Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[Fallon]

I'm getting ready to jump on a flail I've found online. It's a Ford 917. The website says it has a 88" cut which seems common however, Flailmaster says there are only 5, 6, and 7 foot models. I assume that should be considered a 7 foot?

The unit is missing some knives so I figured I will replace them all, but I can't order the correct parts without know what is what

I assume you measured outside? Flails are typically measured for working width. You loose or gain 6-8" for the pulleys & what not. If you look at the name plate, there is a different model in addition to 97 listed that relates to width & knife type. Mine was painted over on the frame. I think Flailmaster has a reference for some or most of those other model numbers.

I mis-ordered knives for my old beatup 917. Ended up maybe a dozen short although they were the correct type. So a mismeasurement issue or looked at the wrong line in the Flailmaster catalog for number needed. It was missing knives when I got it so couldnt get an accurate count easily. I just reused the best of the old ones & never gave it a 2nd thought. It worked fine. And by fine I mean fine for a $100 flail with bent mounting tabs & a cracked hood. A bit of vibration but ran for years like that.

 

[thoner7]

I assume you measured outside? Flails are typically measured for working width. You loose or gain 6-8" for the pulleys & what not. If you look at the name plate, there is a different model in addition to 97 listed that relates to width & knife type. Mine was painted over on the frame. I think Flailmaster has a reference for some or most of those other model numbers.

I mis-ordered knives for my old beatup 917. Ended up maybe a dozen short although they were the correct type. So a mismeasurement issue or looked at the wrong line in the Flailmaster catalog for number needed. It was missing knives when I got it so couldnt get an accurate count easily. I just reused the best of the old ones & never gave it a 2nd thought. It worked fine. And by fine I mean fine for a $100 flail with bent mounting tabs & a cracked hood. A bit of vibration but ran for years like that.View attachment 622035

22-185? Is that the rest of the code?

Online it says 88" cutting width. Maybe that just the width between the guide rails?

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I'm getting ready to jump on a flail I've found online. It's a Ford 917. The website says it has a 88" cut which seems common however, Flailmaster says there are only 5, 6, and 7 foot models. I assume that should be considered a 7 foot?

The unit is missing some knives so I figured I will replace them all, but I can't order the correct parts without know what is what

88" would be the 7 foot. The 5 foot is 62" and the 6 foot I believe is 74" or 76". What knives does it have? The 917 came factory with either fine cut side slicers or course cut airplane wings. When I had my 917 I switched it over to course cut side slicers and was happy with the results. But you would have to commit to replacing all of the blades.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I assume you measured outside? Flails are typically measured for working width. You loose or gain 6-8" for the pulleys & what not. If you look at the name plate, there is a different model in addition to 97 listed that relates to width & knife type. Mine was painted over on the frame. I think Flailmaster has a reference for some or most of those other model numbers.

I mis-ordered knives for my old beatup 917. Ended up maybe a dozen short although they were the correct type. So a mismeasurement issue or looked at the wrong line in the Flailmaster catalog for number needed. It was missing knives when I got it so couldnt get an accurate count easily. I just reused the best of the old ones & never gave it a 2nd thought. It worked fine. And by fine I mean fine for a $100 flail with bent mounting tabs & a cracked hood. A bit of vibration but ran for years like that.View attachment 622035

Fallon,

I believe that when I looked at a picture of your flail someone had put too many blades on it. IIRC you had a blade in ever other hole when it should have been every 3rd hole. That is likely why you came up short.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon,

I believe that when I looked at a picture of your flail someone had put too many blades on it. IIRC you had a blade in ever other hole when it should have been every 3rd hole. That is likely why you came up short.

Entirely possible. But it mowed well until I retired it to my backup mower after several years, so a bit moot at this point. I was 10 stations short if I recall, which was about 1' worth. I suppose thats around 1/3 short as well. I was somewhat matching what had been on previously. Probably not the smartest idea given they removed some bands of knives because they were hitting the dented & warped hood rather than fix things properly. If so hopefully somebody else learns from my mistakes.

Think that photo was when I replaced the rotor bearings after a few years.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

View attachment 587224View attachment 587225

This is the picture I was thinking of. I see blades in every other hole. They should be in every 3rd hole. As you said, moot point. It probably cut better this way because of the increased overlap.

 

[Fallon]

This is the picture I was thinking of. I see blades in every other hole. They should be in every 3rd hole. As you said, moot point. It probably cut better this way because of the increased overlap.

You can see some of the D rings there missing knives. Those were from when I got it & the missing knives were hitting the hood. Had to cut out & patch a section.

7' of flail, apparently with extra knives ran ok behind a 32hp L3200 for several years. Vibrated a bit, but you can see how straight the mounting tabs are. The hood was cracked all the way along one of the braces too. It worked well enough & would have been a pain to weld up that rusty mess. If I was motivated enough I might try to remove knives & reshuffle things to try it & see if it balanced/vibrated or cut any better or worse. But I'm not, way to many other projects & it's mostly retired. No plans to sell it or scrap it though. Keep it around as a backup if the new Peruzzo goes down on me.

 

[thoner7]

So why would one use Y blades for grass over hammer flails? I see that Y blades are recommend for grass, but how are they better than hammer flails? The hammer flails seem like they would be much sturdier, and I don't see why they couldn't cut grass just as well.

 

[def38]

So why would one use Y blades for grass over hammer flails? I see that Y blades are recommend for grass, but how are they better than hammer flails? The hammer flails seem like they would be much sturdier, and I don't see why they couldn't cut grass just as well.

My hammer equipped flail devours branches, tree limbs, woody growth and Buick hubcaps while leaving a manicured look in my Bermuda lawn. The only disadvantage might be replacement cost.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

So why would one use Y blades for grass over hammer flails? I see that Y blades are recommend for grass, but how are they better than hammer flails? The hammer flails seem like they would be much sturdier, and I don't see why they couldn't cut grass just as well.

From what I understand, hammer flails take more HP to run due to the extra weight. They will cut heavier stuff, but will also chip when hitting rocks. The Y blades will be more inclined to deflect when coming in contact with something hard like a rock. They will slowly chew away at tree branches, but they won't take them out as quickly as the hammers. It's a matter of what you are planning on doing with the mower. My preference for grass is still Y blades or scoops/airplane wings. If you hit something, bottom out, or bog down the tractor recovers the speed faster or the blades will deflect to the side instead of losing pieces. If I were to reclaim an area covered in brush I would likely use the hammers.

My mower has heavy duty Y blades on it and it seems to do decent with light brush but will also cruise along quite well in grass. I actually mow my lawn with my flail. I don't really care about the look of my lawn. The tractor mows it quicker than the riding mower, and it's a more comfortable ride. Plus it will mow just the same when the grass is tall or short, wet or dry. My mower is a course cut so you can see the shape of the cutters in the lawn for a day or so after I cut. In the future I may look for a fine cut flail for mowing the lawn, or just buy a grasshopper and get a fine cut flail for it.

 

[Okie Again]

Made the jump.
I have ordered the FM-62H Flail Mower (62") with hydraulic side shift from WoodMaxx and it shipped today. I should get it next week. I know I have to have the quick connects for hydraulic to install those when it gets here. My question is about the Hydraulic oil. I have not done anything with it before. Do I need to fill the unit before I hookup or bleed the lines somehow? I assume the instructions will tell me but I want to have things on hand I will need before it arrives. After I get it set up and try it out I will post my thoughts on it.

 

[jonsstihl]

for the oil, your tractor will fill it when you use the hydraulics but you need to check the fluid level in the tractor after having cycled the flail's hydraulic cylinders a few times.

 

[Fallon]

for the oil, your tractor will fill it when you use the hydraulics but you need to check the fluid level in the tractor after having cycled the flail's hydraulic cylinders a few times.

Usually cycling a cylinder 3-4 times will get the air out, sometimes it may take a dozen cycles to get things working properly. It will be really jumpy & jerky as it pushes the air out so dont be near anything that moves. Just work the valve back & forth after hitching up & it sorts itself out.

 

[dieselscout80]

This is the picture I was thinking of. I see blades in every other hole. They should be in every 3rd hole. As you said, moot point. It probably cut better this way because of the increased overlap.

My 917 has the airplane wing knives and wonder if I could set it up with a knife in every other hole like in that picture?

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

My 917 has the airplane wing knives and wonder if I could set it up with a knife in every other hole like in that picture?

You could, but you might push the balance a bit. If you have the time to invest in it you could try and see how much it vibrates that way. You may have to adjust the balance weights on the rotor. It's just a few small pieces of steel bolted on.

 

[bruceha2000]

Made the jump.
I have ordered the FM-62H Flail Mower (62") with hydraulic side shift from WoodMaxx and it shipped today. I should get it next week. I know I have to have the quick connects for hydraulic to install those when it gets here. My question is about the Hydraulic oil. I have not done anything with it before. Do I need to fill the unit before I hookup or bleed the lines somehow? I assume the instructions will tell me but I want to have things on hand I will need before it arrives. After I get it set up and try it out I will post my thoughts on it.

jonsstihl answered your specific question. The other thing you will need is a quart of 80-90 gear oil for the transmission on the flail. You will also need a number of different wrenches than the instructions indicate. I think the 2 they mentioned are for filling the transmission. I replaced the 2 lower nuts and bolts on the rear flap with clevis pins so it is easy to open the flap for inspection, etc without tools.

 

[Okie Again]

thanks Bruce good idea on the rear flap. I had WoodMaxx send me the gear oil so I am good there. Picked up the fitting for the hydraulics also. It looks like my transmission and hydraulic share the same oil.

My Kubota L3200 barely got it off the truck. I have forks attached to my bucket and flat it would not lift the mower. Driver said it was 900 lbs the manifest says 848 lbs. I was able to tilt it up and then it cleared the truck bed. Slowly backed away the lowered the bucket. Once about a foot off the ground with more tilt I was able to lift a little. Hope to have it ready to try out this weekend.

 

[ronjhall]

thanks Bruce good idea on the rear flap. I had WoodMaxx send me the gear oil so I am good there. Picked up the fitting for the hydraulics also. It looks like my transmission and hydraulic share the same oil.

My Kubota L3200 barely got it off the truck. I have forks attached to my bucket and flat it would not lift the mower. Driver said it was 900 lbs the manifest says 848 lbs. I was able to tilt it up and then it cleared the truck bed. Slowly backed away the lowered the bucket. Once about a foot off the ground with more tilt I was able to lift a little. Hope to have it ready to try out this weekend.

View attachment 623458

My B2910 had no problem unloading my WoodMaxx from the truck. That’s the difference with dedicated pallet forks. I used bottom crate to make dolly for the mower.

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm sure dedicated pallet forks would make a big difference. With bolt ons, you are WAY far from the "pin".
Also, Kubotas aren't known for stellar lift capacity.
For yours:
Lift to full height (at pin): 1,131 lbs
Lift to full height (at 500mm/20 in): 855 lbs.
20" with bolt on forks isn't even to the edge of the bucket and you have all the weight past that. I'm surprised you managed to get it off the truck.

Pallet forks aren't real expensive, I'd invest in one if I were you (I did because I AM me ) I have used them to get attachments off trucks, I cut logs to 8' in the woods and bring them back to the house on the forks, I stack my split wood in racks (1/3 cord) I custom made where the wood dries and I can move them up to the porch landing where I can pull the wood as needed from inside the porch (2 door onto the enclosed porch) and I've dug out rocks in my field and moved them to the rock piles started most likely 150+ years ago by others. You will find plenty of uses for forks if you get them.

 

[Okie Again]

I'm sure dedicated pallet forks would make a big difference. With bolt ons, you are WAY far from the "pin".
Also, Kubotas aren't known for stellar lift capacity.
For yours:
Lift to full height (at pin): 1,131 lbs
Lift to full height (at 500mm/20 in): 855 lbs.
20" with bolt on forks isn't even to the edge of the bucket and you have all the weight past that. I'm surprised you managed to get it off the truck.

Pallet forks aren't real expensive, I'd invest in one if I were you (I did because I AM me ) I have used them to get attachments off trucks, I cut logs to 8' in the woods and bring them back to the house on the forks, I stack my split wood in racks (1/3 cord) I custom made where the wood dries and I can move them up to the porch landing where I can pull the wood as needed from inside the porch (2 door onto the enclosed porch) and I've dug out rocks in my field and moved them to the rock piles started most likely 150+ years ago by others. You will find plenty of uses for forks if you get them.

without a doubt I will eventually want to get pallet forks, but without a quick connect FEL was trying to get by until I am ready to make the change to a Quick Connect. I may look at pallet forks that pin on.