Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[electrycmonk]

So an update on the 917. I finally had a nice day to prep stuff for the mowing season.

Dismounted the 3-PT BH & hooked up the 917. Did a fresh inspection.

Lubed all zerks.
Tightened the belt tensioner, quite a bit....
Tested out the PTO of the flail. Spun up rather smoothly... from idle up to ~1700 RPMs. Once I had the belt tension adjusted good. Even thought I still need to order blades and stuff.

After this weekend's rain I plan to test it out - whether or not the replacement blades have arrived..... Just a few minutes to see how it feels.....

Thanks y'all for all the wisdom.

 

[electrycmonk]

Okay, technically it's now "Monday" but, 'yesterday' I went a head and did a systems check and tested the 917 on a absolutely saturated back yard that had some varies growth. The missing 5-6 blades did have a noticable but still mild vibration while running.

The Cub cadet is claimed to be a 25hp unit. The 7260 (for refresher)
Here's the edited down pics of a test mowing and a post mow shot that one of our OES's is inspecting.

The trench I dug as part of a upgrade for drainage from the gutters. To get past the chicken coop. with the constant on/off rain its been very difficult trying to finish this all.

This 1st go at mowing with the 917 was a pleasant surprise. yes the accoustic signature was definately different, a much 'lower roar, if i dare say it. compared to the Bush Hog finish mower.
I did have to run the tractor at the 2300-2500 RPMS which is the "desired" 540 PTO RPMs but, that wasn't so bad.

I was able to cut 80% in M 3rd and occasionally the high spots were a drop to M2 gear and it did fine. The forward roll given the top link needing adjustment means next time I won't try to mulch the terf on a couple divet areas.

but, that yard is sooo saturated. over 8" this month alone......

Oh yeah, and I'll be solving the bolt that spun out and disappeared(purple arrow).... drain and fill the gearbox when I do that too.

 

[Lnk]

Looks nice. Get them blades on and you will have a winner for sure. I get my blades from flail master. You may want to get a whole set, and keep the old ones as spares. You will lose an occasional blade or two from rock strikes. Also, avoid wire. If you are not sure there is wire where you mow, walk the area first. Trust me, wire is no fun at all. I learned that lesson the hard way, twice!

 

[dieselscout80]

Okay, technically it's now "Monday" but, 'yesterday' I went a head and did a systems check and tested the 917 on a absolutely saturated back yard that had some varies growth. The missing 5-6 blades did have a noticable but still mild vibration while running.

The Cub cadet is claimed to be a 25hp unit. The 7260 (for refresher)
Here's the edited down pics of a test mowing and a post mow shot that one of our OES's is inspecting.

The trench I dug as part of a upgrade for drainage from the gutters. To get past the chicken coop. with the constant on/off rain its been very difficult trying to finish this all.

This 1st go at mowing with the 917 was a pleasant surprise. yes the accoustic signature was definately different, a much 'lower roar, if i dare say it. compared to the Bush Hog finish mower.
I did have to run the tractor at the 2300-2500 RPMS which is the "desired" 540 PTO RPMs but, that wasn't so bad.

I was able to cut 80% in M 3rd and occasionally the high spots were a drop to M2 gear and it did fine. The forward roll given the top link needing adjustment means next time I won't try to mulch the terf on a couple divet areas.

but, that yard is sooo saturated. over 8" this month alone......

Oh yeah, and I'll be solving the bolt that spun out and disappeared(purple arrow).... drain and fill the gearbox when I do that too.

How wide is your 917?

 

[joecdeere]

Be sure to keep your old ones Flailmaster closed a little while ago(nothing to do with the present virus problem)
With all the hits business is gonna take this year they may not make it back. A sad thing, good friendly people there.

 

[Alien]

I see I have had my Hayes Flail mower for 4 years now. Didn't realize how fast time went by.
It has been marvellous. No problems, gearbox is still showing no signs of seepage. I sharpened the hammers for the second time recently and it has done a lot of acreage which has included small brush, lantana etc. (few rocks too) Paddocks look great. Happy to recommend Hayes for sure.

Kioti. Fastest tractor on the east coast - YouTube

 

[electrycmonk]

How wide is your 917?

dude, sorry for delay... I guess my phone post failed to show up a few weeks back when I first saw your question.

my 917 is I.D.'d as a 74" wide so its a 6' mower.

 

[electrycmonk]

So, last week, I swapped all blades out and replaces several hangers and hooks and bolts.....
Went out and mowed, then had the kiddo's out and learn the new mower.... after about 15-20 minutes for each of them the smiles showed up. The 12 y/o was initially scared to even move the 3-PT lever.... but, after we got thru the double stage clutch and hand throttle.... she was smiles and "hey this is fun." The 21 y/o was like, "that was so much faster and my butt isn't sore from the rough ground like the 46" craftsman riding mower....

still need to deal with that bolt on the gearbox..... but, its been rain and now brisk weather ....

 

[Urakunu]

So I figured this might be the thread to ask this question on. I have the chance to buy a Del Morino 132M. It was purchased last year by the owner and he is willing to sell it to me for $3000, it was used maybe 3 times, he's selling it because he tried running it on a subcompact tractor, and tractor was to small. I don't even own a tractor yet (LOL) but I want a mower like this for mowing my pond and some ditches. I am looking at probably getting a Kioti NX5010 (In the next few weeks, just don't want to miss a deal if its worth it). My question is, is the mower worth the money (I know they are about $4k, new but I see the other Chinese ones for low $2k's and will the size tractor I'm looking at be sufficient for this thing? Any words of wisdom much appreciated!

 

[3Lfarms]

That tractor should just be big enough. You will want a loader on the tractor and loaded rear tires to keep the tractor stable enough.

A ditch flail when it hits a solid object will tend to twist the whole tractor to pointing downhill. On a pond bank or steep ditch, it happens fast. A heavy stable tractor is your friend here.