Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Jack Yuan]

I was torn between the bestco and woodmaxx.

I went with woodmaxx for 2 main reasons - one being the grease maintenance - bestco is 25 hours and woodmaxx 250. Yes, 10 TIMES the time between greasings - tells me they're sealed bearings or much more well sealed. Having worked with dirt bikes and quads I can tell you sealed bearings are easily 10 times longer lasting. Second was the belt tension arrangement - to tension belts on the woodmaxx, well, it's automatic for the most part. the bestco..manual and you move teh ENTIRE gearbox/shaft assembly to do so. Awkward to say the least.

The door on the back...I opened to see the difference it makes - much rougher cut as the suction is considerably less, BUT it's tossed out much longer grass pieces - which I like as I'll be able to use it to gut hay to bale.

The other big question was hammers or knives...I ordered knives as grass is my main thing needing cut. Woodmaxx shipped it with hammers...so I mowed some with them and woodmaxx sent knives so I put them on and mowed some more.

The hammers have more mass, are noisier, shred grass MUCH finer...not sure I can tell much other difference, other htan when cutting tall grass the finer shreds fall to the ground where the knives cuttings sit on top and turn brown..waiting to see if this will kill the pasture grass or not.

Mowing speed is about the same as a brush hog - 6' hog and 78" flail both on a kioti CK3510HST (30 pto hp).

YOu cannot mow in reverse with a flail where you can with a brush hog. the hog is 8' long more or less, the flail 3' perhaps. Weight is similar (very heavy!)

I got the hydraulic offset flail which you can't get a BH like that - handy for under fences and tree limbs.

Can it work as a finish mower? Yes..but it's not as good as a finish mower.

And you'll find with the big roller at the back it can leave oddly un-cut patches when the ground is uneven.

I suggest grease maintenance within 8 hours. "25 hours" is too long, "250 hours" is risky and ridiculous, no matter what brand flail mower.

 

[JWR]

I don't think they are spaced differently. I'm pretty sure I could buy a set of hammers and swap them with the knives with no other modifications. I can see how the long horizontal blade would cut differently than the angled knives. But it would seem the knives would have more cutting surface along a vertical plane and thus have more opportunity to hit already cut material as it passes up over the drum. The WoodMaxx has 3 knives per station, 2 angled out and a straight one between them.

I'm sure you could swap hammers with knives but that does not necessarily mean they are the right width. You said it was cutting smoother with the hammers. Since you put out the cash to buy a new Woodmaxx, it would seem like a worthwhile call to the seller to see if the stations are spaced any different (and the same number of them) on the rotating knife/hammer holder shaft are any different for hammers versus knives. They might very well be the same, just be interesting know for sure if I were in your shoes.

 

[bruceha2000]

I have the knives as that is what was suggested by the sales guy at WoodMaxx. It was @prof fate who ordered knives but got hammers, WM sent him knives and he's cut with both so I think it is safe to assume that there is no difference in the stations for that particular manufacturer.

 

[ronjhall]

I have the knives as that is what was suggested by the sales guy at WoodMaxx. It was @prof fate who ordered knives but got hammers, WM sent him knives and he's cut with both so I think it is safe to assume that there is no difference in the stations for that particular manufacturer.

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

 

[Molalla1]

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

Not me Ron . . . I like the "Y" blades better . . . . . . . and I do have set of the hammers . . .

 

[MAD777]

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

Not me Ron . . . I like the "Y" blades better . . . . . . . and I do have set of the hammers . . .

In the internet of science, are you guys cutting grass or brush?

 

[Molalla1]

In the internet of science, are you guys cutting grass or brush?

Me? . . . mostly grass/brush . . . :laughing: . . . probably does not help . . .

 

[def38]

Can someone comment on the WM 62 used with a QH? How does it fit? Does it mate up and latch easily? Also, the WM comes with a clutched Pto shaft. Any comments regarding that shaft?

 

[bruceha2000]

It might depend on which QH you have. I went cheap with the HF model and had to buy an extended hook from Amazon for another $45 or it wouldn't even mate to my landscape rake (which I have yet to use). I don't know why that isn't the standard hook with the QH, it only makes sense. WM had to engineer and manufacture a modification to lower the top connection down from 19" (Cat III) to 15" (Cat I & II). I'm not sure the design change was approved based on a comment from the service guy. That said, the parts are very well made and very sturdy. Even with the modification, I think I need an extension because when the mower goes down the top connector of the QH and that of the flail run into each other, the extended hook doesn't extend more than maybe 1/2" and there isn't space in the mower's upper bracket for the QH frame to fit inside. I might have to make a platform just below max height of the mower on the 3 PT to be able to remove the mower from the QH unless I use an extension. The HF lowers JUST fit inside the space for the pins on the 62H, far to the outside, both sides, still room on the inside. I don't know if other QH's have slightly different spacing. I did buy WM's Cat I to Cat II bushing kit for the mower and they are fine.

 

[JWR]

It might depend on which QH you have. I went cheap with the HF model and had to buy an extended hook from Amazon for another $45 or it wouldn't even mate to my landscape rake (which I have yet to use). I don't know why that isn't the standard hook with the QH, it only makes sense. WM had to engineer and manufacture a modification to lower the top connection down from 19" (Cat III) to 15" (Cat I & II). I'm not sure the design change was approved based on a comment from the service guy. That said, the parts are very well made and very sturdy. Even with the modification, I think I need an extension because when the mower goes down the top connector of the QH and that of the flail run into each other, the extended hook doesn't extend more than maybe 1/2" and there isn't space in the mower's upper bracket for the QH frame to fit inside. I might have to make a platform just below max height of the mower on the 3 PT to be able to remove the mower from the QH unless I use an extension. The HF lowers JUST fit inside the space for the pins on the 62H, far to the outside, both sides, still room on the inside. I don't know if other QH's have slightly different spacing. I did buy WM's Cat I to Cat II bushing kit for the mower and they are fine.

All that says you'd be better off with extendable lower lift arms on the tractor and forget the quick hitch. My experience with quick-hitches is that they have zero flexibility in left-right dimensions and other compatibility issues that you mention above making them more trouble, to me, than they are worth. Often or at least sometimes adding a problem instead of removing one.