/8" bolt fit is somewhat loose in the rotor lug holes, until they are torqued up and it looks like they have stayed nice & tight for many years in my mower.


My flails are possibly original and pretty worn so I am looking for options of replacing all 96 of them.
Because of $11.66 ea price the OEM fails are not really feasible, but the Alamo/Mott ones are somewhere under 2 bucks which would be fine.

I don't think removing small amount of metal by making the hole from 5/16" to 3/8" will be a problem at all, since they appear to be otherwise identical to the original Ford flails.
Using 5/16" bolts sounds like a possibility, but maybe not my first choice (not yet?).

First I will see how drilling into one of the old flails will work out?


Here is what a new OEM flail 86509415 looks like:



Here is a mower just like mine: