Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[RoyJackson]

Caroni mowers can be adapted for front mount use. Not sure if it is a specific model or more likely some adapter hardware but they showed one in their catalog a while back.

I saw that in one of their brochures...not sure if that was on the Caroni website, or linked from Agri-Supply.
Since the mowers we own are also sold in Europe, there are a number of attachments/implements used on the front of European tractors that are normally rigged to the rear of American tractors.

 

[IslandTractor]

I saw that in one of their brochures...not sure if that was on the Caroni website, or linked from Agri-Supply.
Since the mowers we own are also sold in Europe, there are a number of attachments/implements used on the front of European tractors that are normally rigged to the rear of American tractors.

Yes. I hope that front mounted flails become more popular and readily available in the USA. I suspect (no data) that our predominant use of rear mowers relates to habits that make sense for farmers but not so much for those of us just mowing our fields. A front mounted mower would be much easier to guide accurately and probably save time and fuel because less overlap would be necessary. It would also be more comfortable when mowing near obstacles as we wouldn’t need to twist around to see where the mower was.

 

[alexpops]

I put on the new duckfoot blades yesterday but here are a few pics that you asked for.

How long did you wind up waiting for your F rotor Caroni to swim over? & how much extra did agri supply charge vs the B? Given they seem to have just raised their prices by 330 today & I remember a mark-up for the special order being discussed earlier ... I knew I should have invested in that Evelyn Wood speed reading course back in high school. These 491 pages have just cost me at least 10 times what they wanted to charge back then.

 

[houser52]

How long did you wind up waiting for your F rotor Caroni to swim over? & how much extra did agri supply charge vs the B? Given they seem to have just raised their prices by 330 today & I remember a mark-up for the special order being discussed earlier ... I knew I should have invested in that Evelyn Wood speed reading course back in high school. These 491 pages have just cost me at least 10 times what they wanted to charge back then.

It was simply a blade swap and did not have to use the F rotor. The duckfoot blades are as wide as the back to back Y blades and the length is very close. They give a smooth clean cut without any gaps of uncut grass between the blades.
I've probably mowed close to 30 acres total so far and the blades are still in perfect condition. Keep in mind that I've not mowed any rocks or heavy brush. Everything has been pasture type grass with assorted weeds. I'm very satisfied with them so far.

I ordered 30 blades ( DFM-2042 ) from Flailmaster. Total cost was $127.34. I only needed 28 but wanted to have a couple spares on hand.

 

[alexpops]

Thanks houser52. I confused myself (happens a lot more often these days than it used to). I thought that blade attachments on the B's were 180 degree offsets on the rotor & the F's were 90. When I saw 90 degrees in the blade pic on page 484 it confused me. Maybe just bleary after reading all the posts. I'll be picking up my trailer & tractor next week, so may stop into an ASC while on the road & check out the Caronis. Thanks to all for the info/data/opinions. This thread may be a bear to wade through, but it's given me a lot to think about. As long as I'm already driving myself to the poorhouse with all the new toys, I figure I might as well slow down & leave a nicer path behind me & a flail sure seems more attractive than a bush hog + finishing mower. My old craftsman 42 rider can still handle the tight areas for lawn mowing, but it would sure be nice to reduce my 4 hours of mowing every 10 days by getting something with a 6 ft swath & it'll save wear on the craftsman deck in the tougher areas of "lawn". Seems the flail will also let me open up my fence lines & clean out some trails in the woods. Now for the pond banks ...
Alex

 

[houser52]

Thanks houser52. I confused myself (happens a lot more often these days than it used to). I thought that blade attachments on the B's were 180 degree offsets on the rotor & the F's were 90. When I saw 90 degrees in the blade pic on page 484 it confused me. Maybe just bleary after reading all the posts. I'll be picking up my trailer & tractor next week, so may stop into an ASC while on the road & check out the Caronis. Thanks to all for the info/data/opinions. This thread may be a bear to wade through, but it's given me a lot to think about. As long as I'm already driving myself to the poorhouse with all the new toys, I figure I might as well slow down & leave a nicer path behind me & a flail sure seems more attractive than a bush hog + finishing mower. My old craftsman 42 rider can still handle the tight areas for lawn mowing, but it would sure be nice to reduce my 4 hours of mowing every 10 days by getting something with a 6 ft swath & it'll save wear on the craftsman deck in the tougher areas of "lawn". Seems the flail will also let me open up my fence lines & clean out some trails in the woods. Now for the pond banks ...
Alex

Another great thing about my flail is the 6' cut. You wouldn't think that an extra 12" of cut compared to a 5' hog would make much of a difference but I'm here to tell you that it does! That extra 12" probably saves me an hour each time that I mow compared to the 5' brush hog when mowing the same area.

 

[def38]

I've been following this thread for some time now and reading about belt problems and other issues. Also, I have researched flail mower prices. I recently purchased a 68" flail mower from Titan Attachments, free shipping, attractive price under $1400.00, delivered to my door.

It is of Chinese manufacture and looks to be a copy of popular European brands. It weighs about 675 lbs and is well constructed, thick steel plate, good welds, easy to use and doesn't chew up belts. The 68" uses three drive belts that run cool regardless of load. It came with duck foot fails, just what I was looking for.

I am usually skeptical of Chinese manufactured stuff having made several trips to China for manufacturing services and to purchase machinery. If you are careful, you can get good deals and reliable products. The Titan flails are good. I have used mine for cutting weeds and brush containing some 3 inch limbs and roots from recent clearing. My 45HP M-F handled it well with no stalls, no belts burning and nothing broken. I got some hidden fence wire wrapped in the rotor which might have caused issues with other brands. I cut six acres and some brush was over the hood of the M-F in height.

I found the following;

1- Keep the side skids at a low setting for initial field work. Mine are down the max.
2- Using the top link, raise the front of the mower so that the rear roller engages the ground. Much better cutting this way and clumping is reduced.
3- My mower allows installation of the top link tower with or without offset. I have no need for a hydraulic side shift using the offset setting. Plenty of reach when mowing next to trees and fences.

Some comments regarding Titan; Excellent service, tough flail mower (although, I have no experience with other brands), easy to use and maintain and a great value.

I'll likely sharpen my duckfoot flails over winter due to some contact with rocks. The originals are forged steel not the bent style. They'll last for many years with some occasional sharpening. This will also improve the mulching performance of the mower.

As for power, I mowed my 6 acres in a day with one stop to untangle the wire caught in the flail drum. I believe a 30 HP machine could easily handle this flail especially for routine mowing. First time cut in a rough field might take more time at a slower speed. Keep the PTO speed at or slightly above the 540RPM. Remember too, flails are much easier to maneuver around objects due to their smaller footprint. They are less prone to throw objects, quieter and store inside a small shed. I'll likely pressure wash and repaint the underside in a year or two.

 

[leonz]

If you purchase a slow speed wet well grinder from Micro-Mark - The Small Tools Specialists They were on sale for less than 90 dollars at one point.

I have not looked lately at their current price but you will be able to maintain the cutting edge with a cool grind without damaging the forging.

 

[lostcreekranch]

If you purchase a slow speed wet well grinder from Micro-Mark - The Small Tools Specialists They were on sale for less than 90 dollars at one point.

I have not looked lately at their current price but you will be able to maintain the cutting edge with a cool grind without damaging the forging.

This one Leonz?

Wet / Dry Utility Sharpener

It’s on sale for $70 online.

I have had the same one, made by Delta, for about 10 years.

 

[def38]

My mower allows the sharpening of the flails in situ. I'll use my angle grinder for sharpening. They'll only need a touch up...not a lot of heavy metal removal.

 

[leonz]

This one Leonz?

Wet / Dry Utility Sharpener

It痴 on sale for $70 online.

I have had the same one, made by Delta, for about 10 years.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hello rlgufstason,

Yes that is the wet well grinder I was talking about.

 

[leonz]

Hello def38,

I hope you do not lose the edge by doing that.

 

[ArmyDoc]

I've been following this thread for some time now and reading about belt problems and other issues. Also, I have researched flail mower prices. I recently purchased a 68" flail mower from Titan Attachments, free shipping, attractive price under $1400.00, delivered to my door.

It is of Chinese manufacture and looks to be a copy of popular European brands. It weighs about 675 lbs and is well constructed, thick steel plate, good welds, easy to use and doesn't chew up belts. The 68" uses three drive belts that run cool regardless of load. It came with duck foot fails, just what I was looking for.

I am usually skeptical of Chinese manufactured stuff having made several trips to China for manufacturing services and to purchase machinery. If you are careful, you can get good deals and reliable products. The Titan flails are good. I have used mine for cutting weeds and brush containing some 3 inch limbs and roots from recent clearing. My 45HP M-F handled it well with no stalls, no belts burning and nothing broken. I got some hidden fence wire wrapped in the rotor which might have caused issues with other brands. I cut six acres and some brush was over the hood of the M-F in height.

I found the following;

1- Keep the side skids at a low setting for initial field work. Mine are down the max.
2- Using the top link, raise the front of the mower so that the rear roller engages the ground. Much better cutting this way and clumping is reduced.
3- My mower allows installation of the top link tower with or without offset. I have no need for a hydraulic side shift using the offset setting. Plenty of reach when mowing next to trees and fences.

Some comments regarding Titan; Excellent service, tough flail mower (although, I have no experience with other brands), easy to use and maintain and a great value.

I'll likely sharpen my duckfoot flails over winter due to some contact with rocks. The originals are forged steel not the bent style. They'll last for many years with some occasional sharpening. This will also improve the mulching performance of the mower.

As for power, I mowed my 6 acres in a day with one stop to untangle the wire caught in the flail drum. I believe a 30 HP machine could easily handle this flail especially for routine mowing. First time cut in a rough field might take more time at a slower speed. Keep the PTO speed at or slightly above the 540RPM. Remember too, flails are much easier to maneuver around objects due to their smaller footprint. They are less prone to throw objects, quieter and store inside a small shed. I'll likely pressure wash and repaint the underside in a year or two.

Nice review! Thanks.

 

[def38]

Hello def38,

I hope you do not lose the edge by doing that.

I'll take my time and remove little material, reducing heat and eliminating the danger of loosing temper. Also, I may experiment with grinding notches into the cutting edge. This increases the cutting surface and provides improved mulching. I've done it with my riding mower blades. It helps a lot.

 

[ramptester]

First time post, I picked up an old Ford 907 I found on Craigslist for $500. It is missing the rear shield, and the original knives were worn out. After replacing the blades (with the Mott style two piece Y blades) and belt, it has served well to clear my dad's property. He purchased about 34 acres in north Georgia that had been partially clear cut, leaving tons of stumps. His 1950s era Bush Hog (has a patent pending tag!) kept shearing PTO linkage pins, so we were looking for something that would allow clearing. We have monster briars in this area of the state if land has been left for several years. They are virtually impassible, and the dozer operators wanted $4-5000 just to get their dozer and full size excavator machines in there with all the stumps.
With the flail, I was able to start by backing the tractor in, weaving between stumps, and then setting it down and mowing out in first gear. Tractor is an Oliver 550, about 40 PTO hp, 1964 year model.
Here are some pics of one of the clearings before and after. My son is 5 deet tall in these pics, to give some idea. Once we were able to get close to the trees larger than 2 inches we could cut them with saws. Also got a stump grinder in, and now the area is mowable. Included some pics of other areas that have been mowed with the flail at about 4 inches.

 

[Fallon]

With the flail, I was able to start by backing the tractor in, weaving between stumps, and then setting it down and mowing out in first gear. Tractor is an Oliver 550, about 40 PTO hp, 1964 year model.

As you probably already know flails cut for crap in reverse. But if that's the only way in, it's the only way in. Then cut forward on your way out to get a decent cut & mulch.

The Y knives don't do a great job on heavier brush, but as you noted they definitely can get the job done.

 

[ramptester]

Yeah, I actually bought some Deere scoop type knives for grooming, but my links were worn and most places want like $5 per piece at 33 pieces. So I am currently looking for an Alamo. Found a used Rhino Rhd88 for $1000 locally. It looks to be about the same as an Alamo. Haven稚 pulled the trigger yet.
The Ford doesn稚 like to be spun at true 540, usually have to be just under or it starts to clank. Not super heavy duty built, but would work as a medium duty mulched cut if I can get another grooming mower.
Trying to decide between a finish rotary or a grass type flail for longer term maintenance. Total cutting area right now probably closer to about 15 acres.

 

[def38]

Have you looked at these folks?

Search results for: 'flail'


I have the 68 and it is a good machine. Comes standard with forged duck foot knives.

 

[ramptester]

I致e looked at some of those, the forged knives are probably tougher than I need. Plan is to keep it mowed back 3 times a year, and at that rate it would be mostly turf grass and hay sized material. If I was only going to mow about once every couple of years I would probably go that route. You can get very thick Y knives that are also forged but they would still not be as heavy or tough as the forged knives that are duck foot shaped.

 

[IslandTractor]

I致e looked at some of those, the forged knives are probably tougher than I need. Plan is to keep it mowed back 3 times a year, and at that rate it would be mostly turf grass and hay sized material. If I was only going to mow about once every couple of years I would probably go that route. You can get very thick Y knives that are also forged but they would still not be as heavy or tough as the forged knives that are duck foot shaped.

Even mowing every other year can be done effectively with the Y knives. I️ maintain several fields that way. No problem at all. I don’t doubt that forged scoops and other knife styles have their place but in over 12 years of clearing and maintaining a variety of field types I’ve been happy with clevis mounted Y style knives.