Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

Skagit · Jul 2, 2020

ptoengageant said:
Duly noted - I will look into it!

For what it's worth the local ag dealer here rents out a 5' brush hog for like $80 a day, might be something to look into. Then you're not beating up your new flail doing the initial clearing, they don't really like anything thicker than blackberries and small limbs.

If you have established trees that's a different ball game though, that takes a forestry mulcher.

Rebeldad1 · Jul 2, 2020

TheFarmerInAdell said:
I would avoid the Betstco, but that's me.

Would love to hear your personal experience story on the Betstco flail mower. What turned you off so much?
I bought one from them this spring. Free Shipping was super fast and the machine has worked flawlessly. Their customer support was great as well. All my tech questions answered in depth. I also bought spare parts an they showed up within 2 days. The best part was It was on a spring sale for about 1/2 the Woodmaxx.
If its used for what it was designed for ( as any brand of these) it should last a very long time.

downsizingnow48 · Jul 2, 2020

I bought a Betstco flail mower too. Low hours so far but does what it is supposed to do. It arrived in Sacramento two days after I ordered it!

JWR · Jul 2, 2020

Skagit said:
For what it's worth the local ag dealer here rents out a 5' brush hog for like $80 a day, might be something to look into. Then you're not beating up your new flail doing the initial clearing, they don't really like anything thicker than blackberries and small limbs.

If you have established trees that's a different ball game though, that takes a forestry mulcher.

Quite true, or in many cases a dozer is the best tool. Notice that we've made some pretty forceful or insistent comment on this guy's choice of mower but we've only heard a bare bones description of hptoengageant 's "stuff to be mowed." A picture or two would be nice.

TheFarmerInAdell · Jul 6, 2020

Rebeldad1 said:
TheFarmerInAdell said:

I would avoid the Betstco, but that's me.

Would love to hear your personal experience story on the Betstco flail mower. What turned you off so much?
I bought one from them this spring. Free Shipping was super fast and the machine has worked flawlessly. Their customer support was great as well. All my tech questions answered in depth. I also bought spare parts an they showed up within 2 days. The best part was It was on a spring sale for about 1/2 the Woodmaxx.
If its used for what it was designed for ( as any brand of these) it should last a very long time.

Click to expand...

I tend to avoid cheap implements (and any tool) made in China. From what I've seen, the support and longevity just isn't there. With Alamo or Woodmaxx you can call and get someone who's first language is English to find out what you need to know. With the Del Morino the local dealer sells it so they can support it. There's also tons of aftermarket options for the Alamo. I'll take something I know will have parts available 20 years from now, and will last at least that long. Buy once, cry once. I've been taking that mentality with just about everything I buy now and I've been happy with it. It seems like if you pay a little more to get something higher quality you end up with better results, less down time, less frustration, and less money spent in the end, especially if you can find it used.

Again, that's just me. I've had bad experiences with cheap tools so I refuse to buy cheap stuff that I will need to rely on.

def38 · Jul 6, 2020

So, I was cutting my meadow with my Chicomm flail mower. The meadow hasn't been cut in a while. Some 5-6 foot grass and weeds with small shrubs intertwined. While in tall grass where I couldn't see the ground, I was avoiding what I knew was a piece of concrete lurking below. I avoided the concrete but tangled with a large piece of sheet metal...looks like part of the hood of an automobile. Well, before I could take action, the sheet metal was wound up in the rotor and the 3 cylinder Perkins began to struggle and die. A quick stab on the clutch took power off the PTO. I drove back to the garage where i put he mower up in the air to have a good look. Its pretty well wrapped around the rotor, tangled in the hammer flails and will require some surgery to back out the sheet metal. I'll likely try barring over the flail rotor backwards. If that doesn't work, I'll try my angle grinder and cut up the sheet into bits. Either way, its going to take some effort and time. I'll disconnect the 3 point lift arms, leave the top link attached and pull the mower over on its back to get at the rotor. I'll likely spill some GL-5 gear oil.

So, is my approach OK? Anybody have other ideas, suggestions? Once I have the mower over on its back, I'll post some photos that will show details of the undigested sheet metal and what I'm up against. I do have some new-found respect for the Chicomm flail mower. It has suffered and survived some severe service.... rocks, Buick hubcaps and now what appears to be an automobile hood....maybe part of the Buick the hubcaps belong to.

While I have the mower inverted, maybe I'll put a grinder on the flails and touch them up a bit.

Comments solicited.

Thanks.

K5lwq · Jul 6, 2020

Def38, my suggestion is take your time, wear some really good gloves and be careful!

Fallon · Jul 6, 2020

def38 said:
So, I was cutting my meadow with my Chicomm flail mower. The meadow hasn't been cut in a while. Some 5-6 foot grass and weeds with small shrubs intertwined. While in tall grass where I couldn't see the ground, I was avoiding what I knew was a piece of concrete lurking below. I avoided the concrete but tangled with a large piece of sheet metal...looks like part of the hood of an automobile. Well, before I could take action, the sheet metal was wound up in the rotor and the 3 cylinder Perkins began to struggle and die. A quick stab on the clutch took power off the PTO. I drove back to the garage where i put he mower up in the air to have a good look. Its pretty well wrapped around the rotor, tangled in the hammer flails and will require some surgery to back out the sheet metal. I'll likely try barring over the flail rotor backwards. If that doesn't work, I'll try my angle grinder and cut up the sheet into bits. Either way, its going to take some effort and time. I'll disconnect the 3 point lift arms, leave the top link attached and pull the mower over on its back to get at the rotor. I'll likely spill some GL-5 gear oil.

So, is my approach OK? Anybody have other ideas, suggestions? Once I have the mower over on its back, I'll post some photos that will show details of the undigested sheet metal and what I'm up against. I do have some new-found respect for the Chicomm flail mower. It has suffered and survived some severe service.... rocks, Buick hubcaps and now what appears to be an automobile hood....maybe part of the Buick the hubcaps belong to.

While I have the mower inverted, maybe I'll put a grinder on the flails and touch them up a bit.

Comments solicited.

Thanks.

Experience says bolt cutters or angle grinder. Probably angle grinder in your case. Maybe a sawzall.

If 40hp or whatever + lots of momentum wedged it in there you aren't pulling it out. Maybe if you unhitch it, flip it over & are lucky enough to get a grip on it with something &use hydraulics or a huge lever.

Flipping it over may be a good idea anyway. Working over your head sucks. And make sure you block up your impliment before working on it. They leak down slowly even if there isn't a catastrophic failure that results in in you being instantly crushed.

D2Cat · Jul 6, 2020

A 4" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel will dissect an automotive hood easily and quickly.

Maybe slow down a bit while mowing. If you can't spot a car hood, you must be going too fast.