Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

5k a week, wow and all that seat time too!

myyaz33 · Apr 23, 2008

davitk said:
Not that I am recommending my purchase but for anyone interested my flail mower is coming from Betst (spelled correctly) in Oregon, they have been importing from the same company in China for 13 years, have a wharehouse stocked with parts and are selling on flea bay.

I am intersted in the quality of the BETST flail mowers on Ebay. They are labeled Value Leader or something like that. Did you get yours yet?

davitk · Apr 23, 2008

myyaz33 said:
I am interested in the quality of the BETST flail mowers on Ebay. They are labeled Value Leader or something like that. Did you get yours yet?

Just got it put together, took it for a spin this morning

Quality, I would give a solid "B" grade, operations manual a "D" (chinese translation for the word grease apparently is "butter"

; I married an english-as-a-second-language Italian (and in-laws

), so was able to stumble my way through it.

I am playing hooky today as it is 70 degrees and sunny, I'll get some pics and complete the report when done playing

Coyote · Apr 23, 2008

I use a bushhog to mow some rough stuff, through the woods, 2 -3" saplings etc, between pine trees. Can a flail mower do that? Would it really replace a bush hog?

IslandTractor · Apr 23, 2008

Coyote said:
I use a bushhog to mow some rough stuff, through the woods, 2 -3" saplings etc, between pine trees. Can a flail mower do that? Would it really replace a bush hog?

There are definitely flail mowers that can handle 3 inch saplings. However, most of the discussion here has been on the medium duty Caroni flail and I would hesitate to use it against 3 inch brush. 1.5 inch, not a problem. Occasional 2 inch no big deal.

The heavier "highway duty" flails can definitely handle the larger material however but these flails are expensive and do not cut grass as neatly.

davitk · Apr 23, 2008

myyaz33 said:
I am intersted in the quality of the BETST flail mowers on Ebay. They are labeled Value Leader or something like that. Did you get yours yet?

Here are some pics:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5265/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5266/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5267/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5268/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5269/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/

The machine worked beautifully on the field, however it made a mess of the lawn where the grass was thicker, SWMBO is going to kill me

Maybe it's an adjustment problem?

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

davitk said:
Just got it put together, took it for a spin this morning

Quality, I would give a solid "B" grade, operations manual a "D" (chinese translation for the word grease apparently is "butter" ; I married an english-as-a-second-language Italian (and in-laws ), so was able to stumble my way through it.

I am playing hooky today as it is 70 degrees and sunny, I'll get some pics and complete the report when done playing

I will definitely like to see those. I went to ebay to see their stuff, it seemed to be lighter in weight than some of the other brands but that could be a blessing in disguise for most of us. Please make sure you send before and after shots. i do like their prices though!

myyaz33 · Apr 23, 2008

davitk said:
Here are some pics:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5265/size/big/sort/1/cat/500
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5266/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5267/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5268/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/
http://www.tractorbynet.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/5269/sort/1/size/big/cat/500/page/

The machine worked beautifully on the field, however it made a mess of the lawn where the grass was thicker, SWMBO is going to kill me Maybe it's an adjustment problem?

Look pretty good from the pictures. Would love to see more pictures in the album, hint hint.

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

Did you set it too low? seems like you would want to set it high initially? Now you got me a little scared. I was just about to pull the trigger on te Caroni, and then I was looking at the prices on the Betst, but I will wait a bit until you get this issue resolved

IslandTractor · Apr 23, 2008

The BETST looks almost like a copy of the Caroni. I'm sure that whoever manufacturers it copied someone elses design as flail mowers are probably not a homegrown invention in China.

Looks like it cuts well. I don't see any photos of the lawn mess though. I agree that it may be a height adjustment issue if you are chewing up turf.

davitk · Apr 23, 2008

First time out of the chute it was so low it was actually rototilling (dethatching?

), then I raised it 2 notches (dropping the roller about an inch) and that helped, but the angle set via top link adjustment seems to effect the cut too; unfortunately the manual doesn't cover anything but the basics. Here is the "Height Adjustment Procedure: 'In order to conduct a precise work, the machine shall be operated according to the recommended cutting height',

But it doesn't say what that is.

I'll see if I can get some pics of my mess

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

IslandTractor said:
The BETST looks almost like a copy of the Caroni. I'm sure that whoever manufacturers it copied someone elses design as flail mowers are probably not a homegrown invention in China.

Looks like it cuts well. I don't see any photos of the lawn mess though. I agree that it may be a height adjustment issue if you are chewing up turf.

Probably not really in Italy either?

davitk · Apr 23, 2008

IslandTractor said:
The BETST looks almost like a copy of the Caroni. I'm sure that whoever manufacturers it copied someone elses design as flail mowers are probably not a homegrown invention in China.

All the way down to the bubbling oil

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

davitk said:
First time out of the chute it was so low it was actually rototilling (dethatching? ), then I raised it 2 notches (dropping the roller about an inch) and that helped, but the angle set via top link adjustment seems to effect the cut too; unfortunately the manual doesn't cover anything but the basics. Here is the "Height Adjustment Procedure: 'In order to conduct a precise work, the machine shall be operated according to the recommended cutting height', But it doesn't say what that is.

I'll see if I can get some pics of my mess

Give that guy Keith a call and see if he has some tips?

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

Well, i decided to call BETST and talk to Keith, seems like a pretty nice guy and so I asked him a number of questions about their EF-175 Flail mower (68" cutting width). Well by the end of the conversation, I decided to try this unit out. I think it is a gamble I can take. The unit should arrive next week, and if it works as I think it will. I will paint the outside GREEN

Datvik; I would advise anyone who has one of these to call Keith and he has some additional tips on how to adjust the unit for different cutting environments. He also indicate the manual is going to be redone for the flail and the Backhoes they sell. BTW, those are rather inexpensive too!

Based on the specs and what Keith was willing to commit to, I would imagine for the homeowner these might not be too bad. Don't try to kill'em and they probably will last - but I will be able to tell you more after I use it!

here is their website on eBay:

eBay Store - Betst Companies: Flail Mower, Backhoe, Wood Chipper

Call 1-541-895-3083, ext 312

Toll Free 1-877-876-7895 ext.312

Open Daily from 8am - 5pm Pacific M-F

Nuru · Apr 23, 2008

OBTW, he also mentioned they are considering a color change, but they are still deciding what they will do - too bad they did not have Green already!

sunspot · Apr 24, 2008

The BETST looks nice but 56 inch is a bit small for my tractor. How many blades does the BETST have?

davitk · Apr 24, 2008

sunspot said:
The BETST looks nice but 56 inch is a bit small for my tractor. How many blades does the BETST have?

This didn't copy well, but here's the specs, looks like the 56" has 50 blades:

Value Leader VL EF Series Flail Mowers Specifications
SPEC VL EF95 VL EF105 VL EF115 VL EF125 VL EF135 VL EF145 VL EF155 VL EF165
Working Width 37" 41" 45" 48" 52" 56" 60" 64"
Overall Width 41" 45" 49" 52" 56" 60" 64" 68"
Min. HP Req. 15hp 16hp 18hp 20hp 20hp 22hp 24hp 26hp
Hitch Cat.1 Cat. Cat.1 Cat.1 Cat.1 Cat.1 Cat.1 Cat.1
Cutting Offset 1" Offset 4" Offset 6" Offset 4" Offset 8" Offset 12" Offset 8" Offset 12" Offset
Grass Blades 32 Blades 36 Blades 40 Blades 42 Blades 48 Blades 50 Blades 54 Blades 56 Blades
OPTL. Hammer Blades 16 Hammer Blades 18 Hammer Blades 20 Hammer Blades 21 Hammer Blades 24 Hammer Blades 25 Hammer Blades 27 Hammer Blades 28 Hammer Blades
Housing Thickness 4MM 4MM 4MM 4MM 4MM 4MM 5MM 5MM
Rotor Dia. 4 1/4" 4 1/4" 4 1/4" 4 1/4" 4 1/4" 4 1/4" 4 1/2" 4 1/2"
No. of Belts 2 Belts 2 Belts 2 Belts 2 Belts 2 Belts 2 Belts 3 Belts 3 Belts
3pt. Conn. Width 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2" 19 3/4" - 27 1/2"
Weight 253lbs 286lbs 319lbs 352lbs 385lbs 418lbs 462lbs 517lbs
Crated Weight 273lbs 311lbs 344lbs 377lbs 410lbs 445lbs 492lbs 552lbs

allen in texas · Apr 24, 2008

I closed the deal on the Rears.
SPF72 K960

It is to be built in about 3 weeks and then shipped direct to me from Rears.

I bought mine through Midland tractor.

I feel a pain in my backside...

right where my billfold goes.

IslandTractor · Apr 24, 2008

The price is certainly good on the BETST and the design looks pretty standard. I'd be mostly concerned about long term parts availability for things other than knives which can probably be sourced from Caroni or other manufacturers. Still, as not much goes wrong with flail mowers it doesn't seem like a bad deal. No negatives on the eBay account of the seller either.