Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[powerscol]

Leonz

Thanks you very much.

I did get a surprise call this morning from Iowa Farm Equipment' They were responding to my questions yesterday. I was surprised that they returned the call today, Saturday. Andrew assured me I can run the 160SE unit with my tractor and will be trying to send me additional data over the ABC dimension in the brochure. As to weight a lot of it is in the 3pt head unit. Evidently my tractor has a wider stance than most compact tractors at 62" which is a good thing and the question about side reach as crossed their desk before. He understood the need to stay on the road and be able to reach as far as possible. I still plan to test with my PZ, but I sat on the end (I weigh 240lbs and bounced the PZ and saw no movement in my tractor whatever. Later today I will sit at the 10' end and have the boss unit raise it :shocked::laughing:

As I have time I will be contacting the folks on the other side of the pond.

 

[jonsstihl]

powerscol

sounds like you may what to look into swing shift flail mowers instead of just a rear mounted flail with hydraulic side shift. the price may be beyond your budget but you should be able to get the entire flail beyond the tires and mow up to 90 degrees vertically (hedge trimming). and most models can mow a 45 degree angle on the bank.

My local john deere dealer can order maschio or Orsi but they don't have any on the lot.

 

[Dan in MN]

Another update.. things went much better last time out. On my Value Leader mower it's crucial to have the scraper bar as tight as possible, I can't see how others can run without one unless this mower just doesn't mulch well... Only two small bolts to hold it in place and I had to tighten them as much as I dared to keep it in place. That still leaves a decent gap at the ends where the roller tapers in to the bearings and grass still builds up around the bearings, but at least I was able to mow for a couple of hours on Saturday with only one small bit of cutting grass off the roller. I also pulled the knives and sharpened them, and after careful examination of overlap I re-configured them. Instead of spacer/knife/knife/spacer on each bolt that leaves a center section with no cutting edge, I went knife/spacer/spacer/knife and when I sharpened them I took it up around the curve onto the vertical part of the knife a bit so that is now a cutting edge. I made two changes at once there so I can't say which did what, but it certainly cut better this last time out.



Still not thrilled with the mower, but at least I was productive for a bit instead of just fighting issues... would like to try something else but it's not worth the return shipping cost to send this one back from Minnesota to Oregon. There's a Sovema flail on craigslist locally, might look at it just for the heck of it, but can't find much on them other than made in Italy..

flail mower large great condition

I don't have a trailer to bring my tractor there or I'd see if I could demo it, will likely go look at it just to see what's different though..

 

[IslandTractor]

I haven't heard of Sovema flails but the competition in Italy is strong so if they are still in business they must be OK. Doesn't look heavily used. If the owner has a tractor you could try it out.

 

[powerscol]

powerscol

sounds like you may what to look into swing shift flail mowers instead of just a rear mounted flail with hydraulic side shift. the price may be beyond your budget but you should be able to get the entire flail beyond the tires and mow up to 90 degrees vertically (hedge trimming). and most models can mow a 45 degree angle on the bank.

My local john deere dealer can order maschio or Orsi but they don't have any on the lot.

The 160 SE is a swing shift unit and rotates out on an arm to the side of the tractor to mow down a ditch bank or vertical (not just sideways behind the tractor). There are many of these out there, but they do not seem to be able to swing out far enough to clear the outside of my rear tire for proper rotation. Or are you talking about a boom flail mower.

 

[jonsstihl]

maschio's website is useless at work there are no pictures that show up. I did a google search and the 160se showed up as a rear mount with side shift on youtube. we were talking about the same thing I just didn't know the 160se was a swing shift. I looked into one for my tractor this spring but I never really got deep into the specs.

did you check out the orsi website they have quite detailed specs on their swing shift models with pictures and dimensions.

a boom mower would probable be more versatile for roadside mowing but not as practical for field mowing. I don't know if boom mowers come with float on some of the hydraulic functions so it can follow the ground contours.

 

[powerscol]

Hello Keith,

The only way your going to get a straight answer is this way:

I would rather see you send a detailed fax and letter to its distributor for Maschio-Gaspardo in its office in Great Britain directly which is OPICO with the fax/letter addresses exactly like this to:
====================================================================



From:

you-provide your complete contact information



TO:

OPICO LIMITED
Maschio-Gespardo Implement Sales Department
Cherry Holt Road, Bourne,
Lincolnshire PE10 9LA
Tel. 044-1778-41-1111
Fax 044-1778 -42-5080

BODY of FAX:

To whom it may concern,

I am inquiring directly to you about one of the Mascio Giraffe integral three point hitch boom mounted flail mowers.

In this Fax to you I have provided the complete information about the tractor in intend to use from "Tractor Data" and I wish to ask which is the correct Giraffe Boom Mounted Flail Mower with which to mow my drainage ditches(verges) with the same tractor effectively and safely and I need to know which model Giraffe that my tractor is safely capable of using with the "over center load condition" created by the boom and its flail mower.


(In the fax YOU need to provide them with additional and complete information as to your mule and whether your tires are loaded with liquid ballast and whether you have suitcase weights, and or rear wheel weights for the road side tire.
Also remind them in the letter that you intend to stay on the pavement/Asphalt/Mccaddam in their case with the shoulder side tire at all times and that you need to know which mower will work with the depth the drainage ditch if known).



Thank you very much for your help with my inquiry about your Giraffe flail mowers.


Sincerely yours,

your address and phone numbers and e-mail


They will help you get the right flail mower for your mule.

If you decide to call OPICO in England which will be faster as they can then e-mail the information to
you remember that they are 5 hours ahead of us which is referred to as GMT: Greenich Mean Time
which is Eastern Standard Time plus five hours.


Sending them an inquiry by Fax will get you an answer quickly and in English. If you decide to call OPICO remember that start of business over there will at least 3AM or 4AM Eastern Standard Time for our time zones
Being 8AM or 9AM G.M.T. (Greenich Mean Time).

I finally got around to contacting the above folks. Sent an email yesterday (Sunday). I got a very quick response, 3:10 AM Mountain time today (Monday). Mr. Woolway with OPICO gets an A+ in my book for customer service. Unfortunately as they do not carry the Giraffetta models he could not help much. He did indicate the heaver ones they carry were too big for my tractor. However, he did send my request on to Maschio HQ. In reading between the lines he was concerned that Maschio USA did not respond fully and wanted me to have a HQ contact. Ill keep folks updated.

 

[docsfarm]

So. I made the plunge and am buying the land pride 4188 flail. Once it arrives and I get it going, I'll report back. I'm excited!!!

 

[leonz]

So. I made the plunge and am buying the land pride 4188 flail. Once it arrives and I get it going, I'll report back. I'm excited!!!

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


Good Morning docsfarm,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the Flail Mower Nations.
Becoming a resident member of The Flail Mower Nations does not require the payment of Dues,
Sales Taxes, Value Added Taxes, Port Anchorage Entry Fees, Demurrage charges, Poll Taxes,
Landing Fees, Customs Duties or any other costs to enter our beautiful Beer Garden Entrance
which is the border entrance to the Flail Mower Nations.

Be sure to ask questions, read some more, and then come back and ask more questions, Read some more and ask more questions.

Be doubly sure to check the oil level on the gearbox, use a bubble level or a torpedo level to adjust the top link to
make sure the mower is level prior to mowing and grease the flail mower rotor bearings and the snubber pulley bearing and the rear roller bearings using the manufacturers recommended number of grease pumps per bearing.

Please be sure to runt the Land Pride Flail Mower at the rated engine speed for the rear Power Take Off of your mule to operate at 540 RPM.

You will need to mow slowly at first to become more comfortable with the mowers operation and your need to be more aware of how the Mule will respond to the flail mowers operating needs and when turning you will be able to turn without lifting the mower as long as you have the room to do so. Me-I mow in a spiral when I tow my flail mower.


Have fun, read the mower manual, ask questions, Make sure the PTO shaft is the right length and do not raise the mower unless the Flail Mower Rotor is not rotating while mowing.


And be very, very sure that no one is behind the mower by 2-300 feet when you mow with the trash door open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Edit to add: To protect the privacy of our resident F.M.N. members I do not keep a membership roster as there are too, too, many black helicopters flying around.

 

[Dan in MN]

Haven't been happy with the cut quality on mine despite at least being able to mow successfully, still doesn't seem to mulch like it should so I ordered a set of Vrismo scoop knives from Flailmaster.com (v-cd2110). Doesn't seem that the side cutters generate much lift at all, we'll see how the scoop knives do...

SCOOP KNIFE FOR VRISIMO

Those are supposed to fit my Value Leader flail with a little grinding on the top corner to clear the drum..

 

[IslandTractor]

Haven't been happy with the cut quality on mine despite at least being able to mow successfully, still doesn't seem to mulch like it should so I ordered a set of Vrismo scoop knives from Flailmaster.com (v-cd2110). Doesn't seem that the side cutters generate much lift at all, we'll see how the scoop knives do...

SCOOP KNIFE FOR VRISIMO

Those are supposed to fit my Value Leader flail with a little grinding on the top corner to clear the drum..

Is there any possibility of borrowing another brand flail to see how it works? If the tractor power isn't the issue there may be bigger problems than just the blades.

 

[Dan in MN]

I don't know anyone who has one, so my only chance to try another will be if I buy it. I solved the issue of the tractor bogging down by dropping the roller and giving more room for material to eject and the tractor maintains rpm fine now, so it isn't a power issue.

Dan

 

[cravenhaven]

im in the market for a 6 foot flail mower to swing behind my iseki t5000... are there any Aussies with recommendations? I used one to mow for NZ rail in the old days and i think it would be suitable for my needs here in aus...

Alien in QLD bought one a little while back, check his reviews at around post #2627

 

[Fallon]

I'm selling my 60" wide L3200 here soon & probably sending off the 60" rotary cutter with it. I'll be replacing it with a 72" wide L4060 & have been kind of looking at replacement rough cut mowers a bit. I have an old beatup 7' Ford 917 that is currently down with some blown bearings (not to mention some cracks in the hood I'll probably never fix). I'll keep the 917, but it's not going to be up for any rough stuff (moderate brush maybe 1" or so & yucca). Trying to figure out if I should keep thinking about another flail, or stick with a cheaper rotary for my rougher jobs & just use the 917 for nicer fields. Not in a rush at all as I haven't changed tractors yet & I can get the 917 back online here with a little effort, not that there will be much mowing now that winter is almost here.

I'm a nerd, so I've been researching & putting together a spreadsheet comparing 6' or wider Cat 1 rough cut flails. Hopefully it's useful to others as well. I'll keep working on it as well. Need to get Alamo on there, but I have a feeling that they are going to be ungodly expensive & way out of my budget (LandPride is). I stuck my old 917 in there mostly as reference for myself to compare to. Feel free to make any suggestions I can add to the spreadsheet (or update & add to it your selves, I left it editable).

Flail comparison - Cat1 6'+ rough cut - Google Sheets

 

[IslandTractor]

Fallon, unless you have money to burn, I'd say that you should recondition the 917 for general mowing but get yourself a medium duty rotary for initial clearing of rough stuff. A flail capable of doing what a medium duty (eg Woods Brushbull 720) can do would be pretty pricey.

 

[crreed67]

I'm selling my 60" wide L3200 here soon & probably sending off the 60" rotary cutter with it. I'll be replacing it with a 72" wide L4060 & have been kind of looking at replacement rough cut mowers a bit. I have an old beatup 7' Ford 917 that is currently down with some blown bearings (not to mention some cracks in the hood I'll probably never fix). I'll keep the 917, but it's not going to be up for any rough stuff (moderate brush maybe 1" or so & yucca). Trying to figure out if I should keep thinking about another flail, or stick with a cheaper rotary for my rougher jobs & just use the 917 for nicer fields. Not in a rush at all as I haven't changed tractors yet & I can get the 917 back online here with a little effort, not that there will be much mowing now that winter is almost here.

I'm a nerd, so I've been researching & putting together a spreadsheet comparing 6' or wider Cat 1 rough cut flails. Hopefully it's useful to others as well. I'll keep working on it as well. Need to get Alamo on there, but I have a feeling that they are going to be ungodly expensive & way out of my budget (LandPride is). I stuck my old 917 in there mostly as reference for myself to compare to. Feel free to make any suggestions I can add to the spreadsheet (or update & add to it your selves, I left it editable).

Flail comparison - Cat1 6'+ rough cut - Google Sheets

Nice!

 

[Fallon]

Fallon, unless you have money to burn, I'd say that you should recondition the 917 for general mowing but get yourself a medium duty rotary for initial clearing of rough stuff. A flail capable of doing what a medium duty (eg Woods Brushbull 720) can do would be pretty pricey.

I'm fixing the bearings & getting it back online, but it's to old & beat to ever get back to really good.

It was missing the PTO shaft & a handful of knives. Replaced PTO & all knives. Promptly found out the knives were missing for a reason... they were hitting the hood. Torched out a large chunk of the dented hood on the back & patched it. It runs pretty well now, but still has some issues.

It's noisy, probably because of some big cracks on the hood where it's welded to support spars. The rear roller brackets were welded in place years before I got it, so the 3pt height is the only way to adjust height.

Some of the knife stations are a bit tweaked (before & even more after I "found" my well head in the tall grass) have the rotor itself might be ever so slightly tweaked.

I paid $100 for it not knowing about flails knowing it was a big project. I now know how lucky I was, even after dropping $400, probably $550 with the new bearings, on it. Even having most of the skills & tools & knowing what a replacement will cost, it's not worth it to do much more than patching the latest problems. It's a well used tired piece of iron 20-30 years old.

In the past 2.5 years there have been exactly 6 flail mowers listed on Craigslist in Colorado. I now own 1, 3 were huge crop shredders & 2 were way overpriced. Like I said I had no idea how lucky I was joining the flail nation with that $100 piece of junk I didn't know anything about.

I may still end up with a cheap (at least compared to a flail) beefy rotary, but I'm a nerd, I research & compare. It's fun. My current rotary is OK despite pushing it harder than it should be. But going forward I should get something more up to hitting yucca & brush. Not to mention a bit wider to fit the new machine.

 

[moriboy]

So. I made the plunge and am buying the land pride 4188 flail. Once it arrives and I get it going, I'll report back. I'm excited!!!

I also bought this mower. Can't wait to try it.

 

[Fallon]

I also bought this mower. Can't wait to try it.

How much did you end up paying?

 

[moriboy]

You first!

$7560