Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Jack Yuan]

I was torn between the bestco and woodmaxx.

I went with woodmaxx for 2 main reasons - one being the grease maintenance - bestco is 25 hours and woodmaxx 250. Yes, 10 TIMES the time between greasings - tells me they're sealed bearings or much more well sealed. Having worked with dirt bikes and quads I can tell you sealed bearings are easily 10 times longer lasting. Second was the belt tension arrangement - to tension belts on the woodmaxx, well, it's automatic for the most part. the bestco..manual and you move teh ENTIRE gearbox/shaft assembly to do so. Awkward to say the least.

The door on the back...I opened to see the difference it makes - much rougher cut as the suction is considerably less, BUT it's tossed out much longer grass pieces - which I like as I'll be able to use it to gut hay to bale.

The other big question was hammers or knives...I ordered knives as grass is my main thing needing cut. Woodmaxx shipped it with hammers...so I mowed some with them and woodmaxx sent knives so I put them on and mowed some more.

The hammers have more mass, are noisier, shred grass MUCH finer...not sure I can tell much other difference, other htan when cutting tall grass the finer shreds fall to the ground where the knives cuttings sit on top and turn brown..waiting to see if this will kill the pasture grass or not.

Mowing speed is about the same as a brush hog - 6' hog and 78" flail both on a kioti CK3510HST (30 pto hp).

YOu cannot mow in reverse with a flail where you can with a brush hog. the hog is 8' long more or less, the flail 3' perhaps. Weight is similar (very heavy!)

I got the hydraulic offset flail which you can't get a BH like that - handy for under fences and tree limbs.

Can it work as a finish mower? Yes..but it's not as good as a finish mower.

And you'll find with the big roller at the back it can leave oddly un-cut patches when the ground is uneven.

I suggest grease maintenance within 8 hours. "25 hours" is too long, "250 hours" is risky and ridiculous, no matter what brand flail mower.

 

[JWR]

I don't think they are spaced differently. I'm pretty sure I could buy a set of hammers and swap them with the knives with no other modifications. I can see how the long horizontal blade would cut differently than the angled knives. But it would seem the knives would have more cutting surface along a vertical plane and thus have more opportunity to hit already cut material as it passes up over the drum. The WoodMaxx has 3 knives per station, 2 angled out and a straight one between them.

I'm sure you could swap hammers with knives but that does not necessarily mean they are the right width. You said it was cutting smoother with the hammers. Since you put out the cash to buy a new Woodmaxx, it would seem like a worthwhile call to the seller to see if the stations are spaced any different (and the same number of them) on the rotating knife/hammer holder shaft are any different for hammers versus knives. They might very well be the same, just be interesting know for sure if I were in your shoes.

 

[bruceha2000]

I have the knives as that is what was suggested by the sales guy at WoodMaxx. It was @prof fate who ordered knives but got hammers, WM sent him knives and he's cut with both so I think it is safe to assume that there is no difference in the stations for that particular manufacturer.

 

[ronjhall]

I have the knives as that is what was suggested by the sales guy at WoodMaxx. It was @prof fate who ordered knives but got hammers, WM sent him knives and he's cut with both so I think it is safe to assume that there is no difference in the stations for that particular manufacturer.

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

 

[Molalla1]

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

Not me Ron . . . I like the "Y" blades better . . . . . . . and I do have set of the hammers . . .

 

[MAD777]

There is no difference in the mounting brackets for Hammers or Y Blades on Woodmaxx flail mowers. I have both. But prefer the Hammers.

Not me Ron . . . I like the "Y" blades better . . . . . . . and I do have set of the hammers . . .

In the internet of science, are you guys cutting grass or brush?

 

[Molalla1]

In the internet of science, are you guys cutting grass or brush?

Me? . . . mostly grass/brush . . . :laughing: . . . probably does not help . . .

 

[def38]

Can someone comment on the WM 62 used with a QH? How does it fit? Does it mate up and latch easily? Also, the WM comes with a clutched Pto shaft. Any comments regarding that shaft?

 

[bruceha2000]

It might depend on which QH you have. I went cheap with the HF model and had to buy an extended hook from Amazon for another $45 or it wouldn't even mate to my landscape rake (which I have yet to use). I don't know why that isn't the standard hook with the QH, it only makes sense. WM had to engineer and manufacture a modification to lower the top connection down from 19" (Cat III) to 15" (Cat I & II). I'm not sure the design change was approved based on a comment from the service guy. That said, the parts are very well made and very sturdy. Even with the modification, I think I need an extension because when the mower goes down the top connector of the QH and that of the flail run into each other, the extended hook doesn't extend more than maybe 1/2" and there isn't space in the mower's upper bracket for the QH frame to fit inside. I might have to make a platform just below max height of the mower on the 3 PT to be able to remove the mower from the QH unless I use an extension. The HF lowers JUST fit inside the space for the pins on the 62H, far to the outside, both sides, still room on the inside. I don't know if other QH's have slightly different spacing. I did buy WM's Cat I to Cat II bushing kit for the mower and they are fine.

 

[JWR]

It might depend on which QH you have. I went cheap with the HF model and had to buy an extended hook from Amazon for another $45 or it wouldn't even mate to my landscape rake (which I have yet to use). I don't know why that isn't the standard hook with the QH, it only makes sense. WM had to engineer and manufacture a modification to lower the top connection down from 19" (Cat III) to 15" (Cat I & II). I'm not sure the design change was approved based on a comment from the service guy. That said, the parts are very well made and very sturdy. Even with the modification, I think I need an extension because when the mower goes down the top connector of the QH and that of the flail run into each other, the extended hook doesn't extend more than maybe 1/2" and there isn't space in the mower's upper bracket for the QH frame to fit inside. I might have to make a platform just below max height of the mower on the 3 PT to be able to remove the mower from the QH unless I use an extension. The HF lowers JUST fit inside the space for the pins on the 62H, far to the outside, both sides, still room on the inside. I don't know if other QH's have slightly different spacing. I did buy WM's Cat I to Cat II bushing kit for the mower and they are fine.

All that says you'd be better off with extendable lower lift arms on the tractor and forget the quick hitch. My experience with quick-hitches is that they have zero flexibility in left-right dimensions and other compatibility issues that you mention above making them more trouble, to me, than they are worth. Often or at least sometimes adding a problem instead of removing one.

 

[ronjhall]

In the internet of science, are you guys cutting grass or brush?

Mostly under 1' weeds/grass.

 

[Fallon]

All that says you'd be better off with extendable lower lift arms on the tractor and forget the quick hitch. My experience with quick-hitches is that they have zero flexibility in left-right dimensions and other compatibility issues that you mention above making them more trouble, to me, than they are worth. Often or at least sometimes adding a problem instead of removing one.

I'm a QH fan myself. All my impliments get adapted to fit a QH if needed, which is mostly older stuff. I really havent had any lift arm width issues, just top hook height or clearance issues. A 1" or so extension on the back of the top hook helps a lit & is critical for a good number of impliments

It's a bit of work up front, but the payoff is big if you swap impliments a lot like I do.

 

[DavesTractor]

All that says you'd be better off with extendable lower lift arms on the tractor and forget the quick hitch. My experience with quick-hitches is that they have zero flexibility in left-right dimensions and other compatibility issues that you mention above making them more trouble, to me, than they are worth. Often or at least sometimes adding a problem instead of removing one.

I'm in agreement for the most part, but will add that hydraulic top and tilt along with extendable lower links pretty much makes hooking up even large heavy implements a breeze. Obviously the top and tilt is expensive, so one would need to have a use for that functionality beyond just making it easier to swap implements. Years ago I did have a tractor with top and tilt and a QH, and after modifying implements to make everything compatible it was pretty slick.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

All that says you'd be better off with extendable lower lift arms on the tractor and forget the quick hitch. My experience with quick-hitches is that they have zero flexibility in left-right dimensions and other compatibility issues that you mention above making them more trouble, to me, than they are worth. Often or at least sometimes adding a problem instead of removing one.

I had a QH on my last tractor and it was better than standard links. My new tractor has extendable lower links and I like it better than the quick hitch. If you can get extendable lower links that is the way to go. They only extend about 2" but it is more than enough to get lined up. I can usually get lined up first try now instead of a few tries with the QH (which was still less than the standard links). One of my biggest problems with the QH is if the implement sat tilted forward (no kick-stand). Now I just hook up the lower links, lift it a little, and then set the top link in. With the QH I would need to adjust the top link to match the implement, then set it back to operating position. A hydraulic top link would help with that, but there's still the issue with lining the QH up with the implement which would cause me grief due to uneven terrain.

 

[hunt4570]

Got the hydraulic side shift kit installed on my FM155
View attachment 611758

Offset is enough to mow up to fence without catching tractor or tires, but not enough to effect balance noticeably.

So your FM155 comes centered?

 

[VirtualTractor]

So reading back the last pages...It looks like the Woodmax is the current go to for flail mowers?

I would like something that has:
hydraulic offset
72" or wider cut
reliable
low maint
quick attach compatible
good parts availability

 

[leonz]

It is a question of whether you are shopping by price or actual need. A lot of implements are not quick attach friendly as most all the implements made or sold in Europe cannot use them. There are many 6 foot cut flail mowers that are boom mounted that provide a wide range of mowing angles for ditch and bank mowing as well as cutting back trees and scrub along trails.
Decide how much you can afford to spend for "a" flail mower and then go from there as there are many good American made and Italian made flail mowers on the market
and a handful of bad ones that are being sold here.
There are a lot of good used flail mowers for sale in the United States and Canada so don't count out a used JD 25A, 290,or 390 flail mower as an example.
There are a lot of good used municipal flail mowers that are auctioned every year and parts are available for them too.

 

[sodamo]

So your FM155 comes centered?

Either Centered or Offset.

COMMERCIAL & ROUGH DUTY FLAIL MOWERS | Betstco Sales, Parts, and Service:

 

[dieselscout80]

What speed do most of you run when flail mowing areas like pasture maintenance (not cutting overgrown plots)?

I try to run 3.5 MPH with my Ford 917 (74") on my IH 424, but 2nd gear 2.5 seems to give a cleaner cut, but is very slow.

 

[bruceha2000]

No idea, no speedo on my tractor.