Flail Mower Just bought a Nova-tractor Ditch Mower

[Unwiredone]

Hello, all!

I hope I can contribute something positive here as many of you have given me good advice previously and I need to return the favor.

Like many, I too, have been searching for a ditch/bank flail mower or similar to address areas around the farm and a lake that I have. I looked at the Bestco, Verge, and Titan (Palletforks) units the most closely until I stumbled upon this company (NOVATRACTOR, the best value tractor implement in the US market, we supply flail mower, wood chipper, ditch mower, etc) late last week.

Although the unit is pricier compared with the other models, let me share with you why I chose this particular brand and model.

First the model. It's a Novatractor BCRM175 and I will be using it behind a Kioti NX5010. After speaking with the manufacturer - which Nova claims to the manufacturer and ISO9XXX certified although the units are built in China (Just like iPhones), the 50HP of my tractor should be sufficient for this particular mower.

What I particularly found of interest that differ from the other, competing models are the following key features that I feel justified the added cost (Total cost of the unit, shipped is $2850 for this particular mower):
* Guards around the front, rear, and belt housing.
* Hose holders for the ends crafted to the hitch mount. (I know, small detail, but its better than leaving them to possibly hang in the dirt.)
* Mechanical "Crash Protection System" (Their words, not mine). This hitch function along with the front guard is the big one for me as I know I will likely hit a hidden stump or something similar and this will provide me extra safety margin of not tearing up the equipment.
* Vertical lock pins for transporting (The other manufacturers didn't imply that this was a standard feature.).
* Belt Tension window for a quick check before use.
* Heavier hammers - 28 ounces versus 14 ounces of the others.
* 4 belts versus 3 for similar models

All said, to me, the above differences were enough to justify the extra $500-$700 price difference.

I expect I will take delivery of this unit in about a week as its coming from Houston, TX. I will provide updates and pictures once I have a chance to use it.

Thanks to everyone for supplying their experiences with other brands as well as helpful hints and suggestions.

 

[Avenger]

Now you got me looking at them. I've made up my mind about getting a Woodmaxx, until now. Dang it!


That is a unique color of green and orange. :confused2:

Got some reading to do.

 

[Unwiredone]

I totally understand where you're coming from...I was on the list to buy one from Bestco until I found the Novatractor. To make my decision, I put together a spreadsheet and compared features to features. Note, the manufacturers suggested HP on their website is for pulling power and not PTO HP.

Good luck in making a decision. I know its difficult...oh how I know.

 

[coobie]

Good thread,keep us updated..

 

[Unwiredone]

By the way, Avenger, I have ironically watched your videos before. Very informative! Thanks!

 

[Avenger]

By the way, Avenger, I have ironically watched your videos before. Very informative! Thanks!

Awesome! Thanks for watching!!

 

[3Lfarms]

That looks like a pretty good value for a ditch mower. I like the two piece drive shaft setup.
I am curious if the gearbox is an overrunning unit. In the video, it stopped pretty fast. My flail will spin for almost 30 seconds after turning off the PTO and shutting off the tractor. A couple of times, I have shut off the tractor and gotten out to pick up some trash or something, and after what seems like quite a while, been startled by the hammers making a racket as they finally come to a stop and hit the rotor.
Just be aware, the crash protection system will not prevent damage if you hit an immovable object while mowing at the 3.5 acres per hour their spec sheet says you can cover. You will simply be moving much to fast to get the tractor stopped before the thing is twisted into a pretzel. It will only allow the hydraulics to bypass from one side of the cylinder to the other and will let the mower swing back a foot or so in its normal arc. If you don’t get the tractor stopped in that time, you better have a plasma cutter and a welder.

 

[audsp98]

I have a Novatractor MFZ175 and it's amazing. This is my first full year being able to use it, bought it late last summer, and I'm still learning more of what it can do than what it can't as far as what it can safely cut. I have a lot of wooded area that I keep the under brush cleared with it along with clearing saplings up to 3". The hammer blades are 3.3 lbs each and pretty much destroys anything they touch.

 

[audsp98]

That looks like a pretty good value for a ditch mower. I like the two piece drive shaft setup.
I am curious if the gearbox is an overrunning unit. In the video, it stopped pretty fast. My flail will spin for almost 30 seconds after turning off the PTO and shutting off the tractor. A couple of times, I have shut off the tractor and gotten out to pick up some trash or something, and after what seems like quite a while, been startled by the hammers making a racket as they finally come to a stop and hit the rotor.
Just be aware, the crash protection system will not prevent damage if you hit an immovable object while mowing at the 3.5 acres per hour their spec sheet says you can cover. You will simply be moving much to fast to get the tractor stopped before the thing is twisted into a pretzel. It will only allow the hydraulics to bypass from one side of the cylinder to the other and will let the mower swing back a foot or so in its normal arc. If you don’t get the tractor stopped in that time, you better have a plasma cutter and a welder.

I'm not sure which Novatractor flail you're referring to but mine will spin for a good 20-30 seconds if I disengage the PTO at full 540 RPM.

 

[Unwiredone]

Hello, all! Received my unit this week. What a beast this unit is and so far am pretty impressed with the quality of the machine from how it put together. Haven't been able to really put it to a test yet as I will explain momentarily.

What I do want to share is that I had a couple of small challenges with the item. One part that was supposed to come with it didn't make it in transit. The response from the manufacturer has been very fast and very accommodative to make things right. Time will tell if this is all true once the missing part comes in. Another challenge had to do with one of the hose assemblies and the zerks. Like anything traveling great distances, things simply need to be tightened. As for the zerks, and after using a zerk cleaning tool, I was able to get the zerks to accept grease.

Originally, I planned to use my FEL and add longer hoses to control the unit. After mounting the flail, and taking it on a test run in one fixed, horizontal position, I have since determined that I will forgo this plan and instead have a second rear remote valve installed on my tractor and keep the FEL mounted to act as a counterweight. Using the FEL controls may seem like a great idea, but in truth, most of the mowing that I intend to use with this unit is really going to be trim work and light brush removal so simple level controls will be sufficient.

I will be posting video and pictures once the remotes are installed.

Today, without using the machine for any length, would I recommend buying one from Novatractor? Yes. Customer service is pretty great so far and the company is very interested in learning about what I like and don't like. Fact is, I just received an email while writing this post from the company asking for some additional feedback on the unit. The unit takes at least two people to put it together as it's heavy (what you want) and takes a couple of hours.

Yes, the implement is more expensive than lesser quality units, yet I believe I have a quality machine. This is not what I use to mow my fields as I have a Wood's Batwing Mower for bush-hogging that I use behind the large Kubota. This flail I'm operating using the Kioti NX5010 and the tractor handles it very well. We use two 100HP Valtra's with the Krone disc mowers for the hay cutting as well as the Kioti for the small M&W disc mower. This is a nice compliment unit for trim work and field / lake edge work. (We have quite a bit to mow as you might guess.)

More to come...

 

[Unwiredone]

Just some early pictures. I will load a video soon. This machine is a great machine and worth the money. 28, 1.75-pound hammers spinning at 2200 RPM will absolutely destroy about anything you run over, leaving nothing but finely mulched debris.

My principal purpose for this machine is to trim around the hayfields and ponds on the property. What I have found is its a better machine to move close-in to the fence rows compared to the other mower I have been using. Keeping 5 miles of Ky Blackboard fence trimmed takes some work!

Speaking of fences, while cleaning up adjacent to a deeply enshroud woven fence, the unit grabbed some fencing material that was apparently just left adjacent to the fence and wrapped the barbed wires nice and tight around the spindle. Wire cutters could not cut these wires, but the grinder sure could. Cut the wires, sharpened a couple of hammers while at it, and went back to work.

I have been clearing some areas with heavy brush and saplings and this tool absolutely impresses me. I don't want to sound over-zealous, but seriously, compared to other models available on the market, the extra cost was worth it.

 

[Unwiredone]

And a video of the unit working. The cleared area in the video was all done using this flail mower.

Nova Mower on Vimeo

 

[Unwiredone]

Here is another example I just took about an hour ago. Had to quit for the day as I shattered my rear window backing into a branch and temporarily blinded by the sun. Shoot - always something.

VimeUhOh

 

[Hilbilly]

Wow! That thing works great.

 

[jkonicki]

Hello Unwiredone,

I'm hoping you can give some additional feedback on the Nova BCRM175 I'm considering buying one at this very moment. I'm also considering the BCRM200 as well.

A few quick questions

Q1: what do you think of the mower since using it ?
Q2: How is the reliability and cut quality
Q3: How does it do cutting brush and rough stuff
Q4:How does your NX5010 handle it ? (I'll be using it with an RX7320 so more concerned about the weight of the BCRI200 but if BCRM175 is "no problem at all" on NX5010 I figure my RX7320 with loader and filled tires can handle the extra 500lbs of the BCRI200)
Q5: Would you buy this mower again ?

Thanks,
John

 

[Unwiredone]

Hello Unwiredone,

I'm hoping you can give some additional feedback on the Nova BCRM175 I'm considering buying one at this very moment. I'm also considering the BCRM200 as well.

A few quick questions

Q1: what do you think of the mower since using it ?
Q2: How is the reliability and cut quality
Q3: How does it do cutting brush and rough stuff
Q4:How does your NX5010 handle it ? (I'll be using it with an RX7320 so more concerned about the weight of the BCRI200 but if BCRM175 is "no problem at all" on NX5010 I figure my RX7320 with loader and filled tires can handle the extra 500lbs of the BCRI200)
Q5: Would you buy this mower again ?

Thanks,
John

Hi, John. Happy to help here.

A1: I love the mower, yet its also very special use. Living here in Kentucky on a small horse farm (~ 300 acres), I have lakes, fence rows, and woods bordering fields that all were in definite need of a good cleanup and this mower got the job done and then some. The mower is a beast, but it's not designed for speed. I don't think any flail mowers are as they are special purpose.
A2/A3: Reliable? Very much so. Cut quality? It's not a finish mower (For trim I use an 84" Bushhog brand finish mower), but it will mulch and obliterate whatever you run over. A large selling point for me was the hammer weight and qty. 28, 1-3/4 pound hammers turning at 2000+ RPM is going to destroy small brush (I've run over aged 3-4" logs and it will blast them apart). Also, the forged hammers are easy to sharpen and also a feature I really like.
A4: With the mower extended to its furthest reach, on a slope, it definitely changes the center of gravity if its raised off the ground. Yet any attachment that extends out from the center will have the same effect. With the mower off-set just behind me, not an issue. Now, vertical, like trimming hedges (More about this in a moment), you just have to be very aware of terrain, slopes, etc. It's not a boom mower with a large counter weight.
A5: Would I buy this brand again or this mower? Yes and yes, but let me take this a step further. I'm not super impressed with the sales rep (He was ok), but the owner of the company? Holy cow that man is knowledgeable, fast to respond, and under promises and over-delivers. I am probably more impressed by the company than the mower - and I really like this mower.

Misc comments:

So you know, I have broken parts on this mower already doing things with it I probably shouldn't. I have had to get the grinder out to cut off a large ball of barbed wire that the mower got into. No belt breaks, no harm to the tractor, cut it off, went back to work. For the record, I've broken my tractor while using this thing, so it's not the quality of the machine, but rather the operator (Falling on the sword here.).

The manufacturer has replaced a couple of hoses that sprung leaks and for my troubles, sent me some extra hammers too. It might not be your experience, but that's just an example of the company standing behind its product.

The idea of hedging with a flail mower...it doesn't do a good job. I don't recommend it. One, you have to crawl as limbs tend to be pushed out of the way by the front guard and when they spring back, at any speed, will miss the flails.

Clearing the banks around the lake - fantastic. Clearing underbrush around the fields equally impressive. With this offset hanging 6' out and dragging it through the brush, many times you won't even see it - but you'll hear it. I positively love how it drops the cuttings in-place versus slinging and scattering. You will hit rocks and large limbs and it will typically bounce or ping right over top.

Also, I was originally going to use the FEL hydraulics to manipulate the controls, but after using it, I elected to just add a 2nd remote valve. Nice having the counterweight of the FEL along with the ability to push some material away. Further, the mower is more set and forget while working it. You're not going to be doing a lot of position manipulation like you might be thinking.

I hope this helps and if I can answer any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

- David

Disclaimer: I am not a paid shill for this product. I bought my mower and these are simply my personal experiences.

 

[Unwiredone]

By the way, John, how do you like your RX7320? I've actually considered making that my next tractor purchase. The NX5010 is my 'small tractor' as I have others, but I'm thinking I might need a mid-range 70HP or so.

- David

 

[jkonicki]

Hi David,

Thanks very much for the detailed reply, I wish I could give as detailed a review of the RX7320 but I've yet to receive it :-(

Dealer has it now and is prepping it,fluid filling the tires, installing an additional rear remote and a third function valve for the FEL.

I should have had it a few weeks ago but it got tied up in the Cyber attack that had KIOTI crippled..

I'm hoping to get it this weekend.

The Nova mower would be my first implement to go with it, I'm also planning to get the KIOTI 12FT Batwing (same as woods) but they can't get me one until after we are deep in snow cover in New Hampshire so I figure I could get the Nova and use it in a similar manner as you are. I'm kind of disappointed its not very good at vertical trimming as I wanted to do quite a bit of that around my field edges and woods roads.

Before I found the Nova Ditch mowers I was looking at getting a standard hydraulic offset flail (Was thinking woodmaxx) and then in the spring getting a Lane Shark for vertical trimming but the cost of those two pieces is twice that of the Nova. I was hoping the Nova could do double duty


Thanks Again,
John

 

[Unwiredone]

It appears you are going through the same exact throught process I was doing ask I looked at the off-sets and the Lane Shark. Let share with you that you can use it to hedge, its 1) Not going to be pretty and 2) You have to go slow. You could always take off the front guard. Don't think for a second I haven't used it to hedge - I have - an I have managed to push the brush pretty far back. Too, I'm going to hit again soon once the leaves are off. I may actually be able report a different experience.

I looked at Betsco and Woodmax, but Nova, although a bit more expensive was definitely the right decision.

Now let's talk about the lane shark and the knock off that Titan did. I frankly think a good fabricator and build one for half the cost if not less. I put together a parts list and I could buy all the parts for under $900. You can buy the hydraulic oil motor for about $200, the quick attach frame was also $198 on Amazon. Hoses and misc parts about $400 including the steel. So....I'm likely to do something along this route.

 

[retro0204]

Thanks David!
Very informative thread.
A one more quick question-Any joystick control comes with this mover?
Thanks