Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[dieselscout80]

Yes indeed I am going to like the additional offset over what my 917 has.

I use the offset to mow along the fence, ditches and our pond.

 

[John0829]

I guess I did alright on the SHD74 fine cut I picked up for $800 with a set of new and old knives plus a wet grinder thrown in that I will absolutely never use. It looked like crap but a quick coat of paint and it looks good as new. The unit was kept inside so the metal is not pitted like so many older implements. I was thinking about selling the New Holland 918H and still might but it being offset is really handy mowing the county road that seldom sees the county crew for anything other than a patch or two.

 

[dieselscout80]

Well I mowed three acres with my new to me Alamo SHD96 (96 cut) and other than the weight it runs great with the same IH 424 that I ran my Ford 917 (74 cut) with.

I ran in 3rd gear (3.5MPH) and I only had to drop down into 2nd once in the same place I would have had to with the 917.

The SHD96 has Y knives where the 917 has the airplanes wing knives.

I have a 150 lb weight I am going to put on the front of the tractor when I get a mount put together.

 

[Skagit]

Put 5 or 6 hours on the WoodMaxx this week, so far so good. I did loctite and torque all the important fasteners, I also put some washers in the gap between the access door and the side frames so you can actually tighten the bolts down instead of leaving them loose to rattle.

It does a nice job, no vibration to speak of and none of the bearings or gearbox got hot. Tried it out it the woods too, works awesome but I think I'll leave the initial clearing to the brush hog, it's a little more boulder resistant.

 

[Ricn]

The Woodmaxx 60 inch has been great for me as well. Have about 60hrs on mine so far.

 

[ronjhall]

The Woodmaxx 60 inch has been great for me as well. Have about 60hrs on mine so far.

Same with my Woodmaxx 60 inch.

 

[pripyat]

I'm looking at a used flail mower, Ford 917H. Can anyone tell me how much life is left in these blades? I can't tell if they are nearly new or nearly worn.

 

[dieselscout80]

I'm looking at a used flail mower, Ford 917H. Can anyone tell me how much life is left in these blades? I can't tell if they are nearly new or nearly worn.

View attachment 670400

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Those are NOT worn out.

If you keep from hitting rocks they will last for more than a season or two. However, if you hit rocks they will break.

Note they can be sharpened without having to remove them with a angle grinder, but they don't need a razor sharp cutting edge.

Have the owner spin it up to speed and if it runs smooth and the hood/housing isn't all rusted though it should be a good mower.

 

[pripyat]

That's what I was thinking but needed confirmation. Can 19 PTO hp turn a 917H for cutting grass? I believe it is a 6ft.

 

[dieselscout80]

I don't think 19 HP will run a 917 that is 74" wide cutting width and the options are 62", 74" and 88".

I don't know if Bush Hog built the 917 or Ford build the Bush Hog FH series flail mowers, but they are the same thing.

FORD 917H For Sale In Lebanon, Pennsylvania | TractorHouse.com

BUSH HOG FH174 For Sale In Wheeler, Illinois | TractorHouse.com

Here is the Bush Hog FH series flail mower owners manual and on page 5 in table 1-1 it lists the specs and the horse power requirements.

 

[Ricn]

19hp PTO will be to little for anything bigger than 60 inch mowers. it does however spin the 60 inch just fine for most applications we cut. My Woodmaxx 60 inch cuts 6ft grasses but not very fast so if in a hurry I'd need more PTO HP which I don't in my situation.

 

[DavesTractor]

I agree with the others that 19HP is low for a 74" mower. Ideally you would want to be closer to 30 HP. So much depends on what you are cutting though. I think to cut grass with 19 HP with this mower, you would need to cut it very frequently, too frequently.

 

[Fallon]

That's what I was thinking but needed confirmation. Can 19 PTO hp turn a 917H for cutting grass? I believe it is a 6ft.

I ran a 7' 917 behind a Kubota L3200, 25hp PTO I believe. I was at a crawl in thick tall grass. It was slow but entirely acceptable in the normal grass we get here in dryer Colorado. It might be tough if you have a geared machine, but with a HST you can always just ease up 9n the go pedal to not bog or stall the engine.

If you can lift it, you can spin it. It's just a matter of can you go slow enough to keep it spinning. Often a mental game as much as having the right gears.

 

[ronjhall]

That's what I was thinking but needed confirmation. Can 19 PTO hp turn a 917H for cutting grass? I believe it is a 6ft.

My 22 HP PTO tractor can get bogged down on heavy grass. I have a 62” Woodmaxx. I normally run it in M range.

 

[Ricn]

Medium mowing range and higher HP allows for a higher travel speed, something we all like but it comes with bigger power as well. It's time verses dollars verses design and which one is most important to each person. When getting my 2501, I really wanted the 3901 but not the re-gen it comes with so I compromised. When mowing the taller stuff I sometimes wish I'd bought the higher hp but for most everything I do the 2501 is a jewel that sips fuel, unlike my bigger tractors. I like mowing, it's a great way to spend my day, see the deer run around and watch the birds get after the mice!

 

[Lnk]

While you may not be able to cut heavy stuff with the 19 hp at full width, you can take a half cut when it gets thicker. A 6' cutter can cut a 4' width, but a 4' cutter will never cut a 6' width. As long as you can go slow enough, you will be fine.

Also, those blades that are on it are for cutting grass evenly. So make sure you cut often enough that you are not bogging it down. Y- blades are the easiest to cut with, but don't make as nice a cut as those you show. Everything is a compromise. I would rather go slow and wide, than narrow and fast. My back agrees.

 

[DavesTractor]

......I would rather go slow and wide, than narrow and fast. My back agrees.

Good point.

 

[jonsstihl]

I ran a 6 foot mott with fine cut y blades with a 22 pto hp b7800 and it did fine. ground was too rough to go fast anyways. it won't be a speed demon but if you have hst it will be fine.

 

[DavesTractor]

Years ago I ran a 60" flail behind a pretty much worn out Kubota B8200 (gear) that had maybe 19 engine HP. For the most part it got the job done cutting mostly dry stuff, seasonal weeds, etc. I sure wouldn't recommend it from a dealer's perspective, but it did work ok.

 

[tractorgirl99]

hey guys. Ive got a Kubota MX 5200, and I want to run a 5 ft ditch bank mower. I dont have any rear remotes installed on the tractor, just a 3rd fucntion on my loader. does anyone know of a good place to find practical information about what kind of rear remotes i would need for a ditch bankk mower? I called my local kubota dealer and they were like "we dont sell flail mowers". ive been reading in this forum to try to get an idea of what im looking for and im having a hard time finding the information that i am most curious about.

thanks,
sascha