Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[def38]

Wow. Good thing it wasn't 20' with a fence post tied to the other end.

Yeah and good thing the sparks didn't start the dry grass on fire.

 

[leonz]

I am surprised that your question got missed. I don't know the answer, but maybe someone that does will see it this time.

Thanks. I was going to bump it in a day or two.

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If you start doing stuff like that with the B rotor the end result will not be pretty, especially adding knives to the outside of the knife hangers=not good.

You have to decide what mower you want and stick with it.

The B rotor with the two row flail mower rotor with the side slicers will provide you with an all around mower with a fair finish.

 

[Valkyreel]

I had a feeling that leonz would say that. I guess I shouldn't try to redesign a flail mower from the cutters up.

 

[Weedaway]

I have an F rotor Caroni with Y blades on every second station. I dont know how this would compare to a B rotor since the blade pattern is different. But im happy with how it cuts. No it doesn’t vibrate. My point is, with an F rotor you have the option.

 

[leonz]

Gooday Weedaway,

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

How has the early spring been going in South Australia so far?


Leon

 

[def38]

I see reference to various rotors such as F and B rotors. Can someone please inform me as to the specifications for each and which is the best? Thank you.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Do the side slicers seem to take less HP to than your old knives (wing)?

What size is your 917?

What tractor are you running it with?

I have a 5 foot. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the HP requirements because of the following reasons: 1- changed knives and tractors at the same time (went from 24HP to 45HP), 2- the wings were so beat up that I cannot make a good comparison. I do know that having sharp blades instead of dull broken ones seems to help. It does seem to take more to get the rotor spinning because of the extra weight. I feel the side slicers are a better choice for tall pasture as the wings have that center section and short blades, where side slicers are sharp all the way across the cutting surface.

The side slicers I ordered are heavier, which is what I was looking for to help reclaim pasture after 20 years in CRP. I like the extra weight I got because it will maintain momentum when hitting heavier objects like brush. They fit right on the same hangers and links (which I also ordered all new, in case of a weight difference because I had a few missing). I decided on the side slicers because I did not care about the finish look. If I decide to care again I'll get a new set of wings. It was also less expensive to go with the "extreme duty" side slicers from Flailmaster than to get new wings. The side slicers have more cutting edge surface, which in theory will require more HP, however they are cutting across the same amount of turf so it should be the same. The wings will create lift to pick the grass up to cut it due to their shape and leave a flatter finish because they are flat across the bottom.

The 917 will not re-cut anything unless you run it over again. It has a forward rotation (same as tires...) rotor which cuts it and spits it out the back on the first swat. This is the same as the JD 25A, and perhaps others but these are the 2 like this I came across in my research when buying. The wings will do a better job of re-cutting on subsequent passes as they have a shape to create lift to suck up the stuff laying on the ground.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

Hello all.
I have decided to get a Caroni flail mower. I want a tm1900fsc (122 knifes) for a one pass finish. But, after getting a quote of $3512.99 + $260 shipping, I'm rethinking my F rotor choice. Question. Can I buy the B rotor model (tm1900bcs) for $2240 and add to or change the knives? Was thinking of ditching the clevis and short knives, and adding the A/F style (long) knives with a spacer, possibly a longer bolt and adding a knife to the outside of the knife hanger tabs. Is this possible, smart, worth the time and effort, or am I just being cheap? Thanks.

I've seen someone that put the scoop knives onto the B rotor with good results. That would give you a good smooth finish while still being less expensive. It would also be more able to cut heavier stuff while still giving that good finish. It won't be as good at brush as the standard knives, but it will still do it with limits.

 

[leonz]

I see reference to various rotors such as F and B rotors. Can someone please inform me as to the specifications for each and which is the best? Thank you.

The B type flail mower rotor has 2 rows of knife mounting stations that also use metric nuts and bolts and metric shackles to mount the scoop and side slicer knives on.

The F type flail mower rotor has four rows of knife mounting stations that are mounted with metric nuts and bolts and use the side slicer knives and it is used for finish mowing.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

The B type flail mower rotor has 2 rows of knife mounting stations that also use metric nuts and bolts and metric shackles to mount the scoop and side slicer knives on.

The F type flail mower rotor has four rows of knife mounting stations that are mounted with metric nuts and bolts and use the side slicer knives and it is used for finish mowing.

All the rotors have 4 rows. F just has twice as many stations as the others. A and F use the same style station mounting, and B and P use the same style station mounting. B and P may be the same rotor, just with different blades. I saw someone convert the B into the P rotor by changing the blades.

 

[leonz]

All the rotors have 4 rows. F just has twice as many stations as the others. A and F use the same style station mounting, and B and P use the same style station mounting. B and P may be the same rotor, just with different blades. I saw someone convert the B into the P rotor by changing the blades.

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If you look at the image I uploaded only the F rotor has four rows of mounting stations.

My fathers 25 A had 3 rows of mounting stations.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

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If you look at the image I uploaded only the F rotor has four rows of mounting stations.

My fathers 25 A had 3 rows of mounting stations.

I was referring to Carnoni models. I see 4 rows on all of the Caroni rotors. The way it is pictured it is hard to see, but there are 4 rows on each of the rotors they show in the image you posted.

My 917 has 3 rows.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

I was looking at getting a ta 180 but got a tow behind done right field mower instead. Although it is not a ta180 it does work good and was a lot cheeper. Here is a video of it at work.

 

[vvanders]

Looking to see if the wisdom of the communal flail mowers can help me tell what's going on.

So went to go touch up one of the corners of our property this afternoon. Got the tractor started and warmed up, rpms middle-low, threw the PTO level and started easing out the clutch. Keeping an eye on the PTO shaft like I do each time I noticed that it budged ~1/2" and then wouldn't move. Tried a few times almost out to full clutch engagement(but just short). Moved the 3pt a few times thinking things were just "stiff", no dice. Started to smell a bit of clutch so lifted the mower up and shut the machine down.

Wasn't able to spin the PTO by hand so I disconnected it, checked the gearbox oil(good), belts(good). Finally pulled the drum and it spun freely after a light tug. Moved it back and forth a few times and all seemed to spin cleanly. Hooked it back up and machine spun it up like there wasn't any issues.

Only thing I can think is it's been 2-3 hours of mowing since I last greased the bearings. Either way, really weird. I'd think a ~17HP PTO would be enough to overcome and stuck dirt/grime, thoughts?

 

[Fallon]

Remove the belts & PTO shaft. Spin things by hand. Something is jammed up somewhere. Drum bearings or the gearbox most likely. Whichever doesnt spin reasonably freely is toast. New bearings are a bit of a pain, but not to bad.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

It sounds like there might be some moisture in your rotor bearings. When they sit they develop a bit of rust and cling to themselves causing this issue. 17HP should have been enough to break this free, but you didn't fully engage the clutch so you might not have given it full HP to break it loose. It could also be debris building up and drying out. Was there any extra noise coming out of your mower after this? That would give you an idea if something is going bad. You would likely hear a whine or growl noise.

If it was just debris you can do just like you did next time and not worry about a thing. If there is moisture in your bearings it will be difficult to remove. Just make sure you grease it before putting it away and give it a quick spin by hand to spread the grease around. That should help avoid the rust.

 

[leonz]

This is an image of the three flail mower rotors currently offered by the Caroni Company. The F rotor is the only flail mower rotor that has four rows of mounting stations.

 

[leonz]

Looking to see if the wisdom of the communal flail mowers can help me tell what's going on.

So went to go touch up one of the corners of our property this afternoon. Got the tractor started and warmed up, rpms middle-low, threw the PTO level and started easing out the clutch. Keeping an eye on the PTO shaft like I do each time I noticed that it budged ~1/2" and then wouldn't move. Tried a few times almost out to full clutch engagement(but just short). Moved the 3pt a few times thinking things were just "stiff", no dice. Started to smell a bit of clutch so lifted the mower up and shut the machine down.

Wasn't able to spin the PTO by hand so I disconnected it, checked the gearbox oil(good), belts(good). Finally pulled the drum and it spun freely after a light tug. Moved it back and forth a few times and all seemed to spin cleanly. Hooked it back up and machine spun it up like there wasn't any issues.

Only thing I can think is it's been 2-3 hours of mowing since I last greased the bearings. Either way, really weird. I'd think a ~17HP PTO would be enough to overcome and stuck dirt/grime, thoughts?

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As Fallon described to you disconnect the PTO shaft, remove the V belt guard, take off the drive belts and then spin the flail mower rotor at the driven pulley it should spin freely with little effort after you put three or four pumps of grease in each bearing.

When was the last time you checked your V belts? If the tension is manually adjustable you should have no less than 1/8 of an inch of slack under tension. witha spring tensioned snubber you only have to worry about the V belts condition. if the rubber is peeling off in your hands you need a new V belt.

If you have a snubber pulley does it have a greasable bearing?? if not the bearing may have flat spotted and it will bind. Been there, done that with sealed bearings too.

Before we go further we need to know what flail mower you have hooked to your mule.

 

[vvanders]

It's a Caroni tm1300. My guess is moisture on the bearings makes sense to me, we had some rain the previous today and I didn't get a chance to cover it before it came through.

No expensive sounds after it spun up, I'll give it a bit of extra grease and keep an eye on it. Appreciate all the help!

 

[leonz]

It's a Caroni tm1300. My guess is moisture on the bearings makes sense to me, we had some rain the previous today and I didn't get a chance to cover it before it came through.

No expensive sounds after it spun up, I'll give it a bit of extra grease and keep an eye on it. Appreciate all the help!

Three or four pumps in the snubber bearing grease fitting, 4-6 pumps in each flail mower rotor bearing NO MORE.