Buying Advice Titan flail mower?

[Luke009]

Hi all. I thought of creating a separate thread for this (also have one for the titan bh). I read through and there's an older thread on this product but without user feedback.

I think I'm settled on buying a flail mower (as opposed to brush or finish mowers) and came across this value priced Titan product. There seems to be some concern with the blades being forged and not cast, and with the lack of more height adjustments. I'm wary of a value trap, but also of overpaying to double the cost or more for a brand-name one, so any user advice will be much appreciated.

Titan Flail Mower 68" 3 Point PTO Tractor Attachment Heavy Duty Cutting EFGC175

 

[N2DFire]

Well since you went to the trouble of starting a separate thread, I'll reply over here.

I saw your reply in the Backhoe thread where you have ordered the flail mower. Please come back once you have it & post your thoughts & impressions on it.

I have been wanting a flail for a while as well. I can tell you from my own research & from knowledge of Titan's equipment - that your mower is a "generic" model made in China. (Look at Alibaba.com and search for the model number EFGC175)

From what I have seen in the prices there and from my own research in getting estimates - by the time you actually bought a mower from the factory, find a shipper to bring ONE mower over from China for you, arrange local delivery from the shipping port, pay all the customs fees, taxes, etc - that Titan's price is pretty fair (they do have to have a profit margin after all).

I was looking at a different style of mower (A ditch/bank or verge mower that has side shift & rotate) and I even contacted Titan about either adding it to their product line or at least ordering me one from their supplier with their next shipment.

They didn't seem interested in the latter option but they said they were interested in expanding their offering if the existing sales made it worthwhile.

Betsco is another importer of Chinese mowers and reports of their products here have been favorable so I'm not afraid of the Chinese made stuff. If I had a huge farm or made my living mowing right-of-way I would invest in an Italian made mower but for what I do & the cost involved, these units are more my "style" price wise.

Good luck & please share what you find out.

Best of luck.

 

[kkimura]

Luke009, I posted a review of my EHGC 60" flail under Attachments forum. My flail is an Agriease but it is the same as the Titan that your thread is linked to. I've had a chance to use the flail on varying terrain. There's a lot of information on setting up and using flails. I abandoned the dealer set up (figuring the mechanic was no the best person to configure the mower). You can set the height of your cut by adjusting the rear roller up or down (up = lower cut and down = higher cut). Easy to figure out. I removed the scraper bar along the rear roller as it bound up with grass and prevented the roller bar from moving. Finally I set the skids about an inch and a half above the roller bar. You can further adjust the height of cut by the length of your top link (i.e. extending your top link with tilt the mower back and leave a little more grass as you mow. I noticed the Titan product is the same as the model pictured in my manual. The price of the Titan is $500 less than what I paid and 8" wider. Even though it is a medium duty mower, it is robust. In this globalized market place, I don't see that brands matter much. Steel and iron are shipped all over from a few foundries and parts seem interchangeable being produced by robotic machines. What the ****, perhaps in bygone days brands meant something but today even Boeing jet assemblies are made in China. The mower weighs 245kg or over 540lbs. I can turn the drive by hand easily and most of the grease zerts are easily accessible. The drain for the gearbox is covered by the drive shaft shield. I'm new to this so take that into account. I'm happy with my mowing results. Ken

 

[Teachu2]

I bought mine a couple of years ago from Betst Products in Oregon, under the Farmer Helper label. betstco.com Back then, he was the only dealer I found, and was on Ebay. I called him direct, and found him helpful. His price was well below the competing products, and the "heavy-duty" model is what he recommended. The 68" was only about $50 more than the 60", and about as big as I felt my tractor would handle.
Took very little time to arrive in my driveway. Prepped it, cut the PTO, re-drilled a hole for the belt cover that was a bit off, and have run the snot out of it for two years now. I'm new to tractors and especially flail mowers, and have some challenging terrain. I've not been gentle with it, but it has been trouble-free. I over-filled the gearbox, but it has an overflow vent. I'd rather have a messy cover than a fried gearbox.
Is it heirloom quality? Nope. Is it good enough? For me, yes. I'll do less than twenty acres a year with it, and I store it indoors in winter. It gives me a great result, turns brush into mulch, and fit my budget. I don't make money with it, so saving money on it was a factor. The wife absolutely loves the way it cuts, so I'm very happy with it.