Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[sidecarist]

I have one of the cheap Chinese 5' flail mowers and I would have no problem using it for what you're talking about but it would be very slow going. When I chop up a ~2" diameter tree I will raise the mower up, back over it until the top is in the mower, then pull forward and lower the mower to chop it up from the top down. That would take a long time with a big area of six foot deep brush.

Thanks for the response. What mower do you have? The time isn't a big consideration. Mowing the heavy brush is a one time thing. After that it will be mowing the clover etc. I am concerned about seriously damaging the mower with some of the rocks and junk I may encounter during the process, parts availability etc.

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

Thanks for the response. What mower do you have? The time isn't a big consideration. Mowing the heavy brush is a one time thing. After that it will be mowing the clover etc. I am concerned about seriously damaging the mower with some of the rocks and junk I may encounter during the process, parts availability etc.

I think I would look at using a brush hog the first time to knock down the bigger stuff and the rocks won't be as hard on it. Get it knocked down and then get the rocks out.

 

[Ozarks Landowner]

A little update on my old unknown brand flail.

I was checking the drum over again as there was a big vibration. I got to checking the bearings out and one side would seem to jump a little. I took it off and noticed it was pretty sloppy on the shaft. The other side was a real pain. The bearing seemed to be good but I had decided to take the drum out for balancing. The bearing had to come off for that. It was seized on there and I had to cut it off. Got to looking online and it was about a $450 bearing.

I mic'ed the shaft on both ends at 1 7/16'' and the sloppy bearing was 1 1/2''. Someone had installed a wrong sized bearing. I've got new bearings on the way and the drum is at a shop checking balance.

I'm afraid this isn't going to help my problem of grass catching on the blades though.

 

[Parkanzky]

Thanks for the response. What mower do you have? The time isn't a big consideration. Mowing the heavy brush is a one time thing. After that it will be mowing the clover etc. I am concerned about seriously damaging the mower with some of the rocks and junk I may encounter during the process, parts availability etc.

I have this:

http://www.value-leader.com/60-flail-mower-efg155-on-sale-100-off/

I'm pretty hard on it. Some bolts have worked loose over time and I knocked a few knives off clearing some pasture for a friend of mine. I also mangled the belt guard when I got too close to a tree. Overall I'm happy with it. I paid $1050 shipped, so I didn't think I could lose.

 

[powerscol]

I have this:

http://www.value-leader.com/60-flail-mower-efg155-on-sale-100-off/

I'm pretty hard on it. Some bolts have worked loose over time and I knocked a few knives off clearing some pasture for a friend of mine. I also mangled the belt guard when I got too close to a tree. Overall I'm happy with it. I paid $1050 shipped, so I didn't think I could lose.

They also carry this model that I have been looking at, http://www.value-leader.com/57-ditch-bank-flail-mower-w-hammers-installed-agl145/ , assuming the HP listed is PTO. If it is tractor HP I might consider the 165 model. Is anyone familiar with the Farmer Helper Machinery brand (actually have one). Also one other question is if I get the grass blade model, can it be converted the the hammer flail later after the blades wear out, of should I just get the hammer flail to start. Thanks

 

[sidecarist]

I'm pretty hard on it. Some bolts have worked loose over time and I knocked a few knives off clearing some pasture for a friend of mine. I also mangled the belt guard when I got too close to a tree. Overall I'm happy with it. I paid $1050 shipped, so I didn't think I could lose.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I am also considering one of their mowers the 77-hydraulic-offset-flail-mower-efgch195

I think I'd prefer the woodmaxx FM_78H_Flail_Mower_p/fm because it has the rear door that can be opened in heavy conditions.

I mowed a bit today with the rotary cutter, and I'll get it all knocked down with that. I was going to sell it, but in the end it will do a job and I'll get the flail this fall or over the winter.

I am surprised that no one here has tried the woodmaxx or even seen one. I'd like to hear what others think of it before I pull the trigger on it...

 

[LiveRoll]

What is the rule of thumb for Required HP per foot of flail mower?? looking for one for My BX25 ( 17HP @ PTO)

Cheers

Roger

 

[whirly]

I don't have a rule of thumb but there are a couple of things to look out for especially when buying an older flail. As a point of reference, I bought my Mott 72 from a guy who had just acquired it and refurbished it before putting it on his tractor. He had a Kubota BX25 and it was just too much weight for the hitch (935#).

1) Make sure you know the life capacity of your 3PTH and keep the weight below that.

2) As far as width I wouldn't try to get anything much wider than the outside width of your rear tires.

Having said that most of the light to medium duty flails would probably work well for you.

 

[leonz]

What is the rule of thumb for Required HP per foot of flail mower?? looking for one for My BX25 ( 17HP @ PTO)

Cheers

Roger

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


Hello Roger,
You need to do much more homework for your intended purchase if you are serious about
owning a flail mower and and comparing costs to investing in an ACRE EASE unit that is towed
and motorized.

The rule of thumb is simple; there is none because your terrain
and amount of heavy brush, good sod or the amount you can afford to spend
is an unknown.

Do not expect to run a flail mower quickly because heavy brush will burn up a set of belts quickly too.


With your mule an integral mounted four footer is all your going to manage with if you have
heavy brush or good sod for that matter. That is coming from my 30 plus years of owning
and operating them.

A four foot cut Caroni, Maschio or Vrisimo flail mower will work well for you.
You have to decide how much you can afford to spend as the flail mower will outlast
your current mule and the next one and you have to decied what type of finish you want.

A finish flail or rough cut flail mower with side slicer knives will cut everything up and you will
be able to recut the clippings to make them degrade faster.

If I sell you a towed motorized unit with 4 high floatation wheels and cup and cone wheel bearings
you will want a four wheel arrangement to make it easier to operate and tow and you can also
tow it with a heavy RTV or small SUV or 4 wheel drive pickup.

 

[Fallon]

Personally I love my 7ish foot old Ford 917 flail behind my 5' wide L3200. I do have to run a little slower than with my 5' rotary, but cover more ground. I can also only crush 1 tire of grass rather than 2 because of the offset. Makes for less unmowed tire tracks.

As others have said 3pt lift capacity is the defining limit. To a large degree you can just go slower if you are a little short on HP. You loose a little maneuverability with a bigger mower, but the efficiency is more important to me personally.

 

[coolnick73]

I have looked over this MONSTER thread and didn't see where anyone has owned a Woodmaxx flail mower. I'm considering one for use in several roles.

1. As a light to medium duty brush cutter for material up to about 1.5in in diameter but mostly berry brambles.

2. To cut up to 10 acres of clover, alfalfa, buckwheat, wildflowers, and similar plantings a couple of times a year.

3. Cutting tall grass from under-attended areas several times a year.

I think I'll want a machine with hammer knives rather than Y grass blades. I'm not looking to cut super short or get a particularly groomed look, but a rotary cutter leaves windrows that I'd like to avoid. Where I mow there are occasional bowling ball sized rocks and old stumps. The rocks I'll remove as I find them, but I wouldn't want hitting such a rock to cripple the mower. The stumps will either be mostly rotten, or I'll dig them out as needed.

I'm looking at the 77in Woodmaxx with side shift, but would consider other machines... will such a flail do all that I'm asking of it? Does anyone here have a Woodmaxx, or can you recommend another unit for less than $4000.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I was seriously considering a Woodmaxx FM-78H when I was in the market. It has the rear door which makes maintenance easier and it has the hydraulic side shift.

I ended up going with a used Maschio Brava which is quite similar in design as the Woodmaxx. My Maschio is a bit smaller, doesn't have hydraulics, and has used blades. It was about the same money as the FM-78H, but I didn't factor in the cost of new blades, bolts, nuts and washers. I kind of regret not going with the Woodmaxx but I was hesitant not seeing one in person. Having just purchased a chipper from WM, I am satisfied with the quality even though it is made in China and the company has good customer service. I think if I could go back I would have went with the Woodmaxx flail.

 

[sidecarist]

Thanks much for the response. I have heard good things about their customer service, as well as the chippers. I know one person with a woodmaxx chipper and they like it. So fat it's been trouble free so support hasn't been needed, but the purchase process went well. I'm a little skeptical of buying sight un seen... it's still in the running.

I'm going to work on the land with my rotary cutter for now. Find the rocks stumps and other obstacles then get the flail this autumn and mow everything going against into a fine mulch that will decompose quicker.

Thanks again and if I buy the woodmaxx I'll post my thoughts about it here.

 

[TerryCC]

Bought my first tractor in September last year with a shredder and a finishing mower but after reading this thread in December I ordered a Caroni 1900 flail mower. On my pastures the brush hog left much of the grass lumped up, but the flail mower does just what this thread says, cuts it almost like a hay mower. I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase. I read this thread completely and purchased the Gates belts and the gearbox adapter. The adapter has different threads than my gearbox and will not work, however it is not needed as my gearbox doesn't leak without it, Caroni must have fixed the problem. I probably have 25 hours cutting with the Caroni without any problems.

Kudos to Island Tractor as I found his posts to be most informative and was able to set the mower up initially correctly. No dragging on turns and a good cutting height.

 

[IslandTractor]

Glad you are happy with your TM1900 Terry. I'll try to remember that Caroni has changed the gearbox vent design so folks won't need the extension adapter anymore.

 

[sodamo]

Last week I somewhat reluctantly became a member of the "Smoked My Belts" club. I knew this task was going to tax my belts:




This area hasn't been mowed in 3+ years and has hundreds of albizia seedlings, which I need to kill. Before I realized there were so many, my plan was to just cut off and poison the stump.
I was able to get mowed up to the fence, down to the big dying albizia on the left.
But late in the day, I just wanted to do a bit more and about 30+ ft past the tree got into stuff about 6 ft tall and really thick. My technique had been to back over, flail raised, forward, repeat a bit lower. Well, I just bit too much. Squealing and smoking, it just wouldn't clear and I was too slow to disengage PTO. I probably should have quit half hour sooner. By the time I got back to the tractor shed it was still smoking, and not a pretty sight once I got the belt cover off. Off the 4 belts, only 1 might be recognized as a belt.

Ordered set of replacement belts from Betstco next day. Unable to determine what to get locally.

Joy at the PO this morning, belts arrived.
Got them installed, adjusted, shot some grease into the zerks and mowed a few hours . Regular mowing, not this project as it has been raining and needs to dry a bit. Really, really prefer tractor mowing to either the Craftsman or Scag. Probably because we really don't have lawn, but acres of mowed pasture.

Need to decipher the various codes on the belts to determine local replacement, maybe even those Kevlar ones Leonz speaks so highly:
Supposed to be metric and fit SPB pulley

CHAOYANG
GB/T1171/06
527 88091407

B 1016 Li
1059 LW

2015--04 (guessing this is manufacture date)

 

[IslandTractor]

Last week I somewhat reluctantly became a member of the "Smoked My Belts" club. I knew this task was going to tax my belts: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=476658"/> This area hasn't been mowed in 3+ years and has hundreds of albizia seedlings, which I need to kill. Before I realized there were so many, my plan was to just cut off and poison the stump. I was able to get mowed up to the fence, down to the big dying albizia on the left. But late in the day, I just wanted to do a bit more and about 30+ ft past the tree got into stuff about 6 ft tall and really thick. My technique had been to back over, flail raised, forward, repeat a bit lower. Well, I just bit too much. Squealing and smoking, it just wouldn't clear and I was too slow to disengage PTO. I probably should have quit half hour sooner. By the time I got back to the tractor shed it was still smoking, and not a pretty sight once I got the belt cover off. Off the 4 belts, only 1 might be recognized as a belt. Ordered set of replacement belts from Betstco next day. Unable to determine what to get locally. Joy at the PO this morning, belts arrived. Got them installed, adjusted, shot some grease into the zerks and mowed a few hours . Regular mowing, not this project as it has been raining and needs to dry a bit. Really, really prefer tractor mowing to either the Craftsman or Scag. Probably because we really don't have lawn, but acres of mowed pasture. Need to decipher the various codes on the belts to determine local replacement, maybe even those Kevlar ones Leonz speaks so highly: Supposed to be metric and fit SPB pulley CHAOYANG GB/T1171/06 527 88091407 B 1016 Li 1059 LW 2015--04 (guessing this is manufacture date) <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=476661"/>

Measure it precisely. Look at the cross sectional outline. Go to the Gates online catalogue and match it. Your photo isn't clear. And, I forget whether it is internal or external length but I am pretty sure the Gates catalog explains that.

 

[whirly]

Welcome to the Club:thumbsup:

B 1016 Li = 40" inside
1059 LW = 41.6" outside

A B39 belt is 42" outside and cost about $2.90 + freight most places on line that specialize in Vbelts.

 

[Alien]

Kudos to Island Tractor as I found his posts to be most informative and was able to set the mower up initially correctly. No dragging on turns and a good cutting height.

I always lift mine a bit when I turn or the skids will dig in a bit. Much easier on the 3PL too. The finish mine leaves is second to none and the hammers seem to be standing up to the stumps and small trees I have hit.
This is my mower.

 

[IslandTractor]

I always lift mine a bit when I turn or the skids will dig in a bit. Much easier on the 3PL too. The finish mine leaves is second to none and the hammers seem to be standing up to the stumps and small trees I have hit. This is my mower.

Do you have your skids at the highest setting so they are out of the way? The roller protects the rotor when the mower is mounted so I've never found the side skids useful. I store my mower on turf. I suppose if you store it on concrete the skids play a role but to me they are vestigial and pretty much useless.

 

[sodamo]

Not completely useless, IT,
There was that time I caught the one on a root and racked the mower , but other than that a good dig could earn a comment or two from the wife LOL

I think one has to consider the actual topography and width of the mower. I have a few places that together they work against me. If the mower was narrower, the skid closer to ground may dig in, but if I were to adjust my height, I'd leave a high strip. Of course if mowing on the level and this isn't a concern. Living on the side of a mountain I have a built in slope with some interesting variations. For the longest time I fussed with the adjustments, then I actually took the time to watch. Where I might get a dig this time if my track was bit to the side not a problem. As I usually overlap a bit and sometimes alternate directions my track doesn't match mowing to mowing, except my original path next to the fence. So once I have it set up properly I no longer fiddle except for the areas I need to raise the 3pt.

Hope that made sense LOL