Flail Mower Let's talk flail mowers

[CADplans]

I have a Mahindra 2665 that is 65HP, 50 at the PTO, with a cat II TPH. With the front loader and filled tires, it is somewhere north of 7500lbs.

I've been gumming by with a 6 ft RC, but it is difficult with all the trees interfering with the cab along the edges. It also sucks trying to reclaim areas that have been taken over by brush and saplings.

I have a 52HP and a 60HP tractor ,, they each easily handle a JD 390,, 90 inch width flail

I have had the 390 for ~20 years,, it is perfection in a flail to me

It is offset, so it goes under trees, and over ditches,
The main reason I bought it was to eliminate weed eating,,

I cut ~10 to 14 acres a year (several times a year)

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Hello Three Oranges/Mitsubishi;

I want to sincerely apologize to you and all the Permanent Resident Citizens
of the Flail Mower Nations for coming back to the forum late as I have been
dealing with health issues.

To Three Oranges/Mitsubshi I sincerely believe you are dealing with the same
issues I had with the junk John Deere 44 inch snow blower I had with my
John Deere LA115 lawn Mower which cost me several hundred dollars per year
to maintain it alone

I must go into greater detail for the members thinking about investing in a
chinese made flail mower of for those that already own one.

The small John Deere snow blowers for lawn tractors are built in Canada.
As a result of this mis-step they are equipped with metric pulleys and V belts.
Very, Very, Very expensive V belts that are only available from the John Deere
dealer for these very expensive to own John Deere snow blowers to the tune of
$300.00+- per year. Fixing this issue would require either machining the V belt
pulleys to match SAE B V belts or replacing the metric pulleys with SAE Ag pulleys.


The reason you are having this much trouble is because of the metric pulley size
and the lack of a spring tensioned V belt snubber pulley.

I am genuinely sorry to see you going through this.

you can buy metric v-belts a lot of places. any of the industrial supply houses like Grainger and McMaster or Zoro have them, and I'm pretty sure my local auto parts houses can get them if I don't mind waiting a day or two.

 

[leonz]

Thanks all for the advice and recommendations. My mule is a gear drive, so there is a dearth of readily available hydraulic fluid available for any front mount considerations.

I've been looking around for any dealers of the Italian brands round here, and while some are listed on the mfg's site, those dealers have no mention of the brands in their own product listings. Some phone calls are in order.

I see some units are 800-1000 lbs while others of the same width list at 1400-1800 lbs. I've been targeting something around 1000 lbs, given the leverage it will have. Are these lighter units built so cheaply that they'll break sooner than later? Given I have a cat II hitch, I feel all right about that weight hanging out a bit without breaking anything on the tractor. (it's rated at 3500 lbs)

All of my bank work is from a flat surface, so I'm not too worried about that, provided I stay on that flat area.

It sounds like I'm narrowed in on the 60-71" width territory.

I've noticed the slotted mounts, hence my float question. Since the unit is supposed to ride on the rollers, it sounds like that is an unnecessary option.

I was looking at the Ironcraft, and was amazed the weight doubles between the 63 and 71" units. (703 to 1565lbs.) Seems odd for an incremental increase in size.

The slotted attachment point at the top link allow for
the flail mower to more easily follow the ground contour
BUT they are an extra wear point and the steel will be
subject to more top link stress UNLESS the lower link
turn buckles/chains are tight to prevent additional
stresses on the three point hitch.


Please take extra time to examine the flail shredder
pages on the Del Morino and Maschio home pages
illustrating and describing the horizontal length of
reach for the flail shredders and the amount of down
angle below horizontal as well as the allowed vertical
reach of the mower head when it is vertical showing
how much vertical extension and extension/reach
that they are capable of reaching while retracted and
fully extended while raised to the maximum allowable
height based on the length of the Power Take Off shaft.


If a specific Euro Cardan Power Take Off shaft is not provided
with the mower you should purchase the recommended
size Power Take Off shaft for it.


You must keep in mind that the described maximum
weight of an attachment means the total weight raised
to the highest elevation of the three point hitch within
the vertical centerline of the tractor ONLY.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I bought the titan side shifting 72" flail. Has the ability to shift 16". Works great for cutting under my orchard trees, against berry rows, along pond bank buildings etc. I've had it for about 3+ yrs now. I bought the y blades as well as the hammers. The Y blades seem to always leave more of a ragged edge to my cuts. I rarely actually cut grass. Its a mixture of fescue kinda weeds and small saplings.

Hammers are my best choice. They need sharpening at least once a season. I guess depends on how many rocks you hit. My 45hp tractors handles it but I feel in tall grasses/saplings it should have a little more HP. I have to cut slower than my RC, but it leaves a better cut. So I don't have to go back over it like I do my RC.

It's heavy though at about 700#.

 

[OldTrix]

Has anyone here owned an ACMA brand flail? Out of Iowa. In researching mowers, they had no pricing listed on their site, so I emailed them. They came back with pricing on par with the Italian units ($$$!) charged for shipping, and refused credit cards, insisting on wire transfer or check payment only.

To me, this smells very fishy. Out of curiosity, anyone done business with them?

ETA- They are also a Peruzzo dealer- Looks like it may be just a repainted peruzzo. Identical websites, same physical address/phone number- AKA Iowa Farm Equipment in Tipton, IA.

 

[Fallon]

Has anyone here owned an ACMA brand flail? Out of Iowa. In researching mowers, they had no pricing listed on their site, so I emailed them. They came back with pricing on par with the Italian units ($$$!) charged for shipping, and refused credit cards, insisting on wire transfer or check payment only.

To me, this smells very fishy. Out of curiosity, anyone done business with them?

ETA- They are also a Peruzzo dealer- Looks like it may be just a repainted peruzzo. Identical websites, same physical address/phone number- AKA Iowa Farm Equipment in Tipton, IA.

My Peruzzo came from Iowa Farm Equipment back in 2017. Needed new roller bearings a year or 2 ago. They had to fab up a new style mount for them apparently, which took a couple weeks to ship. Have a box of spare hammers I don't remember when I ordered. Nothing suspicious in my dealings with them. Ok but not great service.

The bank transfer thing sounds vaguely familiar, but it's been years. Not sure if do that these days. Credit cards give you as the consumer so much more protection. The transaction fees can be hefty, especially on bigger purchases though.

 

[OldTrix]

Yeah, it seems they sell a variety of brands from that location. Unlike virtually every other dealer selling flails, they want a little over 12% of the purchase price in additional shipping. ($850 for my location) . If I'm buying an $8k flail mower, would I want to spend an extra $850 for delivery, or buy a Del Morino for the same money and free shipping? (That's a rhetorical question).

 

[Foozle]

I have a Caroni TM1900 with the Y type blades. If I want to sharpen them, is it best to try to do on the machine (seems difficult) or better to take them off and do in a shop vise or something? They look like they might be difficult to remove as well, so neither seems attractive. Thanks

 

[miloangus]

I have the Caroni TM1600 and with heavy use the clevises that hold cutter Y blades break. Cutters are lost, along with bolt. Got expensive so changed mine over to home made Y blades bolted directly to the rotor with 3/8 bolts and nyloc nuts. Cutters are made by pressing 1/4 x 2.5" strap to approx shape of originals. Round-over top corners so doesn't hang up when spinning. Works good so far. I also lowered the rear roller to act as a depth gauge, with 3-point set to control front depth. Works well in rough forest cleaning--small trees, berry vines and debris.

 

[Doug Vee]

I have a Caroni TM1900 with the Y type blades. If I want to sharpen them, is it best to try to do on the machine (seems difficult) or better to take them off and do in a shop vise or something? They look like they might be difficult to remove as well, so neither seems attractive. Thanks

There is definitely a bullet to bite, whichever way you choose. My old Seppi had hammers. It hadn't had much attention for who knows how long. Getting started was the hardest part. I didn't attempt to sharpen anything, as the hammers were toast. Once started, the removal process wasn't too bad. Since I am retired, I don't push myself. Once I had all the hammers/bolt/nuts and the rotor repair work done, things went back together pretty easily. The flail mowers work great.

Doug

 

[1 Old Man]

Has anyone here owned an ACMA brand flail? Out of Iowa. In researching mowers, they had no pricing listed on their site, so I emailed them. They came back with pricing on par with the Italian units ($$$!) charged for shipping, and refused credit cards, insisting on wire transfer or check payment only.

To me, this smells very fishy. Out of curiosity, anyone done business with them?

ETA- They are also a Peruzzo dealer- Looks like it may be just a repainted peruzzo. Identical websites, same physical address/phone number- AKA Iowa Farm Equipment in Tipton, IA.

Yes, I own a Acma flail. Bought it from Iowa Farm Equipment. (during Covid) It's made in Italy.
You will be pleased with the build quality.
Yes. I paid for shipping to my farm, and the truck driver even helped with the unload etc.
After using it a couple of years I had a problem with the roller assembly. It was out of warranty.
However, the bottom line is, IFE contacted the manufacturer and got it all covered.
They could have given me the "song and dance" but they didn't. They returned my calls or texts
promptly. I believe they treated me fair.
After looking at some of the other, cheaper flails folks have purchased, I'm satisfied I bought
a unit that was suited for my needs. Btw, it comes greased, oil in gear box, and ready to use.
Pic of my unit when brand new.

 

[leonz]

I have a Caroni TM1900 with the Y type blades. If I want to sharpen them, is it best to try to do on the machine (seems difficult) or better to take them off and do in a shop vise or something? They look like they might be difficult to remove as well, so neither seems attractive. Thanks

Hello and good morning Foozle,

I am going to suggest to you that you invest in a wet well grinder to
sharpen the side slicer knives on your beautiful flail mower.
If you try to sharpen them with a hand held grinder you will ruin
the temper/heat treating and the metal will weaken.

Home despot has the WEN 8 inch wet well grinder for $98.00.
The three piece woodworkers sharpening accessory kit for the
WEN 8 inch grinder will let you sharpen your side slicer knives
without damaging the heat treating in them and they will last
much longer.

The 8 inch accessory kit is $45.87

I still have the wen wet well grinder I bought 30+ years ago and
I have not needed to resharpen my flail mower knives since 1992.

 

[scootr]

Years ago I had a little MOTT mower with about 100 knives. First time sharpening I removed the knives. The second time I saved a lot of time sharpening them in place.

 

[John0829]

Flap disc on an angle grinder takes very little time and unless you get stupid with it no heat build up.

 

[Foozle]

Years ago I had a little MOTT mower with about 100 knives. First time sharpening I removed the knives. The second time I saved a lot of time sharpening them in place.

Was it difficult to hold the knives in place while sharpening since they aren't fixed in place, but flop around on the clevis?

 

[Halftrack]

I suggest a good set of visegrips or slip joint pliers to hold those knives.

 

[JWR]

I have a Caroni TM1900 with the Y type blades. If I want to sharpen them, is it best to try to do on the machine (seems difficult) or better to take them off and do in a shop vise or something? They look like they might be difficult to remove as well, so neither seems attractive. Thanks

I do not see sharpening flail mower blades in the sense of going through all of them. There are several reasons and a suggestion:
1) The Y blades on my 78" Alamo are not top of the line heavy but they are also cheap. Stocked in quantity by shops for State Road machines. If your time is worth anything you are better off buying replacement blades when inspection says it is time to do so.
2) The Y blades can be reversed, essentially doubling their life. Another reason it makes no economic sense to sharpen them.
3) Any flail owner who covers some variety of pastures, meadows, etc. will have to replace a blade here and there over time (talking Y, not hammer.) So just take the old blades (you removed when replacing all of them) and stock them as spares -- sharpen a few when you have time, need a break, get bored...etc.
Overall I think it makes sense to look at the cost of blades vs the value of your time.

 

[dieselscout80]

When I use the Y blades I don’t typically sharpen them but I will reverse them.

I have been using the heavy duty forged Y blades and they last good for me and they are reversible. That said if they are damaged I replace them.

I have a set of the duck foot knives and in the past I have sharpened them. I use a 4.5” angle grinder. The duck foot blades are one per station vs the Ys which are two per station.

 

[JethroB]

I found it was far easier to just cut the bolts off with an angle grinder and replace along with new nylocks. Caroni TM1900

 

[mikester]

Am I being realistic? Spring clean up is a PITA with tons of fallen branches during winter snow and ice storms. I want a flail to do the following using my M59 for clean up around the farm fields:
* chip fallen branches up to 2"
* be able to side shift on flat ground while cutting to get close to fences to cut tree suckers and fallen branches
* be able to operate vertically to chip small new growth branches along fence lines
* use hammer blades to handle dirt clump (ant mounds), wood and occasional rock and stump strikes
* ideally I'd want to get something between 60 and 72 inch cut width
* I'd probably use this 5-6 times a year, early spring then once a month in the growing season

Here's the three models I'm looking at

61" Gold Ditch Bank Flail Mower, VL-AGFN160 | Betstco Sales, Parts, and Service:

AGFN takes our AGF mower and adds an openable rear deck for faster mowing when you do not need fine mulching (it is also nice for changing blades) a holder for your hoses when not attached and a floating right side 3-point connection to allow the mower greater flex when following the contours of...

betstco.com

Flipper Super | Del Morino

Resistant, flexible and versatile. It allows an excellent maintenance of slopes and embankments.

delmorino.it

https://www.maschiogaspardo.com/en/web/usa/giraffa-xl

The Betstco claims up to 4" diameter chipping and shredding vs 2" on the Delmorino and Maschio. Is this wishful thinking?

Will I be destroying these 3 units based on what I want to shred? I've been using forestry mulcher rentals over the years to get things under control, I would like something I could use with my CUT to keep new growth under control and aid in spring clean up.