Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[bruceha2000]

@bkrgi 2 questions if you please:

• What cutters are you using
• Do you sideshift while mowing or do you stop, shift, go forward, stop shift continue on?

Thanks

 

[AGTtactical]

Good morning AGTactical,

You have to understand that by raising the flail mower using the top link does 2 things:

1. it raises the center line of the flail mower rotor higher above the ground

2. the act of raising the flail mower above "level" being Zero Degrees" or the X axis reduces the ability of the flail
mower to create a pressure gradient being a vacuum condition to allow the flail mower knives to cut and lift the
clippings up and over the flail mower rotor and back to the ground.
When this is done the flail mower will not mow as effectively and cleanly and provide the user with a better finish but the clippings will be shorter in length.

Thanks! Woodmax actually recommends that the front of the mower be tilted up 10-15 degrees. Its designed that way. I'll see if I can find where I read that.

 

[AGTtactical]

Second Vid as can only do one per reply

Man, I just LOVE how these flails mulch!

 

[leonz]

Flail mowers are not designed to be operated that way. They have to be level to enable them to create the suction needed to lift the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor.

The scoop knives and hammer knives do not have the aerodynamic design to lift and recut clippings and brush.

Raising the front of the flail mower reduces the ability of the flail mower to work more effectively as the flail mower shroud and flail knives work together.

The flail mower shroud acts as an air duct with a limited number of cubic feet within the shroud to let the knives move the air entering the shroud from the front of the mower and also when making second passes to recut the brush and good grass clippings.

The Mathews Company Lawn Genie flail mowers used air paddles to aid in lifting the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor more efficiently and the air paddles also aided in blowing the clippings into the collection baskets of all three models of lawn genies. Sadly these flail mowers are no longer made but after 30 years parts are replacement parts are still available.

 

[AGTtactical]

Flail mowers are not designed to be operated that way. They have to be level to enable them to create the suction needed to lift the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor.
The scoop knives and hammer knives do not have the aerodynamic design to lift and recut clippings and brush. Raising the front of the flail mower reduces the ability of the flail mower to work more effectively as the flail mower shroud and flail knives work together. The flail mower shroud acts as an air duct with a limited number of cubic feet within the shroud to let the knives move the air entering the shroud from the front of the mower and also when making second passes to recut the brush and good grass clippings.

Not designed to be operated that way? I never argued against any of what you claim. Sure, too much tilt will reduce suction. I said 10-15 degrees....here's what I said as a reminder: "Woodmax actually recommends that the front of the mower be tilted up 10-15 degrees. Its designed that way."

So I looked it up. Page 15 of the Woodmax owner's manual says exactly this: "The mower should be operated with the back of the mower 10-15 degrees lower than the front." Sounds like its clearly designed to be operated that way to me. But what do I know...its only straight from the factory, in writing. I'm sure some other manufactures may be different, but I was talking about Woodmax. In any case, it clearly dispels the idea that all flail mowers should never be tilted. And too little airflow under the deck can reduce the ability of the flail mowers to lift grass too.

 

[bkrgi]

@bkrgi 2 questions if you please:

• What cutters are you using
• Do you sideshift while mowing or do you stop, shift, go forward, stop shift continue on?

Thanks

Using the hammers....knowing I would get into some woody material on jobs as in here
Best to raise the mower and shift then drop and continue on...less strain on things.

 

[bkrgi]

Man, I just LOVE how these flails mulch!

And that's why I got the flail over a rotary...

 

[leonz]

No, I am not arguing with you.

They have not been making flail mowers for very long. They simply entered the flail mower market to increase their market share of the sub compact and compact utility tractor implement market.

Like almost every other manufacturer currently manufacturing flail mowers in Asia, The United States and Europe they are using a small tubular flail mower rotor without adding air paddles to increase the efficiency of the flail mower knives and increase the ability of the flail mower rotor and knives to become more aerodynamic and create more lift with the added mass of the air paddles and the mass of air which has weight and creates a pressure gradient when entering the flail mower shroud.

The Peruzzo pickup mowers have air paddles to aid in picking up grass clippings.
The Wessex paddock cleaners use wide deep brushes to pick up horse manure in paddocks and enclosed horse arenas.


There is a lot of work that goes into designing a flail mower and creating the amount of pressure gradient needed to mow brush and good sod.

A larger diameter flail mower rotor allows a manufacturer to use shorter knife sets and air paddles to mow lawns and also collect the clippings to prevent dead turf from occurring.

My 40 year old flail mower does not require tools to change knife sets and thatching blades and that is a blessing.

I am stating again that the flail mower or any flail mower/orchard and vineyard shredder/crop shredder for that matter needs to be level to create the resistance to needed to create the pressure gradient(suction) to pull the clipped material over the flail mower rotor.

Flail shredders used for crop shredding are always left level whether they are shredding flat land crop residue or ridge tillage crops. Crop shredding is much more difficult to do as it takes more gearbox horsepower and engine horsepower to do.

 

[AGTtactical]

In other words:: "Sorry, but I won't admit I am wrong."

And I guess the designer and manufacturer of this flail mower must not know how to operate their own flails, as they state it should be tilted.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

The scoop knives and hammer knives do not have the aerodynamic design to lift and recut clippings and brush.

I would have to respectfully disagree with this. The scoops (and Ford's airplane wings) have much better design to create a suction to lift. Their design is much like a furnace blower (in reverse actually). The scoops are angled so that when the blade is at bottom dead center there is an angle along the blade facing upwards creating high pressure on the top side and low pressure on the bottom side creating a lift. The side slicers when at bottom dead center are parallel with the ground creating no lift. There is "wind" created by them simple by displacement of air, but no "lift". I noticed that with my Ford 917 that when I switch from airplane wings to side slicers my tire tracks are not being cut as well as before. This would reaffirm the lift the wings and scoops create vs side slicers.

The hammers may or may not have lift depending on their design and the way they spin on the rotor.

Every flail is created differently. To say otherwise is like saying that all tractors are created the same and operate the same regardless of who manufactures it. My Ford 917 is designed to take different knives for different jobs including switching between rough and finish mowing blades. Some mowers you need to change the rotor to do so, and some don't even offer the option to go to finish mowing. Some mowers rotate the same as the tires, some opposite. It's all in how the manufacturer designed it and I would follow what the manufacturer says on how to set it up and use it. They designed it to operate a specific way and to do otherwise is counter productive.