Flail Mower Titan Flail mower

[troverman]

Another update to my Titan story. The Titan rep asked me to check back with him after the 4th of July to make sure he had all the parts. He did not, and instead chose to ship me another brand new 72" flail mower. I received it last week. I couldn't be happier with Titan's service. In some ways, I now know exactly what I have and will be more cautious on some things, and less cautious on others. For example, I find the flail knives that come on these mowers to be extremely durable. So I'm less concerned about those. However, I now know heavy rock impacts (with large rocks) *can* bend the drum enough to cause shaking, which is catastrophic for the rest of the mower.

Now that I have the new mower, I plan to remove the rear roller and turn the bearing mounts 90 degrees so that the grease zerks point out backwards instead of straight down where they have virtually no clearance and get easily destroyed. I will also find a way to better secure the front chain guard rod so it doesn't back out and lose the chain. Lastly, I've debated removing the scraper bar on the roller. I'd like to have it gone, but suspect it may help maintain structural integrity between both roller mounts which are not heavily reinforced.

Here's a pic of unloading the new replacement mower:

 

[ddbackhoe]

Another update to my Titan story. The Titan rep asked me to check back with him after the 4th of July to make sure he had all the parts. He did not, and instead chose to ship me another brand new 72" flail mower. I received it last week. I couldn't be happier with Titan's service. In some ways, I now know exactly what I have and will be more cautious on some things, and less cautious on others. For example, I find the flail knives that come on these mowers to be extremely durable. So I'm less concerned about those. However, I now know heavy rock impacts (with large rocks) *can* bend the drum enough to cause shaking, which is catastrophic for the rest of the mower.

Now that I have the new mower, I plan to remove the rear roller and turn the bearing mounts 90 degrees so that the grease zerks point out backwards instead of straight down where they have virtually no clearance and get easily destroyed. I will also find a way to better secure the front chain guard rod so it doesn't back out and lose the chain. Lastly, I've debated removing the scraper bar on the roller. I'd like to have it gone, but suspect it may help maintain structural integrity between both roller mounts which are not heavily reinforced.

Here's a pic of unloading the new replacement mower:
View attachment 562924

Well, it certainly looks like they stepped up and took care of you. Are you sending the old one back or ....? I'm still interested in what was causing the shaking with the old unit, but a parts one is nice too.

 

[troverman]

Well, it certainly looks like they stepped up and took care of you. Are you sending the old one back or ....? I'm still interested in what was causing the shaking with the old unit, but a parts one is nice too.

They told me to keep the old one for parts. I believe the drum is bent. I thought about trying to somehow repair it, but I think I'm going to strip some parts off and scrap it. I'll keep whatever flails are still in good condition, the bolts, the four belts, the driveshaft, and probably that's it. Thought about the gearbox, but I don't think it is going to fail.

 

[leonz]

Save the gearbox troverman, if you ever invest in one of their tillers it would be a very expensive part to replace as I believe that they are using COMER gear boxes from Italy.

You should also Save the cross shaft and pulleys,open bearings, V belt cover guard and the skids as well as they will come in handy and they would be very expensive to replace.

Raise the mower cutting height up one position and have fun.

 

[Guidshir]

Great service, very surprising and maybe overkill.

I got my parts as well and put them on last week. The chains and spacers were easy. On the end instead of a hitch pin I used two ~2" long sections of very stiff wire that I use for hanging vines. Both are through the hole and bent over on both sides. They won't come out, but I will watch them just in case. I am also going to have to rotate the roller bearings 90 degrees as well, but I need an hour free on a weekend soon to get that done. Each bearing it attached with 4 bolts with hex/allen wrench holes. Based on troverman's tale I wonder if the roller itself isn't just made out of something to weak. Once it spans that 72" distance it should sag as I can see that my 60" roller is sagging for sure.

 

[troverman]

So I've got 12 hours mowing on the new Titan 72" mower. Well, all the plastic deck plugs came out; the front mower "jack" foot broke off, and the chain guard that hangs down has partially come off and disappeared. Lol, no different than the first. But I really don't care. It cut pretty well; I hit some big rocks and it did shake briefly but seems to be fine. I *love* how you only have to grease the main drum bearings from the outside now...the inside zerks are gone. However the roller scraper is loose again and when it flips into the "up" position the grass clogs up and bogs the mower down. And finally, the roller bearing zerks are still in a bad position and grass easily wraps up and gets into the bearing.

 

[Fallon]

So I've got 12 hours mowing on the new Titan 72" mower. Well, all the plastic deck plugs came out; the front mower "jack" foot broke off, and the chain guard that hangs down has partially come off and disappeared. Lol, no different than the first. But I really don't care. It cut pretty well; I hit some big rocks and it did shake briefly but seems to be fine. I *love* how you only have to grease the main drum bearings from the outside now...the inside zerks are gone. However the roller scraper is loose again and when it flips into the "up" position the grass clogs up and bogs the mower down. And finally, the roller bearing zerks are still in a bad position and grass easily wraps up and gets into the bearing.

Dont feel too bad about the scraper. The one on my $8,000 Peruzzo flail probably wasnt any better. Keep jamming with material between it & the roller. 2 tabs finally broke off & it pivoted up. After that (probably before to some degree) material would pack in over the roller completely blocking the proper flow over the roller. Finally removed the scraper entirely & havent missed it, even if it had functioned perfectly.

My ancient Ford 917 flail either never had a scraper either, or lost it years before I got it. Only needed it once & that was because I was testing something when there was still patches of snow on the ground & it was WAY to muddy to be mowing

 

[Guidshir]

I rotated the roller bears on mine yesterday and it looks like it's going to be solid.
Fixing the roller bearing position a Titan Flail mower - YouTube

I do need to retighten the roller scraper as well.

 

[troverman]

Final update on my Titan Flail #2. These things are junk.

I took the scraper bar off. It's pretty heavy, but the mower worked better without it being there. The roller is too small and uses a poor bearing design...it frequently clogs up with grass that winds itself into the bearing. Eventually, the roller simply stops rolling and you have to spend time cutting and digging the grass out. I could live with this problem if that's all there was.

BUT...the upright supports where the top link attaches to broke again. They shear at the bottom where the bend is. The steel is too thin and weak.

AND...the entire mower housing has bent and tweaked. Mine is in the offset position, and it is like the steel housing is simply not strong enough to maintain it's shape when lifted on the three point hitch. My first mower didn't experience this problem.

I also hit a hidden rock and it busted one knife and it's mount off the drum completely. I had to have a weld shop fabricate new mounts and weld it back on. I guess that's OK too.

SO, I can weld up the sheared uprights, I guess...but there is no way to fix the bent housing. I doubt Titan will support me on a second mower, and I don't blame them. These things are very cheap compared to quality mowers, but you get what you pay for.

On the positive side, amazingly the original grease zerks for the roller are still intact and take grease. Probably because the grass winds itself around so quickly that it protects them, lol.

I'm done with Chinese stuff. In the spring, I'll be buying a brand new Alamo or Vrismo flail mower. Both cost in the vicinity of $8k but I'm willing to pay. My old Vrismo was new in 1990 and continues to cut just fine. I put nearly as many hours on it as I do this Titan; it has *original* bearings. The only parts I've ever changed are flail knives and one belt. The knives are much easier to change on a Vrismo of Alamo mower; no welding required.

 

[TitanSkidsteer]

Thank you for being a loyal Titan customer. We apologize for any issues you have experienced with our product. We wanted to take this opportunity to help you resolve your issue. Please reach out to our customer service team at info@palletforks.com so that we can assist you.

 

[troverman]

Thanks Titan for your support along the way. Last night I removed the upright supports for the top link. They shear along the bend in the metal...I think as the flail mower moves slightly side to side, the metal continues to "crease" fold...like ripping off a check on a perforation line you fold it back and forth.

I bought a sheet of 3/16 steel yesterday and cut pieces to match a template I made. I ground and welded the broken pieces - then added my new pieces to the back side of the uprights and welded them on. I think this will add significant structural support. The 1/4" plate steel had bent where the lower lift arms connect to the pins. I heated and bent this back. The housing is still bent, but the mower engages and runs OK for now. I'll be mowing again today and we'll see how it works.

That said, I still plan to buy an American-made (albeit much more costly) flail mower in the spring. This one can be my backup if it is still functioning.

As for Titan - I stand by my statement that this Chinese-made mower is poor quality, having broken two of them in 13 months, with some failures being the same. This last mower failure came after only 50 hours of use on it since new.

That said, I appreciate the level of customer support Titan has provided. They are responsive to me and do try to help. Sending me a second flail mower was really appreciated. I think if I followed up they would send me the replacement uprights...but in this case my solution is better than OEM so I'll just go with that for now.

 

[TitanSkidsteer]

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. We assure you that our customers are our priority and appreciate you allowing us the opportunity to make things right for you. We take pride in being able to provide you quality equipment at affordable prices and will continue to take the feedback from our valued customers so that we continue to improve. Again, thank you for your continued support of Titan.

 

[Guidshir]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

 

[Fallon]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

If that broke while mowing I'd suspect something isnt working with float on your toplink. I'm not sure how Titan impliments it, but there shouldn't be any real force on the toplink or toplink tower. The mower should be resting on the roller & 3pt lift arms. The only force on the toplink assembly would be when you lift it up.

My Peruzo has a slot for the toplink to slide around in as do a handful of others. I have a QH adapter that is solid mounted, but leave my hydraulic toplink in float for the same result. Did the same with my old Ford 917 flail.

It's more of an issue with rotary cutters than flails due to their length, but can be an issue for flails too.

 

[def38]

I used my 60" Titan flail today. I think this is the 6th usage of it, maybe 7th. I mowed about 6 acres and noticed that the base of the top/middle 3-point connection was broken off on both sides.
The design is what looks like 1/8" steel bolted. Each side is it's own piece and I had to assemble when I bought this last year. The two sides bolt to the mower and to a top piece where the top 3-pt tractor connector attaches.

I didn't even know when it broke until I looked back and saw it. The mower works otherwise, so I will probably find someone to weld these back and strengthen it. But still, it's pretty bad that it broke like this.

Those fasteners don't look like the ones I have on my Titan flail mower. Mine are stout 3/4" bolts with Nyloc nuts and lock washers that secure the top link tower. Yours look loose and could be the reason that the steel broke from flexing, resulting in eventual metal fatigue.

I did need to tighten those four bolts on mine the other day when I was preparing for mowing. They required tightening about 1/2 turn with my 2 foot long breaker bar. I check the mower, fasteners and apply grease each time when getting ready to mow.

I would change out all those fasteners with correct size bolts with Nyloc nuts. Finally, I would go over all the fasteners on the mower paying special attention to the mounting for the gearbox. If that gets loose, severe damage could result. That reminds me, I forgot to check the gearbox oil and shaft oil reservoir.

How are your belts holding up? Mine are OE and show no signs of wear. I snugged them slightly last year mid season.

 

[def38]

My Peruzo has a slot for the toplink to slide around in as do a handful of others. I have a QH adapter that is solid mounted, but leave my hydraulic toplink in float for the same result. Did the same with my old Ford 917 flail.

Fallon, could you post a photo of that setup please? That sounds like a good fix for the top link tower failures.

 

[Guidshir]

This is all stock, what came with it from Titan. You're right that these look loose which could contribute, but I cinched these down super tight when I assembled. I'll weld it back together. I usually check for loose bolts. Found a couple but apparently didn't see these. The bolts that hook up to the roller bar bearing and scraper tend to loosen first.

I need to get a picture of the top link, but it is as Fallon says. There is no real force there except maybe when backing into a thicket of brush. Everything rides on the lift arms. The top link tower is a 3-piece assembly with these bolts.

 

[Fallon]

I think my QH compatibility bracket still moves a bit, but I'm not concerned. It actually sheared the bolts in 2 places when carying the mower off the ground. I upgraded to bigger grade 8 & havent had an issue.

 

[def38]

I think my QH compatibility bracket still moves a bit, but I'm not concerned. It actually sheared the bolts in 2 places when carying the mower off the ground. I upgraded to bigger grade 8 & havent had an issue.View attachment 603484

Thanks for the foto Fallon. I think I'll try my QH top link bracket to see if that improves performance on uneven ground.

BTW, I'm jealous of your hydraulic top link. I wish I knew what I need to install one on my M-F...open center, power beyond, closed center, spool valves...those sound like medical terms to me...I've got a cylinder but so far, no luck getting any action. Nobody seems to know much about the hydraulics on the 231S tractors from M-F.

 

[troverman]

Both of my Titan 72" mowers have sheared the metal at the base of the uprights to the top link, same as Guidshir. You do not need to use a floating top link on a flail mower like you would on a brush hog.

My assessment of these mowers is that you could get a longer life out of them if you did some 'upgrades' immediately after buying one. First, reinforce those uprights. They are weak and shear off where the steel is bent. My bolts were larger than Guidshir's, but it makes no difference as both of mine sheared off. Next, weld a piece of 1/4" by 2" upright across the length of the mower housing. My housing has twisted and bent. Finally, change the angle of the grease zerks on the rear roller as these self destruct on the first mowing. The scraper bar usually just clogs, I remove mine.