Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[CADplans]

JD website says the 390 is 1093lbs for the 8'3" overall width unit. For something 8n sized you may want to consider some ballast on the front. If you come up on a slope you may very well be looking at the sky.

I knew it was something like that,,,
Hmmm,, maybe a hook up on the next warm day is in order??

 

[shaeff]

I knew it was something like that,,, Hmmm,, maybe a hook up on the next warm day is in order??

That 390 is a beast, my 25A is only a bit over 600lbs!

I'd give it a whirl (no pun intended), you're an experienced operator, be safe and you should be fine. Lift it up and see if you can bounce the front by hand maybe? You'll have a pretty good feel of it when you're running it. Besides, a lot of the weight is on the roller while in use.

 

[deanocraft]

Thank you Island Tractor and Fallon! I think I will get myself a flail shortly... I think the grass will be easier to get under control during the winter.

 

[CADplans]

That 390 is a beast, my 25A is only a bit over 600lbs!

I'd give it a whirl (no pun intended), you're an experienced operator, be safe and you should be fine. Lift it up and see if you can bounce the front by hand maybe? You'll have a pretty good feel of it when you're running it. Besides, a lot of the weight is on the roller while in use.

Well,, I took the JD 4105/JD390 for a spin today,,,

No issues at all, the 4105 has plenty of power, everything ran smooth,, nice cut, too,, but, not lawn quality.

The front end never tried to lift.

 

[shaeff]

Nice! And that's a nice looking machine, too! Sure makes my '64 Massey 35 Utility look like a rattletrap.

 

[aarolar]

So I've been reading this thread hard and I'm up to page 107 and I have a question I haven't seen answered yet. How many hours can I expect to get on a set of knives with the TM1900? I have zero rocks around here and it would only see grass no brush at all hardly besides the occasional pine sapling. I estimate I typically put around 25hrs per year on my 5ft rotary mower as of now could I expect more than one season from the flail?

 

[innrkid]

So I've been reading this thread hard and I'm up to page 107 and I have a question I haven't seen answered yet. How many hours can I expect to get on a set of knives with the TM1900? I have zero rocks around here and it would only see grass no brush at all hardly besides the occasional pine sapling. I estimate I typically put around 25hrs per year on my 5ft rotary mower as of now could I expect more than one season from the flail?

That was answered on page 108. Just kidding.
Island Tractor is your man for the answer.

 

[aarolar]

That was answered on page 108. Just kidding.
Island Tractor is your man for the answer.

Up to 125 now wife is getting ill with me everytime I purchase something new I go into "research mode" and will read for hours. I've pretty much decided I'm getting one but I'm still real skeptical but I know I'll always wonder if I don't try it.

 

[leonz]

Don't feel bad, I spent 7 years researching which coal stoker boiler to buy.

I have been using the same set of knives I sharpened in 1992 for my Mathews Company Lawn Genie finish flail mower when it was still at my fathers place if that helps you make the spousal unit more cranky.

Just remember the more knives you have the finer the clippings and the finer it will shred them on the second and third pass.

Mowing in spiral makes it even easier as you can overlap as needed and then after you spiral outward you can go back to the center and travel in reverse to recut with so little fuel burned.

Between the mule and the lawn genie I averaged 4 gallons of premium gasoline between both engines for mowing six acres and you had to dig to find the clippings in the sod.

If you do anything invest in the Caroni finish flail mower and you can always remove two rows of knives if you want to make the first pass of the season and then you can put the second and fourth row of knives back in and never have to remove them again unless you have dulled the knives and need to sharpen them.

Wet well low RPM knife sharpeners are inexpensive and can be purchased from Micromark for $99 + tax and shipping.

A wet well grinder is the best grinder for all types of flail mower knives. I still have the same one I bought in 1988.

You will want to sell any rotary mower you have left as it will want to crawl under a rock and not do anything anymore after you purchase the finish flail or the TM model if you do not want a finish cut mower.

 

[IslandTractor]

So I've been reading this thread hard and I'm up to page 107 and I have a question I haven't seen answered yet. How many hours can I expect to get on a set of knives with the TM1900? I have zero rocks around here and it would only see grass no brush at all hardly besides the occasional pine sapling. I estimate I typically put around 25hrs per year on my 5ft rotary mower as of now could I expect more than one season from the flail?

Good question. In ten years of mowing in fields with plenty of rocks, I've never had a blade "wear out" and never even reveresed them much less sharpened any but that is largely due to the fact that I lose blades regularly and replace them. The original Caroni supplied metric clevises are engineered with a shoulder to be the weak point and they do break when hitting a big enough rock. When a clevis breaks you lose the knives. I don't know if I have any of the original clevises left so I doubt I have any original knives. I now use 3/8" clevises from Flailmaster. Good news is that none of them has broken after a rock strike. Bad news is that the knives break if the clevis doesn't. Over the past ten years I have probably gone through at least 60-70 knives but all because of loss in the field.

I am pretty sure my experience is only relevant to folks in rocky post glacier regions of New England. If I had to guess I'd say that a set of knives would last 4-5 years in the north and maybe 3-4 years in the south before needing to be reversed if you are mowing grass and brush rather than rocks.

 

[aarolar]

Good question. In ten years of mowing in fields with plenty of rocks, I've never had a blade "wear out" and never even reveresed them much less sharpened any but that is largely due to the fact that I lose blades regularly and replace them. The original Caroni supplied metric clevises are engineered with a shoulder to be the weak point and they do break when hitting a big enough rock. When a clevis breaks you lose the knives. I don't know if I have any of the original clevises left so I doubt I have any original knives. I now use 3/8" clevises from Flailmaster. Good news is that none of them has broken after a rock strike. Bad news is that the knives break if the clevis doesn't. Over the past ten years I have probably gone through at least 60-70 knives but all because of loss in the field.

I am pretty sure my experience is only relevant to folks in rocky post glacier regions of New England. If I had to guess I'd say that a set of knives would last 4-5 years in the north and maybe 3-4 years in the south before needing to be reversed if you are mowing grass and brush rather than rocks.

Sounding better all the time if I can get two seasons per set I'd be tickled, I called today and they are moving one from another store to my local one. Sound be here in a week or so if I like how it looks I'll probably bring it home with me.

 

[aarolar]

And done...

 

[CADplans]

Flail mower mod question,,,
Has anyone ever added a set of gauge wheels to a flail mower?

If I wanted to try to use the flail for grass mowing,, I need a better gauging method.
This mower has the same problem, no front gauge wheels.

All newer finish mowers use four gauge wheels,,,hmmmmmm,,,,

When I make left turns, my flail digs in,, just like the finish mower without gauge wheels.

I did check, I have over 500 pounds of ballast fluid in each rear tire,,
so, I doubt adding weight would solve the problem.
Do I have to DIY without any pics to follow?

I guess I could try mowing, only making right hand turns,,, :laughing:

 

[Fallon]

Flail mower mod question,,,
Has anyone ever added a set of gauge wheels to a flail mower?

If I wanted to try to use the flail for grass mowing,, I need a better gauging method.
This mower has the same problem, no front gauge wheels.

My 30 year old Ford 917 came with a factory set of gauge caster wheels behind the roller. Rusted to pieces & not serviceable at all by the time I got it. Roller works fine for my pasture work so I've never thought about new rims, tires & whatever else. The frame is there though, off hiding in the weeds if I ever want to mess with it.

I think some other flails had factory caster wheels behind the roller. The roller is enough for most people, so they aren't a popular additional option/expense.

Tapered ends on the roller or even just lifting it when doing tight corners would help.

 

[CADplans]

Tapered ends on the roller or even just lifting it when doing tight corners would help.

I want a gauge wheel on the FRONT of the mower,,,
I agree, the gauge wheel on the back would do nothing,, the roller is perfect for the back.

 

[leonz]

The rear casters aided in turning and preventing the flail mower rotor from being
damaged by a sudden drop, mow at a higher height to avoid damaging knife sets
on unknown ground and allowing it to be backed easier while mowing.

If you want a new flail the Vrisimo folks offer a 2 or 4 wheel caster option with and without
a rear roller if I remember correctly.

It takes a lot of work and machining but you can purchase caster weldments for bush hogs and mount them
on the tube that is used to create a solid weldment in the front.

The caster weldment can be adjusted using washers to raise and lower the front and rear gauge wheels.

 

[Xfaxman]

Flail mower mod question,,,
Has anyone ever added a set of ​(front) gauge wheels to a flail mower?

If I wanted to try to use the flail for grass mowing,, I need a better gauging method.
This mower has the same problem, no front gauge wheels.

All newer finish mowers use four gauge wheels,,,hmmmmmm,,,,

When I make left turns, my flail digs in,, just like the finish mower without gauge wheels.

-------------------------------------------

I guess I could try mowing, only making right hand turns,,, :laughing:

If both mowers dig in on left turns, there is something wrong with your 3 point linkage.

Post pictures of the linkage and with it dug in.

 

[shaeff]

I looked through google images for a few minutes, found a pic o gauge wheels on the front of a flail:

 

[IslandTractor]

If both mowers dig in on left turns, there is something wrong with your 3 point linkage.

Post pictures of the linkage and with it dug in.

Agree. Check to make sure the 3PT isn't tilted. Easiest to do on a clearly flat surface and raising the 3pt until the rear roller is just a couple of inches off the ground. The roller should be parallel to the ground. Make adjustments if needed.

Also, make sure your skids are not set too low. The skids have one and only one function and that is to "protect" the blades when the mower is set down all the way with the 3PT or dismounted. Frankly it is hard to imagine how blades could be damaged just sitting on the grass or even asphalt. I have my skids set at the highest possible setting so they never gouge or even contact turf when mowing.

I don't have any problem with gouging on turns. I do tend to mow in spirals so am typically making 90 degree rather than 180 degree turns but even with 180 degree turns I don't get gouging. I do mow fields, not lawns, so my cut height is about 3" or so not closer. I also have my rear roller set low (pushing the rear of the mower up) so I actually control exact cut height with my 3PT. It is set so I can drop it all the way down in front and cut fairly close (2") or I can raise it a bit (2 on a 1-10 range for the 3PT control lever) and get my preferred 3" cut. I can raise it higher (3-5 on the 10 range scale) when I encounter thick lush grass to keep from bogging the engine, and I can raise it quickly to 10 to lift the mower over a rock or stump. Raising it to 10 lifts the rear roller completely off the ground obviously and though I haven't checked, I think the rear roller comes off the ground at about 5 on that 10 range scale. Final point is that I use the hydraulic topping lift to also control the pitch of the mower but I tend to do that only at the time I mount the mower and rarely make adjustments in the field.

 

[CADplans]

If both mowers dig in on left turns, there is something wrong with your 3 point linkage.

Post pictures of the linkage and with it dug in.

I do not own a rear finish mower with 4 gauge wheels,,, yet,,,
I doubt they added them just to increase cost,,,