Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[leonz]

I was riding past the local JD dealer one day,,, and I made an impulse purchase!!

I think it was my first ever AG impulse purchase,,, it is way better than the old 6 1/2 foot bush hog!!

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Hello CADplans,


I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.

I am sure by now you have wondered how you got along without it.

You will find that they do wonderful work when you have frost killed brush
that you need to knock down and get rid of as you can get right down to 2
inches in cutting height.


Happy Mowing

 

[CADplans]

Nice!! - I am guessing that one was brand new!

Yes it was new,,, which I normally avoid like the plague.
I really wanted the offset, so that I could trim along the driveway, without rolling over a lawnmower.

 

[Hoochy]

Nice mower! I know once you use it a couple of times you will be convinced, it was a good impulse buy:thumbsup:

 

[hunt4570]

Nice, and WOW... that's a lot of offset! And I thought my Caroni had a lot of offset!

 

[CADplans]

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


Hello CADplans,


I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nation.

I am sure by now you have wondered how you got along without it.

You will find that they do wonderful work when you have frost killed brush
that you need to knock down and get rid of as you can get right down to 2
inches in cutting height.


Happy Mowing

Nice mower! I know once you use it a couple of times you will be convinced, it was a good impulse buy:thumbsup:

Nice, and WOW... that's a lot of offset! And I thought my Caroni had a lot of offset!

Thanks for the comments,,, I was supposed to mow the pastures last week,,, but,,,
the wife gave me a "reprieve" because I was exhausted from mounting the new rear tires,,,

When it stops raining,,, I will have no excuses left,,,

Does anyone know if having the tire size molded into the tire bar gives you more traction??

 

[powerscol]

But, but,but, the old ones were not bald yet :laughing::laughing::laughing:

As for traction, NO !, but she will go like lightning . :thumbsup:

 

[CADplans]

But, but,but, the old ones were not bald yet :laughing::laughing::laughing:

As for traction, NO !, but she will go like lightning . :thumbsup:

I was worried about rust,,, and I found the mounted new tires and wheels on CL,,,

So, I may put the old ones on CL now,,,
AND, it would have been too much effort to clean the old wheels enough to paint them,,,
I did not have a tank big enough to dip them,,
and I would have had to buy a BIG battery charger to power the electrolysis clean the wheels.

 

[xtn]

I don't know anything about what it is but I don't see how those knives could open up the way they are attached.

What do you mean, "Open up?" Do you imagine that they are supposed to spread apart like bird wings or something? Even if they could spread apart, centripetal force when spinning is going to pull them straight out and together anyway.

 

[DocDryden]

I was riding past the local JD dealer one day,,, and I made an impulse purchase!!

I think it was my first ever AG impulse purchase,,, it is way better than the old 6 1/2 foot bush hog!!

That's the mower that I have been looking for. .JD 390 offset . I Can't find a use one in good condition.
How do you like it?

 

[CADplans]

That's the mower that I have been looking for. .JD 390 offset . I Can't find a use one in good condition.
How do you like it?

I can only compare it to the 6 1/2 foot JD bushhog it replaced,,,
the flail is 10X nicer to use than the bushhog, it uses less HP, and no "windrowing"!:thumbsup:

I had brand new blades on the bushhog,,, so that was not the issue,,,

and,, the 390 will hang over the ditch at the edge of the road,,, no weed-eater needed!!

 

[DocDryden]

I can only compare it to the 6 1/2 foot JD bushhog it replaced,,,
the flail is 10X nicer to use than the bushhog, it uses less HP, and no "windrowing"!:thumbsup:

I had brand new blades on the bushhog,,, so that was not the issue,,,

and,, the 390 will hang over the ditch at the edge of the road,,, no weed-eater needed!!

10-4 I heard that. That's my plan also no weed eater. I have a JD 25A now. Just looking for the 390 with the offset. It looks like I will be going to the JD dealer soon

 

[Kiotidriver]

I have had my Caroni for a little bit more than a month and have used it for at least 15 hours. Even so I tried to be careful and avoid rocks, sometimes they are difficult to see in the tall grass. Yesterday while cleaning the drum I saw that one of the welded brackets has been bent. I was wondering if I should try to straight it with a hammer, or leave it as is. If I break the bracket I would be in a bad predicament. I would appreciate your opinion?

 

[IslandTractor]

I have had my Caroni for a little bit more than a month and have used it for at least 15 hours. Even so I tried to be careful and avoid rocks, sometimes they are difficult to see in the tall grass. Yesterday while cleaning the drum I saw that one of the welded brackets has been bent. I was wondering if I should try to straight it with a hammer, or leave it as is. If I break the bracket I would be in a bad predicament. I would appreciate your opinion?<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=470844"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=470845"/>

Leave it alone. Bent won't matter but broken will be a real PITA.

 

[Hilbilly]

I would just leave it.

After hearing your story, I better go check mine out since I've hit a lot of rocks with it. That's the main reason I got a flail ........ not dangerous when you hit rocks. Can't say the same for my rotary mower / brush hog style cutter. That thing is a killer but way faster and does a better job of rough mowing if there aren't other people or objects around that could get damaged by large flying rocks. Unlike some other people have posted, I will NOT be getting rid of my rotary cutter. I think they both have their places. If it weren't for all the rocks around here I would get rid of the flail before getting rid of the rotary.

 

[IslandTractor]

I still have my bush hog too. Better for backing in to really tough brush but too dangerous to use around people and homes. The flail cuts much better but the hog makes faster work of woody brush.

 

[hunt4570]

I'm not sure what everyone is so concerned about with the rotary mowers flinging stuff.. We kind of make a game of it here.. mower dodge ball we call it, when ever the grand kids come over they put on their bike or batting helmets, some shin and chest guards and go out in the field next to the house I get the mower out and start hogging the field, kids running around like idiots dodging what ever comes out.. they have a blast and I get the field mowed! ;-)

 

[Fallon]

I was thinking about selling my rotary, but recently have started doing some side work, mostly mowing. Use the rotary for the nastier stuff as its rated to up to 1". Think nastier brush & yucca would eat my flail rather than the other way around.

My flail is still my go to machine if things aren't rough.

 

[Code54]

Flail is nice around the house where it is more tame but for my woods cleaning and doing along old farm roads the rotary is the only way to go. Just too many rocks, lots of 1-2" stuff and a stump here and there but the flail sure looks nicer when done!

 

[PhilinVA]

Thanks to everyone who's posted to this thread over the years. A wealth of information. I've been reading and re-reading many of the posts as I make a decision as to the "right" mower for my couple of acres and woods. Bought the Caroni 1500 (59-inch) from Agrisupply and received it this week. Had a chance to use it yesterday and it did exactly what I wanted. Now if it would only quit raining, I could get the place finished. By the way, I bought the gear box dip stick adaptor from British Metrics and the sales person, Mark, new exactly what I was buying it for. He says they don't sell a lot of them but they are all for Caroni Mowers. Thanks Island Tractor, as I believe it was you that sourced that part. Anyway, thanks again to everyone.

 

[CobaltSky]

Agrisupply had a "setback" on their TM1900 shipment and now will not have my mower in until late June. Let's hope that is as long as I have to wait. Pastures are growing fast right now...