Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[JimCan]

Folka, I am one of those converts - running my second season with a Caroni mower behind a 40hp JD, but I have an issue with 'skid marks' ...(not in my shorts). Whenever I make a turn, I seem to cut a furrow if I don't lift the mower. I would love to add castoring wheels but think that excessive. Anybody have a cure? Thanks.

Jim

 

[leonz]

Folka, I am one of those converts - running my second season with a Caroni mower behind a 40hp JD, but I have an issue with 'skid marks' ...(not in my shorts). Whenever I make a turn, I seem to cut a furrow if I don't lift the mower. I would love to add castoring wheels but think that excessive. Anybody have a cure? Thanks.

Jim

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Hello and good afternoon Jim,


Caster wheels are not excessive they help protect the mower.

The first question is this, Is the mower level?? The skid shoes are there only to protect the flail mower rotor from possible impact damage.

If the mower is level the skids will not dig in the ground.

If you have small level you can place it on the gear box and then adjust it for level using the top link.

The skids will ride above the sod with no contact to the ground when mowing.


If you have a hydraulic top link you will have to add a needle valve if it leaks by the piston packing's.


You can always add caster to make life easier while mowing with a bit of work with steel tubing and
thick flat stock to attach the adjustable casters to.

You could purchase the adjustable casters from flail master and then fabricate the mounting point on the Caroni flail mower later.

Check to make sure the mower is level first.

 

[GManBart]

I've been pondering this question for awhile and now, after using my flail a few times I came to a conclusion. Flails do not rob HP, they do use more fuel than a bush hog because you have to keep rpm's up and ground speed low if you want to cut 12-15" stuff down to 3 -4" and leave a clean cut. If I cut 12-15" in one pass with high ground speed (5.5) it doesn't look pretty, a second pass does make it look pretty. If I cut 12-15" with low ground speed (2.7) it looks pretty first time around. From our logs, we have used 7 gallons more fuel than this time last year with a bush hog. I am very pleased, so far, with the flail purchase and don't miss the bush hog. I did hit a chunk of concrete the other day which ejected pieces forward past the tractor but tree limbs and other debris get chewed up and sent out the back, just right for mowing field edges and right of way cleaning.

What do you mean they don't rob horsepower? Any implement powered by the PTO robs power.

The RPM setting should be PTO speed, which is the same for all 540 RPM implements. If you're setting it higher than PTO speed you could be putting more power to the gearbox than it was designed for.

Lastly, if you need multiple passes to cut 12-15" weeds at the speeds you're talking about, something is wrong. I can cut weeds 2-3 times taller than that in one pass at those sorts of speeds, and take them right down to the ground. That's because I have sharp blades on my mower, and enough power that the flail doesn't lose RPM when it cuts heavy stuff.

Sicma TE22 - YouTube

 

[def38]

I have a Chinese made flail from these folks Titan Flail Mower 6" 3 Point PTO Tractor Attachment Heavy Duty Cutting EFGC155 . The mower is well built, the shipping is free and their service is first rate. The welds are very good, the steel fabrication is excellent and I would buy again. My only issue is with Chinese ball bearings but, US or Japanese replacements are available on the internet at reasonable prices if and when the OEs need replacement. My 60" flail came with hammer flails...good thing...I have plenty of junk that was left by the previous land owner, Buick hubcaps, logs and a brick or two. The flail handles them just fine with my M-F 231S with 38 PTO hp. When researching mowers, I used the mower's weight/cut width to estimate how rugged the machine would likely be. That is a fair comparison. I have seen other flails of similar size that were lighter and suffer damage.

 

[Ricn]

JimCan.
My Woodmaxx had that same issue and like Leonz says, if the mower is level it should not scalp the turf, however, and after leveling mine I still get some scalping but not near as much as when not level. I solved it by tilting the front of the mower up just a little and slightly out and that solved my issue. BTW - I got lots of help here on TBN in learning how to use my mower and fixing the cylinder issues last year. Anyway, upon every use I now level the mower using a 4 foot level while on the shop floor concrete and having top and tilt cylinders makes this an easy task along with lockout valve in the hose line as my tilt cylinder bleeds off slowly fowling up the level when mowing. The top cylinder does not seem to have this issue very much unless the tractor sets for a week or so still, easy to level it. My field is not flat with many undulations and also very bumpy as it was cow and horse pasture for many years so still I get a little scalping but very minimal. Would love to disk it up and plant new grass but this ground is very rocky so I leaving it alone, just getting to old to pick rocks now. Good Luck with your adjustments and mower.

Ricn

 

[StuartDK45SE]

I think that unless your are mowing commercially, most of the Chinese units are okay. My WoodMax might get 20 hour of use a year on nothing but grass. There would be no reason for me to buy a $6k flail mower.

 

[JimCan]

Gentlemen, thanks.. BUT: "The skids will ride above the sod with no contact to the ground when mowing." ...I had to lower my skids so the mower wasn't making an intolerably low cut. I originally thought the rear roller would have been adjustable like on some other brands, but not on this mower — it's fixed. I first bought an XL toplink to force the mower back on its heels to raise the nose, but that did not work well, partially because the tail is still down near to the roller height.

It's a pasture, not a lawn, so I only cut it when about knee or better high; I'd like about 6-8" ..just enough to keep the saplings and brambles from getting established. To cut with the roller on-the-ground really makes the mower work ..and slowly at that. Mind you, I totally love the way this cuts. My pasture looks clean vs. the lumpy, ole' windrowed crapus the rotaries would belch out. ...'but I'd like that 10% I cannot seem to find. Thanks again.

Jim

 

[leonz]

Hello Jim,


I had forgotten that they changed the design for the mowing height-shame on me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you have the time the mott type casters from flailmaster would be a good fit for you to keep the front end at a reasonable height to mow with as they are adjusted with washers by moving the lower washer to the top and the top ones to the lower position as desired.

I am unsure if you can purchase the weldment for the caster shaft attachment from flail master or from alamo as that would be the fastest way to do it.

Happy mowing

 

[ddbackhoe]

What do you mean they don't rob horsepower? Any implement powered by the PTO robs power.

The RPM setting should be PTO speed, which is the same for all 540 RPM implements. If you're setting it higher than PTO speed you could be putting more power to the gearbox than it was designed for.

Lastly, if you need multiple passes to cut 12-15" weeds at the speeds you're talking about, something is wrong. I can cut weeds 2-3 times taller than that in one pass at those sorts of speeds, and take them right down to the ground. That's because I have sharp blades on my mower, and enough power that the flail doesn't lose RPM when it cuts heavy stuff.

Sicma TE22 - YouTube

uh huh

 

[JimCan]

Ya, Leon, it looks like I'm going to have to find a beatup finishing mower to salvage the casters from. My old 'Bush Hog' brand finishing mower had them. Thanks. Jim