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.

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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.