Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[powerscol]

There can be float on 3pt hitches depending on the valve. I have a float in one position on my second set. In my case on my Maschio flail, when I set it down I position the mower in the mid point of the (float) position on the mower per the manual. There are slotted connections to allow it to follow terrain. The mower in the pictures above has room for the lower 3pt arms to move to follow terrain. In my testing my unit did pretty good with the 3pt fully lowered with the mower moving on the skids and rear roller. The mower design allows to to flex side to side to . When looking at selecting a mower, look as to how it is design to flex behind you tractor. Some are designed better than others.

Hope this helps.

 

[Milo]

Thanks IslandTractor and Powerscol.

 

[Fallon]

The lift links on the Ford 917 & similar aren't solid. They move up & down 4-6" or so to get the flex you normally get on the toplink on a rotary cutter.

 

[Catman8]

Is there a proper procedure for shutting down a PTO implement so you don't damage your PTO ? So your flail mowing at 540 RPM'S, do you lift the implement off the ground then idle the RPM'S down then disengage the PTO. or can you disengage and engage the PTO at any RPM'S

 

[IslandTractor]

Is there a proper procedure for shutting down a PTO implement so you don't damage your PTO ? So your flail mowing at 540 RPM'S, do you lift the implement off the ground then idle the RPM'S down then disengage the PTO. or can you disengage and engage the PTO at any RPM'S

Just shut it off. You won't damage the PTO. Of course in general we typically slow down or come to a halt before disengaging but that is just a matter of work flow. It doesn't hurt the PTO to be disengaged at higher rpm.

The one issue that is a concern is if you have an older tractor without a live PTO, then a high inertial load can cause the tractor to continue to move forward even when the foot clutch is depressed, creating an unsafe condition. And overrunning clutch is often added in such a scenario so that by disconnecting the load from the PTO under these conditions, the overrunning clutch improves safety.

 

[Catman8]

Thanks Island Tractor, you talked about disengaging, can you engage the PTO at any RPM.

 

[IslandTractor]

Thanks Island Tractor, you talked about disengaging, can you engage the PTO at any RPM.

No. You must engage at idle speed. Sorry if I misread your original question.

 

[ericm979]

With no attachment on your lowered three point, grab a lower link and pull up on it, both lower links will come up.

Thats what I thought but I haven't actually tried it.. I also just realized that I may have the 3pt bleed-down adjuster too tight.. The arms lower very slowly.
I'll have to see if the bleed down adjust also affects upward movement.

 

[CADplans]

I'll have to see if the bleed down adjust also affects upward movement.

It will have no effect on "up".

Up is usually mechanical,,, so once it goes up, it will again go down quickly to the set point.

 

[Fallon]

It will have no effect on "up".

Up is usually mechanical,,, so once it goes up, it will again go down quickly to the set point.

It's usually called the ROD knob in manuals. Rate of Descent. It affects how big the hole is that empties out the cylinder is. No relation to hydraulic flow in. Idling down would slow down the lift speed, but that's about it unless you re-plumb things.