Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[arto98607]

My Alamo SH74 is just getting flat worn out, replaced main bearings last year and blades and now other stuff is going wrong.

Found some Alamo, Befco, and Caroni flails on Marketplace for $2000 or so. Any brands to stay away from? The 88" Befco for $2000 needing new blades is about the best deal I can find, but another Alamo is about the same cost. Also found a Diamond Flail as well for $2000.

Any opinions?

Since you asked:

I suspect 1988 $2000 Befco flail mower "needing new blades" will likely need bunch of other work also?

If they are selling it as is with worn our blades, it indicates it probably been neglected for many years.


Photos of your Alamo SH74 would be helpful.

 

[toolslinger]

Well, it's been a long, sometimes frustrating, and pricey process, but I got the Mott 72 back together... Been raining for a day and a half on and off, so it's all wet and messy... Once I had it together though, I had to try it on the 3' tall field grass.

Holy crap. It's now worth all the headaches. I can now feel good about making a belt guard, and some more welding on the sheet metal... It took that grass in, and left very nicely shredded remains. It's set at it's highest, and I believe it'll do better set lower after I go through the fields once where it is. The Massey 135 didn't pause, or bog down at all cutting while pulling up the hills in 3rd gear. I'll give it a little time in the morning to dry a bit, and then we'll see how she does in 4th. I doubt it'll go in 5 or 6, but 4 would be great on the bigger flatter fields... Will go through the hardware tomorrow morning after running it for the 15 minutes today in case something got loose. Had an unnerving shake at some point below 540 pto rpm, but settled down once past that. I imagine the shaft isn't perfect at this point with the various welds. It's perfectly straight (well, within .002"), but the welds might have killed the balance. Even it it doesn't survive for a decade, I now know it's the machine I need, and I wouldn't hesitate to drop the money on another.

 

[LouNY]

Here are a couple of pictures of my new ditch bank flail mower,
it's a Victory Brand seems to be working well and seems well built.

It was mowing at about 45 degrees up a bank and about 45 degrees down today with a bit of flat ( no pictures of the flats)

 

[dieselscout80]

What tractor are you running it on.

I really want

 

[LouNY]

What tractor are you running it on.

I really want

Branson 8050 and it is not too much tractor for it, i wouldn't mind another couple of thousand pounds, the mower can bounce it around a bit hanging in the air and swung all the way over.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I spent 1600 on it last year replacing all bearings and blades including the one that just decided to let go, i’m starting to get frustrated that every time I touch this thing something seems to break so maybe one that is less worn out would be a better starting point even if it needs a little work.

In my mind there's only 2 failures which would make me to consider replacing my Alamo mower. One is a bent rotor. The other is a blown up gearbox (and not just gears, I mean case explodes). Even then I'd seriously consider repairing over replacing. You just don't get any better built machine than the Alamo mowers. Mine was used to mow the tollway around Chicago. It is very beat up, and the blades were junk when I got it. I also had to replace the roller last year, but it was worth it. You can see serious dents in the hood from rocks, but it is still a very solid unit.

As others have said, the other units might need just as much or more work. I'd rather have a piece of machinery that I know what was replaced and what needs replacing than going in blind. I've been burned before by used equipment that needed more work than what I thought when purchasing.

My personal opinion is $2000 for a well used Befco seems high. Then again the market in your area is likely different than mine.

If you absolutely must purchase a replacement, get the Alamo. You are familiar with them, and you can steal parts from your old one.

 

[Number15]

1988 BEFCO is going to be hard to get parts for I think. I have a 2020 and it's not super easy to source parts.

If the 88 is the same as the 2020 they are made in Italy by Rotomec. Not positive about that but 98% sure

 

[nittanyjd]

Well after years of searching and losing out on auction bids and responding to ads too late, I finally found one. Can't wait to put it to use this summer once I learn more about settings and all. JDParts has some info on it but its an earlier model so not everything is on the site. 1st stop is a manual. All flails are there and look good, greased and new gear oil. Sounded good on test run. Its missing a few things like the shield in front of the gear box. This on should be round and its one thing jdparts doesn't show due to old model. I'll post up pics once I start mowing.

I need to look back through all the pages on setting this up for height. I know I saw it in there one time.

 

[diesel85]

Looks like a really nice flail mower!

I really like flail mowers, they do such a great job.

 

[leonz]

Well after years of searching and losing out on auction bids and responding to ads too late, I finally found one. Can't wait to put it to use this summer once I learn more about settings and all. JDParts has some info on it but its an earlier model so not everything is on the site. 1st stop is a manual. All flails are there and look good, greased and new gear oil. Sounded good on test run. Its missing a few things like the shield in front of the gear box. This on should be round and its one thing jdparts doesn't show due to old model. I'll post up pics once I start mowing.

I need to look back through all the pages on setting this up for height. I know I saw it in there one time.

Hello nittanyjd,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations" from the Keystone State.


If you have good sod and want to keep it do this adjustment on asphalt or concrete PLEASE;


1. place a small torpedo level on the gearbox with the narrow edge facing the seat

2. adjust the top link to the point where the gear box is level

3. measure the "actual" height of the flail knife bottom edge above the ground

4. if it is 2 inches in cutting height YOU WILL NOT have to adjust the rear roller by raising it up

5. if the side slicer knife is higher than two inches YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER the rear roller one bolt hole on each side


Setting the rear roller at the 2 inch cutting height and adjusting the top link to "LEVEL" assures the flail mower will:

1. create enough pressure gradient/suction/vacuum to lift the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor and back down to the ground.

2. with the proper adjustment you will be able to recut the clippings a second time to make them dissolve even faster and avoid creating
dead spots in the lawn from grass clumps

AS long as the engine on your mule is running at the required PTO engine speed to run a rear implement flail mower rotor is spinning at 2,200+ RPM and creates enough lift to carry the clippings it will sound like a high end household vacuum cleaner and you will have a great lawn.

Did you grease the fittings under the V belt guard????

Are the belts in good shape?? If Rubber flakes off in your hand they need to be replaced with an equivalent V belt with Kevlar thread; Kevlar V belts are easy to obtain.

You should have a V belt tension gauge to adjust the V belt tension properly on your flail mower. The V belt tension gauges are available at amazon or larger automotive supply stores.



Happy mowing



"Once you go flail you never go back"

 

[nittanyjd]

Hello nittanyjd,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations" from the Keystone State.


If you have good sod and want to keep it do this adjustment on asphalt or concrete PLEASE;


1. place a small torpedo level on the gearbox with the narrow edge facing the seat

2. adjust the top link to the point where the gear box is level

3. measure the "actual" height of the flail knife bottom edge above the ground

4. if it is 2 inches in cutting height YOU WILL NOT have to adjust the rear roller by raising it up

5. if the side slicer knife is higher than two inches YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER the rear roller one bolt hole on each side


Setting the rear roller at the 2 inch cutting height and adjusting the top link to "LEVEL" assures the flail mower will:

1. create enough pressure gradient/suction/vacuum to lift the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor and back down to the ground.

2. with the proper adjustment you will be able to recut the clippings a second time to make them dissolve even faster and avoid creating
dead spots in the lawn from grass clumps

AS long as the engine on your mule is running at the required PTO engine speed to run a rear implement flail mower rotor is spinning at 2,200+ RPM and creates enough lift to carry the clippings it will sound like a high end household vacuum cleaner and you will have a great lawn.

Did you grease the fittings under the V belt guard????

Are the belts in good shape?? If Rubber flakes off in your hand they need to be replaced with an equivalent V belt with Kevlar thread; Kevlar V belts are easy to obtain.

You should have a V belt tension gauge to adjust the V belt tension properly on your flail mower. The V belt tension gauges are available at amazon or larger automotive supply stores.



Happy mowing



"Once you go flail you never go back"

Leonz - thanks for the setup information very helpful......

as far as flails they were all there and not that dull so I'll see how they do. It came with the smooth cut type not the side slicers. I only have fields with grass and weeds to mow hopefully they work well. I ordered some spares from flailmaster to have on hand if I break a few...nice people to deal with

I have a few spare belts as well (gates but not kevlar ones)..the one on there is in nice shape and no flakes...yes I found all the grease fittings...2 under the shield....a shame you have to remove it to get to them..

I'll look into the tension guage and update you with some pics on the mowing in the next month or 2 when I do it. Appreciate the help!!

 

[Craig_GA]

I received a 53" NOVA MFZ-135 back in May and used it for a couple of hours on the property. So far I'm very happy with the results. While it would be nice having a wider mower for grass cutting, the width of this unit is great for getting through the woods and in tight spaces, the side shift is also helpful to get close to fences and other areas. The people at Nova Tractor in Texas were very nice to deal with. I also purchased a couple of the extra hammers just incase There are some rocks on the property and we are collecting them the best that we can to minimize issues. It does chew through branches, saplings and brush very well but I'm not looking forward to finding any rocks with it.

Since it is the heaviest rear attachment that I have (840 lbs.), it has also been great as a counter-weight for moving/loading some logs...

 

[leonz]

I received a 53" NOVA MFZ-135 back in May and used it for a couple of hours on the property. So far I'm very happy with the results. While it would be nice having a wider mower for grass cutting, the width of this unit is great for getting through the woods and in tight spaces, the side shift is also helpful to get close to fences and other areas. The people at Nova Tractor in Texas were very nice to deal with. I also purchased a couple of the extra hammers just incase There are some rocks on the property and we are collecting them the best that we can to minimize issues. It does chew through branches, saplings and brush very well but I'm not looking forward to finding any rocks with it.

Since it is the heaviest rear attachment that I have (840 lbs.), it has also been great as a counter-weight for moving/loading some logs...
View attachment 753098

Hello and good morning Craig_GA,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the Flail Mower Nations" from the great state of Georgia.

You should know that the recutting bars of your flail mower can fall off from vibration and you should either remove them or remove the spring pins and drill them out a tiny amount to allow a piece of rod stock to pass through the holes so they do not vibrate out and fall into the brush.

It would be simpler to remove them and only put them back when you have eliminated the rocks and can feel confident that you can recut the clippings on the first pass without hitting any rocks.

Leonz - thanks for the setup information very helpful......

as far as flails they were all there and not that dull so I'll see how they do. It came with the smooth cut type not the side slicers. I only have fields with grass and weeds to mow hopefully they work well. I ordered some spares from flailmaster to have on hand if I break a few...nice people to deal with

I have a few spare belts as well (gates but not kevlar ones)..the one on there is in nice shape and no flakes...yes I found all the grease fittings...2 under the shield....a shame you have to remove it to get to them..

I'll look into the tension guage and update you with some pics on the mowing in the next month or 2 when I do it. Appreciate the help!!

Hello nittanyjd and Craig_GA,


You may want to invest in a wet well grinder from www.micromark.com to sharpen your flail mower knives as it will save the temper and not damage them any heat damage. The wet well grinders are on sale and they are multi-purpose grinders






"Once You Go Flail You Never Go Back"

 

[Craig_GA]

Hello and good morning Craig_GA,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the Flail Mower Nations" from the great state of Georgia.

You should know that the recutting bars of your flail mower can fall off from vibration and you should either remove them or remove the spring pins and drill them out a tiny amount to allow a piece of rod stock to pass through the holes so they do not vibrate out and fall into the brush.

It would be simpler to remove them and only put them back when you have eliminated the rocks and can feel confident that you can recut the clippings on the first pass without hitting any rocks.




Hello nittanyjd and Craig_GA,


You may want to invest in a wet well grinder from www.micromark.com to sharpen your flail mower knives as it will save the temper and not damage them any heat damage. The wet well grinders are on sale and they are multi-purpose grinders






"Once You Go Flail You Never Go Back"

Hello Leonz,

Thank you for all of the information

It is great having a resource like this for learning more about these mowers.

 

[arto98607]

Hello nittanyjd,

I want to welcome you as the newest resident member of the "Flail Mower Nations" from the Keystone State.


If you have good sod and want to keep it do this adjustment on asphalt or concrete PLEASE;


1. place a small torpedo level on the gearbox with the narrow edge facing the seat

2. adjust the top link to the point where the gear box is level

3. measure the "actual" height of the flail knife bottom edge above the ground

4. if it is 2 inches in cutting height YOU WILL NOT have to adjust the rear roller by raising it up

5. if the side slicer knife is higher than two inches YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER the rear roller one bolt hole on each side


Setting the rear roller at the 2 inch cutting height and adjusting the top link to "LEVEL" assures the flail mower will:

1. create enough pressure gradient/suction/vacuum to lift the clippings up and over the flail mower rotor and back down to the ground.

2. with the proper adjustment you will be able to recut the clippings a second time to make them dissolve even faster and avoid creating
dead spots in the lawn from grass clumps

AS long as the engine on your mule is running at the required PTO engine speed to run a rear implement flail mower rotor is spinning at 2,200+ RPM and creates enough lift to carry the clippings it will sound like a high end household vacuum cleaner and you will have a great lawn.

Did you grease the fittings under the V belt guard????

Are the belts in good shape?? If Rubber flakes off in your hand they need to be replaced with an equivalent V belt with Kevlar thread; Kevlar V belts are easy to obtain.

You should have a V belt tension gauge to adjust the V belt tension properly on your flail mower. The V belt tension gauges are available at amazon or larger automotive supply stores.



Happy mowing



"Once you go flail you never go back"

Thank you for good information!

Based on your comments, I lowered my Ford 917L Special cutting height from just over 3" to about 2.5" and it is clearly cutting better, not just shorter (side slicer flails).

Question about belts:
I noticed the low cost Thermoid B52V-belts have deteriorated noticeably in less thane 2 years and am wondering if Kevlar belts would really be worth the double cost?
There has not been noticeable belt slipping, the belts are just starting to de-laminate.

At today's eBay price it's a difference of about $20 VS. $40 per set of two - I would gladly pay double if Kevlar belts could last twice as long or more.

 

[Kwehme09]

Well, ugh. I bought my flail mower new last fall. Had some initial belt breaking issues, and problems with untorqued bolts. Got it figured out this spring, but things got way out balance this afternoon. Mower only has about 30 hours on it, and I think it is pretty much toast. Manual emphasized to NOT grease the bearings yet, but here we are. I am hoping for a warranty refund, since it appears as though a replacement us not available.

I will likely be hunting a new 6'-7' hammer, hydraulic offset model. Mowing fields edges, fence lines, and thick/wet/weedy areas. Any make/model suggestions? Hopefully something without a long lead time either.

 

[leonz]

Thank you for good information!

Based on your comments, I lowered my Ford 917L Special cutting height from just over 3" to about 2.5" and it is clearly cutting better, not just shorter (side slicer flails).

Question about belts:
I noticed the low cost Thermoid B52V-belts have deteriorated noticeably in less thane 2 years and am wondering if Kevlar belts would really be worth the double cost?
There has not been noticeable belt slipping, the belts are just starting to de-laminate.

At today's eBay price it's a difference of about $20 VS. $40 per set of two - I would gladly pay double if Kevlar belts could last twice as long or more.

The green kevlar belts are worth every penny, MY single Green threaded kevlar belt was not that wallet threatening when I bought it 10 years ago

 

[leonz]

Well, ugh. I bought my flail mower new last fall. Had some initial belt breaking issues, and problems with untorqued bolts. Got it figured out this spring, but things got way out balance this afternoon. Mower only has about 30 hours on it, and I think it is pretty much toast. Manual emphasized to NOT grease the bearings yet, but here we are. I am hoping for a warranty refund, since it appears as though a replacement us not available.

I will likely be hunting a new 6'-7' hammer, hydraulic offset model. Mowing fields edges, fence lines, and thick/wet/weedy areas. Any make/model suggestions? Hopefully something without a long lead time either.

View attachment 753628

Double ouch, not greasing it; no way in HEdouble hockey sticks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The two flail mower brands I would recommend you look at are Maschio and Dell Morino.

Sent you a PM.

 

[Kwehme09]

Here is the lubrication schedule. They make it pretty clear.

 

[KenB2920]

Looking for the Lower pulley on a Mott Flail …. Any ideas where to look ? Interweb search comes up with nothing essentially on the diagrams I see it shows item 24 which is part number 106165 for the drive cutter pulley. Thanks in advance.