Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[leonz]

Hello Hoochy,

I want to welcome you as the newest member of the Flail Mower Nations.

OK you definetely have a problem if the V belt guard cannot be reinstalled.

The V belt that was on the flail mower is the wrong size.

Now, where is the spring that connects to the tensioner arm of the flat idler
to keep tension on the flat side of V belt??


I will have to check my parts catalog for this model SH74's parts and numbers

I will get back to this later today.

 

[Hoochy]

Hello Leonz, yes the belt that is on now is a bit narrower, the OEM belt is a bit wider and shorter. The spring tensioner is in place and in good working order.
The new belt is M-100706 which is what my parts manual calls for.

The guard can be tricky to take on and off, maybe i need to try to get it behind the idler and the bottom first then slide to top in or something.:confused3:
Thanks, any help is appreciated.

 

[leonz]

Hello Leonz, yes the belt that is on now is a bit narrower, the OEM belt is a bit wider and shorter. The spring tensioner is in place and in good working order.View attachment 451351
The new belt is M-100706 which is what my parts manual calls for.

The guard can be tricky to take on and off, maybe i need to try to get it behind the idler and the bottom first then slide to top in or something.:confused3:
Thanks, any help is appreciated.

=============================================================================

Hello Hoochy,

as time is short for my evening chores, The V belt guard goes on one way and comes off the same way-patience and take good look at the parts diagram of the mower to see everying there.

1. I want you to remove the current belt
2. remove the idler arm
3. replace the grease fitting in the idler arm
4. clean the old grease off the idler arm shaft
5. use some fine grit emery cloth to clean it more
6. make sure the flat pulley idler is not stuck or sticking
7. use fresh grease in the new idler arm fitting and make sure it can swing a wide arc.
8. reinstall the idelr arm spring


After that you should have no issues using the OEM Belt .you need the OEM belt and
then use a hose with hot water to wash off all the dirt under the V belt guard and around the pulleys.

 

[leonz]

Hello Hoochy,

You need to use the OEM V belt, and please some grease in the idler arm too
as it looks like it has not seen any in while

 

[Hoochy]

Thanks Leonz. That pic is a bit older. Since then, I have done all you mentioned above to ensure the arm was well greased and moving freely, and started sanding blasting and prepping for a paint job. The idler was moving freely and there were no issues with the arm swinging or being tight. The spring is also very strong although it looks like crap. I plan to replace it after the paint job.
I was thinking maybe someone replaced the idler pulley with one of a larger diameter to accomodate the longer belt??? Do you know what the diameter of an OEM pulley is supposed to be?

I am not at home ATM, but I can measure mine next week.
Thanks again!

 

[Thomabear]

The Toro Flail mower head in question is a finish cut flail mower.

A finish cut flail mower will have:

Balanced FLAIL MOWER ROTORS that have THREE or FOUR rows of paired side slicer knives that are spaced to follow behind and slightly left or right of the knive pair in front of it to provide adequate coverage and provide a finish cut quality to the mowing job.

Scoop knive flail mowers/shredders have wider cuting edges ment ot cut material ONLY ONCE and cannot recut the material as it has ben cut to its final length no matter how tall the grass or brush.

The Spiral mounting of a sccop knives/hammers on some flail shredders is simply a way to enable the end user to have an all purpose shredder/mower with fewer knives and a poorer cut in thew scheme of things that will not shred and slice the material finely enough to rot and dissolve quickly.

I hope this settles the issue.

The scoop knives actually cut more than once. If I cut one foot tall grass I wind up with clippings and not one foot tall grass pieces. The scoop knives cut several times from when the front of the rotation reaches the grass until the bottom of the rotation does the final cut. Side cutter knives are considered industrial knives while scoop knives are considered finish cut knives. From my experience scoop knives provide a more even cut verses a serrated cut.

 

[Hoochy]

Update on my belt issues. I emailed Alamo support and Mr. Quesada quickly replied with the answer. He confirmed that the belt that came with the mower is not OEM and also suggested that there are some manufacturers producing a similar belts to the 100706, however the "M" designation in front of the number confirms it is not an Alamo belt and thus too short causing guard issues. It is what I get for trying to save a few bucks and buying off flea bay:ashamed:

Yes, a new OEM belt is on the way....minding the holidays I'll have it next year:laughing:

 

[Hoochy]

Here's a pic of the belt I bought, notice the "M".....not EOM and although it will work, it will make it impossible to use with the belt guard because it is a bit shorter than OEM belts.
Just though I would let you all know in case you are considering a new belt. Stay clear from these with the "M":thumbdown:

 

[IslandTractor]

Here's a pic of the belt I bought, notice the "M".....not EOM and although it will work, it will make it impossible to use with the belt guard because it is a bit shorter than OEM belts.View attachment 451416
Just though I would let you all know in case you are considering a new belt. Stay clear from these with the "M":thumbdown:

Make sure to leave some feedback for the eBay seller.

 

[PRCWI]

Hello all. I must say this is one long thread! New to TBN and want to thank you for all the info, specially on this thread, which help me with my decission to buy a flail. It's an Alamo SH74, fine cut. It was state DOT owned and all it needs is a decent paint job.
I have been mowing with the belt it had on but ordered a new one. The new one appears to be a little shorter than the one it had on and the idler pulley sticks out too far to attach the belt cover.
Original belt
View attachment 451303
Sorry i do not have a pic with the new belt, but I hope you get the picture
Any suggestions?

Are you sure you got the right belt? I hope you love your flail as much as I like mine. I have an SHD88. Love the thing, mine is regular cut not fine but **** it's tough and I work it hard.

Where did you get your belt from? I get all my knives/belts from Flailmaster and I've never had an issue. Our models should take the same belt. M-100706 Belt for Models #50,62,74,88 & 96
Rear Mount $25.10
You can view their catalog here: http://flailmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/FlailMaster_Catalog.pdf
And their website here. Our Products | Flail Master

You have to call them to order stuff but I've always been happy with their service and their products. I've gotten a new belt, drive side bearing, new rear roller bracket and bearing, new belt, new transfer drive shaft bearing (the upper pully bearing) and lots and lots of knives from them. On a side note my shield is cracked in a couple of spots and I haven't gotten a new one or gotten in welded, so I have just been running without it on. I'm not mowing in areas where there would be kids about etc to be in danger of getting into the pully system but obviously it would be safer to have it on.