Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

Ozarks Landowner · May 22, 2016

I'm definitely going to replace everything. In looking more closely at the ones mounted on chain I don't think the knives could open up to the correct location. There is just not enough room in the link.

The stations that do have the knives on rings are still not much help to me as far as what to order as there are two different lengths there too. There are some with much bigger rings than the others. I will check with our local Deere dealer tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath on them being able to identify it as I doubt they have ever seen one. It looks like I will need 64 knives 32 rings and 32 hangers to connect the rings to the drum. I'm sure I will not want to replace with Deere stuff since they overprice everything.

I've found everything I will need on the Flailmaster site but just don't know what length everything adds up to or even what length is optimal for this machine to function properly.

KenB2920 · May 23, 2016

KenB2920 · May 23, 2016

Zerker said:
Proud new owner of a Ford 22-124 Flail Mower, which is believe is the 907 series. Once i hooked it up to the tractor I had to test it out and ran a quick strip down the field. It mowed perfectly. Unfortunately my phone was dead so I was not able to take any pictures, but I will have some to post tomorrow! Gonna need a new belt for it real quick, but other then that it seems like its ready to roll after some regular maintenance.

Congratulations. Great mower. I have one. Blades are simple to change once you learn how. Thin metal piece rotates on the "passenger" side and the bars slide out causing the hangers to fall out. There is a good YouTube video in it.

Thanks to leonz from the get go, I've ordered my knew scoop knives from flail master. (I seem to have ordered a lot of verifies parts from them and they are always very knowledgeable ...

Great mower...

KenB2920 · May 23, 2016

cerestes said:
At the end of last year I picked up a 6' flail mower. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=469478"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=469479"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=469481"/> Ran it for a pasture clear or two, but the tractor needed the pto shaft replaced so it didn't see much use. Finally got the tractor repaired, and now I want to get the flail in good working order. While I had the tractor apart, I figured I would replace the oil in the flail's gear box. The oil that came out was >REALLY< thick. Like ten minutes to slowly drain thick. I replaced it with 80-90 gear oil and went in for the night. Came out to the garage in the morning to a puddle of oil on the floor. Looks to be leaking out from around the input shaft in the tractor side of the gear box. Oddly, it doesn't seem to have leaked at all in the 8 months sitting in the barn. Long term, I imagine seals need replacing. Short term, would there be issues reverting to how I got it? Fill it with a much thicker oil? Next, it needed a bunch of missing or broken knives replaced, and those that were still there were pretty beat up. Decided to replace all of them, but the order hasn't arrive yet. I pulled the old off last night. A section of 4-5 knife stations must have hit something really bad. Maybe 3 stations bent, one missing entirely. For the three beat up stations, I haven't been able to remove the bolts. The retaining clips that hold the d-rings in are so bent that I can't get a wrench seated on either the bolt or the nut. Any suggestions there? <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=469480"/>

if say buy mine and have some extra parts, however you literally live in the other side of the county from me.

I see this mower frequently on line for sale for various prices. I would wait till one pops up for sale then pick it up for parts

IslandTractor · May 23, 2016

KenB2920 said:
Picked up a new to me New Holland 918H today. I've got several hours of use with TSOs so when I saw this one I had to pick it up. I plan to get some new belts for it and clean it up. Over the winter some new paint etc. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=469536"/> The bad part is it is missing the rear roller. The good news is I tried several passed and it cut fine as it slid in the shoes. I won't be purchasing a new roller at this point unless I find a deal on one.

If there is one part on a flail mower that could be easily replaced by a local welder it is the rear roller. Very low tech. A length of schedule 80 steel pipe and low tech bearings would do the job. I would replace the missing roller as otherwise you'll have difficulty keeping a constant cut height.

KenB2920 · May 23, 2016

IslandTractor said:
If there is one part on a flail mower that could be easily replaced by a local welder it is the rear roller. Very low tech. A length of schedule 80 steel pipe and low tech bearings would do the job. I would replace the missing roller as otherwise you'll have difficulty keeping a constant cut height.

What diameter pipe would you go with? Doing a quick search, it's hard to find bigger diameter at a long length ...

IslandTractor · May 23, 2016

KenB2920 said:
What diameter pipe would you go with? Doing a quick search, it's hard to find bigger diameter at a long length ...

Without measuring, I'd guesstimate my Caroni rear roller is about 5 inch diameter. It has to support the weight of about half the mower and roll easily over small obstacles so much narrower might not do the job. You want the roller to bump over obstacles, not snag them. Also, there is presumably a bracket on the flail where the old roller lived on your mower. Measure distance from bolt/pin hole for rear rolling bearing setting to ground and at least double it. If the rear roller bracket is adjustable (it should be) then just make sure that the diameter of the new rear roller permits a modicum of adjustment above and below target cut height. A rough approximation of cut height can be had by lifting the mower with 3PT and lowering slowly until you see the knives touching already cut grass (mower not spinning, just with one row of knives at dead bottom). At that point you can then judge how the combination of roller diameter and adjustable mount would work to get you into that range.

lennyzx11 · May 23, 2016

Can the nation take one more look at the mower I picked up last week and help me ID it?
I have contacted Alamo and they said they had never made a round tubed frame.
This looks factory but could be some good custom work I guess.
Thank you,
Lenny

Ozarks Landowner · May 23, 2016

lennyzx11 said:
Can the nation take one more look at the mower I picked up last week and help me ID it?
I have contacted Alamo and they said they had never made a round tubed frame.
This looks factory but could be some good custom work I guess.
Thank you,
Lenny

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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.

Ozarks Landowner · May 23, 2016

Well just as I figured John Deere was no help at all. Still don't know what model I've got.

I may just try to come up with whatever is going to give me 8 1/2'' of total length.