Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[JWR]

Those Y knives (new) look exactly the same as mine on an aging 88" Alamo. I'm not sure how many acres I have mowed with mine but in 3 seasons they are nowhere near as worn as the one on the right in your photo. And my clevises are not worn like that. And whoa ! That bolt is pretty badly worn. Those parts look to me like they have 200 hrs or more on them !? My Alamo has pins rather than bolts but I have never seen a pin noticeably worn nor anywhere near the ruts that have been worn in your bolts! That seems strange UNLESS you have hundreds of cutting hours on your machine. Any idea how many hours or how many acres you've cut with those?

 

[John0829]

I would guess he is located in an area with a lot of sandy, gritty soil and it is the abrasive action of the dust and dirt that caused the wear. Just my guess since neither my Alamo or New Holland 918H show wear that extensive after MANY hours of use.

 

[JethroB]

Those Y knives (new) look exactly the same as mine on an aging 88" Alamo. I'm not sure how many acres I have mowed with mine but in 3 seasons they are nowhere near as worn as the one on the right in your photo. And my clevises are not worn like that. And whoa ! That bolt is pretty badly worn. Those parts look to me like they have 200 hrs or more on them !? My Alamo has pins rather than bolts but I have never seen a pin noticeably worn nor anywhere near the ruts that have been worn in your bolts! That seems strange UNLESS you have hundreds of cutting hours on your machine. Any idea how many hours or how many acres you've cut with those?

Not sure of the hours of use on the mower before I reclaimed it from my nephew. It was my dad’s, his granddad’s. (Hey, grandpa will have it fixed!) 100 hours maybe? (10 x 10 years?) I do know he ran it in our sandy loam dirt almost like a tiller for years sometimes behind 75 & 100 HP JD’s. He also had the idea it was a heavy brush cutter. Misuse bordering on abuse likely. Once I determined last year that it was still ‘sound‘ I replaced everything.
He no longer gets to borrow it.

 

[JWR]

Not sure of the hours of use on the mower before I reclaimed it from my nephew. It was my dad’s, his granddad’s. (Hey, grandpa will have it fixed!) 100 hours maybe? (10 x 10 years?) I do know he ran it in our sandy loam dirt almost like a tiller for years sometimes behind 75 & 100 HP JD’s. He also had the idea it was a heavy brush cutter. Misuse bordering on abuse likely. Once I determined last year that it was still ‘sound‘ I replaced everything.
He no longer gets to borrow it.

Sure, that explains the wear. Going forward I would guess that adjusting height so it is not digging into gravel,rocks and sand will minimize the wear. Probably a new set of knives would last for a long time...

 

[gcagle]

I would guess he is located in an area with a lot of sandy, gritty soil and it is the abrasive action of the dust and dirt that caused the wear. Just my guess since neither my Alamo or New Holland 918H show wear that extensive after MANY hours of use.

Texas clay soil. And lots of crawfish pillars. All my grass is surrounding a 10 acre pond so the crawfish will always be there

 

[gcagle]

I'm sure this is asked and answered, but sorting through 700 pages of this wonderful thread? Crikey!

After one season of mowing with my wonderful new flail mower, the grass and weeds are not coming out with a clean cut anymore. Sure, I'm going to raise it up and grind the Y knives (or reverse them), but while I'm at it I'd love to get a better knife set. Something hardened, that will cut better, and for longer before needing another sharpen. Would like your advice on what to buy, and from where?


Flail: Del Morino Funny Top FT158C 62", 24" manual offset option. Stock Y Knives. (happily purchased from Good works tractors, replace the frequently failing stock belts with kevlar, never replaced another belt since.)

Tractors: I alternate between my 1025r and 2025r, depending on what's attached already.

Mowing: 15 acres of grass, wildflowers and weeds. Nothing thick enough to need a hammer. Over the next few years most of the fields will be nothing but white clover and a few wildflowers.

To see example of the grasses in the fields, view of video or two here:. https://m.facebook.com/cordolake

Is a representative of flailmaster here on the forum? Seems like I saw them give some pretty detailed advice somewhere else in the thread?

If yes, I can tag them here

Flail Mower Blades and Parts - Flail Master

Flail-Master® offers replacement flail mower blades and a large variety of other flail mower parts for mowers being used by roadside maintenance crews, vegetation management, public works departments, orchards, and personal use. Manufactured right here in middle Tennessee, our “Made in America”...

flailmaster.com

 

[LCA078]

Looking for input here on operating a flail mower without the rear roller. Seller has heavy duty flail mower 84" wide he thinks is an Italian model with the two-part "Y" style blades but the rear roller was ripped off many years ago. Seller says he 'floats' the mower a few inches above ground with his 3pt hitch without issue so he never replaced the roller. Says it does better without the roller when backing up on brush too. I'd be using it to knock down tall clump grass and keep cedar seedlings at bay around the ranch in central Texas. Definitely not looking for golf-course cutting but I wonder if without a roller I'd just be asking for trouble.

 

[JWR]

I see that as a desperate attempt to sell you a partial piece of equipment. Stay away from it unless you have a good means of replacing the roller which will be expensive. With that approach by the seller I'd have to assume the mower is beat up badly overall. And trying to operate the mower without roller is just a path to disaster. You'd be replacing knives constantly. Anything MIGHT be done. Should you? Good heavens NO !

 

[Fallon]

I see that as a desperate attempt to sell you a partial piece of equipment. Stay away from it unless you have a good means of replacing the roller which will be expensive. With that approach by the seller I'd have to assume the mower is beat up badly overall. And trying to operate the mower without roller is just a path to disaster. You'd be replacing knives constantly. Anything MIGHT be done. Should you? Good heavens NO !

I concur. A rear roller is key for a flail. Without it, things won't ever be level ir smooth. The only exception would be one if the few flails with a pair of rear wheels instead of a roller.

 

[JethroB]

I see that as a desperate attempt to sell you a partial piece of equipment. Stay away from it unless you have a good means of replacing the roller which will be expensive. With that approach by the seller I'd have to assume the mower is beat up badly overall. And trying to operate the mower without roller is just a path to disaster. You'd be replacing knives constantly. Anything MIGHT be done. Should you? Good heavens NO !

I agree. With every bump or dip either the skids or blades will be in the dirt. I lift mine off the roller occasionally in rough terrain. It gives a very poor cut then.