Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[blitzen]

As much as your company's name comes up . . . I'd think you would get ahold of the owners . . . .

Molalla1 was this for me or Flailmaster?

 

[dieselscout80]

The tag doesn't give you the "907". It tells you their code for the model and size. So "22-124" tells me that it's a 907 6 foot. They were made between 1964-1972. Messicks has a parts diagram for the unit and some parts are available through them. Just search 22-124 in New Holland Agriculture on the left side of their home page.

The bolts circled in this picture are the roller adjustment.

View attachment 628712

The roller is currently set at the lowest setting. Move it one notch and check the result. If it's not satisfactory move it to the last notch (only 3 options).

Do you know the manufacture dates of the 917?

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Do you know the manufacture dates of the 917?

Depends on the numbers on the tag.
22-183 (62") was 73-84
22-184/5 (74"/88") was 73-76
22-205/6/7 (62"/74"/88") 75-80
22BU5001 and 22BU6001 (917L 50" and 60") 86-90
22NW0001/2/3/4 (917A 62"/74"/88"/48") looks like it was only 1985

 

[JWR]

That would be the Ford 907. Uses the same blades as the 917, but different hangers.

Your roller is set to it's lowest setting. Good for soccer fields, bad for anything not flat. Set it to a higher setting and try it again. The skids are there as a means of protection to prevent bottoming out, not for riding on. The roller should be carrying it.

This is really accurate advice, pretty much regardless of the brand/model flail mower. The things are designed to ride on the big roller. My Alamo SHD88 is another example that way. Very common.

 

[Fallon]

907 you say? Thanks! The tag is not very readable. So I'll look to drop the roller, and I guess adjust the top link to get the side skids up and out of the dirt.

Thanks!

Yup. Skids are there only to prevent the rotor (and to a lesser degree the knives themselves) from hitting the dirt. The skids should rarely if ever hit the ground. The roller should pretty much always be on the ground unless raised for transport or doing something unusual like hanging it over a ditch.

In theory you should keep the gearbox level & raise/lower the roller to adjust cut height. The roller adjustment on my 917 was welded in place years before I salvaged it. Raising & lowering the 3pt works fine for height adjustment for me. I still do the same thing with the new Peruzzo & have yet to mess with roller height in several seasons there.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I use my hydraulic top link for fine tuning of the height so I can keep the roller in a pre-set position. I typically mow to roughly the same height. Occasionally I'll leave the 3 point set and float the hyd top link, depending on what I'm cutting.

 

[jimmychew]

The tag doesn't give you the "907". It tells you their code for the model and size. So "22-124" tells me that it's a 907 6 foot. They were made between 1964-1972. Messicks has a parts diagram for the unit and some parts are available through them. Just search 22-124 in New Holland Agriculture on the left side of their home page.

The bolts circled in this picture are the roller adjustment.

View attachment 628712

The roller is currently set at the lowest setting. Move it one notch and check the result. If it's not satisfactory move it to the last notch (only 3 options).

I went out and dropped it right down to the lowest setting and went for another run, works great.

Thanks!

 

[Molalla1]

Molalla1 was this for me or Flailmaster?

Flailmasters . . .

 

[Fallon]

I use my hydraulic top link for fine tuning of the height so I can keep the roller in a pre-set position. I typically mow to roughly the same height. Occasionally I'll leave the 3 point set and float the hyd top link, depending on what I'm cutting.

My toplink is always set to float for every mower flail or rotary when mowing. It's only locked when transporting, being backed over a ditch or something.

 

[jimmychew]

What are you guys using for replacement flails? I see Tisco has some that are suppose to be oem type for the original Ford flails.

How bout sharpening? Is it worth the time?

 

[dieselscout80]

Depends on the numbers on the tag.
22-183 (62") was 73-84
22-184/5 (74"/88") was 73-76
22-205/6/7 (62"/74"/88") 75-80
22BU5001 and 22BU6001 (917L 50" and 60") 86-90
22NW0001/2/3/4 (917A 62"/74"/88"/48") looks like it was only 1985

Thanks

I will have to see what I can read off my 917 tag.

 

[Fallon]

What are you guys using for replacement flails? I see Tisco has some that are suppose to be oem type for the original Ford flails.

How bout sharpening? Is it worth the time?

I used Flailmaster, but it sounds like they are out of business now or very shortly. I never bothered sharpening the side slicers in my 917 or the hammers in my newer Peruzzo.

 

[leonz]

The folks at clean cutter in California are still making flail mower knives.

 

[John0829]

I used Flailmaster, but it sounds like they are out of business now or very shortly.

When I made my order to other day I was told Nov. 29 will be the last day.

 

[Molalla1]

The folks at clean cutter in California are still making flail mower knives.

Good info leonz . . .

 

[ronjhall]

Was cleaning up pictures on my trail cam yesterday. Found this one of my Woodmaxx FM62H in action.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

What are you guys using for replacement flails? I see Tisco has some that are suppose to be oem type for the original Ford flails.

How bout sharpening? Is it worth the time?

Call Flailmaster to see if they have any left. They are clearing out their inventory so if they have them you will get a great deal on them. See if you can get some links, too. Not sure if they have hangers for the 907, though. When I had my 917 I switched over to the Y shaped knives because they were less expensive and more readily available. The original airplane wings will give a smoother finish. If you switch to the Y knives remember to get 2 blades per station.

I wouldn't bother sharpening those blades. The shape doesn't lend well to sharpening.

Well, I got my last order from Flailmaster I was going to wait until spring to order some parts, but ended up ordering them now before they closed along with enough blades to last me quite a few years. Got an amazing price on all of it.

 

[jonsstihl]

For Mott flail mowers there is also Montage enterpirses for parts, I've used both when rebuilding my mott 72 mower.

 

[Michael In Tennessee]

I took the new-to-me Caroni TM1900 out for a spin. Just a shake down cruise.

I got some lower bushings to make it fit on the quick hitch and used the y-yoke adapter on the top since the TM1900 isn't quick hitch compatible. Kinda fit OK.

Well, the mower seems to work just fine. This is my first PTO powered attachment, so it was a learning curve. Getting the PTO attached was more work than it should have been. Wouldn't slide together and I thought I was spinning the shaft to get them to align, but apparently not. I gave the PTO clutch some power so it would stop in a different location and it slid together just fine. Live and learn.

The first thing I did was check for PTO interference with the quick hitch. Yep, that don't work too well. I can't lower the flail all the way without hitting the PTO on the top cross bar. Darn! I went out and cut some briars with the flail floating a few inches off the ground. Worked fine. Not bad for a used piece of equipment. Looks like I need to find a solution for the PTO/quick hitch interference or run without the quick hitch.

No pictures. I'll see if I can work with it some more tomorrow.

 

[JWR]

Forget the quick hitch. And running with the mower up off the ground is not good.