Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[IslandTractor]

I'm glade i was able to fix the problem because I don't have the funds for a new flail mower . Thanks for everyone's help.

I'm sure you have inspired at least a few other guys to tackle a similar "renovation" of an oldie but goodie flail mower that needs a bit of technical loving attention. I think the key, besides your skills and determination, was how you managed to get the original part drawings from the Ford/BushHog guys. You get the bird dog award for finding that!:thumbsup:

 

[Xfaxman]

I don't understand, your weights look way too big and heavy. Where did you find the weight of .88? Nevermind, found it:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...alk-flail-mowers-post4704688.html#post4704688

Correct me if I am wrong. Looking at the print you posted, I see a weight that is 2" x .88" and comes in three thicknesses, .031 weight is .02, .125 weighs .07, and .250 weighs .15.

I would think the weights would be stacked using different thicknesses to balance the rotor, not using all of them shown in the parts list.

 

[Catman8]

I don't understand, your weights look way too big and heavy. Where did you find the weight of .88?

Correct me if I am wrong. Looking at the print you posted, I see a weight that is 2" x .88" and comes in three thicknesses, .031 weight is .02, .125 weighs .07, and .250 weighs .15.

I would think the weights would be stacked using different thicknesses to balance the rotor.

View attachment 504987

View attachment 504991

The manual says if you use fine cut blades the stacked weight should be 7/8" and if your using standard or course cut blades the stacked weights should be 1-15/32". The parts diagram shows 10-.250" thick, 2-.125" thick and 6-.031" thick, so each side should be 5-.250", 1-.125" and 3-.031" and those nine weights equal to 1-15/32" thick and total .88 lbs. The one thing I did not understand is why the weight did not come out as the print called for, and if they only needed two different size weights why did they make so many small weights.

View attachment 505011View attachment 505012View attachment 505013

 

[Xfaxman]

Just did a search on the 1/4" part number: Bush Hog Part# F751925

 

[Catman8]

Just did a search on the 1/4" part number: Bush Hog Part# F751925

I called my local tractor wrecking yard and they put a request on their computer system for the weights and I never heard back. The rotor is balanced with welded on weights and the adjustable weights are only used when using different styles of blades, so the owner is never really balancing anything, he is just keeping the rotor balanced when the amount of blades are increased or decreased using a different hole pattern.

 

[Xfaxman]

The manual says if you use fine cut blades the stacked weight should be 7/8" and if your using standard or course cut blades the stacked weights should be 1-15/32". --------------------]

Thanks.

Sure would not want to have to switch between fine cut and one the other style blades very often.

 

[Catman8]

Thanks.

Sure would not want to have to switch between fine cut and one the other style blades very often.

No kidding, I'm glade I only have a field to mow, no golf courses.

 

[Catman8]

I'm sure you have inspired at least a few other guys to tackle a similar "renovation" of an oldie but goodie flail mower that needs a bit of technical loving attention. I think the key, besides your skills and determination, was how you managed to get the original part drawings from the Ford/BushHog guys. You get the bird dog award for finding that!:thumbsup:

If Bush Hog would not of found me the print my last resort was to have Fallon weigh his weights in return for a case of beer :drink: lol

 

[Fallon]

If Bush Hog would not of found me the print my last resort was to have Fallon weigh his weights in return for a case of beer :drink: lol

lol. The end all be all test is does it vibrate at 540 rpm... And it sounds like it doesn't, so you won.

My rear roller was welded in place & no longer asjustable. Not even sure if the side feet are there or adjustable either. Hapy enough with it despite the flaws. Looking forward to replacing it with a new flail that hasnt been beat to **** here within a few years. Still beats a rotary cutter even beat to heck.

 

[shaeff]

Had to replace the roller bearings on my JD 25A. They're hex bore, picked them up over the winter. After some other cleanup and yard work, I decided to tackle them. This mower is pretty beat up but still cuts nicely.

The bearings were so shot that the roller wouldn't turn, and the hex roller shaft had turned INSIDE the hex bore bearings!

A BFH took care of that, it just broke my wheel puller. need some new carriage bolts, as all needed to be cut off. Previous owner put on some real long ones, then must have snagged an immovable object and bent the crap out of them.

Need one new pillow block, as it's cracked. May still be usable but if I can find a new 3-bolt block that would be best.

Question- the bearings that I removed and the bearings that I'm installing don't have a grease hole ANYWHERE for grease to make it from the pillow block mount into the bearing. What gives? Why even a zerk on the block if the grease can't enter the bearing?

 

[Fallon]

The new rotor bearings I got for my old Ford 917 flail are non-greasable as well. Greasable bearings would have been a LOT more expensive & I don't remember if Messics even had any in stock.

Sealed bearings are getting a lot more common & in a lot of applications do better than greased ones... I hear. Over greasing blows out seals, leading to premature failure the story goes.

 

[shaeff]

The new rotor bearings I got for my old Ford 917 flail are non-greasable as well. Greasable bearings would have been a LOT more expensive & I don't remember if Messics even had any in stock. Sealed bearings are getting a lot more common & in a lot of applications do better than greased ones... I hear. Over greasing blows out seals, leading to premature failure the story goes.

Good to know! Thanks for the input, and that actually makes some sense to me. The bearings I got were not JD, but a cross referenced number to a New Holland if I remember correctly. Either way, the new ones will be much better than the old, which did not spin at all!

I got to thinking, I wonder if I can braze my cracked pillow block? It's not under THAT much load, really, and it's bolted fast with three decent carriage bolts to prevent movement. If I can't find a suitable replacement, I suppose I'll look into that.

 

[Steave]

I prefer the sealed bearings if I have a choice. I installed sealed bearings on my Mott 72 when I reworked the roller. The rotor shaft has greasable bearings and the fact sheet sent with the bearing said max 2 shots of grease every 40 hours. For me that's about once a year. That's pretty low maintenance compared to some of my stuff. My landpride finish mower has 9 grease zerks that needs lots of grease.

 

[shaeff]

I prefer the sealed bearings if I have a choice. I installed sealed bearings on my Mott 72 when I reworked the roller. The rotor shaft has greasable bearings and the fact sheet sent with the bearing said max 2 shots of grease every 40 hours. For me that's about once a year. That's pretty low maintenance compared to some of my stuff. My landpride finish mower has 9 grease zerks that needs lots of grease.

I suppose I don't have to make sure the grease zerks work, then, eh?

I'm hoping it stays dry here this week, it's been warm the past few days and fairly windy. If this weather keeps up I'll be able to fire up the flail early next week and maintain the field I rough cut last fall. I want to give that new vegetation a chance to grab hold!

 

[John Fitzgerald]

There is an old Ford flail mower on our local CL. It's a model 22-124, six foot, serial 2778.. I wonder if it would be too heavy for my LS XJ2025H tractor? They are asking $695. It's a little rusty but spins well and has all its duckfoot knives. It's one of those that has a single rod that goes through and holds all the flails at each position in a single row.

 

[Catoosa]

There is an old Ford flail mower on our local CL. It's a model 22-124, six foot, serial 2778.. I wonder if it would be too heavy for my LS XJ2025H tractor? They are asking $695. It's a little rusty but spins well and has all its duckfoot knives. It's one of those that has a single rod that goes through and holds all the flails at each position in a single row.

I ran a 6 foot Ford behind my Ford 3000 40hp for several years, worked well but eventually the body started cracking because of the rust from years of neglect. It was fine on my 3000 but if in tall thick grass and weeds I could sure tell it was working. From what I can find your tractor is around 24hp, might be about 10hp short for a 6 footer but it's going to depend allot on what and how often you mow.

Oh Just this morning saw a 6 foot Ford listed in the local (Tulsa) CL for $400.00

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I ran a 6 foot Ford behind my Ford 3000 40hp for several years, worked well but eventually the body started cracking because of the rust from years of neglect. It was fine on my 3000 but if in tall thick grass and weeds I could sure tell it was working. From what I can find your tractor is around 24hp, might be about 10hp short for a 6 footer but it's going to depend allot on what and how often you mow.

Oh Just this morning saw a 6 foot Ford listed in the local (Tulsa) CL for $400.00

It would probably be better if I found something in the 4 to 5 foot cut range. That 6 ft Ford flail looks like maybe 800 pounds?

 

[Fallon]

There is an old Ford flail mower on our local CL. It's a model 22-124, six foot, serial 2778.. I wonder if it would be too heavy for my LS XJ2025H tractor? They are asking $695. It's a little rusty but spins well and has all its duckfoot knives. It's one of those that has a single rod that goes through and holds all the flails at each position in a single row.

My 7' Ford 917 22-184 ran pretty well behind my L3200 hst (32hp, 25pto, 3,500lbs with loader & loaded tires, 60" track). I had to go slow, but it was a smother ride & I covered the same or more groud than mowing with my properly sized new LandPride 60" rotary cutter.

I paid $100 for the flail & bought the rotary with the tractor new. Rotary went with the L3200 because I wanted more for my ancient beatup flail than the nearly new rotary. I have around $600 into the flail now with new knives, belts, PTO shaft & recently new bearings. Looking to replace it in a few years as it's so old & beat, but its still a good work horse.

 

[Fallon]

There is an old Ford flail mower on our local CL. It's a model 22-124, six foot, serial 2778.. I wonder if it would be too heavy for my LS XJ2025H tractor? They are asking $695. It's a little rusty but spins well and has all its duckfoot knives. It's one of those that has a single rod that goes through and holds all the flails at each position in a single row.

My 7' Ford 917 22-184 ran pretty well behind my L3200 hst (32hp, 25pto, 3,500lbs with loader & loaded tires, 60" track). I had to go slow, but it was a smother ride & I covered the same or more groud than mowing with my properly sized new LandPride 60" rotary cutter.

I paid $100 for the flail & bought the rotary with the tractor new. Rotary went with the L3200 because I wanted more for my ancient beatup flail than the nearly new rotary. I have around $600 into the flail now with new knives, belts, PTO shaft & recently new bearings. Looking to replace it in a few years as it's so old & beat, but its still a good work horse.

 

[Catoosa]

It's one of those that has a single rod that goes through and holds all the flails at each position in a single row.

That is the one bad thing about Ford flail mowers. If you loose an end cutter you have to pull the rod all the way out to fix it. Of course this means every cutter/hanger on that rod falls off and you have to play the wiggle game to get them all back on the rod.

When I work on one of my flail mowers I use the bucket and chains to flip it upside down. Easy access to bearings and cutters.