Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Eagleview]

These are 3 pics i took today . 1 shows how thick the Lantana is and the 2nd is the finished product at the back of the 3rd photo is how it all looked this morning . Some of the trees in the finished shot were not visible . The cats claw vines were draped from one tree to the next . It was 20 feet deep in places as you can see in the third photo , this is how it all was , i had no idea were i was until i cut some tracks though it so i could get my bearings . As you can see , my big flail mower leaves nothing behind , only lawn . Ive done some damage today from backing the mower into trees that i could not see as the vine canopy completely covered the tractor . I had to remove some trees as the vines had killed them . I use cast manganese iron hammer flails which are very blunt at the moment , the leading edges would be the radius of a pencil and it still gives results like these .

 

[SpringHollow]

Can you elaborate on why the difference? Is it because the flail mower is taller and stocky?

Here are links to the picture of their mowers:

http://www.power-trac.com/images/1850/90inchmow.jpg

http://www.power-trac.com/images/Hclass/flail-mower1.jpg

From the looks of it, more of the weight of the flail mower is up higher.

Ken

 

[Nuru]

Thanks

 

[Reg]

I have a Mott flail Model 72 ,circa 1960 (that my dad bought),that I totally rebuilt three years ago. Its a solid mower and parts are still available(Mott is owned by Alamo now).I use it to cut my entire yard (1 1/2 acres)being pulled by a '58 ford 601. I keep it set low, like one inch. My yard looks like a carpet when I am done. You will need to use limiter chains to stop scalping, and sharpening knives is an all day affair. I have two sets of knives to save the straightening and sharpening for rainy days. Flails are not a rock happy mower, one good sized rock and you will be leaving a poorly cut strip that looks terrible. You will need to change cotter pins, and some clevis pins while changing knives. I swap knives midseason and grease every time its used. The days of spending 4 hours on the John Deere 38 inch tractor are long over...it is used for trimming now.If you do get a flail add (if there isnt one) a strip of rubber on the back of the mower in case it throws a knife. I found the missing ones I lost last year sticking in the side of my oak plank barn. Motts were known as "hammer knife mowers" from what I read they were the first to build them before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon.

Ahh, limiter chains...
I remembered seeing some mention of chains somewhere in this thread.
I get a bit of "corner digging" with a rake when the tractor tips slightly, so I replaced the fixed side link with chain.
This probably fixed it 60%, but I'm going to also try replacing the adjustable side link with chain.
My goal being to just let the rake run wherever the ground is (undulating) and the tractor tip side to side without rocking the rake.
I have the gage (trainer) wheels on the rake, so it shouldn't just dig.

Thanks for the spark that ignited the idea... something like that (-:

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

you guys are really making me want one.........just so happens there's a fairly good deal on craigslist.....

i thought i was done spending money for a while

These are 3 pics i took today . 1 shows how thick the Lantana is and the 2nd is the finished product at the back of the 3rd photo is how it all looked this morning . Some of the trees in the finished shot were not visible . The cats claw vines were draped from one tree to the next . It was 20 feet deep in places as you can see in the third photo , this is how it all was , i had no idea were i was until i cut some tracks though it so i could get my bearings . As you can see , my big flail mower leaves nothing behind , only lawn . Ive done some damage today from backing the mower into trees that i could not see as the vine canopy completely covered the tractor . I had to remove some trees as the vines had killed them . I use cast manganese iron hammer flails which are very blunt at the moment , the leading edges would be the radius of a pencil and it still gives results like these .

 

[allen in texas]

Ok, I finally made my deal on the rears SPC 72 inch with the 960 knives.

It will be three weeks before it is shipped.
Gotta build it ya know.
I could have used it last week. That's ok.
I have three weeks to figure out how to pay for it.

My only regret...
That I don't have about 15 more PTO horsepower so I could use the 940 knives.

Oh well, I guess I'll just get a bigger tractor some day.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Great pictures Iron Horse.

How tough is that lantana? Easily cleared by a machete, or the sort of stuff the machete bounces off?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

How wide of a flail mower could a gear TC45 pull......almost all flat ground......

 

[Foozle]

I would strongly suggest just going with the TM1900B and seeing how the cut works for you. Unless you are mowing golf greens I think you'll find that the cut is fine. If you want a fine cut just go more slowly or run the engine at true PTO speed (I almost never mow with RPMs above 2100 or so which is 20% less than standard PTO speed).

These mowers may have the parts available to change blades but they really are not made to be quick and easy switches. I'm aware that some people have talked about using different types of knives and hammers on their mowers but I believe that is actually not how most flails are used.

Nuru, I agree with IslandTractor. I called the distributor and they said that to change the rotor from a "B" type to an "F" or "A" type, the part would be $1,200 plus shipping! So, for about $500 more you can buy an entirely new unit, so not really worth buying just the rotor. I hope normal replacement parts are this costly!

Dave

 

[IslandTractor]

How wide of a flail mower could a gear TC45 pull......almost all flat ground......

I'm guessing the TC45 is about 45hp. The width of flail mower will obviously depend on how you use it (brush vs pasture vs lawn). I use a 75 inch Caroni flail with my 41hp tractor and it is about right for brush but I could easily pull a bigger flail if I was just doing lawn and probably bigger if I was doing pastures that were cut more than once a season.

I think you will find that the larger flails are very expensive (>$4000) and quite heavy. Most of the discussion here has been about six foot flails which can be had for prices varying from $1700-4000.

 

[sunspot]

How tough is that lantana? Easily cleared by a machete, or the sort of stuff the machete bounces off?

I don't know about the lantana in Oz but in South Florida, it's an invasive plant that grows wild in the hinterlands. About 3-4' tall with a woody stem up to 1/2" thick. It could be cut with a machete. The butterflies love the flowers.
Don't ask about the Australian Melaleuca trees taking over the Everglades.

Melaleuca quinquenervia -- Non-Native Invasive Plants in the United States

 

[Nuru]

Nuru, I agree with IslandTractor. I called the distributor and they said that to change the rotor from a "B" type to an "F" or "A" type, the part would be $1,200 plus shipping! So, for about $500 more you can buy an entirely new unit, so not really worth buying just the rotor. I hope normal replacement parts are this costly!

Dave

yep that is the conclusion I came to after checking around for pricing.

 

[Nuru]

I'm guessing the TC45 is about 45hp. The width of flail mower will obviously depend on how you use it (brush vs pasture vs lawn). I use a 75 inch Caroni flail with my 41hp tractor and it is about right for brush but I could easily pull a bigger flail if I was just doing lawn and probably bigger if I was doing pastures that were cut more than once a season.

I think you will find that the larger flails are very expensive (>$4000) and quite heavy. Most of the discussion here has been about six foot flails which can be had for prices varying from $1700-4000.

I think the Caroni is the only one under $2k right? i thought all the rest were $3k plus?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

I found this one for $400.....he said it's a 90" Alamo........

Will my tractor handle it? He said it need a bearing and that he'd make sure it isn't missing and teeth and that he'd throw in an extra dozen teeth after that......

Whadda ya'll think?

i'll be clearing everything from grassy field to thick over-grown.......i have a 5' hog, so once i clear the land, it'll just be cutting it 2-3 times a year

 

[jjmarotz]

Good 22 pg read. I too have a ? on my flail, just got this last fall for free and obviously it needs new knives, but am wondering if one could just build these? I will need 230 total blades, ouch. Or what other type of replacements are available? It is a Brillion mow sale, 61" cut, everything turns freely and smooth. Anyone know any info on this brand, as I can't find them or parts anywhere. Thanks fellas.

 

[Ductape]

As far as i can see, Brillion is still in business. No idea if they still support that particular mower........ but you can check here.

Brillion Farm Equipment Online

 

[IslandTractor]

I think the Caroni is the only one under $2k right? i thought all the rest were $3k plus?

To my knowledge, yes...unless you want to count the Chinese imports that end up on eBay periodically. Certainly Caroni is the only one with a track record and stable source of parts (AgriSupply).

 

[Nuru]

Question to All experienced Flail mower owners. I was contacted by the dealer and informed that my desire to use my existing Turf specals is complicated by the fact that if i ever want to go to a MMM, that I cannot use an MMM on the 3x20 series unless i have R3 or R4 tires on the tractor. The reason i don't just take the R3's is that the fronts dug into my lawn and the tractor left a lot of trails when I cut with the R3s on the 4310/MMM combination, and since the 3520 Cab is heavier I an concerned it will do the same. The Turf Specials do not have this issue, and so I am happy with their performance.

My question is, since the flail will be cutting after the tires run over the grass, would the flail take care of the R3 impressions on the grass?

I am currently leaning to just setting the tractor up with mid PTO anyway and going with R3s and just use them when I am doing loader work, or if i ever got a MMM (not likely if the flai works out), or wanted to use a snow blower.

Or i could save the 400 bucks and go with the Bar tires and save trhem for a really bad snow day! I wish i could get the R3 fronts and Bar tire backs!

 

[IslandTractor]

I found this one for $400.....he said it's a 90" Alamo........

If it is savagable then $400 as an investment is not bad at all. You could fix it up, try it out and if for some reason it doesn't work out you'd be able to sell a reconditioned big brand flail mower that probably cost $4000 new. I'd say the only question is how much it would cost you to revitalize the mower.

I would imagine that a TC45 could handle a 7 and a half foot flail without too much trouble so long as you are mowing pastures 3-4 times a year as stated. Not sure I'd use it for major brush work unless you go real slowly.

 

[Eagleview]

Great pictures Iron Horse.

How tough is that lantana? Easily cleared by a machete, or the sort of stuff the machete bounces off?

Pretty tough and very toxic . Our stuff ranges from around 1/2"-3" stalk diametre . If you look closely at the first pic you will see the average stalk size we have . You can't really cut it by hand because if you are scratched , and you will be it can really give you problems requiering Antibiotics to clean it up . Scratch an eye and you will loose the sight in that eye . Cattle from the same paddock can tolerate it but cattle from another area brought in will die an agonizing death straight after eating it . The birds fly the seeds around and it's become a major problem woldwide . It makes me $5000 a week so i do'nt mind it all that much